Instructors

With 28 years of experience as a facilitator, trainer, mentor, keynote speaker and coach of transformation and change, Thomas‘ mission is to impact and transform thoughts, behaviors and lives. Thomas has worked within public and private business sectors and is dedicated to the enhancement of his clients’ professional and/or personal endeavors. He is a leading facilitator of organizational change, continuous improvement, diversity, equity & inclusion, unconscious bias, communication, engagement, presentation and leadership skills.

Thomas graduated from Georgia Tech where he received his degree in Industrial Engineering. Throughout his career he has held positions of executive leadership which include Human Resources, Organizational Development, Operations, Sales and Marketing.

Michele Friedner is a medical anthropologist and an associate professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development. She has conducted research in India with Indian Sign Language speakers, on disability advocacy movements, and on efforts to introduce biotechnological intervention such as cochlear implants. She is interested in the ways that disability is increasingly becoming normalized at the same time that biotechnological interventions for disability are also becoming normalized. At the University of Chicago, she teaches courses in disability and design, the anthropology of disability, and general medical anthropology and social theory courses.

Nakia is a Social Entrepreneur, Specialist and Facilitator in Leadership Development, Organizational Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Change Management. As a Senior Partner at inQUEST, she brings her unique perspective and hands-on background in corporate training, sales development, and process and strategy design with US market leaders to her consulting client partnerships.

In addition to her work at inQUEST, Nakia is the founder of Culture Solutions and Culture Solutions in Action, a for profit and not for profit organization designed to decrease unemployment and underemployment amongst college graduates that identify as people of color and people with disabilities.

Nakia has a MA in Leadership from Benedictine University, a BA in Corporate Communications from Northern Illinois University, and an Executive Certificate in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion from Georgetown University.

James J. Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Chicago. He works to understand the origins of inequality, and skill formation, and develops and applies strategies for addressing these issues. Heckman has published over 350 articles and 9 books. Heckman received the Nobel Prize in Economics, the Dan David Prize, and the Chinese Government Friendship Award, among other recognitions. He is Director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development at the University of Chicago. The Center investigates the sources of poverty and social immobility and policies to improve human flourishing.

An accomplished and sought-after speaker, executive facilitator, author and senior organizational strategist, Scott is best known for his ability to implement full-scale, long-term people strategies across a wide spectrum of industries and geographies. His approach is based on three strategic pillars that he believes are critical components for sustained success: include, engage and innovate.

Scott’s career spans 25 years covering a variety of leadership roles in sales, operations and corporate strategic planning. Prior to starting inQUEST, Scott led three leading DEI consultancy organizations and held executive roles at Bank One (now Chase). These experiences support his strategic thinking and provide a sound operational and financial approach to his collaboration with clients.

Scott’s focus is on helping individuals, teams and organizations realize their full potential. He has deep subject matter expertise in disability and LGBT workplace inclusion initiatives, and in 2018 was featured in Crain's Chicago Business' list of Notable LGBTQ Executives.

Scott is certified by The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), Lominger, HBDI and Hogan Assessments. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Chicago Sinfonietta and sits on the local board of Disability:IN, one of the largest disability inclusion employment advocacy organizations in the U.S.

Ms. Loskota is the Executive Director of the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion.

Prior to joining the Divinity School, Ms. Loskota was the Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. She brings deep and broad experience in building strong organizations and networks; expertise in advising foundations, governments, and the media; and a research agenda which explores how religions change and make change in the world.

Over the course of her twenty-year career Ms. Loskota has sought to enhance religious pluralism and community resilience across a broad range of faith communities. She is the co-founder and senior advisor to the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, and an implementing partner for the United State Institute of Peace’s (USIP) Generation Change program, where she trains emerging leaders from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Colombia. She is the co-creator of the Disasters and Religions religious literacy and competency app, which helps disaster responders better serve America’s diverse religious communities and build partnerships with religious leaders. She was instrumental in the founding and development of the Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement at USC which promotes civic engagement and economic development in Black and Brown churches.

As a widely published writer, her work has appeared in a range of publications from the Los Angeles Times to the Brookings Institute. She is regularly quoted in the media including in the The Economist, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Public Broadcasting, and Voice of America.

In 2017, Ms. Loskota was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was German Marshall Memorial Foundation fellow, an Inclusive America Project fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Truman National Security fellow, and a fellow at the Safe Communities Institute at USC. She Is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, was a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the CFR Religion Advisory Committee. In 2019, she was elected to the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s Council and chairs SSSR’s communications committee.

Gina Miranda Samuels is a Professor at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, and Faculty Director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture. Her research explores the experiences of youth and young adults who have histories of displacement through foster care, transracial adoption, or home loss.  Her work has been used in public testimony to advance changes in policy for youth homelessness and for young people aging out of foster care, and was named among the top 14 most impactful African American social work scholars in the Unites States. Dr. Miranda Samuels brings her own lived expertise as a person who was adopted through foster care as an infant, and her practice experiences as a social worker in settings including juvenile probation, child welfare, post-adoption training, and school social work.

Black, trans*genderqueer, educator, advocate, spouse, friend, and Beyonce fan all describe Dr. S Simmons. S is originally from Chicago Heights, IL and is the eldest of three. Dr. S earned his B.S. and M.S. in Psychology from Iowa State University, and PhD in Higher Education from Loyola University Chicago.  Over the course of his career, S has held several positions in higher education including Admissions, Pre-Collegiate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs, and Gender and Sexuality Centers. Currently, S teaches in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and is a co-chair for the Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity committee. S approaches his work with care and centers well-being. Ask anyone who knows S and they will tell you S is passionate, caring, and leads with love.

J.M. Conway (they/them) is Manager of Innovation Programs with the Graham School. In this role, they help to plan new educational programs, support new and existing partnerships, and serve as a resource for prospective and enrolled students. You can contact Conway at jmconway@uchicago.edu.

Conway has led as a diversity, equity and inclusion practitioner and administrator within higher education for two decades. They have worked with non-profits such as Day One NY, Interfaith Youth Core, College Track, and institutions of higher learning including DePauw University, Loyola University Chicago, Columbia College Chicago, and Michigan State University. Conway earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology from DePauw University and a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Loyola University Chicago.

Conway enjoys participating in Chicago’s rich Arts and Cultural scene by attending events throughout the city. They keep a daily journal, are endlessly curious about collaborative art making and collect one-liner jokes.

Which Graham course would you most like to take and why?

Conway would like to take Writing the One Act Play via the Writer’s Studio. They love watching live theater and have always been curious about what it takes to be a successful playwright.

Emily Nordquist is a Chicago-based social impact and innovation leader. She currently leads membership at 1871, the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world, where she supports 450+ founders to find success from idea to Series A. Before joining 1871, Emily served as the Senior Program Manager for the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility at Loyola University Chicago. There, she helped develop a first-of-its-kind social impact MBA and led executive leadership programs focused on social impact and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Emily has been a DEI facilitator for The Kaleidoscope Group, a full-service global DEI consultancy, since 2019. She also serves as an Alumni Ambassador for the Obama Foundation and is a member of the Impact Investing Advisory Council for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago.