#ThisGen2023: A Youth Empowerment Forum presented by Meta

Christiane Maertens

CEO and Founder | DoGoodery

Christiane Maertens is the founder and CEO of DoGoodery, a consulting agency that works with brands who have an authentic commitment to doing good. We ideate, create, and execute initiatives to improve lives and reduce inequity with empathy, joyful collaboration, and a research-based approach. Before DoGoodery, Christiane served as Deputy Director at the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) where her curated team led the largest, most diverse environmental education network in the world. Previously, Christiane led the design of the first corporate social responsibility portfolio at the Walt Disney Company mobilizing millions of young people to take positive action around the world. Christiane is the proud daughter of immigrant parents, a storyteller of our times, and an honored Board Member of Outdoor Afro.

Matt Hamilton

Reporter I LA Times

A reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He has covered legal affairs, corruption, sexual misconduct and breaking news since joining the newspaper in 2013. Hamilton won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting with colleagues Harriet Ryan and Paul Pringle. He is a graduate of Boston College and the University of Southern California. Before joining The Times, he worked for a legal newspaper, The Daily Journal; edited magazines in Amman, Jordan; and led backpacking trips at a summer camp in Maine.

Armida Lopez

Filmmaker & Actress

Armida is an indigenous storyteller and Latinx Activist, who began writing and directing films with the goal of seeing more Brown stories represented.
Born in San Salvador, Armida moved to Sacramento when she was 8 years old. While in Sacramento, she began her career in storytelling, working as a Journalist Intern at KCRA News. In 2014 she relocated to Los Angeles to pursue her first love, acting. In recent years her career focus shifted to behind the camera in order to truly impact the industry with an authentic voice for our stories as both a writer and director.
Armida wrote and directed the short film “Made In America”, a true story based on her experience of immigrating to the United States with her single mother. The piece was recently nominated for an Emmy! Armida’s team of 90% women has won a total of four awards, through the Film Festival circuit in 2020. The film didn’t have a normal Festival route, due to the Pandemic. It wasn’t easy but they wouldn’t change a thing as it challenged them to reach new heights.
Armida’s goal as a filmmaker is for audiences to walk away having felt something; anything! She hopes to inspire Latinx storytellers to be courageous enough to share their stories so that we can ALL see more representation on the big screen. All the different textures and worlds within this commonly mistaken monolith that is the Latinx identity.

Stephanie Perea

Senior Producer | Niantic

Stephanie Perea is currently a Senior Producer at Niantic, working on the upcoming mobile game: Peridot. With over 16 years of experience that include previous roles at The Walt Disney Company and award-winning VFX & Immersive studio Framestore, Stephanie is committed to creating innovative and immersive experiences that delight audiences around the world.

Maia Chaka

NFL Official & Founder, MMC
Professional Sports Official & Founder, MMC

Maia Chaka is a multi-faceted, barrier breaker with a passion for advancing the growth of women, youth, and her culture. Originally from Rochester, New York, Chaka grew up with a family first mentality, carrying that with her through her schooling and career. Although she faced unique challenges at a young age, she found that when she implemented the needs of others before hers, blessings soon followed. After graduating from Norfolk State University, Chaka began her profession in education, focusing on at-risk youth, developing programs, and originating procedures to increase school attendance and retention rates. She designed clubs to promote self-esteem, created in-school initiatives to advance academic achievement, and studied the most result driven strategies to maintain educational encouragement. While she continued making waves in the classroom, earning awards and accolades such as Teacher of the Year, Chaka was simultaneously making her mark on the field, officiating in conferences such as the PAC-12, Conference USA and more. In March 2021, Chaka made history as the 1st black woman to join the on[1]field officiating staff in the National Football League. As only the 2nd woman to join the on-field officiating staff, Chaka continues to be an agent for change by devoting her time to pouring into the communities that helped nurture her growth. Chaka’s story is one of inspiration, motivation, and dedication. Today, she participates in panels, forums, and conversations nationwide, to encourage people from all walks of life, while continuing to provide educational enrichment services to economically disadvantaged youth, through her non-profit Make Meaningful Change (MMC).

Will Gilmore

Performance Coach l Red Bull

Will is currently a performance coach at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Santa Monica. In this role he is responsible for testing, training and programming for Red Bull sponsored athletes across all disciplines, both in rehab and performance scenarios. Previously he was the Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator and Rehab Coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds where he worked from 2019-2022, overseeing all 200 athletes in the minor league system. He also spent 5 seasons with the Kansas City Royals as a Minor League Strength and Conditioning coach where he won Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Will completed a Master’s in High Performance Sport through Australian Catholic University in 2020. He is also a graduate of Santa Clara University and Loyola High School.

