OUR PROGRAM

OUR PROGRAM

Wednesday, 24th September – Eastern Time (EST)

9:00 – 11:00 am • Migration in the Americas: Challenges, Recommendations and Pathways Forward
North, Central and South America is facing increasing human mobility and migration flows driven by political and humanitarian crises, economic instability, climate stress, violence, and others. As countries across the region navigate this complex reality, local and regional actors are developing innovative approaches to integration and policy advocacy.

To spotlight these efforts and inform global agendas, the Migration and Refugees Regional Collaboration at Catalyst Now is developing a regional report that captures current challenges, promising practices, and strategic insights.

The roundtable at UNGA 2025 will serve as a key moment to convene leading voices, share early findings, and present concrete policy recommendations grounded in real-world experience.

Speakers:
• Gaby Arenas de Meneses, Co-Chief Facilitator, Catalyst Now
• Nora Jeanne Joseph, Founder and CEO, RADIKAL and Co-Chair of Catalyst Chapter at the Caribbean.
• Caroline Kronley, President, Tinker Foundation
• Gilberto Moscoso, Advisor, Comparte Una Vida Por Colombia
• Jesus Aguais, President, Aid for Life

Register here

Hosted by Catalyst Now, Aid For Life and Tinker Foundation

12:00 – 1:00 pm • Building Community with Differences (Pace University, New York)
The mission of Catalyst Now is to ‘co-create spaces where the world’s social innovators connect, collaborate and contribute to transformational change’ with the goal of creating ‘thriving communities powered by social innovation’ across the globe. Our approach is ‘weaving meaningful connections, fostering collaboration, and co-creating solutions that drive systems change.’ How? How do we do this in a way that we make use of all that is available to us, respectfully engage/build with disagreements or misunderstandings and find joy in our collaboration?

In this session, curiosity, connection, and community take center stage. Together, we’ll explore how tools of improvisation can help build stronger relationships, more inclusive environments, and resilient communities—locally and globally. Whether you feel called to speak, listen, or simply be present, this space invites you to:

• Connect across cultures.
• Explore the art of listening and being present with each other’s voices and ideas.
• Create new possibilities with people from around the world.

Speakers:
• Dr. Sue Maxam, Assistant Provost for Wellness, Pace University.
• Gwen Lowenheim, Program Founder and Coordinator, International Conversation Groups and Facilitator Training Program,   Pace University.
• Faculty involved in The Moral Courage Project and Pace International Conversation Group students.

Register here

Hosted by Catalyst Now, The East Side Institute, Pace University’s International Conversation Group & Facilitator Training Program and Pace’s Center for Wellbeing

2:30 – 5:30 pm • Catalyzing Change: Advancing Systems Change Philanthropy for Women and Girls (Private Event, by invitation only)
Philanthropy has a vital role to play in advancing gender equity — yet traditional approaches often fall short in addressing the structural barriers that women and girls face globally. As the world confronts intersecting crises, from climate to conflict, the need for bold, systems-level investments in gender justice has never been more urgent.

This intimate roundtable will bring together a small group of committed funders and ecosystem builders to explore how catalytic capital and collaborative philanthropy can better support transformative change for women and girls.

 Speakers:
• Sohini Bhattacharya, CEO of The Accelerator to Shift Gender Norms through Education
• Gladys Mezrahi, Founder of The Power of Heels Foundation

Facilitated by Gaby Arenas de Meneses, Co-Chief Facilitator at Catalyst Now

Hosted by Catalyst Now and Myriad USA.

6:30 – 8:00 pm • Evening Networking Event for Youth (Private Event, by invitation only)
This informal gathering provides a unique opportunity to unite young people (under 35) from across the globe, fostering meaningful connections, shared experiences, and collaborative exploration. It’s a chance to engage in insightful discussions, exchange ideas, and uncover innovative ways to align efforts and work toward common goals during UNGA week.

