Sara Abosch-Jacobson, PhD
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
Dr. Sara Abosch-Jacobson is the Barbara Rabin Chief Education Officer for the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. At the Museum, she is responsible for all content-related matters. She regularly speaks on the Holocaust, topics in Jewish history and culture, and the history covered in the Museum’s core and special exhibitions. An experienced educator, she has researched, taught and written on Jewish culture and history. Prior to joining the Museum’s staff, she was the David Bornblum Visiting Scholar in Judaic Studies at the University of Memphis. She authored the book, We are not only English Jews—we are Jewish Englishmen: The Making of an Anglo-Jewish Identity, 1840–1880. Dr. Abosch-Jacobson received a PhD in modern European and Jewish history, an MA in modern British and Jewish history, and an MA in Political Science with a concentration in Civil/Military Relations from the University of Buffalo.
Linda Abramson-Evans
Founder of Volunteer Guide to Refugee Service Agencies in Dallas Fort Worth
Linda Abramson Evans has provided more than 30 years of community service in the Dallas area. She has been a significant advocate for refugees and has been involved in founding and promoting many organizations to provide assistance to refugees. In 1988 she founded the “Volunteer Guide to Refugee Service Agencies in Dallas/Fort Worth,” a project she maintains with the Dallas Chapter of the United Nations Association. She also serves on the Thanks-Giving Square Interfaith Council as a representative of Congregation Beth El Binah. Professionally, she was the first ESL instructor hired by Southern Methodist University’s English as a Second Language Program and across many years has taught advanced courses for graduate students in ESL as well as assisted in the development of many ESL programs.
Zachary Alkire
Zachary Alkire is a third-year law student at the University of Texas School of Law and a participant in the Law and Religion Clinic. Zachary completed his undergraduate degree in political science at Trinity University in San Antonio. His legal experience includes interning at Hilliard Law, working as a Dave Kennedy Fellow at the Institute for Justice, and as a summer associate at McDermott Will and Emery in Dallas.
Shaykh Azhar Azeez
CEO of Muslim Aid USA
Azhar Azeez is the CEO of Muslim Aid USA, one of the fastest growing Muslim charities in America. He was twice elected President of the Islamic Society of North America,
the oldest Muslim organization in North America, and currently serves as its treasurer. He also is the past President of the North Texas Islamic Council, which represents more than 60 Muslim organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He is the Founder and past President of Masjid Al Rahman (Islamic Association of Carrollton, Texas), one of the large mosques in the suburbs of
Dallas. Azeez continuously works towards building bridges among people of various faiths. He has addressed events, seminars, summits, conferences & banquets in more than 600 communities across the U.S. and Canada. Azeez has advised three US Presidents – Presidents Biden, Carter, and Obama. After a successful corporate career, Azeez transitioned to his lifelong passion of serving humanity. For 16 years he has served in different capacities as a top executive at Islamic Relief USA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Osmania University (Hyderabad) and a master’s in business administration.
William P. Benac, Sr.
Chairman of the Religious Freedom Alliance Council
Bill Benac is an active board member of various non-profit organizations including; Founding Forward which advocates civic and constitutional education across the United States, the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity, and the International Center for Law and Religion Studies a global organization based at BYU. Bill is national Chairman of the Religious Freedom Alliance Council (currently in 24 states) and co-founder of Pathway India, an organization which has educated and rehabilitated 40,000 handicapped and disadvantaged
Indian youth. Prior to his retirement in 2016 Bill held senior executive positions with global corporations, private equity firms, and as an entrepreneur. Bill earned his bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Brigham Young University and a law degree from Pace University in New York.
Salman Bhojani
Texas State Representative
Born in Pakistan to a large family, Salman Bhojani immigrated to the Lone Star State when he was 19 years old. After becoming a naturalized citizen, Salman earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and became a small business owner—purchasing convenience stores across the DFW Metroplex. He went on to earn a law degree from Southern Methodist University and a Comparative Law Diploma from Oxford University and eventually founded his own law firm, Bhojani Law PLLC. After finding a home in Euless with his young family, Salman continued to focus on his law practice and businesses. In 2018, Salman made national headlines when he was elected to the Euless City Council, becoming the first person of color to hold elected office in Euless. He went on to become the Mayor Pro Tem. In 2022, Salman won his race for State Representative with 58% of the vote. Salman is the first Muslim and the first South Asian ever elected to the Texas Legislature. He is also the first person of color ever elected to represent House District 92.
