Speakers

Opening Remarks

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul brings a lifetime of legal experience and advocacy to the office. Attorney General Raoul launched his legal career as a Cook County prosecutor. Thereafter, he successively opened a boutique law practice, served as a higher education attorney for City Colleges of Chicago, and became a partner at two national corporate law firms.

In 2004, Raoul was appointed to replace Barack Obama in the Illinois State Senate representing the 13^th Legislative District (in Chicago), where he served for 14 years. As a state senator, Raoul chaired the Judiciary, Redistricting, and Pensions & Investments Committees. He was known for leading complex legislative negotiations on matters such as workers compensation reform, gun safety policy, criminal justice reform, and pensions. As chair of Pensions, he successfully fought for the inclusion of minority asset managers and brokers. Moreover, he led efforts to pass the Illinois Voting Rights Act, which has been credited for diversifying the legislature. Raoul led the effort to pass an amendment that enshrines the protection of voting rights in the Illinois Constitution. He also carried legislation to abolish the death penalty in Illinois.

In 2019, Raoul was sworn in as Illinois’ 42nd Attorney General. He took the oath to serve a second term in January 2023. As Illinois’ chief legal officer, Attorney General Raoul is committed to enforcing federal and state civil rights laws to protect against discriminatory practices. He has been vocal in his opposition to the assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and strategically diligent in combatting misinformation and distortions of lawful practices. Through direct correspondence as well as public legal guidance, he has helped universities, businesses, non-profits, and other organizations understand the legality, viability, and importance of DEI policies and practices. AG Raoul has also successfully led state AG coalitions in litigation challenging the constitutionality and lawfulness of several executive actions issued by the Trump administration, and he continues to combat executive overreach.

Attorney General Raoul’s office now meets and frequently exceeds the diversity goals set by the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Additionally, he serves as co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, where he leads its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group.

Panel Discussion

Kayce Ataiyero is the Chief External Affairs Officer at the Joyce Foundation, where she oversees the Foundation’s strategic communications, the Journalism Program and the Lend A Hand community grants fund. She is also a member of the Foundation’s leadership team.

Kayce has extensive experience in communications, journalism and politics. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2018, she served as director of external affairs for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, where she led communications and community engagement. She has also led communications for U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly, the Illinois Governor’s Office and the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office.

As an award-winning journalist, Kayce previously worked as a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune, The Raleigh News and Observer, Philadelphia Inquirer and Washington Post.

Kayce has a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park. She is board chair of Media Impact Funders, a national organization that advances the work of a broad range of funders committed to supporting media in the public interest. She also serves on the board of Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, an organization committed to the unfinished business of our nation’s civil rights movement.

She is a Leadership Greater Chicago Daniel Burnham Fellow, was named a Top 10 Empowering Women Leaders to Follow by CIO Views Magazine, a Chicago Titan 100, one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Illinois by Women We Admire, a Notable Black Leader and Executive by Crain’s Chicago Business and one of Chicago’s most influential Black leaders by The Chicago Tribune. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. She also at one time was general manager of the Chicago Steam, a minor-league basketball team.

Spotlight REC Cohort Alumni

Artists

GRAMMY nominated multi-instrumentalist/composer, Chihsuan (Violin, Erhu, Piano), hails
from Taiwan, her extensive body of work transcends a diverse array of genres and reaches
beyond borders. She is a long-standing member of Blues legend Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues.
Chihsuan has toured extensively and participated in highly acclaimed productions, prestigious
stages and international festivals. While being featured as a soloist in various recordings and
performances, Chihsuan maintains a collaborative spirit, engaging with a variety of artists. From
playing with Yo-Yo Ma and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, to Grammy Award winner David
Foster and performance for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Her virtuosity and eclectic versatility
on the violin, erhu, and piano reverberates globally. Her composition works have been featured
in films, commercials, theater/dance productions, radio, and audiobooks.

Chihsuan believes that the very essence of being an artist is to act as a bridge between cultural
diversities. Aside from being classically trained, she prides herself on being an artist fluent in a
multitude of styles, crossover multidisciplinary, and being eclectic in musical passions and
personal interests.