Hosted by Catalyst Now, United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Ecoinno Foundation

Thursday, 25th September – Eastern Time (EST)

9:00 – 11:00 am • Catalyst Now’s 2025 Impact Report – Powered by People, Grounded in Action, Unveiled at UNGA
In 2024, we launched our Catalyst Now Collective Impact Report – a reflection of collective progress, highlighting member-led initiatives and measurable impact across our global network. One year later, we return with a renewed sense of purpose, increased momentum, and even more powerful stories. This second edition features new voices, expanded collaborations, and deeper insights into how local action is driving global systems change.

As part of our broader presence at UNGA and Climate Week 2025, this high-level session will unveil the latest Catalyst Now report, showcasing data-driven impact, transformative initiatives, and lived experiences from the field.

Speakers:
• Gaby Arenas de Meneses, Co-Chief Facilitator of Catalyst Now
• Kamilah Sanders, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Than Equal
• Faiz Kamaludin, Founder, AstroX
• Su Balasubramanian, International Development and Clinical Mental Health Professional 
• Sheela Patel, Founder, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC)
• Cheryl Dorsey, CEO and Co-Leader of Echoing Green
• Kara Barnett, Managing Director Head, General Atlantic Foundation
• Sanjay Purohit, CEO and Chief Curator, Centre for Exponential Change
• Manoj Panjwani, Angel Investor and member of the Governing Council of Catalyst Now

Register here

Hosted by Catalyst Now, General Atlantic and Echoing Green

Friday, 26th September – Eastern Time (EST)

2:00 – 4:00 pm • Prevention Through Learning: Building Health in a Climate-Driven Era (by invitation only)
This invitation-only roundtable will convene 20 leaders across health, education, and climate to reimagine prevention as the cornerstone of resilience. In a world where climate is increasingly shaping health outcomes, education emerges as the most powerful and underutilized tool for equipping individuals and communities to anticipate risks, adopt healthier behaviors, and build long-term resilience. 

This intimate dialogue will challenge traditional paradigms of health and climate action, emphasizing the need to move beyond treatment toward systemic prevention through knowledge, agency, and collective action.

Facilitated by Andrea Escobar, Founder, SoyDoy

Hosted by Catalyst Now, Caring For Colombia, Soydoy.

1:00 – 6:30 PM • Fashion Forward: Collective Innovation Scaling Circularity, Materials Breakthroughs, Technology & Cultural Resilience
Fashion sits at the intersection of some of the world’s most pressing challenges and opportunities – from climate resilience and material waste to cultural preservation and digital transformation. While groundbreaking innovation exists across these areas, what’s often missing is the infrastructure to scale impact through collaboration.

Hosted by Catalyst Now, this session will include an expert panel discussion and topic-based roundtable discussions followed by a networking reception. Spotlighting what works, we will discuss real-world solutions in materials, technology, circular practices, cultural leadership and decarbonization in the fashion industry. Together, we’ll explore how collective innovation can accelerate climate action and reshape fashion’s global footprint.

Speakers:
• Coming soon

Register here

Facilitated by Kamilah Sanders, Chief Executive Officer, Greater Than Equal.

Hosted by: Catalyst Now and the Fashion Institute of Technology

SPEAKERS

SPEAKERS

Jesus Aguais
President, Aids For Life

Jesús Aguais is a globally recognized social impact innovator and advocate for vulnerable populations, particularly migrants, refugees, and people living with HIV. He is the Founder and President of AID FOR AIDS and AID FOR LIFE, two international non-profit organizations that have delivered nearly $200 million in HIV medication, provided essential services to over 5 million people across 75 countries, and supported tens of thousands of asylum seekers in New York City. With a background in psychology and nonprofit management, Jesús has received numerous awards, including recognition from CNN, the United Nations, and New York’s mayor and governor. He currently serves as Chairman of the Latino Commission on AIDS and continues to lead global efforts in health equity, empowerment, and humanitarian relief.