Hannah Bottorff
Advanced Clinic Student at UT School of Law
Hannah Bottorff is a third-year student at the University of Texas School of Law. She is involved in the Law and Religion Clinic and Texas Law Review. She has worked as a summer associate at Baker Botts and Graves, Dougherty, Hearon, & Moody. After graduation, she will clerk on the Fifth Circuit. Prior to law school, she attended Texas A&M University where she studied Leadership with minors in Business and Religious Studies.
Jennifer Bowden
Director of Education World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
Jennifer Bowden grew up in DFW and attended UNT for her bachelor’s degree. Before joining WAC, she had been a secondary fine arts and geography teacher for a decade in two DFW districts. She served as director of education at the World Affairs Council from 2007-2016 and returned to this role in July 2019. During her Council break, she served as an international affairs coordinator for a large school district. Jennifer holds two Fulbright awards, has written six published articles, and won several local and national awards for her work in education. Her master’s degree is in international education from the University of Illinois and her favorite pastimes are global travel (34 countries and counting), ethnic cuisine, and the arts.
Sam Brownback
Ambassador
Sam Brownback formerly served as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and continues to work with coalitions around the globe to promote and
protect the fundamental human right to religious liberty. As a fellow for the Center for Religious Liberty for the 2021-2022 academic year, he will teach a course in international religious liberty at Catholic Law in the spring of 2022. Brownback was the 46th Governor of Kansas. He was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He left office after being confirmed to the position of Ambassador-at-Large in January 2018. Prior to becoming governor, Brownback served in a
number of elected government offices in Kansas. After one term in the House of Representatives, he served as Senator for Kansas from 1996-2011, having first won a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Bob Dole. Brownback began his political career in 1986 when he became the youngest individual to be the Secretary of Agriculture in the state’s history. During his tenure as Secretary, Brownback did double duty as a White House Fellow under the administration of George H.W. Bush. Brownback is a licensed attorney, having graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law.
Steven T. Collis
Clinical Professor of Law and Faculty Director at UT School of Law
A law professor at the University of Texas School of Law, Steven T. Collis is one of the leading academics in the nation on the First Amendment, religious freedom, and productive discourse. His scholarship has been cited by numerous state and federal appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court. He is also the faculty director of Texas’s Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center and its Law and Religion Clinic. Before joining the faculty at Texas, he was a research fellow at Stanford Law School and an equity partner at Holland & Hart LLP, where he chaired the firm’s religious institutions and First Amendment practice group. The author of three critically acclaimed books related to thriving in a pluralistic society, he has been interviewed by and quoted in various news and media outlets, including The New York Times, Bloomberg, NBC, CBN News, NPR, The Washington Post, PBS, and numerous podcasts and television shows. Reviewing his latest book, Habits of a Peacemaker, the American Library Association has said, “In this time of sharp political divides and overwhelming feedback, Collis is a much-needed voice of reason and compromise.”
Bishop Harold Edward
Bishop of the Church of the Living God
Bishop Edwards is senior Pastor of the Church of the Living God, Temple 145, in Dallas, Texas, where he has served since 1998. He began his Ministry in 1957 and has served in California, Kansas, Tennessee and Texas. Dr. Edwards is active in civic and religious organizations. He served as Overseer of the Twelfth episcopal District, National Minister of Programs and Protocol, Vice-President of the Interdenominational Ministers Alliance of Dallas and Vicinity and Chairman of the American Cancer Metro Board. In 2001, Dr. Edwards was inducted into the Religious Hall of Fame, and in 2002 he was elected to Bishop in the Church of The Living God. He earned a degree from Los Angeles City College and Life Bible College. Later he earned his Masters in Theology and Doctorate of Ministry degrees from the Technical Institute of Biblical Studies (Orlando, Florida) and Dickerson Bible Institute, respectively. Bishop Edwards earned the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Spring of 2004 from Vision International University.
