John Engh is the Executive Director of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, which since 1981 has been one of America’s leading advocates for positive and safe sports for children. Prior to being named executive director, he served as chief operating officer. He joined NAYS in 1988 as publications director and later was vice president of NAYS’ Youth Development division, where he helped create the highly successful Hook A Kid On Golf and Start Smart Sports Development programs that are conducted throughout the United States, as well as on U.S. military bases worldwide. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, and he is a married father of two.

Emma has been in broadcasting for over 30 years. She is an award-winning TV Producer and Radio Talk Show host and has interviewed everyone from Hollywood California Movie Critic David Sheehan to local celebrities bands Straight Davis, to The Hammer and The Hatchet, a local bluegrass group, along with doctors, lawyers, authors and more!

Tune in every other Saturday at 3pm Pacific / 5pm Central / 6pm Eastern on BBS Radio Station 1! https://bbsradio.com/letstalkwithemma

JOSH KAY

Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii as a reggae keyboardist and vocalist, Josh Kay has extensive experience in keyboard and vocal performance. With degrees in Music Production & Engineering and Music Business Management from Berklee College of Music, Josh is highly skilled in recording, mixing, mastering, and production.

Josh is currently the house engineer at Woodshed Recording in Malibu, California, and continues to freelance as a songwriter, engineer, keyboard player, and recording artist. Life-long surfer and music maker – Josh brings out the best in artists, players and performers, taking pride in running smooth, efficient, and inspiring sessions that result in phenomenal product.

NESMA BENSALEM

Nesma Bensalem is a true Renaissance woman whose unique combination of talents, expertise and multi-cultural background has made her a leader in the world of culture, tech, and impact.

With over 10 years of experience as a creative, consultant, and social entrepreneur, Nesma has worked with top brands, production companies, and multilateral institutions to shift narratives and inspire communities to take action for the greater good. From Deepak Chopra to the World Bank, to Hollywood and AI start ups, Nesma’s experience ranges across skills and industries, unified by the same purpose to serve the greater good and deep desire to connect us as a Humanity.

Nesma’s upbringing across four continents and more than a dozen countries has shaped her multi-cultural identity and provided her with a unique outlook on the world. She regards empathy as the key ingredient in her approach in raising awareness, building connections and fostering intrinsic motivation.

In 2021, Nesma founded WeCare Impact, a purpose driven creative studio and consulting firm working the intersection of art, technology and impact. WeCare Impact also has a social token($WeCare) with an Impact 2 Earn model for their social or environmental campaigns. As participants complete specific tasks, they earn $WeCare tokens which they can redeem for different products, services and perks on the community marketplace. Their next Impact 2 Earn campaign “Act 4 Earth” is launching this April 22nd, on Earth Day.

For 39 years, William P. Lightfoot has served as a lead attorney litigating multi-million dollar cases in the courts of the Metropolitan Washington Area. He negotiates settlement agreements, represents clients in arbitrations, mediations, and at trial, as well as manages cases from initial client intake through final disposition. He has recovered millions of dollars for his clients.

He represents people with serious injuries, such as death, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. Mr. Lightfoot has extensive experience representing clients with physical injuries. His law practice is a combination of medicine and law.

Washingtonian Magazine wrote the following about his legal skills, “…few personal injury lawyers are more effective at winning big judgments for their clients.”

Cases he has litigated have changed dangerous practices of plumbers, manufacturers and health practitioners. Safe Kids, a child safety advocacy organization, recognized him for litigation that improved child safety related to burns from hot water. Appellate cases he has litigated have changed the law in the areas of closing arguments and statute of limitations.

The D.C. Trial Lawyers named him Trial Lawyer of the Year. Martindale Hubbell, Super-lawyers, Best-Lawyers, and AVVO have recognized his outstanding legal accomplishments. The American Association for Justice has awarded him its highest award for legal education. Each year he teaches law to lawyers from around the nation.

He is a member of numerous professional associations including the American Association of Justice, American Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, D.C. Trial Lawyers Association, American College of Trial Lawyers, American Law Institute, Leadership Washington, and Sigma Pi Phi Epsilon Boule.

He served two terms as a District of Columbia Councilmember At-Large, and he remains active in politics, having chaired four Mayoral campaigns. He continues to serve on the D.C. Judicial Tenure and Disabilities Commission that reappoints and disciplines judges.

He is an avid golfer, often enjoying comradery with members of the Washington D.C. Chapter of the Pro-Duffers.

Mr. Lightfoot is a graduate of Howard University and Washington University School of Law.

You may read about some of his current cases in the news section of our website. Mr. Lightfoot believes he is most effective when working with a skilled team of lawyers and legal assistants. As such, he serves as the senior trial attorney for the firm.

Ashbell the Entrepreneur

FOUR STAR CHEF, RESTAURANTEUR, INTERNATIONAL MEDIA PERSONALITY & LIFESTYLE GURU

Ashbell’s story is pure Americana: from humble beginnings as the great grandson of a sharecropper in rural South Carolina, he discovered his gift of spinning down home food and flavors into heavenly ambrosia from his trio of family ‘cooking saints’: Mother Retha Ludd, Great Aunt Laura and Papa Ashbell. 

