That’s right. We’ve got a lineup of your favorite organizations and leaders making a difference locally and globally, ready to share their knowledge and get you pumped for the upcoming service year.
Alex Sheen is the founder of because I said I would, a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to bettering humanity through promises made and kept. Sparked by the loss of his father, Alex and his organization send “promise cards” to anyone anywhere in the world at no cost. Alex is someone who truly honors commitment. He once walked over 240 miles across the entire state of Ohio in 10 days to fulfill a promise. In just two years, because I said I would has sent over 12.3 million promise cards to over 153 different countries. The promises written on these cards have made headlines around the world. Alex is a five-time Tedx Talk speaker and his charitable work has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CNN, The Today Show, NPR, The Los Angeles Times and many other programs.
George is a Business Strategist for Tony Robbins, high-energy speaker and published author. His engaging and motivational style combined with actionable tips and his laugh-out-loud sense of humor will leave you feeling inspired and ready to tackle challenges in school and in your personal life.
Erika’s Lighthouse is proud to be the Official Partner of Key Club International to bring mental health resources to clubs around the world. After a difficult year, millions of students are struggling with mental health challenges. We offer dozens of turn-key activities and two exciting campaigns to begin and end the school year around good mental health. Join to learn how Erika’s Lighthouse can help your club promote inclusive school cultures and a “culture of care” around adolescent mental health through advocacy, positivity, education and more.
Stacie is an anxiety-ridden advocate for diversity and inclusion. Her passion to root out inequities has taken her from law school and working in legal aid to the YMCA as an Associate Executive Director. As the founder and CEO of Resilient Resistance, she works to help others activate their hearts for justice and create inclusive environments for all to thrive.
Evan Wesley is the Vice President of Student Activation for Thirst Project. Evan spends his time traveling around the world speaking to middle school, high school, and college students about the global water crisis and what students can do to END it. In 7 years, Evan has spoken to over 100,000 students in 12 different countries as a Keynote speaker, working with groups like the United Nations, UNICEF, Student Council, Key Club International, HOSA, WordLink Peace and Justice, North American Hair Association, Paul Mitchell Schools, and Millennium Campus Network. In his spare time, you can find Evan playing with golden retriever puppies, chasing sunsets, rollerblading on the beach, or rock climbing.
Burton began his professional career by providing case management and counseling services to folks affected by mental illness, substance use addiction and homelessness. Working with such vulnerable populations fueled his passion for social justice; he wanted to use his voice for those who were made to feel disempowered. The experience of working in both secondary and tertiary prevention, as well as seeing the long-term effects of childhood trauma and sexual assault, lead Burton to think about a career path that focused more on primary prevention. Upon moving to Indianapolis in 2015, Burton was offered the opportunity to launch and spearhead an anti-bullying program called Step Up for Kindness! He began traveling around the state of Indiana and facilitating bullying prevention and healthy relationships programming to students from Kindergarten through 8th grade. In almost 3 years Burton was able to reach over 35,000 students. Though this work was very rewarding, He still knew that he wanted to do more to fight for social justice. Burton joined the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault & Human Trafficking team in 2018 as the Rape Prevention and Education Coordinator, he now serves as the Director of Men’s Engagement. In his current role, he focuses on increasing engagement and education of high school and college students in sexual assault primary prevention. Burton’s efforts are spent helping folks redefine the rigid and traditional ideas of masculinity and gender norms and empowering them to shift rape culture and eliminate the occurrence of sexual assault.
Michael Grudzinski serves as Senior Director of Global Cause Partnerships at UNICEF USA and joined the organization in 2011. He works with civil society organizations to make a transformative impact in the lives of children around the world. Michael works with large service organizations to help eliminate preventable diseases. He often speaks publicly on UNICEF’s global health programming and has led delegations to the field to observe programs in Ghana, Guinea, Jamaica, Indonesia, Madagascar and Zambia. Prior to his work with UNICEF USA, Michael was a high school English teacher in Japan for three years as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. He also worked in product liability law after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, where he studied Politics and Philosophy. Michael, his wife Hikari, and his son lives in Brooklyn, New York.