Presenters 2022

Latifa Al Khalifa

Independent researcher, curator and writer

Latifa Al Khalifa is an independent researcher, curator and writer who explores Middle Eastern and North African culture, with a focus on the Arabian Gulf. She launched her arts consultancy Too Far, in 2016 in order to champion artists and creatives from the MENA region on a global scale. Currently, she is a regular contributor to Khaleejesque and Tribe Magazine and is an alumnus of the Bangkok edition of the ICI Curatorial Intensive (2018). She holds an M.A. in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College, University of London (2012) and has curated a myriad of projects and exhibitions in London, Dubai, Riyadh and Bahrain. 

Most notably, “In the Open,” the first Bahraini group exhibition to showcase at the Shubbak Festival (2013), “Khartoon! By Khalid Al Baih”, an exhibition commissioned by the Qatar Museums Authority and hosted by Edge of Arabia (2013), “Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa Art Prize” and public sculpture programme for Al Riwaq’s Art Space’s Annual Festival (2015), “#exstrange”, an eBay-based curatorial project, curated by Stamps School of Art & Design and the Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology (2017), “The Bahrain House” at SIKKA Art Fair (2017), “An Ode to Life”, outdoor sculptures at the Bahrain Fort Museum (2017) and “This is Awkward,” a digital project launched at the Shubbak Festival (2019) and “IMPRINT” an exhibition of photography, film and digital art, commissioned by Misk Art Institute, Riyadh (2020).

Manal AlMatrook

Director, Applied Science University's Business Incubator Center

Manal’s past employment history includes positions in human resources, administration, and training at eGovernment Authority, RealCAPITA / a real estate company, and the Royal University for Women.

Manal is also an energetic trainer that complements her training with various types of learning games and exercises that promote direct application of learning at the workplace. A certified trainer from the Australian Human Resource Institute, holds a Masters of Business Administration with specialization in Human Resources from the Open University of Malaysia, BA in English Literature/Educational Technology and Information from the University of Bahrain.

Manal has completed Building Assessor Capability Certification Program from Hay Group, USA that includes models such as Competency Based Interviewing & Coding Behavior, Leadership Diagnostics, Assessment Center Fundamentals, Enhancing Feedback Skills and Psychometrics and TalentQ. Also, Manal is a Toast Master (DTM) Bronze, Silver and Gold.

Manal was one out of seven Arab leaders who have been selected to attend the "Arab American Business Fellowship (AABF) 2010" in the United States of America and also was selected by British Council to represent Bahrain in the first Youth World Economic Forum in Greenwich UK.

Dr. Reem AlMealla

Marine Biologist and Researcher

Reem is a nature lover by default, a biodiversity conservation & marine specialist by profession, a climate advocate by concern and the brain behind bnature – Bahrain’s first environmental online platform. Reem is a recipient of the M.E.I. (Motivational, Empowering, Inspirational Woman) Award from the University of Essex and has been involved in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) processes for the past couple of years.  On a local level, Reem is a co-founder of the Arab Youth Climate Movement (AYCM) and has served as the AYCM-Bahrain co-ordinator for two years since 2012 before handing it to other young people to take it forward. Since then, she has been working on training Bahraini youth on climate issues and has been working on influencing national climate policies through her advocacy work. In addition, she served as the Project Manager for the Bahrain National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and as the Biodiversity co-ordinator for the Arab World for the Global Environment Outlook Report led by UNEP.

Israela Brill-Cass

Senior Affiliated Faculty, Emerson College

Israela Brill-Cass is a negotiation and conflict communication professional with over 25 years of experience as an attorney, mediator, facilitator, trainer and consultant. In 2015, she launched her company, fixerrr - the 3 r's stand for rethink, respond and resolve - to help individuals, groups and organizations recognize their strengths, assess their options and gain the tools they need to succeed. Brill-Cass has designed, managed and served as a neutral for conflict resolution and workplace communication programs for the Massachusetts Superior Courts, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, federal agencies, institutes of higher education and private corporations. She created the first federally funded Agricultural Mediation Program in New England to help local cranberry growers.

Brill-Cass has taught negotiation (including culture and gender in salary negotiation), conflict communication, dispute resolution, and mediation in both the public and private sectors for such clients as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Tufts Women in Medicine and Science, RISD, MassMutual (Society of GrownUps), MIT, Arabella Advisors, the Mass. Society of CPA's, the American Bar Association, the Mass. Bar Association, the Administrative Office of the Trial Court, the Mass. Legal Recruitment Association and Mass. Continuing Legal Education. In 2017, she became Wesleyan University's first Ombudsperson, serving as a resource for approximately 900 faculty and staff members on their Connecticut campus.

Brill-Cass has been recognized as a New England Super Lawyer, a list published annually by Boston Magazine and Thompson-Reuters of lawyers viewed by their peers as being in the top 5% of the profession, and named one of the Top Women Attorneys in Massachusetts, in 2013 and 2016. She has authored and been interviewed as an authority for articles on conflict management, employment, negotiation and mediation issues in publications ranging from the ABA Journal, the Family Mediation Quarterly, and the BBC Capital, and is a contributing author to the books, Mediation: A Practice Guide for Mediators, Lawyers, and Other Professionals (MCLE, Nov. 2013) and Pretrial Litigation Primer: Alternative Dispute Resolution (MCLE, 2009, 2011). 

Aysha Buqais

Industrial Partnership Consultant at Nasser Vocational Centre

Aysha Buqais has 5+ years of experience as a Career Counselor targeting vocational students, industrial companies, and other universities and institutes. She has been working in the education management industry which assists her to excel in her skills in management, leadership, marketing, creativity, problem solving, teaching, and counseling. She is a self-motivated candidate who strongly believes that her professional skills that she has build throughout years of experience can add value to a company. She is passionate about collaborating in the development of individuals who seek guidance and leadership.