Reel Elkhidir
President of High School Junior World Affairs Council
Reel Elkhidir was the president and secretary for her school’s Junior World Affairs Council chapter in High School, as well as the secretary and treasurer for the American Sign Language Society where she focused on spreading awareness of the Deaf Community . She is passionate about foreign affairs and particularly the Sudanese Civil War. Reel has family in Sudan and has used her JWAC platform to spread awareness about the genocide of her people, which is how she ended up selected for JWAC’s 20 under 20. She’s pursuing Public Health at the University of Texas at Arlington in hopes of being able to provide some basic needs that are often lacking to overlooked countries around the world.
Dr. Randel Everett
Senior Fellow for Religious Freedom, Dallas Baptist University
Dr. Randel Everett is the founding President of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative. Dr. Everett has spent four decades pastoring churches, most recently as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Midland, Texas. He served as Chaplain to the Arkansas Legislature during President Bill Clinton’s term as Governor, as Chuck Colson’s minister while pastor of the Columbia Baptist Church in Falls Church, Virginia, and as Executive Director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Everett was the founding president of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in Falls Church, Virginia. During this time, the Leland Seminary became fully accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and a respected member of the Washington Consortium of Seminaries. Dr. Everett earned his B.A. from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and received two honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from the University of Richmond and a Doctor of Humanities from Dallas Baptist University.
Rev. Dr. Lucretia R. Facen
Senior Pastor at St. Paul United Methodist Church
Rev. Dr. Facen is an ordained Elder in the North Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Dr. Facen received her undergraduate degree in Education in 1983 from the University of North Texas. She also received a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in 1985 from the same university. Dr. Facen worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for several years before responding to God’s call to ministry in 1997. She completed her seminary training at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University and received the Master of Divinity degree in May 2001. While at SMU, Rev. Facen received the Robert Weatherford Award for Excellence in Preaching. She received the Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in May 2018. Dr. Facen is a Perkins Center For Preaching Excellence ARKLATEX Preaching Fellow.
Imam Al-Amiin Abdul Haqq
Islamic Chaplain for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Imam Haqq was born as Stephen Jones to Christian parents. He reverted to Islam in 1978 with his grandfather. He has served as a local Imam in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2000, where he also volunteers as the Islamic Chaplain for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He previously served as an Assistant to Imam Khalid Shahid of the Dallas Masjid of Al-Islam, and as a Board member of Dallas Masjid of Al-Islam. Imam Haqq also is a small business owner. He was educated at Oklahoma State University (Stillwater) and earned a B.S in Finance. Currently striving to obtain a master’s degree in Islamic studies at the Bayan Institute in Houston, Texas, Imam Haqq also is a follower and student of the late Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, American Muslim Spokesman for Human Excellence and Human Salvation.
Peter Harris
President of the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity
Peter Harris recently accepted the role of President of the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity. He also currently serves as the CEO of a national organization providing specialty nursing services. During his career, he has held executive roles at more than a dozen private-equity backed businesses with customers across the nation and the globe. He also has served on the governing boards of organizations in health care, education, aviation, technology, real estate and other service industries. For more than a decade he has served as the Chair of the Advisory Board for the local chapter of the BYU Management Society. Peter received an honors undergraduate degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Political Science from Northwestern University and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy.
Brother Marzuq A. Jaami
Muslim Interfaith Leader
Member for 30+ years at the Interfaith Council of Thanks-Giving Square working with various faiths, government officials, and international visitors to promote peace among faiths. Member of Ambassadors for Peace working on promoting peace and cooperation in countries around the world. In addition, Marzuq was a founder of Friends Among Faith and Connecting Our Faith to work with Jews, Christians, and Muslims to provide programs on how these three faiths are connected through Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. He is also a co-founder of Dallas Acts Kind Week to help the citizens of Dallas to become a kinder place by encouraging everyone in the city do random acts of kindness and was essential in hosting Mrs. Rosie Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Imam W. D. Mohammad for the Dallas Week of Kindness.
