Experienced cultivator of community partnerships. Dedicated advocate for career and technical education, inclusive workforce development initiatives and experiential learning. Strategic thinker, working at the intersection of education and industry. Project manager with significant experience planning and managing major events.

Todd Baker (he/him) is an Associate Director on the Advisory team at Seramount, where he partners with organizations to translate culture and inclusion strategy into practical, business-aligned action. As an inclusion strategist, he brings a dual perspective—both advising leaders at the enterprise level and building programs from the inside—that helps organizations move from intention to sustainable impact.

Todd has led and scaled global employee resource group (ERG) ecosystems, leadership development experiences, and data-informed talent initiatives that strengthen engagement, retention, and representation. His cross-sector background spanning nonprofit, education, and corporate environments informs his thoughtful, people-centered approach to culture change.

Todd holds a B.A. in Education Studies from Morehouse College and an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University. Based in Atlanta, he enjoys storytelling, continuous learning, and exploring creative projects outside of work.

Noor Pervez is the Community Engagement Manager for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Noor has written for the Disability Visibility Project, Rooted in Rights, and NEDA, among others. He has presented at a number of conferences regarding intersections around accessibility, disability, religion and LGBT+ rights. He is on the board for New Disabled South.

Kurt Iobst is a passionate advocate and leader for Neurodiversity inclusion and empowerment. As the Global President and co-founder of the Neuroforce BRG at Salesforce, he is dedicated to breaking down barriers, fostering understanding, and paving a path for the neurodiversity community to thrive in society.
A storyteller by nature, Kurt shares his own experiences as a late-diagnosed Autistic professional. Kurt is focused on creating a workspace where differences are celebrated and embraced. He draws on his backgrounds in both education and technology to provide him with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the neurodiversity community, as well as the potential they possess to contribute uniquely to the world. He has been a featured speaker at several events, not limited to but including the world’s largest tech conference CES, M-Enabling, Disability:IN, as well as Salesforce’s annual event, Dreamforce.

Caroline Powell is a Relationship Associate at Seramount, where she partners with clients to maximize the value of their membership. She collaborates closely with partner teams to manage key priorities, support contract needs, and foster strong, long-term relationships grounded in trust and collaboration.

Caroline holds a BA in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations from the University of Delaware. Outside of work, she enjoys writing, staying active, cooking, and exploring music and fashion.

Carmen Ortiz-McGhee is a dynamic leader, strategic thinker, and steadfast advocate in the asset management industry and beyond. As Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), she drives operational excellence, financial optimization, and cultural transformation for a differentiated network of alternative investment firms, whose members collectively manage over $460 billion in institutional capital. A principled and visionary leader, Carmen directs NAIC’s key initiatives, including industry research, events, marketing, member engagement, and strategic partnerships, ensuring long-term growth and stellar results. Because of her Carmen was recently recognized among the Power100 by Blueprint Capital Advisors.
A trailblazing advocate in finance and investment, Carmen previously served as Senior Vice President at Aon, where she led game-changing growth across multiple product lines. Her leadership was recognized by Business Insurance Magazine, which named her one of the Top 25 Women to Watch. Prior to that, she was Vice President of Investor Relations at a $1 billion AUM real estate private equity firm and President of The Marathon Club (TMC), where she championed wealth creation and investment opportunities.
Beyond her professional achievements, Carmen is a sought-after speaker who has addressed global organizations and Fortune 500 companies on leadership, trust and psychological safety, and culture transformation. She has delivered compelling keynotes for industry leaders including Cushman Wakefield, Mondelez, Key Bank, Clearbridge, WorkHuman Live, Weil & Gotshal, Ropes & Gray, Wiggins & Dana, Zonta International, and the National League of Cities, leaving audiences inspired and empowered.

Interfaith Peacebuilder, Humanitarian & Founder of Abrahamic House; Author of “The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America”

Mohammed Al Samawi is an interfaith activist, author and humanitarian whose life story is a testament to courage, faith and the power of dialogue. Born in the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen, he was raised to fear Christians and Jews, but at 23, a secret encounter with the Bible and connections with people of other faiths transformed his worldview while placing him in mortal danger.

After religious extremists issued a fatwa accusing him of collaborating with Mossad, Al Samawi fled to Aden amid a brutal civil war. Over 13 days, four strangers he had met at interfaith conferences orchestrated a daring cross-continental rescue in response to his online plea. This true story is chronicled in his acclaimed memoir, “The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America.” The book was a winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and has been optioned for a feature film by Marc Platt, producer of “Wicked.”

As founder and president of Abrahamic House, an interfaith co-living and co-learning space, Al Samawi continues the work that transformed his own life, bringing people of different faiths together to foster understanding and collaboration in a safe environment he could not pursue in his home country. He speaks internationally on faith, resilience and shared humanity, inspiring audiences to bridge divides and act courageously in a fractured world.

Shana Celeste Lewis is an Associate Director on the Relationship Management team at Seramount.

Shana has held previous leadership roles in DEI, Human Resources and managing enterprise sales managers.
She is holds a BA in Business Management from New School University, as well as DEI certifications from Cornell University, University of North Texas and McKinsey & Company.

Shana is a native New Yorker currently residing in Los Angeles. She has a passion for travel, music and making a positive impact on peoples’ lives through inclusion & education.

Karen Armand is Managing Director, Partner Development at Seramount, where she leads the commercial launch of the Seramount Human Resources Executive Board—an executive program serving senior HR leaders. She brings a consultative approach to growth, partnering closely with stakeholders to translate member needs into clear go-to-market strategies and scalable delivery.
Karen is a results-driven operations and growth leader with deep experience in change management and human capital development. She is known for building practical systems that help organizations adopt new ways of working and sustain impact.
Prior to Seramount, Karen served as Vice President of Business Operations at pureIntegration, where she oversaw operational excellence, organizational design, human capital management, and sales and marketing enablement. She implemented talent and engagement initiatives that drove cost savings while strengthening performance and culture.
Earlier in her career, Karen spent several years at The Advisory Board Company (acquired by Optum), partnering with health system executives to deliver customized talent development and workforce solutions and driving significant revenue growth through strategic, relationship-based selling. At Accenture, she led large teams in designing and implementing performance-based training programs for corporate clients and helped launch Accenture Learning, a business process outsourcing model focused on learning solutions.
Karen holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from James Madison University. She is active in her community, serving as Fundraising Chair for the Gladney Center for Adoption (National Capital Area), on the board of the National Charity League, and in service to her church.

Himani Gupta is a seasoned mixed-methods researcher with more than 15 years of experience in data collection and analysis. In previous roles, she has led both quantitative and qualitative evaluations, with deep expertise in experimental and quasi-experimental research in social contexts.

She is passionate about building inclusive and accessible workplaces. Throughout her career, Himani has trained, mentored, and supported the professional growth of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds in analytics and technology.
Outside of work, she is a violinist and writer