Nic Sakurai, MA, MBA, CPC (they/them pronouns) became the first person in the United States to officially receive a driver’s license with an “X” as an unspecified/other gender markeron June 27, 2017.



Sakurai is a longtime activist, educator and leader, having worked for a national higher education advocacy nonprofit, for American University and for the University of Maryland.  They have been active in LGBTQ+ social justice work for more than 18 years.



Nic first became a resident of Washington, DC in 2003, and has been featured as an agender and queer resident in a photo campaign by the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs.  They also advocated for the use of gender-neutral language in the constitution proposed by the New Columbia Statehood Commission. (https://statehood.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/statehood/publication/attachments/Constitution-of-the-State-of-Washington-DC.pdf)

DR. J. J. HURTAK, Ph.D., Ph.D. and Dr. DESIREE HURTAK, Ph.D., MS. Sc. are founders of The Academy For Future Science, an international non-governmental organization that works to bring cooperation between science and consciousness.  Together, the Hurtaks have written several books including their latest book entitled, Overself Awakening and their most recent entitled co-authored with Dr. Ellizabeth Rauscher entitled Mind Dynamics. Dr. J.J. Hurtak is also the author of numerous books including, The Book of Knowledge: The Keys of Enoch^® (https://keysofenoch.org/), translated into twenty languages and the End of Suffering that he co-authored with his colleague, physicist Russell Targ. He has a Ph.D. from the University of California and a second Ph.D., from the University of Minnesota. They are also well known for their inspirational music, their most recent CD being Sacred Name Sacred Codes with collaborative music by Steven Halpern, and their graphic films, such as Merkabah and The Light Body from which they have won over 15 national and international awards. Their latest graphical film is called Gates of Light.

Drs. Hurtaks together have traveled throughout the world to investigate ancient cultures and to work closely with indigenous people, including the Zulu Shaman Credo Mutwa, from which they recently produced an award winning documentary called Voice of Africa. They have also worked with the Xavante Indians (Brazil). They are respected archeologists having worked both in Mexico and Egypt and were part of the team that uncovered the infamous Tomb of Osiris on the Giza Plateau.

Mary Shores is an author, business owner, CEO, thought leader and communications specialist. Like all accomplished people, Mary has created a principle that she lives by: Words That Work.

Mary is the author of Conscious Communications, owner and founder of one of the most unique collection agencies in the country. She has spent her entire career listening to problems and getting positive results under the most stressful conditions possible. What makes her business successful is what makes her life successful: her three-step Words That Work system of communicating. The principle behind Words That Work is to recognize the importance of effective communication and problem solving skills in the service of leading a more results-oriented and happier life.

Mary Shores has been recognized as a leader of innovative thought and has been hailed as a “revolutionary thinker.” Mary has spent over a decade teaching businesses and individuals how to inspire others, create new ways of thinking, identify their goals, and take action to create meaningful results. After coming from humble beginnings and experiencing devastating tragedy, Mary overcame adversity to become the youngest owner of a collection agency; an agency that prides itself on empowering consumers by alleviating their burden of debt. Mary’s agency has collected over 40 million to date, and her success is only going to grow. She is the creator of the groundbreaking Words That Work system, which helped businesses reach success through thoughtful communication. This inspired the creation of her Hay House book.

Mary has traveled nationally to lecture and teach courses that help individuals implement new ways of thinking so that they can take small steps toward making more conscious and impactful decisions. Her unconventional and dynamic teaching style inspires all who listen by incorporating science, ancient wisdom, and personal experience into easy-to-understand lessons and exercises. Mary has been featured on local and national radio and television shows, podcasts, and blogs. Her influential book Conscious Communications will be released by Hay House in August 2017.

Since launching her brand less than a year ago, Mary has already accrued over 10,000 fans and subscribers, and her following continues to grow rapidly. Mary seeks to make an impact on the collective consciousness that will inspire individuals to live to their fullest potential. When Mary is not hosting retreats, speaking to crowds, on Facebook Live, or writing blog posts, she is with her two teenage sons in Central Illinois. 

Lori Peters is a writer who has been published and featured in several media outlets including Huffington Post, Your Tango, Brides, Fox News Magazine and more. Lori’s first book, Getting Married At Last: My Journey From Hopelessness To Happiness is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

She also provides numerous professional and fun presentations around happiness and well-being for various types of audiences. Her Happiness Hangout® Radio Show on bbsradio has gained thousands of listeners as she and her guests dive into deep and interesting topics around personal relationship happiness.

Lori Peters is proud of her 25 year career in higher education. Currently, she is a College Educator teaching Counseling and has been doing personal development presentations for over 25 years. Currently, she facilitates Live Happy-Live Better, a customizable program for various audiences who want to enhance their happiness in personal or professional relationships or increase wellbeing in their life. She has volunteered on a national level for thirty years and had the opportunity to be part of a team that runs a major non-profit with over 100,000 members. She is passionate about work-life balance, relationships, and helping people to feel their best during times of challenge. Lori earned her Bachelors in Business and Masters in Counseling and Higher Education.

ALAN RODERICK JONES

Alan Roderick Jones is a production designer and artist whose work spans five decades across multiple industries. He is the recipient of numerous awards in production design, including 6 Cleo Awards, the Silver Lion at Cannes, and the New York Advertising Award for Excellence in art direction.

Alan began his career in 1962 as a draftsman in the art department of the British Film Industry, enjoying the mentorship of some of the leading art directors of the day. He quickly worked his way from draftsman to art director, and eventually production designer. His early work includes 26 features – two of which, “Star Wars” and “Nicolas & Alexandra,” garnered Academy Awards for art direction.

In production design, Alan is best known for placing a high premium on achieving cinematic quality production values, regardless of budgetary constraints. From modest undertakings to big budget, effects-driven pieces, Alan has worked with renowned directors and cinematographers to conceptualize everything from the visual look of a production to designing sets and environments that allow optimum nuance for lighting. This is best seen in his commercial work for every major corporate client across every industry (seriously – too many to list).

Alan enjoys exploring new mediums and availing himself to unique challenges. He completed designing the interactive game environments of “The Lord Of The Rings”, “Van Helsing”, “Dirty Harry”, and “Hulk 2” for Universal Vivendi Interactive Division; and “Land of Legends” for Warner Interactive.

As an artist, Alan is known in the architectural community for design of exclusive private residences and hotel interiors across the globe – most notably, the Mandarin in Hong Kong and the Sheratons in Cairo and Bangkok. His works of fine art reside in the prestigious collections of international collectors and continue to be exhibited in galleries across the country.

HUDSON THAMES

SKATE RAT. STUDIO PUNK.

PLAYS THE WHITE AND BLACK KEYS WITH MISSISSIPPI FLAVOR.

GOES GREEN, RIDES HARLEY’S, SKATES, OR DOESN’T GET THERE.

SINGS HIGH ABOUT HIS LOWS, SINGS LOW ABOUT HIS HIGHS.

CHUCK TAYLORS. BILL WITHERS.

As an actor he is known for his work on Rule the Mix (2011), The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013) and Bride Wars (2009).

KAI KARREL

BETTINA MAUREENJI

Bettina Maureenji is an internationally certified sound healing practitioner, teacher, traveler, unique musician and shamanic practitioner with accreditation in sound, voice and music healing from the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA. Born 1971 in New York and of Germanic  descent, Bettina Maureenji grew up in Syria and Germany. She completed the University for management and administration and started working for a concert agency in Hamburg. In 1999 she left Germany and moved to Ibiza, Spain where she met the Brazilian musician Carioca Freitas who influenced her relationship to music. She decided to travel the world for a few years visiting Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Israel and England.