Dr. Liesl Riddle is the Dean of the College of Professional Studies and an Associate Professor of International Business and International Affairs at The George Washington University (GW). She holds a BA and MA in Middle Eastern Studies, a MBA in Marketing/International Business, and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Riddle has written extensively about diasporas and development, international entrepreneurship, and trade and investment promotion. In 1999, Dr. Riddle co-authored the first diaspora-focused article to appear in the top international business journal, The Journal of International Business. Since then, Dr. Riddle has conducted action research on developing diaspora investment ecosystems over 30 countries and six continents around the world as a consultant for international organizations, government agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development, and the International Organization for Migration as well as several national governments and private-sector organizations. This research informed several national and international policy interventions, organizational diaspora-engagement strategies, and the launch of several new diaspora-investment platforms, products, and projects.

In 2006, she was a founding member of the GW Diaspora Research Program (GW-DRP) and later served as director for several years. GW-DRP not only offers an array of curricular and co-curricular programs related to diaspora roles in development and diplomacy but it also hosts numerous convenings of academics, policy makers, practitioners and students to progress global conversations about diaspora roles in the global economy and society. Under Dr. Riddle’s leadership GW-DRP partnered with the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development to launch the Global Diaspora Forum and the International Diaspora Engagement Alliance (IDEA).

Dr. Riddle also was a co-founder of GW’s Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER) and served for many years as CIBER’s faculty director for its teaching, research and business/policy outreach programming related to diaspora investment and entrepreneurship.

In the classroom, Dr. Riddle taught courses at the undergraduate-, graduate-, and executive-level focused on Migration, Identity & International Business; Globalization; Global Perspectives; International Entrepreneurship; and International Management as well as study abroad courses to explore diaspora investment and entrepreneurship in countries of origin in Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Turkey. In her over 20 years of experience as a teacher, Dr. Riddle received numerous teaching awards, including the prestigious university George Washington Award and the School of Business Teaching Excellence Award.

Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Cyber Diplomacy and Leadership (CCDL). The vision is centered around enhancing cybersecurity understanding and practices among African leaders. The CCDL seeks to educate and empower these leaders, providing them with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively address cyber threats and integrate cybersecurity into their national security strategies. CCDL aims to bridge the knowledge and awareness gap between African decision-makers and their technical teams.

Founder and Principal at Digital Sources LLC. Dr. Cisse serves as a cybersecurity executive helping organizations, governments and non-profit organizations navigate cybersecurity transformation, compliance and planning to maximize digital transformation. Digital Sources employs seasoned professionals with extensive experience in information security, risk management, and a comprehensive understanding of evolving cyber threats. Digital Sources helps organizations establish and maintain a robust cybersecurity framework that safeguards the organization’s sensitive data, intellectual property, and digital assets. Digital Sources serves as the chief architect of the organization’s cybersecurity posture, developing and implementing policies, procedures, and protocols to mitigate the ever-evolving landscape of cyber threats. Digital Sources seamlessly coordinates cross functional collaboration with IT departments, legal teams, and executives to align cybersecurity initiatives with overall business goals and compliance requirements. Digital Sources enables a culture of cybersecurity awareness and resilience across the organization. By providing strategic vision, expertise, and leadership. Digital Sources contributes significantly to maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of an organization’s digital infrastructure in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

As Chief Information Officer (CIO), Dr. Cisse lead organizations in the formulation and administration of research, grant and IT policy and operational activities that promote the effective and efficient utilization of research grants, technology transfer of research outcomes for systems, networks, and equipment. As CIO he serves an integral role in organization-wide strategic management activities, including the development, implementation, and maintenance of strategic and operational plans to include business transformation efforts. He also advises CEOs and fellow executives on information resource implications of strategic planning decisions to include focusing on modernizing infrastructure, emerging technologies, and service delivery systems. He is as an executive-level resource to organizations, various executives and senior management for projects on a range of information management, information systems, business transformation and cyber security issues.

Robert has had a global career of more than 35 years as an entrepreneur, investor and executive in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the US. He has a passion for impact and purpose, and for building businesses that are at the intersection of technology and human behavior. Born in the US, he has professional experience in over 60 countries. Robert is the Founder of ConSol USA, Inc., a US-based technology and human capital company focused on the cybersecurity sector. As part of this work, he advised The White House on the development of the current National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy.

Godbless Otubure has over 13 years of cognate experience working with International Institutions, Multinationals, Under-Served Communities, Fresh Graduates, Federal and State Governments and Institutions across the US, Nigeria, Africa and globally focusing on National Security, Statecraft and Defence Intelligence, Productive Democracy, Youth Inclusion in Governance, Civic Tech and Civic Engagements, Credible Elections Initiatives, Peace Building Projects, Economic Policy Reforms, Intra-African Trade, Jobs Creation, SMEs and Income Generation, Policy Advocacy, Community Organizing and Employability & Enterprise Skills Development.

Godbless is a 2019 White House/State Department Mandela Washington Fellow and the Global President at ReadyToLeadAfrica, as well as a 2024 White House-Led Summit For Democracy Ambassador representing the Youth Democracy Cohort at the 2024 Summit For Democracy in Seoul, South Korea.
Godbless is an Emerging US National Security, Statecraft and Defence Intelligence Expert based out of Washington DC, USA from the IWP, a Presidential Precinct Global Advisory Council Member in Charlottesville Virginia, and a former Lagos State Coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun Movement

As Vice President of Global Public Policy for Government Affairs, Nicole Isaac leads a team of experts that drive Cisco’s policy agenda to bolster ICT adoption around the world and to enable Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all.

Prior to joining Cisco, Nicole spent more than 20 years in the government, corporate, legal, and nonprofit sectors. In addition to senior roles at Google, Meta, and LinkedIn, her background in government is wide-ranging. After beginning her career as counsel in the U.S. House of Representatives, she became a foreign law clerk at the Constitutional Court of South Africa before joining the office of U.S. Senate Assistant Majority Leader Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) as floor counsel. For five years of the Obama administration, Nicole was the deputy director for legislative affairs to then-Vice President Joe Biden and later served as a special assistant to President Barack Obama in the White House’s Office of Legislative Affairs.

Passionate about empowering others, Nicole was the founder and CEO of Code the Streets, Inc.—a nonprofit organization designed to increase access to educational and mentoring resources for inner-city youth through technology. She has also been a trustee with World Learning Inc. and a board member of the Joseph R. Biden Foundation.

She served as a Commissioner on the Commission on White House Fellowships and also to the United States Commission on the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, which protects and preserves historic properties and monuments across Eastern and Central Europe.

Nicole grew up in the Bronx, New York and received her Bachelor of Arts from Brown University, Master of Arts from Columbia University, Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Master of Studies (LLM equivalent) from the University of Oxford. She is the daughter of Jamaican and Costa Rican immigrants.