Gaby Arenas de Meneses
Co-Chief Facilitator, Catalyst Now

Gaby Arenas de Meneses is a pioneering social innovator and entrepreneurial leader with over 15 years of experience catalyzing systemic change. As founder of the TAAP Foundation, she has transformed over 4.7 million lives globally through groundbreaking initiatives in education, peacebuilding, and social innovation. Her work has earned prestigious international recognition, including appointments as Rotary Peace Fellow (2021) and Ashoka Fellow (2014). She was named Social Woman of the Year by She Is Foundation (2020) and served as UN Ambassador for the «Network for Peace» in Latin America.

Gaby has co-founded transformative global initiatives including Catalyst 2030, The Weaving Lab, Colombia Cuida a Colombia, and NetEdu. She holds a Master’s in Development Communications from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and specialized in Peace Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Her expertise in fostering cross-sector collaborations has established her as a thought leader in systems change. Currently, as Co-Chief Facilitator at Catalyst Now, she leads an international team across six continents, promoting innovative solutions for complex social challenges and building bridges between sectors to create lasting global impact.

Su Balasubramanian
International Development and Clinical Mental Health Professional

Su Balasubramanian is an international development and clinical mental health professional with over 20 years of experience in applying human-centered design, social behavior change, and commercial marketing approaches for social impact across global health, gender, and the consumer sectors. Her work spans HIV, gender-based violence, sexual/reproductive health, and mental health/psychosocial support, with roles including strategy consulting, psychotherapy, and leadership in high-impact programs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Currently, Su is a psychotherapist supporting clients experiencing trauma, grief, and other mental health challenges and is also a senior strategy consultant and facilitator supporting organizations in the international development sector. She is passionate about integrating mental health into global programming. Su holds an MSW from Columbia University, an MBA in Social Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Duke University, and a BSE in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Kara Barnett
Managing Director Head, General Atlantic Foundation

Kara Medoff Barnett serves as Head of the General Atlantic Foundation at General Atlantic, a global investment firm powering visionary growth for entrepreneurs. Before joining General Atlantic in 2023, Kara was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at First Republic Bank and Managing Director of the First Republic Foundation. In these roles, she galvanized people and resources to strengthen extraordinary nonprofit organizations in the Bank’s communities. From 2016-2021, Kara led American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as Executive Director, advancing innovation at America’s National Ballet Company. For nearly a decade, Kara was a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts leading strategy, new ventures, and global partnerships. She is a Tony Award winner, a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a Senior Advisor on the CHANEL Culture Fund Advisory Council, a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Partnership for NYC, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, Kara serves on the Global Council of American Ballet Theatre and the Duke Arts Advisory Board, and she is President of Sadler’s Wells America. Born and raised in North Carolina, Kara attended Duke University and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Sohini Bhattacharya
CEO, Breakthrough

Sohini is a senior advisor to the Accelerator for Shifting Gender Norms Through Education, building a collaborative of successful and evidence-based interventions shifting gender norms through the school system across the globe.

Sohini has been working in the development sector for 30+ years. Closely connected to the Women’s Movement in India, she has co-founded a Gender Resource Centre, worked on economic empowerment of women and market-artisan interfaces. Sohini has a rich experience in institution building across South Asia for Ashoka Innovators for the Public for 10 long years.

She was the India strategy advisor for the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network from 2010-2013. Sohini is a founding member of the Coalition for Good Schools – Voices from the South, and co-chairs the Award Committee for Catalyst 2030, a global movement of social innovators focused on SDGs. Only recently Sohini was the CEO of Breakthrough, an organisation focused on transforming gender norms and building the leadership of young people to prevent gender- based violence. Sohini has worked in Breakthrough to build a wide portfolio of supporters and partners since 2010.

Sohini is an advisory board member at Ignite Philanthropy, a philanthropic fund that supports bold efforts to ensure every child lives a life free from violence and a board member of The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre For Women (ARROW), a regional women and young people’s organisation that advocates for youth leadership on sexual and reproductive health issues. Sohini is also a member of the Global Reference Group of the Spotlight Initiative, the United Nations high-impact initiative to end.

