Keynote Speaker
Patrick Schmitt
Co-CEO, FreeWill
“I’m focused on creating scalable global impact by making it much easier for ordinary people to do tremendous good. I’ve been lucky enough to be on great teams that have helped to elect President Obama, pass health care reform, and create the world’s largest social change platform at Change.org.”
Patrick is currently the co-CEO and co-founder of FreeWill, a social venture founded at Stanford University that has raised more than $10B for charities and nonprofits. Before FreeWill, Patrick founded two nonprofit organizations and served as the Head of Innovation at Change.org, where he helped grow the organization to 100 million users in 4 years.
Lunch Speaker
Chris Staudinger
Co-Founder and Entrepreneur, Pretty Gritty Tours
For over fifteen years Chris worked as a videographer, journalist, and travel writer helping promote destinations and uncover the best parts of the world. On camera and behind the lens, he’s been working to put destinations and events on the map.
“Today I have the privilege of helping people tell their story to travelers and tourists who are looking for life changing experiences. It has been my deepest pleasure to have worked with and represented BBC, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Discovery Network, National Geographic, and many more in curating trips and tours and with countless destinations as a marketing agent.”
Today Chris runs Pretty Gritty Tours and provide tours and experiences for tourists and brands throughout Washington. Pretty Gritty Tours has built community partnerships with the City of Tacoma, T Mobile, JAW Maritime, The Foss Waterway Seaport, Experience Olympia, Travel Tacoma, American Cruise Lines, and so many more.
Media Guest Speaker
Jennifer Wing
News Director, KNKX NPR
Jennifer Wing leads the KNKX News department. She is an award winning journalist whose work has aired on various outlets including NPR, the BBC, Marketplace and the Third Coast Podcast.
Jennifer has worked for KNKX as a reporter and producer. She was a producer and host for Sound Effect and was the co-host of Transmission, one of the first podcasts about the pandemic. She believes that everyone has a story to tell and that sharing our personal journeys helps us to become better versions of ourselves.
Before joining KNKX Jennifer worked for KGMI in Bellingham, WILM News Radio in Wilmington, Delaware and Northwest Cable News in Seattle. She got her start in public radio at WRTI and WHYY in Philadelphia. Jennifer grew up in Philadelphia and received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Temple University.
Speaker
Dr. Terryl Ross
VP of Antiracism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Goodwill Olympia & Rainier Region
Terryl has over 30 years of experience related to equity and social justice. He specializes in examining the intersectionality of diversity, equity & inclusion; climate justice; and peace studies. He has been the Chief Diversity Officer at four different organizations and is currently the vice-president of antiracism, equity and Inclusion at the Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region.
Terryl believes the 21st century will be a time of scarcity and reduction, resulting in a struggle between those who want to bring people together versus those who want to divide people. Terryl believes people are ready to come together in a new way to build learning communities and to proactively make social justice a priority in America. He is completing his first book, “The Rise of the Others and the DEI Paradox.”
