About Nelson Reiyia

Nelson Ole Reiyia is an Indigenous Maasai leader for social change and biodiversity conservation. He is CEO and Co-Founder of Nashulai Maasai Conservancy in southern Kenya and a social entrepreneur. As CEO and Co-Founder (with Olomunyak Ric Young) of the award-winning not-for-profit Nashulai Maasai Conservancy, Nelson in 2016 created the first Maasai-led and -governed community conservancy, situated in a 10,000-acre area in Narok County in southern Kenya, abutting the famed Maasai Mara Reserve. Its interdependent mission: Conserve Wildlife, Preserve Culture, and Reverse Poverty. In 2020, Nashulai was awarded the UNDP Equator Prize for its “paradigm-shifting model” for conservation and for meeting a majority of the UN Social Development Goals (SDG), including social justice and women’s empowerment.

About Maurizio Benazzo

Born and raised in Genova, Italy with deep ancestral roots in Piemonte, Maurizio is devoted to making visible the profound interconnectedness between all forms of life and the ancestral wisdom that flows through it. He and Zaya co-founded SAND, and together they have since co-directed, produced and independently distributed several award-winning documentaries.

About Kate Woodsome

Kate Woodsome is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, systems change strategist, and mental health advocate who spent two decades reporting on democracy, trauma, and repair — from Cambodia to Cuba, Hong Kong to Washington, D.C. After leading award-winning news teams at the Voice of America, Al Jazeera English, and The Washington Post, Kate’s journey took a personal turn during the pandemic and U.S. political crisis. Covering the January 6th attack on the Capitol — and defusing direct threats with humor and humanity — left her with complex PTSD and a deeper understanding of the human cost of broken systems.

Stepping away from the daily news cycle, Kate turned her focus to building the conditions for intergenerational wellbeing. She is now a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Psychology Department and a consultant with the Red House research and design unit, where she co-developed The Journey Framework — a strengths-based model for transforming cycles of harm into resilience, trust, and collective repair. Today, Kate works with individuals, communities, and institutions to unlock new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting — strengthening personal resilience and renewing the foundations of democracy and civic life.