Meet the LINK20@MIT 2020 Cohort

LINK20@MIT Leadership in the Digital Age is a collaboration of the Ruderman Family Foundation’s LINK20 and MIT Sloan School of Management. This unique program will equip influencers with theories and strategies in the areas of digital leadership, networking and entrepreneurship to become high impact social influencers.

The online program will take place September 13-16, 2020.

Nic Novicki

Connecticut

Nic is a comedian, actor, and producer that has performed on 6 continents including several tours through Armed Forces Entertainment. He has appeared in several movies including: L!fe Happens, November Rule, The Last 5 Years, Boston Girls, Breaking Wind, and Dead Ant. He is the founder and director of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and is a board member of Easterseals Southern California.

Tiffany Yu

California

Tiffany is the CEO & Founder of Diversability, an award-winning social enterprise to rebrand disability through the power of community. She is also the Founder of the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter, a monthly micro-grant for disability projects that has awarded over 4 projects in 8 countries. She is the host of the podcast TIFFANY & YU.

Molly Burke

California

Molly was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye disease at the age of 4 and lost most of her vision by the time she was a teenager, but she didn't let that hold her back. She is a YouTuber with a worldwide audience of almost 2 million subscribers. On her channel she shares her story on how she adapted to life without sight, and has become a motivational speaker and accessibility advocate.

Lydia X. Z. Brown

Maryland

Lydia is an advocate, writer, educator, and attorney for disability rights and justice. Currently, Lydia is a Policy Counsel for the Data and Privacy Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Director of Policy, Advocacy, and External Affairs at the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network. Lydia also works as Adjunct Lecturer in Disability Studies for the Department of English at Georgetown University.

Sam White

New York

Sam collaborates with civil rights organizations & non-profits on social impact projects. He speaks with young people about advocacy & civic engagement. He engages audiences in the kinds of conversations we too often avoid in a way that is honest, genuine, inclusive, and approachable. Sam partners with brands on experiential & influencer marketing campaigns to inspire others to do the same in their own creative and productive ways.

Reem Edan

California

Reem is an Iraqi-American comedian, writer, content creator known for her unique brand of “Muslim-ennial” humor. She has performed at venues and colleges across the world. Reem is an alumna of the MGM Writing Program, and a two-time scholarship recipient at the Groundlings. She is one of six chosen to participate in the upcoming NBC Late Night Writing Program.

Meir Kalmanson

New York

Meir is a filmmaker, actor, and motivational speaker. He’s always finding ways to spread his message of positivity and kindness with others. Whether it’s through his viral videos on social media, hosting “The Great Day Podcast” or motivational speeches, Meir is a firm believer that we all have the choice and power to make this world a brighter place.

Danielle Ofek

Israel

Danielle is a Social Entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in business development in various industries. She is one of the most influential women in the Israeli tech industry, and one of 100 Role Models executives by Yahoo Finance for 2019. Danielle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Parliament51, a social impact venture aiming to achieve gender equality and equal opportunities for women in the workplace.

Kyle Maynard

Georgia

Kyle is an entrepreneur, speaker, bestselling author, award-winning extreme athlete, and the first man to bear crawl to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the summit of Argentina’s Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. He is on a mission to inspire others to do the same by sharing his story and living by example.

Janelle Gee

Massachusetts

As Assistant Director for the Center for Women and Business (CWB) and Corporate Education at Bentley University, Janelle develops, manages, and implements the processes required to successfully deliver custom corporate programs and thought leadership to corporate partners. She also leads the social media functions and website support for the CWB and Corporate Education.

Antoine Hunter

California

Antoine is a dancer, choreographer, and community activist who has performed around the world and received numerous awards.He produces deaf friendly events, and founded the Urban Jazz Dance Company and By Area International Deaf Dance Festival. He is the Vice President of Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency Board - a non-profit, community-based social service agency serving the deaf community.

Brenna Huckaby

Wyoming

Brenna is an American snowboarder. She competed at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, winning gold medals in the snowboard cross and banked slalom. Brenna began competing in 2013 while training at the National Ability Center in Utah. She returned to training in preparation for the 2017 season and won the gold medal in 2018. Brenna is the first Paralympian to appear in the Swimsuit Issue of Sports Illustrated.

Brian King Joseph

California

Brian King is more than just your typical jaw-dropping phenomenal performer. Nicknamed "The King of Violin", BKJ is self-taught and self-produced performer who seeks to change the game. He is known for his unmatched skill, speed and the unique ability to connect violin driven music with both current and traditional audiences across the globe. His performances received over 90 million views worldwide. He won third place in America’s Got Talent 2018.

Jessica Long

Maryland

Jessica is the second-most decorated Paralympian in U.S. history and has earned 23 Paralympic medals in swimming events. She has collected 31 world titles, and multiple world records. She has inspired others to chase their dreams throughout her career by advocating for the Paralympic Games and Para-athletes, and showing young girls they are valuable and strong.

De’Shawn Cann

Indiana

As a Recruiter for Amazon's human resources umbrella for customer service, DeShawn is obsessed in perfecting the candidate experience. His focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging guides his mechanism building and process improving compass. When he is not selecting the right candidates, he enjoys spending time with family, traveling and riding roller coasters.

Alex Rif

Israel

As a cultural - social entrepreneur and community organizer, Alex synthesizes storytelling to amplify unheard voices in the Israeli Society, particularly Russian speaking immigrants. She is the founder and CEO of the Cultural Brigade, a platform for cultural projects. She was recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential Israeli female activists.

Darius Dawson

California

Darius is an LA-based director currently in pre-production to direct the second unit on Peter Farrelly’s next feature. His short films have screened at many festivals and garnered several awards. His American Film Institute thesis, A RODEO FILM, won the 2019 DGA Student Grand Prize Award and was selected as one of five films to take part in HBO’s Short Film Competition in Miami.

Justin Knighten

California

Justin is a public affairs and communications strategist, storyteller and advocate who works to advance equity, inclusion and human rights. He serves as Assistant Deputy Director in the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and as Co-Chair of Listos California, an emergency campaign to boost resiliency through preparing vulnerable communities for disasters like wildfire, earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brandon Farbstein

District of Columbia

Brandon inspires millions of people across the globe with his universal message of living life on your own terms and building the framework for personal growth. At just 20 years old, he is a renowned empowerment speaker, Gen Z activist and author. Brandon was named in Instagram’s #19under19 as one of the 19 most influential teenagers in the world with his mission to elevate empathy.

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ACCESIBILITY MENU

Meet the LINK20@MIT 2020 Cohort

Nic Novicki

Tiffany Yu

Molly Burke

Lydia X. Z. Brown

Sam White

Reem Edan

Meir Kalmanson

Danielle Ofek

Kyle Maynard

Janelle Gee

Antoine Hunter

Brenna Huckaby

Brian King Joseph

Jessica Long

De’Shawn Cann

Alex Rif

Darius Dawson

Justin Knighten

Brandon Farbstein