Patrick has been working at the intersection of international development and education for the last decade and finds the most inspiration when he's collaborating with emerging leaders who are trying to protect our planet. He has BA and MA degrees from American University's School of International Service in Washington, DC and has worked at a number of organizations ranging from the Peace Corps and Department of State to the International Crisis Group and the Corporate Council on Africa.

Prior to founding 10 Billion Strong, Patrick was the Director of Programs at a Stanford-founded social impact nonprofit with over 50 years of experience running experiential education programs in the U.S. and Asia. In this role he led an international team and managed programs for the Department of State, USAID, the Ford Foundation, the Luce Foundation, Stanford, Duke, and the University of California.

Patrick has spent much of his career working in Asia, but has also studied or worked in Africa, Europe, and South America.

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Dr. Emadul Islam is a research fellow at the Ocean Policy Research Institute at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan. He is also an adjunct scholar for the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). Prior to this, Dr. Islam served as a development expert and researcher in three different organizations, including Transparency International Bangladesh; BRAC; and the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at Independent University, Bangladesh for research and evaluation. He was conferred a PhD in Community Development under the Yayasan Khazanah scholarship from the University of Malaya, Malaysia in 2021. Dr. Islam was awarded the Fulbright Visiting Scholarship in 2022-23 for pursuing Post-Doctoral research at Northeastern University, Boston, U.S.

Kingsman is a Geography student at the University of Buea-Cameroon. He is passionate about environmental conservation and agricultural sustainability. From childhood, he has spent most of his time in the natural world, which fostered a strong love for nature. After observing how the natural environment was gradually being destroyed by the numerous environmental hazards caused by fellow humans, he realized there was no better time to stand for the environment he so loved. This ignited a fiery passion in him to take personal action towards saving the environment.

The environment has been his main focus and passion ever since. He has been able to educate many young people in his community through educational sessions, workshops, school visits, and other mediums and has taken part in several projects, campaigns and events that were aimed at contributing to lasting solutions for the environmental challenges plaguing his community.

He is currently involved in several community-based organizations and international platforms where he is gaining experience, skills and knowledge to become a better leader and eco-hero. Beyond his love and passion for the environmental, Kingsman also loves graphic design, photography, music, documentaries and drawing and intends to use theses to amplify his efforts for the environment.

sylvia is a facilitator of, advocate for, and believer in peace leadership. For fifteen years, sylvia has participated in and facilitated talking circles in various communities across the United States, Latin America, and Asia. From these talking circles emerged sylvia’s commitment to and practices of nonviolent communication, community building, and conflict transformation. This commitment brought sylvia to obtain a BA in Peace Studies from Goucher College, and continue to Southeast Asia working with nonprofits across the region focused on youth-led peacebuilding. She is a Co-Founder and Board Member of Sarus, a peacebuilding nonprofit that inspires, equips, and accompanies peace leaders in Asia.

sylvia then deepened her studies by obtaining an MA in Coexistence and Conflict and MBA in Social Impact at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, where she focused on peace leadership and organizational capacity building. Afterwards, she expanded to philanthropy as a Program Officer at the Island Foundation funding organizations supporting womxn and girls, youth, immigrants, and domestic and international communities. She currently serves as the Head of Programs and Strategy at the Euphrates Institute. sylvia holds a deep passion for building and nurturing communities that collectively transform conflict and systems with curiosity, connection, and courage.

Greshma Pious Raju is a peacebuilder from India who is actively involved in interfaith dialogues, and environmental peacebuilding among youth. She is the founder of Ecopeace Teen Cafe, an online dialogue and transformative education platform for teenagers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Kerala. She completed her MA in International Peace Studies from the United Nations University for Peace, Costa Rica. The multi-cultural environment, green campus, and true spirit of peace equipped her with skills and helped to gain a deep understanding of peace and conflict studies.

Her interest in environmental peacebuilding and sustainability developed during her internship at Earth Charter International. She came back to India after her graduation and working with various organizations and schools to promote peace and harmony. She served as Youth Ambassador of the United Religions Initiative for several years. Now she is exploring new paths to strengthening interconnectedness among youth through online platforms. She believes that small acts of love and compassion lead to big changes in the global community.