Educated at the Sorbonne, he travelled the world soaking up the ethnic tapestry of culture, tradition and cuisine that binds us all. Returning to the US, he successfully branded and nationally distributed his own food products, while doing stints as executive chef for high profile restaurants and private corporate dining rooms. His talents soon caught the attention of the likes of Robert De Niro, President Bill Clinton, Patti La Belle and other celebrities, who engaged his services. Soon NBC television took notice and Chef Ashbell became on-camera presenter for the WNBC Weekend Today Show. There he cooked with Donald Trump, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and a host of other celebrities, raising ratings and wowing New York’s ethnically diverse community with his larger-than-life personality and impressive knowledge of everything from potato latkes to Cuban pernil.

In 2001, Ashbell took his talents ‘across the pond’ to London, helming Harlem@Saint, a supper club in busy Covent Garden. Ashbell was invited to join the BBC television show Good Food Live as a result of Harlem@Saint. 

Also 2002, Ashbell received a commission from the Royal Parks to run an exclusive café for the famed Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion designed by architect Toyo Ito. 

In 2003 Ashbell opened his eponymous restaurant in trendy Notting Hill, dazzling AA Gill, the acknowledged ‘toughest restaurant critic in the world’ who bestowed a 4-star rating on Ashbells.

Chef Ashbell is a regular on BBC Cable Food TV’s most popular show, Good Food Live, and appears on BBC Broadcast TV across the UK on Good Food Bites. He is currently launching a new line of handcrafted limited-edition specialty foods, ‘Bespoke Cuisine’, a new beverage product, and is in pre-production for the filming of his show on US Public Television, Chef Ashbell’s Food in America.

Dr. Brian Cole is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and a

Professor of Orthopaedics, Anatomy and Cell Biology at Rush University Medical Center. Dr.

Cole is Managing Partner of Midwest Orthopaedics and is the Department’s Associate Chairman

and the Section Head of the Cartilage Research and Restoration Center.

He is the Chairman of Surgery at Rush Oak Park Hospital and leads the Rush Orthopedic Master’s

Program. Dr. Cole is the 2020 President of the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Dr.

Cole also holds several other leadership positions in national and international orthopedic societies.

Outside of academia Dr. Cole serves as team physician for the Chicago Bulls, co-team physician

for the Chicago White Sox, and a team physician for the Chicago Red Stars, Chicago Dogs, and DePaul

University.



Honors awarded to Dr. Cole range from the “Best Doctors in America” since 2004 and “Top

Doctor” in Chicagoland since 2003. In 2006, he was featured on the cover of Chicago Magazine

as “Chicago’s Top Doctor.” In 2009, he was selected as NBA Team Physician of the Year and

Orthopedics This Week has named Dr. Cole as one of the top 20 sports medicine, knee and shoulder

specialists repeatedly over the last 5 years as selected by his peers. Dr. Cole’s patients describe his

practice as compassionate, available and willing to offer novel solutions to avoid surgery whenever

possible. Testimonials to the surgical care that Dr. Cole’s team provides are frequently featured

and shared.

Dr. Cole’s research interests include Cartilage Restoration, therapeutic biologics and regenerative

medicine, and minimally invasive surgical techniques for the treatment of the knee, elbow, and

shoulder. He has published more than 1,000 articles and 8 textbooks on orthopedic surgery and

sports medicine, has lectured nationally and internationally on more than 2,000 occasions and has

appeared as an expert on several TV documentaries.

Joel Franco tells compelling stories with an elegant voice, a crisp Italian sensibility and beautiful pictures. Franco’s experience, vision and intensity bring leadership, heart, and an eye for detail to his films. His understanding of the human condition and his passion for authenticity combine to create artistic, highly commercial works that draw the audience in and make them feel. Franco’s genuine desire to protect the integrity of each story and to bring out the best in the actors and crew have made him a trusted source for getting the job done. Colleagues trust his refreshing character and understand that he is a man of commitment and does what he says he will do, when he says he will do it.



Joel Franco was born in Italy and came to the United States in his late teens where he quickly immersed himself in American culture and film. According to Franco, “I have always admired American films. The American school of acting has a long history of producing great actors and I wanted to be a part of the world of film–a place where captivating stories are unveiled. The creation of film plays into my strengths: I love that magic is the result of the creative process. There must be passion to nurture the momentum of the story. And one must have intense focus to get the job done.” 



Influenced by American filmmaker Sidney Lumet for his vigorous storytelling and Italian director Robert Rossellini for his social realism, Franco is dedicated to staying true to the story in a fast paced, realistic and refined style. 



In 2006, Franco partnered with Solidaris LLC to found Chesapeake Films, LLC. Chesapeake Films has option agreements to produce several feature films and plans to produce two features per year in-house and to collaborate with established film companies for additional opportunities.



Joel Franco is a graduate of University of Maryland/Baltimore, a graduate of the USC-Universal Producing and Directing Program, and holds an M.F.A. in film production from the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

joelfranco@youthsports-themovie.com