Cheryl L. Dorsey
President of Echoing Green

Cheryl L. Dorsey is the president of Echoing Green, a nonprofit supporting emerging social entrepreneurs. She became the first Echoing Green Fellow to lead the organization in 2002. Cheryl is also a social innovator, founding The Family Van, a mobile health unit in Boston, through her 1992 Echoing Green Fellowship. She has served as a White House Fellow in two presidential administrations and held roles at the U.S. Department of Labor. Cheryl serves on boards including The Bridgespan Group and the Skoll Foundation. She holds a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelor’s from Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges. Cheryl advocates for racial justice and equity in philanthropy, co-authoring the 2020 report «Racial Equity and Philanthropy.» She has received numerous awards, including the Pfizer Roerig History of Medicine Award and Robert Kennedy Distinguished Public Service Award. In 2019, she was named a Schwab Foundation Social Innovation Thought Leader.

Andrea Escobar
Founder, Soydoy

Andrea Escobar Hoyos is a Colombian social entrepreneur and systems innovation leader dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening the social innovation ecosystem in Colombia and Latin America. As co-founder and general director of Soydoy, she has spent 17 years promoting integral well-being through healthy, sustainable, and accessible food systems, impacting over 47,000 people across 14 regions of the country. 

In 2024, Andrea was honored as Woman of the Year in Health by the She Is Foundation and received the Special Mention Award for Women + Leadership + Health from Mpodera in Salud by Afidro. She is also an Ashoka Fellow, Acumen Fellow, and Global Good Fund Fellow, having been named International Fellow of the Year 2018 by the latter.

Nora Jeanne Joseph
Founder and CEO, RADIKAL and Co-Chair of Catalyst Chapter at the Caribbean

Nora Jeanne Joseph is a Haitian-American social entrepreneur and the visionary founder of RADIKAL, a Haiti-based social enterprise dedicated to helping women achieve socioeconomic independence. As a recognized Ashoka Fellow, she is a driving force behind innovative solutions to food insecurity.

Today, RADIKAL is a leader in combating food insecurity by empowering street food vendors in Haiti, transforming them into effective micro-entrepreneurs. This initiative serves a dual purpose: it provides a stable and dignified livelihood for women while ensuring that communities have access to affordable, healthy food. Beyond its core mission, RADIKAL aims to leverage technology for efficient product manufacturing and distribution while prioritizing environmental respect and restoration. The organization has also launched several regional initiatives, including a project focused on providing support and livelihoods for women in migratory situations.

Nora is a Vital Voices Global Fellow and a Global Advisor for How Women Lead. Her work has been highlighted in publications like Forbes and The Haitian Times, and in 2024, she was featured in a UN Partnerships exhibit, «Portraits of Progress : Women Powering the Global Goals»; at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Faiz Kamaludin
Founder of AstroX

Dr. Faiz Kamaludin is a social innovator and advocate for transformative change, blending over 30 years of experience in aviation with a passion for empowering communities. As Co-Chair of Catalyst Now ASEAN and Malaysian chapter and founder of initiatives like AstroX and Spacevio, he champions collaborative solutions to global challenges through education, innovation, and sustainability. With a PhD in Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, Dr. Faiz’s work focuses on fostering equitable ecosystems and driving progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), earning him recognition for his impactful contributions to social change.

Gladys Mezrahi
Founder, The Power of Heels Foundation

Gladys Mezrahi was born and raised in Colombia, where she launched her entrepreneurial journey with Advanced Cosmetics, a company she successfully led for 15 years before selling it to a major skincare corporation. Her career then evolved into Private Wealth Management at Pioneer International, but her true calling emerged through her passion for Marketing Through Events. This led to the creation of Indigo Events, where she has worked with prominent clients including Visa, the Miami International Book Fair, the Related Group, The Disney Institute, the Organization of American States, the Museum of Modern Art in Colombia, Komatsu, Aish, among others.

Gladys is also known today as the founder and driving force behind The Power of the Heels Foundation, an international movement and non-profit organization dedicated to empowering young women and girls through education, mentorship, and opportunity, the foundation equips women and young girls to own their voices, elevate their value, and transform their lives and their communities. Gladys, has championed a more inclusive and equitable world for women. As a bold advocate and mentor, she breaks barriers and opens doors through advocacy, narrative building, partnerships and collaborations, always driven by one core belief: when women rise, communities thrive. She is also the author of an award-winning book and co-author of a bestseller.

