Melissa directs the Datayo Project at One Earth Future Foundation. Datayo is an online software platform that collects and fuses publicly available information so that the public can analyze it for indications of nuclear weapons threat. In addition to managing the development of the software architecture, Melissa is an expert on weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which include nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and their delivery devices, such as missiles and bombers. She is also breaking new pathways in open source intelligence, incorporating satellite and aerial imagery as well as other remote sensing data, large data sets, social media, 3D modeling, and GIS mapping. She is particularly focused on the monitoring and verification of international arms control agreements using open source evidence.

I’m most excited to work on projects that… focus on technology.

I’m looking for partners that can help me with… remote sensing, computer vision, and data analysis.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… working with the next generation.

Innovations in my field I’m most excited to work on… are crowdsourcing and citizen science.

I design research that helps us understand how people think about topics, categories, and brands. I use my training in clinical and organizational psychology to facilitate working and research groups. An education in cognitive science shapes the way I approach data, a background in computer science helps me to understand and integrate technologies, and long experience in consumer insights keeps me focused on solutions that are effective.

I’m most excited to work on projects that… help others. The opportunity to contribute to progress that will move us past nuclear threat inspires me.

I’m looking for partners that can help me… understand new perspectives.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… whenever I learn something new about people.

Innovations in my field I’m most excited to work on… involve applying brand strategy to civic issues. Brands are our way of making sense of massive cultural exchanges. Crafting the right conceptual structure and language to guide a brand well is both an art and science.

Leetha is a gifted strategist intrigued by the power of collaboration as a tool for social change. She serves as president of the PopTech Institute, where she oversees a portfolio focused on global health, the environment, social justice, and the future of work. Her tenure at PopTech began with the establishment of the PopTech Social Innovation and Science Fellows programs, which are dedicated to identifying and training promising innovators and scientists.

Leetha is intrigued by the power of technology and other disruptive channels to mitigate challenges confronting humanity. Prior to her tenure at PopTech, Leetha dedicated her career to public health advocacy, developing a number of programs that opened access to state-of-the art care for the urban poor suffering from HIV/AIDS. She served as administrative director of the Yale-New Haven Hospital AIDS Program and as research liaison for the Boston City Hospital AIDS Research Program. She has a deep and diverse background in strategic development, and has advised and served on the boards of numerous organizations and agencies. She lives on a small farm in Maine.

Jon Bellish is vice president for strategy at One Earth Future, overseeing program design, strategy, research, and strategic communication for the foundation. OEF is a Boulder, CO-based operating foundation looking to harness the power of networks to undermine drivers of war, currently operating in Somalia, Colombia, and on issues of African maritime governance. Future Labs’s latest project, the Shared Awareness, Fusion, and Engagement (SAFE) Network, is looking to leverage nonclassified data and intelligence and mobilize a network of trusted and credible third parties to minimize the risk of a nuclear war that nobody wants. Prior to joining OEF in 2010, Jon wrote and consulted on the international law of maritime piracy and worked in advertising and public relations. Jon has his JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and an MBA from Millsaps College.

I’m most excited to work on projects that… touch on decentralized monitoring, track 1.5 diplomacy, engage journalists, and apply human-centered design to these issues.

I’m looking for partners that can help me with… open source, commercial, and crowd-sourced data, intelligence, and analytics.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… witnessing our Colombia program win the trust of the FARC negotiating team in Havana two days prior to the Colombian Peace Accords.

Innovations in my field I’m most excited to work on… rapid prototyping for innovation in peace program design and applying network theory to program design and evaluation—I call that “high-impact philanthropy.”

Jodi joined Colorado Public Radio as senior VP of audience & platforms in January 2020. Previously, she headed the Engagement Lab at Public Radio International, focused on developing audience-first strategies throughout the organization. She also worked for 17 years at The Gannett Company/USA TODAY. Jodi has worked in a variety of areas across many disciplines, but always with a focus on innovation and engagement. Her attention to audience and her skills with digital engagement fit perfectly with public radio’s mission to deliver journalism while also effecting positive change in people’s lives.

I’m most excited to work on projects that… bring people together to solve issues, enlighten people, and/or prompt dialogue, debate, and discussion.

I’m looking for partners that can help me with… data analysis on cultural diversity.

A moment when I felt most inspired in my work was… when my #VotingBecause campaign at USA TODAY started to reach millions of people and created tons of online conversation around the importance of voting.

Innovations in my field I’m most excited to work on… are evolutions in algorithms that control just about everything on the internet.