ANGELA LEE 
Executive/Artistic Director, Hayti Heritage Center

Angela Lee is the Executive/Artistic Director of the Hayti Heritage Center. During her 12-year tenure she has brought significant economic growth along with arts and humanities programs that greatly benefit local artists, artists of color, and diverse demographics. Under her leadership, preservation efforts have resulted in restoration of stained-glass windows and pews, a second listing on the national historic register, and an historic trail marker for the historic venue. The Hayti Heritage Center sustains key partnerships and collaborations locally and nationally. Lee recognizes that the arts and humanities are critical vehicles for social justice and change. Her advocacy and activism extend beyond her work at Hayti to active faith, charitable and board service.

ELLENOISE WATKINS 
Retired, IBM and Wake County Public Schools

Ellenois Watkins is currently a private educational consultant with a focus on business implementation, education technology, and professional and curriculum development. She began her career in 1968 with IBM as a Computer Program Administrator in Research Triangle Park and held various positions until 2001. Afterwards, she joined the Wake County Public School System where she created the first NC technology curriculum development program and was involved with school administration, group facilitation, leadership coaching, and staff development and training until she retired in 2011. Ellenois has served as co-chair for the NC Education Leadership Team; designed and implemented the first Gap Achievement Program for At-Risk, ESL, and Minority Students; and created a “Girl Power” group for at-risk young ladies.

LILYN HESTER
Head of Southeast External Affairs & Government Relations, Google

Lilyn Hester is a member of Google’s global community impact team and specializes in AI. She formally led Google’s public policy, government, external and community relations in the Southeast. As an Army brat, Lilyn attended schools throughout the US and  is proud to call Durham, NC home.  Lilyn is a former journalist and communications professional. Lilyn is an active member of the community serving as a member of the Durham Technical Community College Board of Trustees, among other boards.  Lilyn is also an avid gardener. She is a graduate of UNC-Charlotte and serves on its Board of Visitors.

QUAY WESTON
Senior Product Designer, Paylocity
Alumnus, Code the Dream

Quay Weston (he/him) is a UX designer, author and archivist residing in Durham NC. With over a decade of experience as a design professional, Quay uses his creative talents to support local and national organizations that are committed to building a more just world. He is an alum of CTD’s React web development cohort and is a creative technologist who loves people, design thinking and exploring new technologies in his free time.

TOBENNA OKUNNA
Senior Software Engineer, Flutter
Co-Founder & CTO, Crafted Pour

Tobenna is a Senior Software Engineer at FloatMe specializing in mobile app development. Originally born in Lagos, Nigeria, Tobenna immigrated to the US at 9 years old, living through out the west coast and recently moved to Durham. Tobenna studied computer science at the University of San Diego graduating in 2020. During his time in college he worked at nonprofit education orgs teaching computer science to children and refugees after which he built and founded the company/app Crafted Pour. His main goal in his career is to create the technologies needed by local communities to improve their material outcomes and conditions. 

Maya Brooks

https://www.mayabrooksportfolio.com/
Maya Brooks, originally from Atlanta, is the Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh and Winston-Salem), a position that encourages her passion for examining culture through an artistic lens. Brooks’s professional mission is to provide engaging museum experiences for the public through exhibition curation, interpretation, and design. Overall, she strives to restore access, inclusion, and agency in the museum field for all communities, especially those that have been historically marginalized by cultural institutions.

Candy Carver

http://candycarver.com  
Candy Carver is a self taught painter, muralist and multimedia artist. She was born in Durham NC. She works in acrylics and creates abstract, colorful, figurative works. Her work primarily focuses on the human form and using color to improve the viewer’s emotional state. She has been creating artwork since her childhood and states that her personal development work directly impacts her creative practice. She is inspired by curiosity and personal joy. Candy views her artwork as an opportunity to share her personal sunshine with others. Check out some of her murals here. Instagram: @candycarver

Anthony Kelley

https://scholars.duke.edu/person/antk
Anthony Kelley, Professor of the Practice of Music, has taught at Duke University since 2000 and is the Composer in Residence at the North Carolina Symphony. One of his major works for symphony orchestra, Spirituals of Liberation, explores Juneteenth, and was commissioned and premiered in 2022 by the NC Symphony, His work sometimes explores music as linked with other media, arts, and sociological phenomena, including  his soundtracks for the films “Conjuring Bearden” [2006], “The Doll” [2007], and”Kudzu Vine” [2011]. He is a performer in and co-director of the improvisational Postmodern New-Blues musical collective called the BLAK Ensemble.

Nehemiah Mabry

https://www.nehemiahmabry.com
Dr. Nehemiah Mabry, P.E. (affectionately known as Dr. Nee) is an Engineer, Educator and Entrepreneur based in Raleigh, North Carolina. His technical experience includes 15+ years as a NASA Researcher, Bridge Design Engineer, and Adjunct Professor. Dr. Mabry is also the CEO and Founder of STEMedia Incorporated, which he started as a graduate student in 2012. STEMedia is an edtech and digital media company that provides creative content and career development for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) community.

Daisy Magnus-Aryitey, Panel Moderator

https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisymagnus
Daisy Magnus-Aryitey is Code the Dream’s Co-Executive Director. She moved to the U.S. from Ghana at the age of 4, and lived in New Mexico, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York before settling in North Carolina in 2009. Daisy wrote her first line of code in a Code the Dream class, and within a year was working as a full-time software developer at Duke University. Daisy has played many roles at CTD, from a student in the initial CTD pilot to CTD Director to Board Vice-Chair. She has a Master’s in Education Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Oluwayemisi (Yemi) Runsewe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwayemisi-runsewe-b47125191
Oluwayemisi (Yemi) Runsewe is a Software Engineer/Site Reliability Engineer at Google’s Durham office, and she holds a leadership position as one of the Black Group Network Leads. A firm believer in the value of versatility, Yemi often cites the adage ” A Jack of all trades is a master of none, though oftentimes better than a master of one.” Yemi is a Computer Science graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, originally from Lagos, Nigeria.

Patrick Musau,
Google AI Session Lead

https://www.linkedin.com/in/musaup
Patrick Musau is a Senior Software Engineer at Google on the Machine Learning Performance Team that focuses on improving the performance and affordability of current and future AI applications. Before Google, Patrick earned his Ph.D. at the Institute of Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University. His dissertation research focused on how to ensure that autonomous systems that leverage artificial intelligence operate safely and function as intended, specifically he applied these techniques to a 1/10 scale autonomous remote controlled car.