Gilberto Moscoso
Advisor of Comparte Una Vida Por Colombia

Gilberto believes in the power of partnerships as a driving force for change. He has dedicated his career to elevating the role of civil society organizations and grassroots initiatives in addressing humanitarian and development challenges within their own communities.With over a decade of experience, Gilberto has advised philanthropies, international NGOs, and UN agencies on mobilizing resources, funding, and technical assistance to strengthen local systems and build the resilience of community-led groups across Latin America.

He currently serves as an Advisor to Fundación Comparte, where he contributes as a thought partner in advancing locally led solutions that reduce inequality gaps and foster social cohesion between migrant and host communities in Colombia. Gilberto earned a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice from Columbia University and is currently based in New York.

Sheela Patel
Founder, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC)

Sheela Patel is the founder and Director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), an NGO that has been working since 1984 to support community organizations of the urban poor in their efforts to access secure housing and basic amenities and seek their right to the city. She is widely recognized – nationally and internationally – for seeking urgent attention to the issues of urban poverty, housing and infrastructure onto the radar of governments, bilateral and international agencies, foundations and other organizations. SPARC has been working in alliance with two Community Based Organizations –National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan (women’s collectives in slums) that are active in 70 cities in different states of India.

Manoj Panjwani
Governing Council Member, Catalyst Now

Manoj is a social impact leader focused on innovative and catalytic solutions that seek to make the world more equitable.  He is particularly passionate about impact investing and other financing models, collaborative movements, and initiatives linked to mental health, gender equity, and youth empowerment. 

His engagement in the sector includes being an advisor/mentor in the areas of strategy, ecosystem building, and governance; creating solutions that focus on mobilizing capital flows into the sector; and being an early stage investor in start-ups. 

He draws on his prior international experience and expertise in financial services, gathered from a 25+ year career with HSBC in developed and emerging markets across Asia, Europe and North America.

In addition to Catalyst Now, Manoj serves on multiple non-profit boards.

Sanjay Purohit
CEO and Chief Curator, Centre for Exponential Change

Sanjay Purohit is CEO and Chief Curator of Centre for Exponential Change. He has 30+ years of diverse experience spanning corporate and development sectors. Since 2016, he has been co-creating Societal Thinking, an approach to resolve complex societal challenges with speed, at scale, sustainably. He has engaged with 500+ Change Leaders across 20+ countries with Societal Thinkingin domains such as climate action, education, gender equity, healthcare and livelihoods. The core ideas of Societal Thinking are encapsulated in his Think Books. He is mentor and co-founder of apurva.ai, a platform to amplify the collective wisdom of communities with AI. He serves on the Board of Advisors of Don Norman Design Award that champions humanity centred design and Fundamentum, a scale investment fund.

Kamilah Sanders
Chief Executive Officer, Greater Than Equal

Kamilah Sanders is an award-winning Global Strategist and Ecosystem Weaver with over 25 years of experience in marketing and executive leadership. She is the CEO of Greater Than Equal, an action-driven think tank helping leaders maximize their impact through self-awareness and strategic action. As an advisor and ecosystem builder, Kamilah specializes in helping leaders realize their vision for impact by facilitating large-scale projects and curating events that redefine the future of global collaboration connecting diverse networks, shifting power dynamics, and accelerating social innovation.

Kamilah is the visionary behind HauteLink, which leverages technology to build interconnected ecosystems and drive future-focused innovation. As a prominent voice in technology, sustainability, and leadership, she co-hosts AI for Creatives podcast and hosts Fashion Futurist, which explores the intersections of humanity and technology while serving as an innovation-driven communication platform drawing on emerging technology to future proof social impact.

As a member of the Governing Council for Catalyst Now, she facilitates collaborations that accelerate social innovation and equity-driven change. Known for her ability to navigate complex systems, Kamilah’s mission is to connect disparate groups and amplify the voices of marginalized communities for real world impact.