Charmaine Davis is an experienced policy strategist, facilitator and organizer that has built diverse coalitions of labor, community and government organizations, trained grassroots leaders, and directed legislative campaigns using a racial and gender lens to end employment discrimination against justice impacted people, expand access to job protected leave and advance pay equity.

Charmaine began her career as a community organizer for the national organization Project Vote. After moving to Atlanta, GA Charmaine became the State Director for the Georgia chapter of 9to5, The National Association of Working Women. As State Director, she led all chapter organizing, legislative work and membership-building activities. In her role with 9to5 she worked with Georgia state legislators to draft the Family Care Act, a bill to expand job protected leave to Georgia workers. She successfully led lobbying efforts that resulted in the Family Care Act being signed into law by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal in May of 2017. 

While serving as the State Director for 9to5 Charmaine launched Atlanta’s “Ban the Box” campaign. Ban the Box is a campaign to reduce employment discrimination against the formerly incarcerated by removing questions from employment applications inquiring about an individual’s criminal record. In January of 2013, in response to Charmaine’s organizing efforts, the city of Atlanta made history by becoming the first city in Georgia to remove all questions regarding an applicant’s criminal background from city employment applications. This policy change has expanded employment opportunities to thousands of people across the state of Georgia.

Charmaine has received various forms of recognition and awards for her work including being inducted into the YWCA’s Women of Achievement Academy, being named one of Georgia’s 40 under 40 Rising Stars by Georgia Trend Magazine, being awarded Political Organizer of the Year by Project Vote and being named one of Marquis Who's Who in America in 2019.

Charmaine continues to promote the welfare of wage earning women by serving as the Director of Regional Programs and Operations for the US Department of Labor’s Women's Bureau.

Amber Barth is the Director and Representative to the Bretton Woods and Multilateral Organizations at the International Labour Organization (ILO) office for United States and Canada. Since joining the organization in 2005, she has been responsible for providing economic and social policy guidance to strengthen decent work outcomes in the United Nations’ and other global development processes, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In her previous roles, Amber served as a Decent Work Specialist with the Multilateral Cooperation Department at ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland where she coordinated multi-stakeholder partnerships in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. She also worked to stimulate the creation of health and social sector jobs in low and lower middle-income countries through her role as the ILO executive coordinator of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. At her current position, she leads the ILO in the United States and Canada, advocating for its core values including decent work and social justice for all.

Wendy Davis Dawson is a seasoned HR professional, whose career has journeyed through a diverse landscape in the world of corporate Human resources.  For the last decade, she has held pivotal HR leadership roles across various industries, geographic locations, and multinational environments.

What makes Wendy’s story unique is that for the first 20 years of her career, she founded, owned, and operated a large childcare center.  This chapter of her career cultivated in her a passion for people and a unique comprehension of the critical balance between business, its workforce, and governmental compliance.

As the Founder of The Dawson Group Human Capital Consulting, Wendy intertwines her sincere enthusiasm for business with her abiding passion for people. Her role surpasses conventional consulting; rather, she collaborates with business leaders to pave the way for transformative leadership, optimized teams, and adept navigation of contemporary business complexities.

Wendy proudly earned a Master of Human Resource Development degree from Clemson University, and the SHRM SCP credential. 

She is an avid supporter of Clemson Football.  In her free time, Wendy loves to travel and cherishes her role as a Grandmother to 9. 

Damien Howard is the Chief Enterprise Solutions Officer at Per Scholas, responsible for driving revenue across multiple verticals by aligning and optimizing the national nonprofit’s employer engagement and business strategy. He focuses on accelerating growth across multiple markets while providing leadership for many Per Scholas teams. In 2016, Damien co-founded Diverse by Design with the goal of moving conversation into action in the industry Per Scholas knows best: technology. Earlier this year, Damien was welcomed as a Forbes Business Development Council Member and Contributor, sharing his perspective about talent development, business strategy, technology, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and more.

Hey there, I'm Ricky Klein! I've delved deep into the realm of sustainable gardening and herbal wonders. As a recognized State of Vermont Subject Matter Expert, my focus centers on regenerative practices in home gardening, emphasizing the importance of pollinators, soil vitality, and transforming lawns into thriving gardens. Sharing my knowledge is a joy, especially when it comes to herbal foraging and crafting teas and unique blends from nature's gifts. Join me in our Tea Garden Workshop for an immersive journey into regenerative gardening and the delightful art of concocting fresh, garden-infused teas.