Kawthar Fathalla

Videographer and Multidisciplinary Artist

Kawthar Fathalla is a Bahraini creative Videographer and Multidisciplinary Artist. Her passion for artistic expression has led her to hold a bachelor's in Mass Communication majoring in Digital Media and she began her career early specializing in creative and video production, as well as practicing a variety of art forms focusing on experimental and conceptual visual storytelling. Kawthar has been active in leadership positions throughout the years focusing especially on women empowerment both socially and professionally and being involved in attending various international and local leadership conferences, exchange programs, and being a part of a recognized international youth organization.

Dr. Deion Hawkins

Assistant Professor, Argumentation and Advocacy;
Director, Forensics, Emerson College

Dr. Deion Hawkins, Ph.D. (George Mason University), M.A. (Marshall University), B.A. (Ohio State University) is an assistant professor of Argumentation & Advocacy and the Director of Forensics at Emerson College. He started competitive public speaking and debating at age 13, and began coaching in 2012. Since 2012, Dr. Hawkins has coached multiple national finalists including 2 national championships in debate. In addition to debate, Dr. Hawkins is a health communication scholar whose research utilizes intercultural theory to mitigate health disparities. He is an avid social justice advocate for marginalized communities.

Course: The Basics of Public Speaking

James Kerwin

Assistant Director, Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School

Prior to joining PON in 2001, James Kerwin was the director of business development at HNW, Inc., a marketing company that provides consulting services to financial service firms such as Citibank and Merrill Lynch. In addition to his expertise in the areas of negotiation and financial marketing, James has extensive experience in the non-profit sector. He was operations manager at Givenation.com. Before that he joined Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund as a member of the start-up team to launch this new venture, which became the nation's second largest public charity in just five years. James is an accomplished public speaker and has worked as a broadcast reporter, radio anchor, producer, and presenter at a variety colleges and conferences. James holds a B.A. in international relations from Brown University, where he also spent a year at the American University in Cairo studying Arabic and Middle Eastern politics.

Gregory Payne

Chair, Emerson College's Department of Communication Studies

Dr. J. Gregory Payne is also the Co-Director of the Emerson Blanquerna Center for Global Communication and received an “Honoris Causa” from the University of Ramon Llull in Barcelona in the fall of 2019 for his distinguished academic and professional career.  He has taught at Yale and Tufts University.  Dr. Payne received his B.A, M.A. and Ph.D at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and also earned an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  He has authored books, chapters, articles and proceedings and has lectured internationally on topics related to political communication, public diplomacy, health communication, media, ethics, leadership, negotiation, crisis and risk communication. He is on the Advisory board of the Journal of Health Communication, Tripidos, American Behavioral Scientist, Media Ethics, , Journal of Promotion Management, among others. He has been the invited editor for American Behavioral Scientist’s special edition on the U.S. presidential campaign for every election since l988. He is past President of the International Academy of Business Disciplines, past chair of the Political Communication Division of the National Communication Association, and Advisory Board member of the Global Public Relations Project.

Rick Rendon

Founder, Empower Peace

Rick Rendon is the founder of Empower Peace and Senior Partner of The Rendon Group, a Boston-based communications firm that specializes in public affairs campaigns. Throughout his career, Mr. Rendon has taken great pride in creating and developing innovative community-based initiatives and social campaigns. In addition to over thirty years of experience as a senior communications consultant, Mr. Rendon served previously as a Public Information Officer for the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and as a member of United States President Jimmy Carter’s national political staff.

Keri Thompson

Senior Lecturer, Emerson College

Keri Thompson is a Senior Lecturer at Emerson College and specializes in public speaking, politics and social media. She has extensive public speaking experience and has taught, coached and lectured on the subject at various schools and organizations across the country. She specializes in coaching and training political candidates. Her research specialties include nonverbal communication and image, political communication, social media, rhetoric and language. Specifically, her interests are in social media and politics, presidential rhetoric and campaign communication. She has been busy pioneering ways to use Snapchat in both the classroom and the political arena.

Keri was born in Boston and grew up in the suburbs of Acton. After attending Acton-Boxborough public schools, she graduated with a BS in Speech Communication from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. While there she met an obscure State Senator named Barack Obama who convinced her to ditch her Republican roots and become a political activist. She continued her graduate education at Pepperdine University and the University of Texas at Austin, finishing with MAs in Strategic Communication & Rhetoric and Political Communication respectively. Keri lives on the South Shore (in Cohasset) and can often be found near the ocean wearing a Red Sox hat and a "Free Brady Again" hoodie.

Course: The Imposter Syndrome

Mason West

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School

Mason West III earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. He later earned his Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Community Development from Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University. Currently he is pursuing his Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership at the University of Tennessee. For fifteen years Mr. West served as an instructor and administrator. He has educated youth in Georgia, Alabama and Bermuda as an exceptional Religion and Social Studies instructor. Mr. West also served as an associate pastor at the West End Church in Atlanta Georgia and the Madison Mission Church in Madison, Alabama. Currently, Mr. West serves others in several capacities. He is the Director of Community Learning at the Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama. He is the Director of Ministry for the Buckhead Community Fellowship Ministry in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the founder and CEO of the Mason West Group (MWG), a youth leadership consulting company. His company specializes in the creation of youth leadership programs. In 2003 Mr. West started his Talented Tenth Leadership Program to teach youth how to influence their peers, their government and their economy. Mr. West is also the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer for Engage Youth Empowerment Services, a youth advocacy company based in Wolverhampton, England.

Course: The Leader in You