Honored as one of the Living Legends of Dallas in June 2021.
Jeff Mateer
Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at First Liberty Institute
Jeff Mateer is the Chief Legal Officer of First Liberty Institute, where he serves as a member of the executive leadership team and oversees and directs First Liberty’s legal operations, including its litigation, media/communications, and external affairs teams. Jeff rejoined First Liberty Institute in 2020 after serving as First Assistant Attorney General of Texas with oversight for over 30,000 active cases and almost 800 attorneys. Jeff previously had served as General Counsel of First Liberty Institute, and he was in private practice in Dallas. During his thirty-year legal career, Jeff has represented clients ranging from large international organizations to local businesses, schools, ministries, churches and individuals in complex federal and state court actions involving religious liberty, civil rights, employment, intellectual property and business matters. He has tried numerous jury and bench trials in both federal and state courts, and has successfully argued before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Texas appellate courts. He received his undergraduate education at Dickinson College, where he graduated with honors, and his legal education at Southern Methodist University, where he graduated with honors. While in law school, he served as an editor of the law review.
Almas Muscatwalla
Interfaith Leader and Advocate for Diversity and Inclusion
A prominent public servant in North Texas, Almas Muscatwalla is recognized for her leadership in advocacy and policy reform across various sectors, including migrant rights, homelessness, affordable housing, interfaith leadership, domestic violence prevention, and anti-racism initiatives. She has more than two decades of experience in teacher training, curriculum development, and human resource management. Since 2012, Almas has been active in civic and interfaith leadership, inspired by her faith and role models to serve as a Muslim woman committed to equity and inclusion. She currently chairs the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, where she advocates against domestic violence and promotes community health and dignity. Almas co-founded Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square, where she served as executive director and later as chair of its Interfaith Council. She serves on multiple civic boards and has been recognized with many awards for her service. Almas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Science in Child Development from Bombay University. Almas believes that worshiping God and serving humanity are the two primary purposes of life.
Dr. Bob Roberts Jr.
Pastor at GlocalNet
Dr. Roberts is a pastor and renowned bridge builder who has dedicated his life to promoting and advancing religious freedom, peacemaking and civil engagement. He is the founder of GlocalNet, a ministry dedicated to mobilizing the church to bring about transformation in the public square, co-founder of the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network (MFNN), an organization committed to promoting religious freedom through ntentional cross-cultural relationships, and newly appointed president of the Institute of Global Engagement (IGE), an organization that catalyzes freedom of faith worldwide so that everyone has the ability to live what they believe. With decades of experience in peacemaking and international religious freedom, Dr. Roberts’ groundbreaking work has earned him respect and recognition from the United Nations, U.S. Department of State, World Economic Forum, ambassadors, international royal families, and policy leaders worldwide. For over 30 years, Dr. Roberts led Northwood Church near Dallas, Texas, where he is now the Founding Global Pastor. He is also a prolific author of six books and the host of the Bold Love podcast. Dr. Roberts holds a Doctorate of Ministry from Fuller Theological Seminary, a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a BA from Baylor University.
Mark Romney
Co-Founder of DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity
Mark Romney is a Co-Founder of the DFW Alliance for Religious Freedom and Human Dignity. He is the owner of the Texas law firm, Romney Law Firm. He is actively engaged in international transactions law with an emphasis on Latin American issues and representation of Latin
American clients in the United States. Mark also practices business related litigation and alternative dispute resolution. Mark serves as the Stake President of the Dallas Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with oversight responsibility for multiple congregations in the Dallas area.
