Tarek Maassarani
Tarek Maassarani is a mission-driven attorney, program strategist, university professor, and project director with 20+ years leading federally funded initiatives across justice, equity, and climate resilience. He has litigated human rights cases, managed multi-agency partnerships, developed countless programs, published books and articles, and trained civil society and government agencies. As CEO of Sustainable Construction Solutions, he applies his legal and programmatic expertise to sustainable infrastructure, advancing fireproof, non-toxic, and low-carbon materials and methods aligned with resilience and decarbonization goals. Under his leadership, the company has delivered successful pilot projects and expanded public-private partnerships. Maassarani began his career providing civil legal services law at the federally-funded Neighborhood Legal Services Program, where he served as a Covington & Burling Westwood Fellow and later as a senior staff attorney. At NLSP’s Nani Helen Burroughs office, he represented underserved residents across housing, employment, public benefits, consumer protection, and discrimination cases, while also managing law student interns and supporting D.C. Bar legal clinics and Spanish-speaking workers’ rights seminars. He then served for over a decade as a consultant and trainer for the U.S. Institute of Peace and director of the Salam Institute, in which capacities he managed five-to-six figure USAID and State Department-funded civic engagement and peacebuilding programs across Africa, Afghanistan, and domestic military bases. He facilitated training for educators, nonprofits, African peacekeeping forces, U.S. Army units, and foreign service officers, and co-authored curricula on religious peacebuilding, conflict resolution, trauma resilience, and nonviolent action. As co-founder and technical lead of Restorative DC, Maassarani designed and scaled a citywide restorative justice initiative across Washington, D.C., delivering technical assistance to over 40 schools, coordinating a diversion program for the Department of Human Services, and advising the Office of the Attorney General on the creation of a nationally recognized in-house restorative justice unit. He later co-directed Central Virginia Community Justice, where he launched a restorative diversion program in partnership with local prosecutors, expanded referral networks, and formalized regional implementation. More recently, he served as lead trainer for the U.S. State Department–funded #Influencers4Peace initiative, which engaged 150 social media leaders across Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Niger to promote social cohesion and counter violent extremism.
Darla Marburger
Darla Marburger is a seasoned facilitator, mediator, and impact strategist who has guided more than 300 hours of strategic planning, team building, and cross-functional alignment for nonprofits, government agencies, and commercial organizations. As President and Founder of Greater for Good, she helps mission-driven organizations sharpen their strategy, strengthen team cohesion, and work more effectively toward meaningful impact. With 12 years of nonprofit capacity-building, 12 years of analytics consulting, and a decade shaping state and federal education policy, Darla brings a rare blend of systems thinking, data-informed decision-making, and human-centered facilitation. She is a trained mediator and a valued practitioner of the Better Teams™ team building model, helping disjointed teams build trust, clarity, and connection for a work experience that is more productive and fulfilling. A former Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, she has led high-stakes initiatives, managed billion-dollar grant programs, and represented organizations through numerous speaking engagements—from Congressional hearings to national associations. Known for her calm presence, analytical insight, and ability to synthesize diverse viewpoints, Darla helps groups quickly feel understood and confidently move toward shared solutions. She is based in Austin, Texas, United States of America.
Allison McMillan
Allison McMillan is a fractional VP of Engineering and Engineering Leadership Consultant with over 25 years of offsite planning and facilitation experience. She’s previously held leadership roles at QuotaPath, DEV, and GitHub. Allison has worn many hats in multiple industries as a community builder, managing director, and software engineer. Allison started a podcast about being a parent in tech, Parent Driven Development, and is an internationally recognized keynote speaker. She is very involved in the Ruby community as a current board member and the former President of Ruby Central.