In 2014, she released debut solo album “Ways to Say Hello”, a mix of original worldly
compositions. Most recently, she received a Grammy Awards nomination for her collaboration
with The String Theory. Chihsuan composed and produced the music for an international GAP
commercial. She released a 2nd album “Pearls” In 2024, and also scored her first full-length
feature film “Escape From Extinction: Rewilding” narrated by Meryl Streep.

Awarded 2025 Mental Health Champion by Brown Man Therapy, Dr. Rahul Sharma is an
experienced and in-demand coach, consultant, licensed clinical psychologist, musician, & keynote
speaker. His multiple areas of expertise include: emotional intelligence, leadership development,
conflict management, social justice, leveraging creativity to design skill-building practices that
cultivate inclusion and belonging. He is former Associate Professor at the Illinois School of
Professional Psychology and Diversity Concentration Chair for 13 years. Prior to that, he was
Executive Director of University of Chicago’s Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention, initially
reporting to Associate Dean Michelle Obama. He received an award by Vagina Monologues for
leadership in addressing gender and sexual violence prevention.

Dr. Sharma is founder of Strategic Inclusion Consulting, an agency that transforms work cultures
through coaching, consulting, and training. By curating experiences for healing and growth,
investing in the development of organizational leaders and drivers, Strategic Inclusion Consulting
provides effective and lasting solutions to common workplace challenges. Dr. Sharma is passionate
about integrating emotional intelligence and inclusive practices with values-based leadership with
the aim of sustaining vibrant work cultures that center healthy communication, wellness and
belonging. His unique approach helps leaders translate insight into actions. In coaching and
consulting, he establishes a collaborative partnership with clients, and uses quantitative and
qualitative pre- and post- assessments to measure growth.

Dr. Sharma is also founder and bassist/sitarist for the intercultural music group Funkadesi, a 10-
member band that is comprised of diverse members (Indian-American, African-American,
Jamaican, Latino, and European American) who are musicians, advocates, educators, & healers. 2
academic books on culture, arts, and society have dedicated an entire chapter on the social impact
of Funkadesi on the cultural landscape of the United States. In 2026, Funkadesi is celebrating its
30th Anniversary. For multiple years, Funkadesi has been awarded “Most Outstanding Group” by the
Chicago Music Awards, and “Best World Music Group” by the Chicago Reader for their “Best of” poll.
Dr. Sharma led a healing guided visualization for TEDx Chicago in their first in-person event since
the pandemic, set to improvised music. This was followed by a performance by Funkadesi. In
October of 2024, Dr. Sharma and Funkadesi’s Rhythm Ambassadors – the 4 virtuoso percussionists
in the band – brought 225 drums to lead an experiential conference plenary on wellness and selfcare
that was widely acclaimed. As a speaker for both virtual and in-person events, Dr. Sharma
often integrates experiential multicultural music programs at conferences and trainings. In January
of 2024, Dr. Sharma delivered keynote addresses with Funkadesi for students, faculty and
administration for MLK Day at Latin School of Chicago. Other addresses include an “Experiential
Opening Keynote” at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology Annual Convention, and virtual
Closing Keynote at the Asian American Psychology Association. In December of 2021, he provided
both the Opening Keynote and Closing Keynote for the inaugural Embodied In Color conference, a
wellness conference for clinicians of color. In the summer of 2025, Dr. Sharma addressed a
nationwide organization of engineers, sharing how the worlds of music, psychology and consulting
provide kernels of wisdom in addressing wellness and self-care. He also delivered a plenary
address at Interfaith America’s opening session on The Chords of Democracy.

In 2017, Dr. Sharma was the recipient of the Joyce Foundation Award, where he was commissioned
to co-compose a musical piece, “Quantum Englewood,” to provide arts opportunities for youth in
high-risk environments. The piece was performed by hundreds of musicians in late 2018. In
addition to these pursuits, Dr. Sharma maintains a small private practice. He resides with his family
in Evanston, Illinois.

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