Mariel Gonzalez

Director, Partnership Marketing | LAFC

Mariel Gonzalez joined LAFC in 2019, before joining LAFC she worked at Univision Los Angeles and was a key member of LAFC’s first Local Broadcast Partnership negotiation. As a Partnership Marketing Manager, she overseer’s a book of business made up of high-spend accounts. These Partners fall within various categories, such as, consumer packed goods, health, online –services, education and more. In addition to servicing these accounts, she leads endorsement negotiations between partners and key LAFC players. Working in Corporate Marketing has given her a front seat look at the transformation of the consumer behaviors and the role Brands, like LAFC, can play in our lives.

As a lead member of the LAFC Con Acento, Latino Resource Group, she understands the importance of community and authenticity and appreciates the value of building that cultural connection. With her experience, she’s has helped brands bridge that gap by tapping into consumer passion points in the LA Latino Community. In her spare time, she’s either traveling, reading or attending a sports event, her love for sports comes from her grandfather, especially her love for Baseball. Originally from Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, she graduated from the University of Central Florida and have been in Los Angeles for the past 11 years.

Coleman Shelton

Center | Los Angeles Rams

At high school, Shelton played on the offensive and defensive lines at Loyola, earning All-Serra League as a junior and senior. As a junior, he helped lead the Cubs to an 8-3 record and a trip to the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoffs, getting named a top offensive lineman in the area by the Los Angeles Times.

On the 2016 season, Coleman started all 14 games of the season at center, getting named second-team All-Pac-12 and honorable mention Academic All-Pac-12, and the team’s lineman of the week for the Rutgers game and also after the win over Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship game. For the 2017 season, Shelton started all 13 games at center, getting named first-team All-Pac-12 and also earned Academic All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Coleman won both the John P. Angel Lineman of the Year and Academic Achievement Award at the UW postseason awards banquet.

Shelton was signed by the Los Angeles Rams on September 2, 2019. Coleman made his NFL debut on September 22, 2019 against the Cleveland Browns.

Manny A. Aceves, Ed.D.

Chief Program Officer l Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

Manny A. Aceves is the Chief Program Officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF). As a member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Aceves provides oversight, vision, and strategy in the areas of programs, grantmaking, and strategic initiatives.

Before joining LADF,  Dr. Aceves served as the Associate Dean for Strategic Engagement at the Loyola Marymount University School of Education where he was responsible for leading the School of Education’s external engagement efforts, supporting relationships with existing partners, and cultivating new and mutually beneficial partnerships that support preparation, professional development, outreach, and impact.

Dr. Aceves is also an active leader in numerous organizations. He currently serves on the board of directors for Families in Schools, in addition to serving on the board of directors for Bright Star Schools. He is also an active member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). Previously, he served on the board of visitors for the Loyola Marymount University School of Education, board of directors for WISH Charter, advisory board for Playa Vista Elementary School, and on the advisory committee for the California Educator Diversity Research Project at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. In addition, he served on the Green Dot Public Schools Administrator-in-Residence (AIR) Program Advisory Board and was the treasurer for the Association of Jesuit Schools and Universities (AJCU) Deans of Education Conference. Dr. Aceves was also a founding and former board member for the Teach for America Los Angeles Associates Board.

Josue Arias

Chief Kindness Officer | Boys & Girls Club

Josué Arias is the Chief Kindness Officer (CKO) for the Boys & Girls Club of the West San Gabriel Valley and Eastside and is a member of the Monterey Park Rotary Club. Josué received his Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Non Profit Management from CSUN and has over a decade of experience working with nonprofit youth development organizations and leadership in after school environments. Josué has found purpose in sharing and bringing awareness about the importance of kindness to schools, businesses, clubs, churches and anywhere else the message of kindness is welcomed. Josué is very excited and honored to be a panelist at this year’s This Gen event and will invite all in attendance to take the kindness pledge!

Pooja Pelham

Senior Manager of Social Impact | Hello Fresh

With over a decade of experience as a corporate social responsibility leader, Pooja has successfully developed programs and initiatives to make a difference in our communities. Her expertise is focused on building scalable partnerships, harnessing technology for good, and strengthening nonprofit capacity and mission fulfillment.

In her current role as Senior Manager of Social Impact at HelloFresh, she leads the company’s Beyond the Box program, which focuses on food insecurity efforts in the United States. Prior to her arrival at HelloFresh, Pooja worked for Feeding America where she managed strategic partnerships with leading retailers including Amazon and Albertsons Companies.

She resides in California with her husband and two dogs and basks in every opportunity to travel the world.