From prospect stewardship to strategic alliances and scaling growth, Sidney Abrams’ role sits at the intersection of where organizations are going and the talent capacity needed to get them there. A collaborative thinker and leader with a can-do spirit, Sidney architects solutions for new and existing clients by mobilizing the best and brightest minds with cutting edge people-focused solutions across all Nonprofit HR practices, including Strategy and Advisory, Outsourcing, Search, Total Rewards and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Melissa is a Founder and CEO of Youth Empowerment Project (YEP).  Melissa received her B.A. from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and her M. Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE).  Melissa first came to New Orleans through Teach for America (TFA) and she returned to the city after receiving her Master’s Degree in order to help reform the state’s juvenile justice system. In 2004, Melissa and two other juvenile justice advocates founded YEP as the first program of its kind in Louisiana to support formerly incarcerated youth transition back into their families and communities.  Over the past 17 years, YEP has expanded to provide mentoring, high school equivalency preparation, employment readiness, and out-of-school time programming to young people across the Greater New Orleans region.  Among the significant recognition she has received for her leadership at YEP, Melissa was recognized by the Times-Picayune as one of the 300 people “who have made New Orleans, New Orleans” (2018) and Gambit Weekly selected her as New Orleanian of the Year (2016).  

Lisa set out to build a market where one didn’t exist. She founded Nonprofit HR, the leading talent management firm in the U.S. that works exclusively with the nonprofit sector. Lisa’s goal is to ensure that every Nonprofit HR engagement inspires social sector leaders to strengthen their most important asset: their people. Over the course of her career, Lisa has presented to hundreds of organizations, staff and leadership teams. Today, fueled by the passion of their 100-plus employees and consultants nationwide, Nonprofit HR is helping many of the nation’s most impactful nonprofit organizations get ahead through smart people management strategies.

After years of what his parents called “the diagnosis of the month club,” Dylan was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at the age of eight. Life has been a minefield of obstacles for Dylan. When he was little, he struggled with learning the rules and following directions that did not make sense to him. As he got older, he was challenged, especially socially, by a world that seemed extremely confusing to him, with a disability that to most was invisible. Even today, Dylan works hard to figure out what he needs to do in order to get through each day as a 27-year-old adult with autism in our fast-paced and often unforgiving society.

Dylan graduated from Sedgefield High School in 2010 and is currently pursuing his goal of making it in the entertainment industry. He has a YouTube channel under his stage name “Real Dielawn” where viewers are treated on a daily basis to a look inside his one-of-a-kind mind. Dylan has also been a regular on SiriusXM’s “Dirty Pop Live” hosted by Lance Bass, heard formerly on OutQ Channel 106 and RadioAndy Channel 102. He has hosted his own radio show, “Ridin with Dielawn” which aired Saturday nights in Portland, Maine on WLOB 100.5-FM and via his podcast.

Dylan has been enjoying his experiences speaking about his life and the book he wrote with his father.  His presentations to thousands of people from coast to coast have been overwhelmingly well-received. He hopes his work helping his father write Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Autism Spectrum and his new book, Bad Choices Make Good Stories: My Life with Autism, will help families as they navigate through the difficulties of living life on the spectrum.  He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Sophia A. Nelson, Esquire, is the 2024 Distinguished Varner Vitality Lecturer and award winner at Oakland University in Michigan. She is a highly regarded award-winning author, journalist, and distinguished international motivational speaker. Renowned for her perceptive columns on CNN Opinion and her weekly appearances on CNN, where she offers expert legal and political analysis, Nelson boasts a background as a former Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Big 10 Law Firm Senior Counsel, and Capitol Hill Congressional Committee Counsel. She is widely recognized as a Scholar, Lecturer, and Panel Moderator at prestigious academic institutions such as Harvard's Kennedy School, Bowdoin College, Depauw University, University of Indiana-Bloomington, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the United States. Nelson has been featured on prominent national programs such as Morning Joe, The Today Show, Nightline, and NPR. A trailblazer in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, women's workplace wellness, and Emotional Intelligence (EIQ), she serves as a respected curator and trainer in corporate leadership and human resources development. Collaborating closely with Fortune 100 companies, Nelson has left a significant impact on global diversity and workplace wellness practices, extending her influence as far as Sydney, Australia. With four bestselling non-fiction works to her name, including "Black Woman Redefined," "The Woman Code," "ePluribus One," and her latest 2022 publication, "Be the One You Need: 21 Life Lessons I Learned While Taking Care of Everyone But Me" (Simon & Schuster 2022). Nelson continues to make meaningful contributions to literature and societal well-being through her various media, writing, and speaking platforms. She is the founder of the new "Redefining Freedom" Center located in Virginia, and she is working on her 5th book by the same name, due for publication in 2026.

Valerie helps companies improve their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders.

She served in senior leadership roles at RollsRoyce Aircraft before helping to found InterActiveCorp, parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster. She then went to work for Oprah Winfrey, helping to found the Oxygen channel which was later sold to NBC Universal.

Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing the New Workplace Reality, helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.