Ellie is the eldest multiracial, queer daughter of an immigrant from the largest Muslim country in the world. An organizational strategy and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) specialist with a 20-year career in management consulting, leadership and program development, communications, and open data and civic technology, she believes that individuals and communities are the experts of their own experience and that asset-based approaches deliver the most impact. Ellie spent over a decade in social impact on international programs and organizational effectiveness, prior to advising on program, product, and business strategy as Director of Impact at Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies. She has served as a mentor to Founder Institute, regularly advises on business strategy, and speaks regularly on identity, leadership, and civic engagement. Ellie has been interviewed by and featured in the Washington Post, USA Today, Silicon Valley Business Journal, and Tech Inclusion’s D&I Leader Spotlight for her EDI expertise. Ellie has a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in Urban and Strategic Management from San Francisco State University, and a specialty in Generative Somatics and Emotional Intelligence.

Michelle Maldonado is CEO of Lucenscia (pronounced loo-SENSE-see-ah), a firm dedicated to human flourishing, Emotional Intelligence, and mindful business transformation. Her work focuses on leadership development at the pivotal intersection of mindfulness, unconscious bias, emotional intelligence, authenticity, and compassion, nestled on a foundation of neuroscience and taught through an equity lens.

Leveraging her 25 years+ expertise as a business leader, experience as a former tech attorney, and a practitioner with more than 40 years of contemplative experience, Michelle serves as a trusted advisor to leaders across industries. Her work has been featured in the United Nations Foundation’s Peace on Purpose Program, DQ Institute in association with the World Economic Forum, and Mindful Magazine as well as in various meditation apps. Michelle also serves as a state legislator where she founded the bi-partisan Technology & Innovation Caucus and was named “Rookie Legislator of the Year” in her first year of service.

Caro believes inner transformation leads to a healthier thriving world. She has a passion for helping people align their work to what is most meaningful to them, and helping teams become more effective in how they work together.

Caro has been working in the leadership and organizational development field for over 20 years. She creates and leads learning experiences in the areas of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, resilience, and leadership. She has also trained and certified teachers, built operations teams, managed human resources, led organizational culture change processes, and facilitated company-wide strategic planning processes. She was formerly Chief of Staff at the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, Founding Vice President at Axialent, and has held a variety of leadership positions in the non-profit sector.

Lindsey has a strong background in startups and nonprofits. She served as a strategic partnership director for a marketing firm and as a consultant for cleantech companies. She’s a founding board member of the Israel Green Building Council and has an MBA in sustainable management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. A longtime mindfulness practice guides her desire to change the world.

Amishi Jha, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her PhD from the University of California–Davis, and received her postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University in functional neuroimaging. She studies the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion and resilience. With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, she has been systematically investigating the potential
applications of mindfulness training in education, corporate, elite sports, and the military contexts. In addition to her own published body of research, her work has been featured at TED.com, the World Economic Forum, NY Times, NPR, the Aspen Institute, the Pentagon, the Journal of Special Operations Medicine, and Joint Force Quarterly.

Tim Ream is a long-time Earth activist and Zen practitioner and teacher, leading retreats in various mindfulness traditions. He is an organizer, campaigner, writer, film maker, environmental attorney, and author of Fallen Water: A novel of Zen and Earth. His activism spans everything from direct action and civil disobedience like tree-sitting and road blockading to successful lawsuits to protect wolves and other species. SIYLI is excited to collaborate with Tim to build custom curriculum, including SIY for Environmental Activists.

Dr. Ekaterina Denkova
Dr. Denkova is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Assistant Director of the Neuroimaging Facility and Assistant Director of Research for the UMindfulness Initiative. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Strasbourg after which she joined the University of Alberta as a CIHR Fellow. She serves as Co-investigator on several federally funded grants with Dr. Amishi Jha.

Dr. Denkova expertise is in cognitive and affective neuroscience. Using brain and behavioral methods, she studies the neural basis of cognitive and affective processes and their trainability with mindfulness training. Her program of research focuses on: 1) The interplay between cognitive and affective processes underlying personal memories and thoughts, such as mind- wandering, ruminations, and intrusions; 2) The impact of mindfulness training on these cognitive and affective processes in high-stress/high-demand professionals.

Amishi Jha, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, prior to which she was an Assistant Professor at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her PhD from the University of California–Davis, and received her postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University in functional neuroimaging. She studies the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion and resilience. With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, she has been systematically investigating the potential
applications of mindfulness training in education, corporate, elite sports, and the military contexts. In addition to her own published body of research, her work has been featured at TED.com, the World Economic Forum, NY Times, NPR, the Aspen Institute, the Pentagon, the Journal of Special Operations Medicine, and Joint Force Quarterly.