Co-Ambassador: Valisha Powell
Valisha Powell, a Chicago native and founder of a marketing-tech firm and Co-Owner of a local spa, has always been passionate about law, civics, human rights, and Gender Equality. She is currently a Juris Doctoral candidate and holds a Bachelor’s in Information Technology, where she utilized her expertise in roles at top companies such as Wells Fargo, American Express, Groupon, Meta, and Medtronic. She previously served on committees for the Chicago Women Foundation and Wills for Heroes. She currently volunteers her time as a human rights and digital literacy consultant. And she is now serving as UNA - Global Goals Ambassador for Gender Equality.
Co-Ambassador: Titilayo Ogunbambi
Titilayo Ogunbambi is a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Harmful Practices expert, founder Boundless Hands Initiative a non-profit championing violence against women and girls’ issues in marginalized communities. Titilayo works with non-profit organizations and community stakeholders to achieve this goal.
She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at National Louis University, where her research focuses on the intersection of gender, human rights, and empowerment. She has extensive experience working with numerous global non-profits and is currently consulting for the DIME Gender, Eco Opp & Fragility team at the World Bank.
With her wealth of knowledge and experience, Titilayo is committed to making a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable women and girls.
Co-Ambassador: Hanako Salay
Hana is a rising senior at Schaumburg High School and is a passionate advocate for refugee rights. Hana dedicates her time teaching English literacy to refugee youth at World Relief. Through her advocacy for Goal #5, she strives to bring attention to gender disparity in the political arena and policy making, and reproductive rights for women, ultimately bringing about social change.
Hana is also passionate about advocating for mental health as a human right. In 2022, she conducted a comparative research study on the lack of mental health literacy and stigmatization of mental illness within Japanese communities.
She is currently working on developing a NGO providing free mental health education to Japanese schools and other marginalized communities.By helping spread awareness through collaborating with international Japanese students, she hopes to promote mental health care professionals to be more accessible to students.
Email : GenderEquality@unachicago.org