Keisha Toni Russell
Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute
Keisha Russell is Senior Counsel with First Liberty Institute, concentrating on religious liberty matters and First Amendment rights. Prior to joining First Liberty, Keisha was a Teach For America corps member in Atlanta Public Schools. As an elementary special education teacher, she taught students with ADD, emotional behavioral disorders, and learning disabilities. Keisha is most passionate about protecting religious freedom for children in America’s schools. Her religious liberty commentary has been published in and she has appeared in national and local news media. She earned a Bachelor’s in Communications from University of Central Florida and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Southern California. Keisha attended Emory University School of Law, where she was heavily involved in Emory’s prestigious Center for the Study of Law and Religion and served on the Emory Journal of Law & Religion. She was a law clerk for the Center’s Restoring Religious Freedom Project where she worked on religious liberty litigation. In her final year of law school, Keisha worked as a law clerk for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) on national and international matters affecting Israel.
Richard Salgado
Partner at McDermott Will and Emery
Richard Salgado is a partner and the head of the Dallas Litigation Practice Group at McDermott, Will & Emery, among the 25 largest law firms in the U.S. He is a trial lawyer who represents clients in complex disputes. He has substantial appellate experience and formerly chaired the firm-wide appellate practice for a large, international law firm. He has handled appeals in all 13 US Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court. His successful outcomes have been featured in national publications. Mr. Salgado devotes substantial time to pro bono service. His commitment to diversity within and outside of the legal profession include litigating in support of those with special needs and disabilities, the LGBT+ community, and the cause of religious freedom. He has also served as an adjunct professor at multiple law schools, teaching courses on trial advocacy and appellate practice. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from BYU and clerked on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Bob Ray Sanders
Journalist
The journalism career of Bob Ray Sanders spanned more than four decades and three media: newspaper, television and radio. In 2015 he retired as Associate Editor and Senior Columnist from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the newspaper where he began his professional career. As a young journalist with the paper, he served as courthouse reporter and political writer. He joined KERA-TV in 1972 as a reporter for the station’s innovative Newsroom program. Sanders later served as manager of KERA Radio, vice president/station manager of KERA-TV, and host and producer of the station’s award-winning program, News Addition. A 1969 graduate of North Texas State University, Sanders is past president of the Press Club of Fort Worth, a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Dallas/Fort Worth Association of Black Journalists. He currently serves on the advisory board of Community Hospice of Texas, the AIDS Outreach Center in Fort Worth and Goodwill Industries. He has served as “Professional in Residence” in the Journalism Department of Texas Christian University, where he taught the course, “Race, Gender and Mass Media.”
Brett Scharffs
Chair and Professor of Law at BYU School of Law
Brett Scharffs is the Rex E. Lee Chair and Professor of Law at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, and Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. His teaching and scholarly interests include law and religion, legal reasoning and rhetoric, philosophy of law, and legislation and regulation. Scharffs has written more than 100 articles and book chapters and made over 300 scholarly presentations in 30 countries. He received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Georgetown University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and received a JD from Yale Law School, where he was Senior Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Scharffs was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, and worked as a legal assistant at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague. Before teaching at BYU, he worked at a New York law firm and taught at Yale University and George Washington University Law School. He has been a visiting professor at multiple international universities. Scharffs served as Chair of the Law and Religion Section of the Association of American Law Schools and is on the editorial board of the Oxford Journal of Law and Religion.
Shannon Minter, Esq
Vice President of National Center for Lesbian Rights
Shannon Price Minter is a transgender man and the longtime legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ legal advocacy organizations. Shannon has litigated dozens of landmark cases, including several victories in the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a national expert on LGBTQ law and has received widespread recognition, including awards from Cornell Law School, Stanford Law School, the Ford Foundation, California Lawyer Magazine, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the U.S. Department of Justice LGBT Pride Group. Shannon is committed to building bridges between conservative religious leaders and groups and LGBTQ people.
Hannah Clayson Smith
Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU
Hannah Smith is the Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at BYU Law School. She previously worked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito and as Becket Law’s Senior Counsel where she secured four landmark Supreme Court victories. Hannah has appeared before Congress and on national media, and is a sought-after speaker. Hannah received her BA from Princeton University and her JD from BYU Law School (Order of the Coif), where she served as the Law Review’s Executive Editor. Hannah received BYU’s Alumni Achievement Award, the Women-in-Law Leadership Award, and the James Madison Award. Hannah worked in private practice at national law firms in Washington, D.C. Hannah served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France. She is a Director for the Religious Freedom Institute, a chair on the JRCLS’s Religious Freedom Committee, and a member with her husband John on the ICLRS International Advisory Council.
