Throughout her career, Afia Asamoah has worked at the intersection of technology and health. From 2009-2011, she served as Special Assistant in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner’s Office, where she created a new FDA center for regulating tobacco products and led initiatives to increase technology innovation by biotech and medical devices companies. She then joined Google as its first healthcare lawyer to advise teams developing medical software and AI technologies and has been at the forefront of firsts — including negotiating Google’s first patent licensing deal, forming the first Alphabet company, and participating in its multiple financing rounds. After nearly 8 years in senior health roles at Google, most recently as Head of Legal for the Google Health business unit, Afia co-founded Waymark, a health technology start-up that uses proprietary technology and community-based teams to improve care delivery to people with Medicaid benefits. In founding Waymark in 2021 and scaling that business, Afia combines her interests in using technology innovation to improve healthcare to underserved populations.

Shruthi Jayaram is a Partner at Dalberg Advisors. She is based in Washington DC. She co-leads Dalberg’s Global Gender Equity practice. Her focus areas include, for example, reducing and preventing domestic violence, strengthening the care economy, and increasing the quality and accessibility of reproductive healthcare. Shruthi has developed strategies and tools for clients in the public, philanthropic, and non-profit sector. Examples of her clients include the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General, Hewlett Foundation, Blue Meridian Partners, FUTURES without Violence, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Women’s Donor Network, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and REDF.  She holds a dual Master of Public Administration from Columbia University’s SIPA and the National University of Singapore, as well as a B.A. in Economics from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Delhi. 

Tom Linebarger, former Chairman and CEO of Cummins, is now a Senior Advisor at General Catalyst. Over 30 years at Cummins, he led a brown-to-green strategy — sustaining diesel engine leadership while expanding into battery electric and hydrogen powertrains. He also created a leadership program that trained 150 executives in business acumen and emotional intelligence. Outside Cummins, Tom chaired the Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led group advancing a sustainable hydrogen economy. He also served on the Business Roundtable board, leading the International Trade Subcommittee to promote free trade across party lines, and chaired the US-China Business Council during heightened political tensions. Tom currently serves as a director at Mainspring Energy and Republic Services. He recently retired as lead director at Harley-Davidson and as Chairman of the Central Indiana Community Partnership, where he focused on long-term economic development in Indiana. 

Jennifer Okwudili is Deputy Director in the Office of the President for Global Policy & Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She advises foundation leaders on advocacy strategy, political risk, and external engagement, contributing to the foundation’s presence in major international policy and philanthropic spaces. Previously, she led policy and advocacy work in the Gender Equality Division and advanced domestic education efforts at the foundation. Before joining, Jennifer held roles with the New York City Department of Education and D.C. Public Schools and worked as a policy researcher for think tanks including the Center for an Urban Future and the Center for Social Justice. A Praxis Fellow, AmeriCorps alum, and member of the Education Pioneers network, she also serves on the board of the Tahirih Justice Center and is a Salzburg Global Fellow. She holds degrees from Georgetown and Columbia Universities.  

Michelle Swenson has deep experience working with social enterprises as a board member, advisor, and investor. She spent most of her corporate career as a senior executive at Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. where she built businesses and developed financial and technology products and led strategic planning, marketing/communications, and technology organizations. She also led marketing for a fintech startup and was a nonprofit executive director. Her interests include free and fair elections and the preservation of democratic institutions, gender equity, and local journalism. In addition to Rise Up Together, she is currently affiliated with Global Press, Women Donors Network, Way to Win, Planned Parenthood, and others. She has degrees from Duke University and the University of California, Berkeley.