In-Person Social Impact Experience

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

11:30 – 12:00 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Salah Boukadom
CEO, Good Returns Group & Chief Impact Office, Dallas’ Sapphire Foundation

Lori Choi
Partner, Senior Advisor, & CFA® Charterholder, Veris Wealth Partners

SESSION TITLE

Deploying Impact Capital in the Real World

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

10:45 – 11:15 | Mainstage

SPEAKERS

Trey Bowles
Founder & Managing Partner, The Bowles Investment Group (BIG) & Founder, Park Cities Angel Network

Kate Knight
Senior Director, Impact Investing Programs, Phillips Foundation

Salah Boukaoum
CEO, Good Returns Group & Chief Impact Office, Dallas’ Sapphire Foundation

Jim Hart
Director of Social & Arts Entrepreneurship, SMU & Co-Director, SMU Impact Lab

SESSION TITLE

Capital with Purpose: Building the Future of Impact Investing at SMU

DESCRIPTION

Discover how SMU, the Phillips Foundation, and Dallas innovators are redefining impact
investing through education, entrepreneurship, and capital that drives measurable social
change and long-term community impact both now and in the future.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

2:15 – 3:00 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Andrea Levere
CEO, Capitalize Good & Social Enterprise Fellow, Yale School of Management

SESSION TITLE

Advancing Financial Sustainability: Rethinking Capital Strategies to Address the Moment

DESCRIPTION

Providing flexible, long-term funding (also known as enterprise capital) with high quality technical assistance is the key to achieving both social impact and financial sustainability. What does it look like for organizations to adapt and thrive, especially when sustainability feels threatened? This session will outline how can funders and public agencies adapt their philanthropic and investment practices to support sustainability and impact and meet the challenges of this moment for organizations that they support as well as steps nonprofits can take to build financial strength. Financial tools ranging from liquidity solutions to “enterprise capital” funding will be shared with a focus on advancing a collaborative culture for the social sector.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

1:45 – 2:15 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Karen Hughes White
President & CEO, Texas Women’s Foundation

Mabrie Jackson
Managing Director, Public Affairs, H-E-B/Central Market

Jason Hernandez
Founder & Executive Director, La Tiendita

SESSION TITLE

Hope in Collaboration: Building an Economy of Hope for Social Change

DESCRIPTION

At just 15 years old, Jason Hernandez sold his first dime bag outside Rodriguez, a neighborhood convenience store known for selling lottery tickets and tobacco products in McKinney. By the age of 21, Jason had been convicted on 15 charges related to running a major drug conspiracy and was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 320 years. While incarcerated, he personally petitioned President Obama for clemency, promising that if given a second chance, he would return to the community where he once sold drugs and make amends for his past.
In December 2013, Jason was granted clemency, and in 2015, after serving 17 years and 10 months in prison, he was released. Upon his release, Jason returned to Rodriguez and opened La Tiendita, a social enterprise grocery store creating meaningful community impact in McKinney.

During this mainstage discussion, moderated by Karen Hughes White (CEO, Texas Women’s Foundation), we will hear from Jason Hernandez (Founder & Executive Director, La Tiendita) and Mabrie Jackson (Managing Director, Public Affairs, H-E-B/Central Market) about the unique partnership between H-E-B and La Tiendita, and how trust-based philanthropy and cross-sector collaboration can foster lasting community change and inspire hope.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

1:00 – 1:30 | Luncheon

SPEAKER

Dr. Nader Pourtain
Professor & Chair, Neurological Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center

Rev. Dr. Neil G. Thomas
Senior Pastor, Cathedral of Hope of Dallas

Akilah Wallace
Founder & Principal Consultant, Taylor Wallace

Dr. William D. Allen
Grammy Award-Winning Artist, Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, and Founder & CEO of The Texas Supremacy of Music & Arts Conservatory (TSMAC)

SESSION TITLE

The Anatomy of Hope: Healing Through Body, Spirit, Art, and Community

DESCRIPTION

Hope is often seen as a fleeting feeling or a comforting balm in times of crisis but for those who dedicate their lives to healing, hope is much more than that. It is a force, a practice, and a source of resilience that guides their work through the darkest and most challenging moments. In this mainstage panel, we bring together diverse healers spanning the body, spirit,
community, and the arts to explore how hope takes shape in their work and where it originates. From a neurosurgeon who witnesses the fragility and resilience of the human body, to a
musician who channels human experience into transformative art; from a reverend who nurtures the spirit through faith, to a community organizer who builds hope collectively each
panelist will share the ways hope is cultivated, sustained, and shared in their unique practice. Join us for a conversation that illuminates the power of hope not just as an idea, but as a lived, actionable force that heals, inspires, and connects us all

