BLISS Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Ross Stevens

FOUNDER AND CEO, STONE RIDGE HOLDINGS GROUP

Freedom Fighters

  • Evan Mawarire

    ZIMBABWEAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND MOVEMENT BUILDER, PASTOR AND LEADER, #THISFLAG CITIZENS MOVEMENT.

    Bio
  • Enes Kanter Freedom

    NBA PLAYER, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND FOUNDER, THE ABRAHAMIC ATHLETIC ACADEMY

    BIO
  • Nataliya T. Melnyk

    UKRAINIAN ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND EDUCATION ADVOCATE AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BENDUKIDZE FREE MARKET CENTER

    BIO
  • Tanele Maseko

    SWAZI HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND CEO, THE THULANI MASEKO FOUNDATION

    BIO
  • Paul Rusesabagina

    RWANDAN FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST

    BIO
  • Yulia Navalnaya

    RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY ADVOCATE AND CHAIR, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION

    BIO

Academic Leaders

  • Dr. Alberto Trejos

    FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN TRADE, COSTA RICA. PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS, INCAE BUSINESS SCHOOL

    bio
  • Dr. Keren Yarhi-Milo

    DEAN, SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

    bio
  • Rachel Beatty Riedl

    DIRECTOR, CENTER ON GLOBAL DEMOCRACY & PROFESSOR, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

    BIO
  • Dr. Soumitra Dutta

    PETER MOORES DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT SAÏD BUSINESS SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

    bio

Former Heads of State

  • Iván Duque

    PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA (2018-2022)

    bio
  • Laura Chinchilla

    PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA (2010-2014)

    bio

Leaders of Human Rights Organizations

  • Alex Gladstein

    CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION

    bio
  • Céline Assaf- Boustani

    PRESIDENT, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION

    BIO
  • Leopoldo López

    GENERAL SECRETARY, WORLD LIBERTY CONGRESS

    bio
  • Thor Halvorssen

    CEO, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION

    bio

Intellectuals, Changemakers and Thought Leaders

  • Anne Applebaum

    PULITZER PRIZE AND AUTHOR OF AUTOCRACY INC “THE DICTATORS WILL RUN THE WORLD”

    BIO
  • Carlos Vives

    LATIN AMERICAN GRAMMYS PERSON OF THE YEAR 2024 AND FOUNDER, TRAS LA PERLA

    bio
  • Daniel Twining, PhD

    PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE

    bio
  • Damon Wilson

    PRESIDENT AND CEO, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY (NED)

    bio
  • Esther Perel

    CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOTHERAPIST, AUTHOR, AND EXPERT IN RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

    bio
  • Gabriel Calzada

    PRESIDENT, UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS HESPÉRIDES

    bio
  • H.R. McMaster

    LIEUTENANT GENERAL (RET.) H.R. MCMASTER

    bio
  • Jeff Booth

    AUTHOR AND GENERAL PARTNER, EGODEATH CAPITAL

    bio
  • Mary Beth Long

    REYNOLDS FAMILY FELLOW FOR GLOBAL SECURITY, WILSON CENTER

    bio
  • Nia Demming

    CHIEF OF STAFF AND PROJECT DIRECTOR OF THE DEMOLAB FREEDOM ACADEMY, THE DEMOCRACY LAB FOUNDATION

    bio
  • Noemi Boyer

    CEO, THE DEMOCRACY LAB FOUNDATION

    bio
  • Obi Nwosu

    CEO, FEDI  

    bio
  • Renee Kaplan

    CEO, FORWARD GLOBAL

    bio
  • Roya Mahboob

    PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, DIGITAL CITIZEN FUND

    bio
  • Sebastian Lombardo

    FOUNDER, CAPITAL ON A MISSION

    bio

Workshop Leaders

  • Carine Kanimba

    RWANDAN FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY ADVOCATE AND SPOKESPERSON, WORLD LIBERTY CONGRESS

  • John Pfeffer

    CO-FOUNDER, PFEFFER CAPITAL LP

  • Leopoldo Lopez

    GENERAL SECRETARY, WORLD LIBERTY CONGRESS

  • Marcelo Valansi

    CEO, ECOVILLA

  • Michael Wright

    MEDICAL DOCTOR, FACC

  • Natalia Tanzi

    MEDICAL DOCTOR

  • Roberto Artavia

    PRESIDENT, ROBERTO ARTAVIA INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING, S.A.

  • Dr. Tina Nabatchi

    JOSEPH A. STRASSER PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, MAXWELL SCHOOL OF CITIZENSHIP AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

  • Walter Kissling

    CEO AND CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, K SQUARED CAPITAL

Chefs

  • Chloe Reynolds

    CO-FOUNDER, THE REYNOLDS FOUNDATION

  • José Pablo González

    FOUNDER AND OWNER, AL MERCAT RESTAURANT

  • Joshua Stokes

    CHEF AND GRILL MASTER

  • Ana Salazar

    FOUNDER AND OWNER, ANA SALAZAR CATERING

Artists

  • Carlos Vives

    LATIN AMERICAN GRAMMYS PERSON OF THE YEAR 2024 AND FOUNDER, TRAS LA PERLA

  • Manuel Obregón

    COSTA RICAN PIANIST, COMPOSER, AND PRODUCER, MINISTER OF CULTURE AND YOUTH OF COSTA RICA (2010-2014)

  • Dor Dvir

    DJ