Rabbi Ari Sunshine
Rabbi
Rabbi Ari Sunshine joined Congregation Shearith Israel in July 2017 as Senior Rabbi, bringing with him his passion for community building, outreach and engagement, for teaching Torah in many different settings, and his love for Israel. Previously, Rabbi Sunshine served as Rabbi of B’nai Shalom of Olney, Maryland. While there he participated in the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative and graduated as a Senior Rabbinic Fellow. During his tenure in Maryland, Rabbi Sunshine also served as the President of the Greater Olney Interfaith Ministerium and as the President of the Washington-Baltimore Region of the Rabbinical Assembly. From 2021-2023 Rabbi Sunshine served as the President of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Dallas and on the board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, and he currently serves on the advisory board of the Ackerman Center for Holocaust Studies at the University of Texas at Dallas. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. from Brandeis University, Rabbi Sunshine served three years at Temple Israel in Sharon, Massachusetts. In 1997 he decided to attend the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.
Areail Thomas
Gospel Soloist
Areail Thomas has been a member of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Plano all her life, where Isiah Joshua Jr. is the senior pastor. Thomas sings in the Voices of Praise Choir under the direction of Victor Johnson, Minister of Music and Fine Arts. Thomas was born and raised in Plano, Texas. She received her Bachelors of Arts in English and Elementary Education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She taught in Plano Independent School District for 31 years and is now “rewired” to substitute and serve her community at the Plano African American Museum. Thomas’s comment about singing at the Summit: “I give GOD all the glory for this amazing opportunity!”
Dr. Don Wesson
Professor of Medicine at Texas A&M College of Medicine
Together with his wife, Wanda, and their son, Donald, the Wessons preserved White Rock Chapel in Addison, Texas. Professionally, Dr. Wesson is Professor of Medicine at Texas A&;M College of Medicine in Dallas. He is a long-time advocate for improving the health of communities through focused, data driven population health initiatives and internationally recognized researcher in kidney acidifying mechanisms. Dr. Wesson received his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He attended Washington University School of Medicine and earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston), completed his Internal Medicine residency and internship at Baylor College of Medicine, and his nephrology research fellowship at the University of Illinois (Chicago). He earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas (Austin). He is Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Past Chair of its Foundation. He has held multiple positions within the National Kidney Foundation.
Wanda Ford Wesson
Former Director of Program Services at March of Dimes
Wanda Ford Wesson has devoted her professional career to identifying, developing and implementing various programs to address health disparities in underserved communities in Texas. She served as the Director of Program Services at March of Dimes. The focus of her work in Dallas has been the reduction of prematurity disparity in communities with high infant and maternal mortality rates. As MOD staff coordinator, she launched the statewide development of the Honey Child Program, a faith-based prenatal curriculum for African-American churches in Texas.
Ayden Yee
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Trinity High School
Ayden is a senior in the International Baccalaureate Diplomma Programme at Trinity High School. He is the President of his school's Junior World Affairs Council Chapter which is the most active chapter in North Texas and is in the 20 under 20 Class of 2024. Ayden is involved in many leadership roles in his district, including being an officer in NHS, a HEB ISD Student Ambassador, and the student representative of his high school in the HEB ISD Branding Team. Additionally, he is passionate about human rights, educating citizens on global issues, and music. He has pursued this passion by serving as a junior board member for the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, being a certified SAT Tutor for a nonprofit, becoming a Texas All-State Musician, and being an International Winner in the National Piano Playing Auditions.
Matthew Zavaro
Advanced Clinic Student at UT Law and Religion Clinic
Matthew Zavaro is a third-year student at the University of Texas School of Law, and participates in the Law and Religion Clinic. Prior to attending law school, Matthew managed his family's gas stations while studying economics and philosophy at San Diego State University. Matthew’s legal experience includes internships with Foley & Lardner LLP, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Limandri & Jonna LLP, a litigation boutique led by Special Counsel for the Thomas More Society.