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

10:20 – 11:05 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Sonny Patel
Presidential Fellow, Georgia State University’s Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative

SESSION TITLE

From Resilience to Results: Operationalizing Hope for Measurable Social Impact

DESCRIPTION

Hope is not just inspiration. It is the engine of transformative change. Drawing from global research and hands-on experience, Sonny S. Patel reveals how communities and organizations can move from aspiration to measurable results, especially amid the toughest challenges. Patel will share the nine essential elements that built resilience after disasters and show how the same principles can be applied to drive equity, belonging, and sustainable progress in communities and organizations. In this energizing talk, learn how to map your strengths, spot blind spots, and turn hope into clear action and outcomes. Whether you are a nonprofit or business leader, discover the toolkit for moving your work from hope imagined to hope realized.

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

10:45 – 11:15 | Mainstage

SPEAKERS

Jonathan Brereton
Chief Executive Officer, Scale Link

SESSION TITLE

Opportunity Where Capital Markets Fail: Microlending, Secondary Markets, & Guarantees

SESSION TITLE

The smallest of small business loans are a money losing proposition for lenders. This is not new. Ben Franklin identified this reality in 1790 and committed funding to try to solve it. Boston and Philadelphia benefited for more than 200 years, but what about Dallas? If lenders lose money on these loans how do entrepreneurs running small margin businesses grow? How do lenders support these businesses in a sustainable way? In this session we will learn how creativity, entrepreneurship, and a broad understanding of partnerships are bringing sustainable solutions to this problem, while also exploring how community-based entrepreneurs are benefiting.

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

10:15 – 10:45 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Shauib Siddqui
Executive Vice Chair, Founders First Capital Partners

SESSION TITLE

Structures, Strategies, and Lessons from the Field

DESCRIPTION

Impact investing is about intentionally deploying capital to achieve both measurable impact and financial return. In this session, Shuaib Siddiqui will unpack the spectrum of impact investing, from concessional capital to market-rate funds, and examine how structure, strategy, and governance determine outcomes. Drawing on his experience across Acumen, Surdna Foundation, Founders First, and family-office portfolios, he will share how investors can assess both financial and impact risk while designing and making investments that align mission with performance. Participants will leave with practical insights into the tools, trade-offs, and lessons that define the practice of impact investing across the spectrum.

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

1:00 – 2:00 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Janel Cruz
Head of Operations, Patagonia Provisions

Jeffrey Hollander,
Co-Founder & Former CEO, Seventh Generation

Josh Taylor
William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, SMU Cox School of Business

SESSION TITLE

Balancing the Trade-Offs in Managing a Triple Bottom Line Business

DESCRIPTION

Join Jeffrey Hollender (Co-founder of Seventh Generation) and Janal Cruz (Head of Operations at Patagonia Provisions) as they discuss their experiences creating and growing sustainable
businesses, and their continued optimism for shaping the rules of business to benefit people and the planet. Panel moderated by Josh Taylor, Executive Director of the SMU Cox William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:45 – 12:30 | Breakout

SPEAKER

Stephanie Bohan
CEO, Hope Cottage

Wes Keyes
CEO, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand

Joey Darwin
Executive Director, Bridge Builders

SESSION TITLE

Stories of Hope: Strategic Collaboration in South Dallas

DESCRIPTION

Join the CEO’s of Hope Cottage, Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, and Bridgebuilders as we tell the story of the South Dallas Community Market and explore what it means to collaborate in strategic partnership, build community, and bring hope to families in our neighborhoods.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:45 – 12:30 | Breakout

SPEAKER

Yutaka Tamura
Founding Executive Director, nXu

SESSION TITLE

Hope in Action: Living and Leading with Purpose

DESCRIPTION

Hope fuels our belief that a better future is possible; purpose gives us the direction
and motivation to make it real. Together, they help us navigate uncertainty, find meaning in our experiences, and transform challenges into opportunities for growth. Research shows that adults with a strong sense of purpose experience greater fulfillment, resilience, and wellbeing—yet many struggle to clearly define their “why,” limiting both personal and collective hope. In this interactive session, participants will explore how hope and purpose intersect to inspire meaningful action. Through guided reflection and shared experiences, they’ll learn practices to cultivate both in daily life and craft personal purpose statements that connect hope to intentional living and lasting impact.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:45 – 12:30 | Breakout

SPEAKER

Sonny Patel
Presidential Fellow, Georgia State University’s Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative

SESSION TITLE

Blueprints for Resilience: Building and Measuring Hopeful Communities

DESCRIPTION

How do innovative leaders activate hope for lasting, equitable impact? Join Sonny S. Patel for a hands-on session that adapts proven resilience frameworks. developed in disaster and powered by communities, for the real-world challenges facing today. Using nine practical elements drawn from global and local experience, participants will assess their organizational strengths, uncover hidden barriers, and design their own Blueprint for Resilience. Through interactive discussion and real case studies, you will leave ready to measure progress, catalyze partnerships, and translate hope into system-wide results. Designed for anyone committed to equitable opportunity, thriving neighborhoods, and collective change.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:45 – 12:30 | Breakout

SPEAKER

Gloria Granados
Founder & Executive Director, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center

Ashley Granados
Case Worker, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center

Carlos Granados
Board Member, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center

SESSION TITLE

Hope in Action: Empowering Immigrant Families Through Legal Access and Faith

DESCRIPTION

In this interactive session, participants will explore how faith, compassion, and justice intersect to transform immigrant communities across North Texas. Through stories of courage and partnership, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center demonstrates how access to legal support and education can ignite real change — turning hope into action that empowers families and strengthens communities. Attendees will reflect on their own role in building a more equitable future and leave inspired with practical ways to engage, collaborate, and lead with purpose.

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:45 – 12:30 | Breakout

SPEAKER

Cece Cox
CEO, Resource Center

SESSION TITLE

You Can’t Keep a Good Mission Down – Hard-Won Lessons as a Nonprofit Leader for 18 Years

DESCRIPTION

Few nonprofits in Dallas have scaled to truly meet the moment. When Cece Cox stepped into the CEO role at Resource Center 18 years ago, the budget was $5 million. Today, it’s $35 million—and still growing. Under her leadership, Resource Center has launched landmark projects like senior housing and a co-located health clinic, both in the heart of the LGBTQ community. In this candid session, Cece shares the real lessons behind that growth—what it takes to assemble the right skills, resources, and champions; how to build staying power with investors and stakeholders; and why persistence and authenticity are the bedrock of nonprofit leadership. The LGBTQ community has faced every imaginable challenge, and Resource Center has had to adapt at each turn. From adversity, it became one of the largest service providers in North Texas. Drawing on nearly two decades at the helm, Cece will lead a lively, no-nonsense conversation about leadership, resilience, donor relationships, and how to inspire hope among clients, staff, volunteers, and the broader community.

Friday, November 7 at Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

10:00 – 10:15 | Opening Remarks

SPEAKER

Josh Taylor
William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership, SMU Cox School of Business

Kaci Skidgel
President, Summit Financial Group

SESSION TITLE

What is Impact Investing

Thursday, November 6 at Paul Quinn College

11:15 – 11:35 | Mainstage

SPEAKERS

Cece Cox
CEO, Resource Center

Stephanie Bohan
CEO, Hope Cottage

Gloria Granados
Founder & Executive Director, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center

Sonny Patel
Presidential Fellow, Georgia State University’s Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative

SESSION TITLE

Breakout Teasers

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

1:00 – 1:40 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Heather Gilker
Managing Director, Pickwick Capital Partners

Organizations:

Pocket
SelfSuffi
Viva
Trailblazer

SESSION TITLE

Fast Pitch Competition

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

12:45 – 12:52 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Amelia Nickerson
CEO, First Step Staffing

SESSION TITLE

Spotlighting Impact Investing Initiatives

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

10:30 – 10:40 | Break

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

2:00 – 3:00 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Soul, Society, and Technology: Staying Connected in a Changing World

Robert A. Hunt
Director of Global Theological Education,
The Perkins School of Theology, SMU (moderator)

Rev. Dr. Irie L. Session
CEO, DreamBIG

Rev. Mitchell Boone,
Senior Pastor, First UMC

Chris Duffy
Comedian,Television Writer, and Radio/Podcast Host

SESSION TITLE

Soul, Society, and Technology: Staying Connected in a Changing World

DESCRIPTION

What makes us uniquely human? This panel will reflect on the deep, irreplaceable qualities that define our shared humanity—from empathy and creativity to our desire for connection and purpose. In a time of rapid societal change, we’ll explore how these core traits shape who we are and guide our journey toward meaning and fulfillment.

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

12:10 – 1:00 | Lunch

SPEAKER

Robert A. Hunt
Director of Global Theological Education, The Perkins School of Theology, SMU

SESSION TITLE

All Brain and No Soul? Real Humanity in an AI Age

DESCRIPTION

In a world driven by the culture of modernity, we risk becoming all brain and no soul—deeply reliant on technology yet disconnected from one another. As AI and social media promise to enhance our lives, they often pull us into isolation, eroding the fabric of authentic human relationships. This session explores the subtle ways our dependence on these tools compromises our humanity and what it means to live a “real” life in an AI-driven age.

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

11:15 – 12:10 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Krys Boyd
Host & Managing Editor, KERA-FM’s Think

Jasmine Rashid
Director of Impact, Candide Group

SESSION TITLE

Think Interview with Jasmine Rashid, Author of The Financial Activist Playbook

DESCRIPTION

Think is a national, talk radio program, hosted by acclaimed journalist Krys Boyd and produced by KERA — North Texas’ PBS and NPR member station. Each week, listeners across the country tune in to the program to hear thought-provoking, in-depth conversations with newsmakers from across the globe. Previous guests on the program include former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and John Kerry, actor Bryan Cranston, Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz, Melinda Gates, author Malcolm Gladwell, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rev. Jesse Jackson and more.

During this live recording from the bigBANG! Mainstage, Think will interview Jasmine Rashid, bigBANG! Speaker, on her recently published book The Financial Activist Playbook

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

10:55 – 11:15am | Break / Marketplace

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

10:40 – 11:30 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Jasmine Rashid
Director of Impact, Candide Group

SESSION TITLE

Financial Activism 101: Strategies for Everyday People to Reclaim Wealth & Collective Well-Being

DESCRIPTION

We don’t need to choose between creating meaningful wealth for ourselves and our families today, or supporting social movements creating a better tomorrow. We don’t all need to become certified financial “experts” to be economically empowered and make a real difference in our communities. And we’re far from powerless when it comes to changing the financial system, just because we don’t happen to belong to the 1%. Quite the opposite.

Financial activism is how everyday people radically reimagine money as a tool for widespread well-being, instead of a weapon of absurdly increasing inequality. It’s the antidote to traditional finance that evokes confusion, trauma, and (in the best-case scenario) straight-up boredom. It’s how we—the underestimated—collectively resist systems that cause harm to people and the planet for the sake of profit, reclaim wealth that’s been stolen, and redesign our relationships with capital and one another, in ways big and small.

Going beyond tried financial literacy, The Financial Activist Playbook offers eight accessible, actionable, “choose-your-own-adventure” strategies for readers to experiment with. Drawing on timely insider knowledge from the worlds of impact investing, social justice, and more, Rashid illuminates a treasure trove of stories: demonstrating how people power can flow big bucks out of extractive industries, and into the economy of care and abundance we deserve.

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

8:30 – 9:00am | Marketplace

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

1:00 – 1:40 | Mainstage

Heather Gilker
Managing Director, Pickwick Capital Partners

SESSION TITLE

Fast Pitch Competition

Friday, October 25

2:00 | Happy Hour

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

1:50 – 2:00 | Closing Remarks

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

1:40 – 1:50 | Mainstage

SPEAKER

Mandy Price
CEO, Kanarys

SESSION TITLE

Impact Investing Discussion

Friday, October 25 at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

10:30 – 10:40 | Break

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

3:30 | Close & Reception

Thursday, October 24 at Paul Quinn College

9:00 – 9:15am | Opening Remarks

Thursday, October 20 at Paul Quinn College

1:20 – 2:20 | Breakout Session: At the Table Together: Advocating for Diverse Voices in Impact Investing

SPEAKER

Taj Eldridge
Partner Include Venture Partners

SESSION TITLE

At the Table Together: Advocating for Diverse Voices in Impact Investing

DESCRIPTION

From Bevy.com to Impact Venture Partners and the Player to CEO Athlete-Investor Impact Summit Series with JP Morgan Chase, Taj Eldridge has a long track record of bringing new voices into investing. He has also led the way in equipping others to participate effectively in social impact and collaborate in creative ways with existing institutions. This breakout will explore the importance for us all to advocate for more space at the investing table, and practical ways that those with a seat already can pull up a chair for new voices.

Thursday, October 20 at Paul Quinn College

3:30 – 4:30 | Mainstage Closing: Creators of the 21st Century: People, Innovation, and Technology

SPEAKER

Byron Sanders
President & CEO Big Thought

SESSION TITLE

Creators of the 21st Century: People, Innovation, and Technology

DESCRIPTION

The world of work is evolving rapidly before our very eyes. In fact, the pandemic has increased the rate of automation, machine learning, and the technological revolution. The big question looms: what about the people? Join this conversation to discuss the impact of technology trends, what it takes to prepare youth as creators in the 21st century, and how urgent action is required to create an equitable and sustainably connected community.

Thursday, October 20 at Paul Quinn College

11:30 – 12:00pm | Break / Marketplace

TWO DAYS OF

Powerful Speakers Gripping Breakout Sessions Driving Equitable Outcomes

bigBANG! 2025 explores how we transform shared aspirations into measurable impact.

November 6

Paul Quinn College

November 7

Collins Executive Education Center at SMU

The bigBANG! Social Impact Conference is an immersive experience with two days of powerful speakers, gripping breakout sessions, and inspiring company focused on driving solutions and equitable outcomes in Dallas and across the State.

HOPE IN ACTION: IGNITING CHANGE, EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES

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