Keynote Speakers
Monday Opening Session Speaker
Jaiya John
Dr. Jaiya John is an internationally recognized freedom worker, poet, novelist, and speaker known for his work in social psychology, rehumanizing, and spiritual healing. He is the founder of Soul Water Rising, a global mission dedicated to eradicating oppression
Tuesday Morning Session Speaker
Lily Colby
.jpg)
Lily Colby, Esq.CEO & FounderLily Colby is the CEO and Founder of the National Network for Foster Sibling Connections. A former foster youth who grew up in a sibling set of four, Lily spent much of her teen years in foster care separated from one or more of her three brothers. Her lived experience drives her lifelong commitment to empower people with lived experience to change systems.
While attending Yale College, Lily volunteered through AmeriCorps and became a kinship caregiver for her younger brother—an experience that solidified her dedication to advocacy. She graduated from Yale with a degree in Economics and later earned her law degree from Berkeley Law.
After law school, Lily received an Equal Justice Works Fellowship with the Youth Law Center and the National Center for Youth Law, where she focused on caregiver engagement and closing the educational gap for foster youth. She has since led state and federal policy efforts on foster care, homelessness, and disability rights.
Lily is also a founder of Elis for Rachael, which successfully settled the most comprehensive mental-health higher-education lawsuit in U.S. history, driving major reforms in university mental-health practices.
In 2025, she launched the National Network for Foster Sibling Connections, which has recruited hundreds of volunteers and trained lawyers, judges, and social workers across the country.
Event Master of Ceremonies
Dee Hankins
With Dee was two months old when he was placed into foster care. He bounced through foster homes until he was 12. Most of his young life he strongly believed that no one cared about him. He felt that it was just him against the world and he was going at it alone with no light at the end of the tunnel. Statistically, almost 50% of African American males placed in the foster care system drop out of high school. They are almost 10 times more likely to end up in a prison than to ever step foot on a college campus. This would have been the case for Dee had he not had support of some key people in his educational life. It was with their help and believe in him that allowed him to graduate from California State University; Long Beach with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Dee is now on a mission to show every student that they can have a chance at a successful future…no matter their background!
​
​
