We are counting down the days until we welcome and convene our network at the Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) Fall Convening 2024. We will be honored to convene our network for a national conversation on a broad range of issues and themes relevant to our collective work and vision including, centering holistic health and healing efforts, belonging, meaning, wellbeing, and purpose (BMWP) interventions alongside effective philanthropy initiatives that positively transform and improve intergenerational outcomes for youth and young adults.
In the ‘Speaker Spotlight’ below, we invite you to learn more about our featured plenary speakers and lean into the wisdom of nationally renowned leaders in the Opportunity Youth (OY) movement that inform our present journey, and the future learning arc of our national network.
PLENARIES SERIES I FALL 2024
Speakers Spotlight I Meet our Fall 2024 Speakers
Keynote Speaker I Welcoming Back Dr. Pamela Cantor
Dr. Pamela Cantor, M.D., is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and a trusted voice on the science of learning and human development. She is the Founder and CEO of The Human Potential L.A.B., whose mission is to leverage the latest scientific knowledge and technologies to transform what people understand and what institutions do to unlock human potential in each and every individual. Dr. Cantor is the author of Whole-Child Development, Learning and Thriving: A Dynamic Systems Approach and The Science of Learning and Development (Routledge).
OYF Convening Fall 2015 Convening Plenary: Countering Adversity
Brenda Anibarro is the Vice President, Learning and Community Engagement at the Inatai Foundation. Brenda leads the team responsible for shaping and executing the foundation’s approach to community engagement, learning, events, research, and programmatic evaluation in support of our values and aspirations. She aims to ensure the experiences of communities most impacted by inequities are central to the foundation’s learning, guiding how we meaningfully support community-led efforts. Currently, she serves on the boards of Cascade Public Media and the Washington State Budget and Policy Center.
Brooke Solomon is a graduate of Howard University and a MPH Epidemiology student at Columbia University. As a dedicated student researcher and advocate, she thrives at the intersection of health science, community engagement, and communication. At Howard, she focused on projects ranging from education equity to public health analysis, all while employing advanced statistical methods to understand population-level health systems. As an activist and academic, Brooke wants to use her studies to dismantle oppressive systems and reimagine society through her community’s inherent capacity for knowledge and self-production.
Cloud Benn is a Youth Activists Alum at New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board (NOLA CYPB). Cloud is a 2025 English Lit and Interdisciplinary graduate from Illinois Wesleyan.
Current Youth Activism: New Deal for Youth
Cristal Salcido, ND, APCC was born and raised in Indio, California, and is the first in her family to pursue higher education. She is a graduate of Bastyr University, completing a dual track to become a naturopathic medical doctor and professional clinical counselor. She is a social impact and nonprofit professional, committed to combining her personal and professional skills with her passion for holistic medicine and mental health to improve the well-being of underserved communities in the Coachella Valley and beyond. Cristal has joined Live Well Clinic, a naturopathic medical clinic in La Quinta, where she is leading efforts to make naturopathic medicine more accessible.
Deanna Mousseau is from the Kul Wicasa Oyate and Oglala Sioux Tribe. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resource Management from Black Hills State University. She is passionate about serving Indigenous communities, which led her to complete the Native Youth Grantmakers program with Native Americans in Philanthropy. Currently, Deanna works with Emergence LLC, supporting Indigenous-led nonprofits at both local and national levels. She also serves on the Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council, advocating for positive change.
Dr. Kevin James is the 19th President of Morris Brown College, a historical Black college in Atlanta, Georgia. Under his leadership, the college regained accreditation after a nearly twenty-year hiatus, becoming the first HBCU to achieve such a feat. Driven by a commitment to Morris Brown’s legacy, he initiated the #TheHardReset campaign, successfully restoring the institution to compliance and recognition by the Department of Education. With a career spanning over 23 years as an educator, administrator, executive business leader, and motivational speaker, Dr. James brings a wealth of experience to his role as the Chief Executive Officer of the college.
Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Ph.D. manages the Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Research team, leading the creation, development, analysis, and release of various research projects and initiatives relevant to the philanthropic sector’s most pressing issues. Prior to CEP, Dr. Smith Arrillaga was a faculty fellow and professor of practice in philanthropy and education policy at the University of Texas, and she served as executive director of several national and state level nonprofits, including the Dana Center. Dr. Smith Arrillaga has also served on a range of state and national advisory groups and has spoken widely at conferences, published articles and op-eds and has been interviewed by various media outlets, including Forbes, the New York Times, and CNN.
The Hon. Jessi L.K. Hall has been a District Family Court Judge of the First Circuit, State of Hawai`i since December 2017. She has been the lead judge in all divisions in the Family Court, as well as the presiding judge of the Hawai`i Zero to Three child welfare specialty court. Currently Judge Hall is the lead judge and sits in the Juvenile division, which addresses juvenile criminal cases as well as child welfare cases. Judge Hall has been involved with the development of an elementary level truancy pilot program as well as culturally based diversion programs. She is also involved in many community and court involved boards and committees. Prior to joining the Family Court, Judge Hall was a practicing Family Law attorney for eighteen years.
Kaya Henderson serves as Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Center for Rising Generations at the Aspen Institute. Kaya has devoted her career, as a teacher, a leader, and an entrepreneur, to expanding opportunities for young people. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Kaya was the founder and CEO of Reconstruction, an innovative educational organization dedicated to teaching young people about African-American history, culture, and contributions in a comprehensive and affirming way, so that students of all backgrounds benefit from a more complete understanding of our shared history and society. Kaya is perhaps best known for serving as Chancellor of DC Public Schools from 2010-2016.
Krystal McCalla is a senior at Morris Brown College majoring in Business with a concentration in Esports. Throughout her academic journey, she has been passionate about blending her business acumen with the dynamic world of esports. One of her proudest accomplishments has been creating an esports site for PrizePicks, which has provided her with invaluable experience in digital marketing and user engagement. In recognition of my academic and extracurricular achievements, I was honored to receive a scholarship from Dell Technologies. Additionally, I am the 90th Miss Morris Brown College, a role that allows me to represent and serve my college community proudly.
Lizzie Mills-Low is an undergrad student at the University of Montana Davidson Honors College. She is studying in the school of Journalism and is a part of numerous campus organizations. As founder of Empower MT’s Association for BIPOC Youth, she facilitates after school meetings for middle-high school aged students to find community. She is incredibly driven she is both a DHC Presidential Leadership Scholar and a 2024-2025 Flagship Scholar for the nationally recognized Point Foundation.
Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and the newly released national bestselling book How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good. He is a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and an opinion contributor to The New York Times. He is also the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.
Unable to join us in-person this year? We extend a virtual invitation to join us on our Youtube Channel to view all our featured plenaries online later this Fall and follow us on our social media channels @AspenFCS for LIVE updates during the convening:
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About Us
Aspen Forum for Community Solutions
The Aspen Forum for Community Solutions plays an integral role throughout the opportunity youth movement, with a primary focus on supporting the Opportunity Youth Forum. The Opportunity Youth Forum was launched in 2012 to leverage the new visibility and momentum of the opportunity youth movement coming out of the White House Council on Community Solutions, which called for innovative, place-based, collaborative solutions to reconnect the 6 million opportunity youth in the United States at that time.
The Opportunity Youth Forum
The Opportunity Youth Forum (OYF) is a network comprised of over forty local collaborations in urban, rural, and tribal communities across the United States that seeks to build and scale reconnection pathways that achieve better outcomes in education, employment and overall well-being for opportunity youth. Opportunity youth are young adults, 16-24 years of age, who are engaged in neither work nor education.
Read more about our work on opportunity youth here.
