DeAndra is the CEO and founder of Beyond Borders. Her early entrepreneurial efforts helped subsidize her undergraduate degree. A former Spanish K-12 certified classroom teacher, now turned award-winning business owner, she holds a B.A. in Education and Spanish with Reading Specialist and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) endorsements. She is passionate about working to create common ground and connect with the world through the study of language and culture. In 2016, to further expand the mission of creating common ground, DeAndra opened a multicultural bookstore, Beyond Barcodes Bookstore and internationally focused cafe, Bind Cafe. Since opening this community space, she has facilitated difficult conversations about racism, discrimination and racial reconciliation in a community that is only beginning to openly acknowledge the necessity of such conversations. Her business model and experiences have opened opportunities to lead workshops, professional development and share her story in various venues. DeAndra’s passion and focus on sustainable community development led to a mayoral appointment to the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance (GKEDA). Along with this prestigious appointment, in the first two years as a business owner, she has been awarded with the EDGE Award for her successful emerging business presented by the Lieutenant Governor & the 40 under 40 Award presented by the Young Professionals of Howard County. The same passion she has for her local community extends to the island of Hispaniola. In 2007, she and her sister co founded the Organization of Dominican Haitian Cooperation (OCDH) in the northern region of the Dominican Republic. The mission of OCDH was to empower the most marginalized communities of Dominicans of Haitian descent. Through the work with OCDH, they connected with and helped found Border of Lights, a collective working at the border of Dominican Republic and Haiti to increase solidarity between the two countries. She is a co-founder of Impact Hub Port-au-Prince, and a fellow with the Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP).

Devona Anderson, MD, referred to affectionately as “the idea machine”, is a visionary driven to serve. She was the first to earn a college degree and the first medical doctor in her family. In addition to serving individuals through family practice, she has led Medical Mission Teams to bring critical medical aid to the people of Chile, Brazil, the Philippines, Guyana and South Africa. Dr. Anderson’s educational pursuits took her around the country and globe, but ultimately her commitment to home brought her back to serve her local community. Dr. Anderson graduated cum laude, with a B.A. in Biology from Fisk University, and a earned her medical degree at Wayne State University School of Medicine. She completed residency through the In His Image Family Residency Program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is board certified by the American Academy of Family Physicians and her professional affiliations include the Howard County Medical Society, Indiana State Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Christian Medical and Dental Society and American Medical Academy. She resides in Kokomo, Indiana where she attends City of Refuge, Church of God in Christ. She is the eldest daughter of Pastor Harry L. Beard and Etiwanda Yvonne Beard. She enjoys traveling, reading, cooking and learning languages in her free time.

Julian is the President and CEO of the D.C. Urban Debate League, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which serves students throughout the DC-metro region. He taught English and Debate for 14 years until he fully devoted his time to expanding the debate league. Julian has appeared on C-SPAN and at the Newseum discussing how we teach civic engagement to our youth. He is a screenwriter, graphic designer, lyricist and poet and avid fisherman who loves to tackle tough ideas and approach education with a world view. This jack-of-all-trades credits his father for forcing him to do what it takes to be self-sufficient, his mother for teaching him how to honor his wife, and his wife of 14 years, Rana Dotson, for seeing the good in the human spirit. He has three children, Isaiah, Caleb and Jaina.

Rana has worked for over a decade on public policy, and economic and international development. Her current work at the US Department of Labor’s international arm has included research, writing and foreign policy engagement, and management of over $32 million in technical assistance projects that address the needs of marginalized people, including African-descendant and indigenous communities, in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay. Rana’s work includes monitoring labor developments and providing policy advice on labor issues in countries of importance to the United States. She has also drafted chapters for the Congressionally-mandated annual Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor report. She is a lead organizer for the Border of Lights, a human rights collective she helped form in 2012, to promote peace and collaboration between the Dominican Republic and Haiti- two countries that have historically been in conflict. Prior to that, she co-founded the Organization of Dominican Haitian Cooperation (OCDH) with her sister, DeAndra, which supported development in extremely poor, rural communities in the Dominican Republic. In the Haiti earthquake aftermath, Rana mobilized the 800+ OCDH international member network to support volunteer efforts, connect missing family members, send two medical teams and provide logistical support. Ms. Dotson holds graduate certificate in nonprofit management from George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration and a Master of Public Policy with a specialization in International Security and Economic Policy from the Maryland School of Public Policy, University of Maryland. She is an Institute for International Public Policy (IIPP) Fellow and a National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellow. She is full and content in her 14 year marriage to Julian Dotson, who is her partner in shaping their 3 young children in their Maryland home, and late-night co-plotter in schemes to take over the world.

David Pierre­Louis is a leader in organizational, social and economic development. As a magnate in business development, hospitality and entertainment, He is presently focusing his skills and leadership in cultivating community action and advocating for social change throughout the country of Haiti. David is the Chief Operating Officer of Haiti Coffee Co. a company geared towards developing and growing Haiti’s coffee industry as a viable global competitor. He is in the the process of building Kay Tita, a multi­level community resource space that will house the country’s first Impact Hub in Port­-au-­Prince: a centre for local entrepreneurial citizens to create a more sustainable future for themselves. In 2016, he Co­-organized Port­Au­Prince Startup Week, which focused on empowering the local community through various events in various areas­ ranging from Youth Involvement, Health, Education,Technology, Energy, Urban Design, Investment, Mentorship, Art, Community and Tourism. In 2008, David opened and operated LUCID Lounge, a premiere Seattle venue, that focused on engaging communities, uniting distinct divisions of art programs, and hosting an array of local and international musicians. In 2009 David founded the Seattle U­District Jazz Festival­ an event that ran for over 3 years and united over ten thousand people within the surrounding community. In 2010 he cofounded the Inside/Out Jazz Awards in order to honor local musicians. He has been recognized and honored with many awards, including the American Spirit Award for his fundraising and relief efforts following Haiti’s 2010 earthquake He also received the “40 under 40” Award from Bethune­ Cookman University, a prestigious award handed out to those who have achieved distinction in their respective field and have demonstrated outstanding service and loyalty to their community. David is the founder and executive director of Impact Hub, Port-au-Prince. David graduated from Bethune­ Cookman University with a degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing.