Katharine Beamer was born and raised in San Diego, California. She graduated from Stanford University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Sociology.  Katharine joined the Foreign Service in 2001 and has served overseas in U.S. Embassies in Guatemala, Poland, Slovakia, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. 

In Guatemala, Katharine worked primarily as the Human Rights Officer on the nascent effort to establish the UN International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG). In Poland and Slovakia, Katharine worked as a political officer and followed themes such as ethnic tension, rising extremism, trafficking in persons, rule of law, and judicial integrity. In Bolivia, Katharine served as the Deputy Counselor of the Political, Economic, and Commercial Section, where she prioritized expanding commercial relations between the United States and Bolivia. 

In Dominican Republic, she served as the Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs, leading the Embassy’s outreach to the business community and the government during national elections in 2020.
In Washington, Katharine worked in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs in the offices of Brazil and Southern Cone Affairs on Paraguay and Uruguay, and in Caribbean Affairs on Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and the Eastern Caribbean. She was also selected to be a State Department Pearson Fellow and served as a Foreign Policy Advisor in the office of Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) from 2011-2012.
Katharine is a member of the Senior Foreign Service and has received three individual Superior Honor Awards and several individual and group Meritorious Honor Awards for her service over the course of her career.

Malene Alleyne is a Jamaican human rights lawyer and founder of Freedom Imaginaries, an organization that uses human rights law to tackle legacies of colonialism and enslavement. 

Malene holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School and a Master of Advanced Studies degree from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva. 

She received her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill. She is qualified to practice law in Jamaica.

Ms. Brooks has over 30 years of expertise as a country specialist for the English-speaking Caribbean region for the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In this role of

Desk Officer for the Caribbean Region, Ms. Brooks supports and can play a leadership role in developing ITA’s activities in the Caribbean region. The Desk Officer must liaise consistently and productively with stakeholders including our commercial offices and the U.S. business community and have an overall strong knowledge of the technical issues, politics, and economics of the region, and best practices on all points related to programs and issues as assigned. The Desk officer serves as a contact point between the overseas missions and headquarters, and, though the headquarters agency, with other interested parties in support of the development and implementation of programs and priorities.

Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the banking industry. Skilled in Retail Banking, Coaching, Sales and Service and enhancing the customer experience. Strong business development professional with a Master’s degree focused in Global Human Resource Management from University of Liverpool.

William Layton, serial entrepreneur and Founder of Agria/3 Ridge Technologies, pivoted from a $4M ARR construction business to revolutionize agriculture. His journey began with a record-breaking 1,138 lb pumpkin – the weight of 4 baby elephants – leading to the creation of the innovative Agria growing system. Emerging from stealth in 2021, Agria has since validated its technology with over 170 types of produce, including the “dirty dozen”, tomatoes, strawberries, microgreens, and more.

The Agria system, USDA Organic certified, represents a leap forward in sustainable agriculture without relying on hydroponics. This groundbreaking approach has attracted B2B customers across business, government, and military sectors. Layton’s innovation earned him victory at the 757 Angels competition, outperforming hundreds of competitors.

With features on ABC 13 West and Fervent Four, plus a growing Instagram following of 16k+, Agria is gaining traction. Agria’s mission is to feed the world. The company aims to address global food insecurity with “beyond organic” produce. In stark contrast to high-operational cost hydroponic systems, Agria’s efficiencies and high-yield systems have the potential to revolutionize agriculture innovation and sustainable agriculture.

Michelle Lee is a Senior Analyst at Climate Policy Initiative (CPI). She is a specialist in climate finance, focused on mobilizing private sector finance for adaptation and resilience in emerging markets.

At CPI, Michelle leads the organization’s work on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), leading a work program on private and blended finance for adaptation and resilience in SIDS and an upcoming report tracking international adaptation finance in SIDS. Prior to joining CPI, Michelle worked with RMI’s Climate Finance Access Network, working to improve climate finance access in the Caribbean and Pacific. She holds a masters from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

David Mullings, the Chairman and CEO of Blue Mahoe Holdings Inc., a Miami-based impact investment firm focused primarily on the Caribbean. He is the recipient of the distinguished 2021 American Foundation of the University of the West Indies Chancellor’s Award for Business Excellence. 

Mr. Mullings has positioned himself and his companies to be a catalyst that can revolutionize business not just in the United States but also in Jamaica, the Caribbean and the African Diaspora. Along with innovative business practices and approaches, Mullings prioritizes educating people on how triple bottom line investing works to generate profits while benefiting people and planet.

Born in Jamaica, raised in  Jamaica and Miami, mr. Mullings was the first Future Leaders Representative for the USA on the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board and was part of the planning team for the first Jamaica Diaspora Future Leaders Conference in Kingston, Jamaica.

Priyani Malik, Barrister-at-Law, is the Senior Country Officer for the Caribbean Country Management Unit and Country Representative for The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, based in Washington DC. Since joining the World Bank in 2009, she has held key positions such as Senior Country Officer for Pakistan, based in DC, and Senior Operations Officer in the Bangladesh Country Office. 

Priyani has a wealth of experience in the Financial Systems Practice, where she led national risk assessments on financial crimes across several countries. A trained lawyer, she is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2002. She holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills from the Inns of Court School of Law (UK) and an undergraduate degree in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Prior to her tenure at the World Bank, Priyani worked as a Foreign Service National in the US Department of Justice and practiced law in Dhaka. Her early years were spent in Singapore and London.