Iveren is the African Diaspora Partnership Manager at Ashoka, the world’s largest network of social entrepreneurs and changemakers. She collaborates with local and global teams to design and implement programs that engage African diaspora leaders in systems change and social impact. Her work builds strategic partnerships that elevate the contributions of African leaders in both their countries of residence and origin, recognizing their changemaker identities through impact, dignity, and visibility. As a Gies MBA candidate with a background in engineering, corporate training, consulting and international development, Iveren brings a strategic lens to Ashoka’s diaspora engagement, youth leadership and policy advocacy initiatives.

Ken Kungania is the Board Chair and former Executive Director of the National African Student Association (NAfSA), a 501(c)(3) organization founded to unite and empower African diaspora youth across educational institutions in North America. Under his leadership, NAfSA has launched impactful programs in member development, mentorship, research, and diaspora policy advocacy—amplifying the role of young Africans in shaping change both locally and globally.

Professionally, he serves as a Program Manager in Engineering, contributing his expertise to the power generation sector. As a One Young World Ambassador, he brings a network-based, global perspective to youth leadership and policy engagement—connecting the African diaspora with education, innovation, and social impact through forums and cross-sector initiatives.

Ken draws on his hyphenated identity as a Kenyan-American to advocate for stronger representation of diaspora youth voices in policymaking and development discourse.

Semhar Araia is the Founder and CEO of The Diaspora Academy, a diaspora advisory firm and leadership institute that equips first and second-generation diaspora changemakers and organization with the tools to lead impactful initiatives, organizations, and campaigns. A former lawyer and senior advisor on diaspora policy, she has worked with Meta, UNICEF USA, the African Union, IOM, and USAID. Semhar began her career supporting the Eritrea-Ethiopia peace process and later advised Congress, Oxfam, and The Elders. She is recognized as one of MIPAD’s Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent and was featured in the Smithsonian’s Next-Generation Voices exhibit. Born in New York to Eritrean parents, Semhar is based in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah is a cardiovascular nurse epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is the Associate Dean for Research at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Associate Director, Local/Global Reciprocal Innovation at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity. She is the President and Co-founder of the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance.

Her research focuses on reducing cardiovascular disease risk among African populations both in the United States and Africa through community-engaged research and implementation science. With expertise in immigrant health, global health, and social determinants of health, Dr. Commodore-Mensah leads groundbreaking studies to improve the health of African-descent populations.Through her research, leadership, mentorship and advocacy, she continues to make significant strides in advancing cardiovascular health equity and promoting better health outcomes for African-descent populations worldwide.

Adjoa Kyerematen, M.S., is an award-winning PR and political strategist, lobbyist, and social entrepreneur with 18 years of political expertise at the global, federal and local level. She has advised at top levels of U.S. government as a former Communications Director on Capitol Hill, Co-Organizing Director of the National Steering Committee for the African Diaspora for the Biden for President campaign. Adjoa is founder of the Ghana Diaspora Public Affairs Collective (GHPAC), a leading influential African diaspora political advocacy organization.