Who is building this work.
A small team working where AI meets human flourishing, civic life, narrative, and the long arc of stewardship.
Cory A. Smith
Cory has spent his career at the intersection of technology, innovation, and social impact. He previously co-founded Wisdom Labs and led the Wise@Work platform for workplace resilience. He served as CEO of Impact Hub San Francisco, CEO of the Social Capital Markets Conference, and the first Innovation Fellow for the City of San Francisco under Mayor Ed Lee. He holds the wider civic frame for humanaligned.org.
Elana Yonah Rosen
Elana works at the intersection of technology, human dignity, and institutional transformation. A former KQED-TV producer and writer for the Center for Investigative Reporting, she co-created EDUTOPIA at the George Lucas Educational Foundation. She founded Just Think, later merged with One Economy, opening offices in seventeen countries. She has shaped national partnerships on media literacy and global partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa, and is an Emmy nominee and Jefferson Award recipient for public service.
Andy Patrick
Andy is an entrepreneur with four decades of experience at the intersection of visual storytelling, technology, and design. He founded and led the FiftyCrows Foundation and its International Fund for Documentary Photography, the National Geographic All Roads Photography and Film Awards for Indigenous storytellers, and Roam Media. He has served on boards for Mother Jones, the Foundation for preserving Tibetan culture, and the Kinsey Institute.
Lynn Luckow
Lynn served as President and CEO of Craigslist Foundation, Northern California Grantmakers, Jossey-Bass Publishers, and LikeMinded, Inc. Over four decades he has built deep expertise in organization leadership, strategy, governance, philanthropy, and field building. He has served on or consulted to over fifty nonprofit boards. He sits closely with the co-founders as senior steward on partnerships, governance, and field-building strategy.
Advisors
Allen Sowelle
Award-winning television writer and producer (CBS's S.W.A.T., NBC's New Amsterdam), creator of purpose-driven storytelling, and a military intelligence veteran and Writers Guild Foundation veterans mentor.
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Cassandra Vieten
Clinical psychologist and mind-body researcher, Director of the Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego and former President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
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Dorka Keehn
Advising developers, architects, and city agencies on placemaking and public art master plans.
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Gary Bolles
Author of "The Next Rules of Work" and Chair for the Future of Work at Singularity University.
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Gerald Cypert
Behavioral health leader and reentry advocate with three decades in trauma-informed recovery and youth programs, bringing lived experience and AI fluency to human-centered work.
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Jan D'Alessandro
President of Blue J Strategies, advising organizations on strategic partnerships and social impact, and a leader of the Pledge 1% equity initiative.
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Kristina Messdaghi
Technology innovator and AI pioneer, architect of first-to-market platforms across decision intelligence, clean energy, and enterprise systems, with deep experience in innovation investment.
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Rick Smolan
Former Time, Life, and National Geographic photographer, co-creator of the "Day in the Life" book series and CEO of Against All Odds Productions, known for projects that merge storytelling with emerging technology.
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Shadrick Mazaza
Physician, philosopher, and leadership academic at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, and founder of the African Consciousness Institute.
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Shelley Alger
Early-stage strategy and narrative advisor to founders and investment teams, startup mentor and angel-group judge, and an award-winning fine art wildlife photographer.
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Shiro Fujioka
Founder of Ancestral Intelligence, a design and media studio blending AI-driven animation, original music, and cultural storytelling under an ethos of innovation rooted in ancestry.
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Tara Mandrekar
Working at the intersection of AI, work, and education to ensure the next generation helps shape the future. Program Lead at Design It For Us and a 2026 Young Futures awardee.
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