
Welcome to our 2025 Annual Gala as we celebrate our mission of helping families thrive while raising the funds to help us meet the demand for our program in New York, Boston, and Chicago.
Tonight’s Speakers | Special Performance | Champions of Change | Gala Leadership | Sponsors & Supporters | Live & Silent Auction
Tonight’s Speakers
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Ashley Graham is an American supermodel, designer, author, and entrepreneur whose influence has reshaped the fashion and media industries and redefined traditional beauty standards. Read full bio >
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Amanda Hindlian is a seasoned financial services executive. She most recently served as President of Fixed Income and Data Services at Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), where she was a member of the firm’s Management Committee. As President, Amanda led a $2 billion global portfolio of businesses, including public and private market data, benchmarking, bond trading platforms, data center access, desktops and feeds. Read full bio >
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Nancy Twine was introduced to Room to Grow in fall 2021 and joined the National Board in December 2021. Nancy is the founder of Briogeo, a globally recognized prestige personal care company and the fastest growing hair care product line at Sephora and Ulta, globally. Read full bio >

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Akilah joined the Room to Grow team in 2015 and has held several roles in the areas of program operations, external relations, and evaluation, before being appointed Executive Director of Room to Grow New York in June 2018 and Chief Executive Officer in 2020. With a deep desire to achieve health equity for all families and local communities, Akilah began her career in research at the renowned Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and its affiliated nonprofit, the Foundation of Orthopedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS). Read full bio >
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Uma Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and has spent the last 20 years raising her children in New York. An acclaimed actress, Thurman has received accolades for her work in theater, film, and television. Deeply committed to engagement with the local New York community, Uma is a long-time ambassador and founding Board Member of Room to Grow.

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We’re a family that laughs loud, loves big, and embraces our weird side. Since high school, we’ve been building memories together—and now with our little one, the adventure is even sweeter.
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Sandra Medeiros joined Room to Grow as the Executive Director of the New York region in March 2021. Having worked in urban education and nonprofit management for 20 years, she brings experience in teaching and learning, program development and implementation, and people management. Her dedication to educational equity and increasing opportunities for historically marginalized communities drives her work. Read full bio >
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Jennifer Lecler - is an Author, Singer, Voice Over artist, and Pre-k teacher. Analise Fuentes- is an aspiring, astronaut, equestrian, dancer, and future Influencer.

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Shaniqua Pearson joined the Room to Grow team in June of 2020 as a Site Operations Assistant. She is hard-working and loves to collaborate and work on a team. In her free time, she loves to take her four children to museums to create new memories and experiences. She is fondly called a “sneakerhead” by friends because of her big shoe and sneaker collection.
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My name is Nilka Rodriguez-Gonzalez, I am working with my husband with our small business, Express Boiler & Heating LLC. I am blessed to be a mother of 4 successful amazing children who continue to make me proud everyday. When I'm not helping my husband tend to our company, I enjoy cooking new dishes to share with everyone!

With Special Performance By
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Grammy Nominated Artist and Songwriter JUSTIN JESSO has over 2 billion streams for his collaborations, most notably with Norwegian dance producer Kygo (co-writing and featuring on their global smash “Stargazing”).
Justin released his debut EP “Let it Be Me,” landing many top 5 charting European radio records, including single “Getting Closer” (a top 5 radio record in Europe) and "As Far As Feelings Go," with Alle Farben, peaking at #3 on German Radio charts.Justin’s 2022 two part EP, “Finding the Opposite of Loneliness,” has amassed over 100M+ streams and is jam-packed with his soulful vocals, pop sensibility, and stadium-sized energy. Justin takes listeners on a sonic and emotional ride - navigating depression, anxiety, relationships, and his sense of self. He wants his music to be a force for healing and self-discovery, as writing the music has helped him identify his path to happiness.
As a writer, Justin co-wrote and earned a Latin Grammy nomination for the No.1 smash "Vente Pa' Ca" (Ricky Martin, Maluma) as well as writing singles for up and comers like AJ Mitchell, HRVY, K-pop acts like Shinee and Red Velvet, and seasoned veteran acts like the Backstreet Boys, Armin Van Buren, Madcon, Aloe Blacc, Steve Aoki, MAX and many more.
He has also created music for film and tv. Select records include: “Beautiful World," a duet with Michael Bolton, and "Sound of Freedom" the end-title song for the Angel Studios feature film “Sound Of Freedom,” which achieved United States box office opening weekend gross #1 in July 2023, and aims to spread awareness and help end child trafficking.
Justin’s recent releases include DJ collaborations with artists Offenbach, Kygo, and Sam Feldt as he prepares to release new solo music. His latest single “Unreasonable” was released on July 18th, 2025.
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Parson James is a singer, songwriter, and performer whose genre-blending sound and deeply emotional storytelling have positioned him as one of the most distinctive voices in modern pop and dance music. Best known for co-writing and performing on Kygo’s multi-platinum hit “Stole The Show,” which has surpassed 1 billion streams globally, Parson has spent the last decade captivating audiences across streaming platforms, global charts, and stadium stages.
Born in South Carolina and now based between Nashville and London, Parson’s music is rooted in contrast, soul and euphoria, gospel and EDM, struggle and resilience. His perspective as a queer, biracial artist raised in the conservative South has shaped a narrative that is as emotionally powerful as it is culturally important.
Following his breakout with “Stole The Show,” Parson has toured the world alongside Kygo and collaborated with a range of top-tier artists including Sam Feldt, The Knocks, Vandelux, Said the Sky, Audien, CAZZETTE, Hook N Sling, Big Gigantic, and others. His solo releases, including the Temple EP (RCA), “Only You,” “Little Fires,” and “Right Now,” reflect an evolving voice that pairs cinematic vocals with bold, genre-spanning production.
In 2025, Parson James signed with Tileyard Records, the London-based label that is part of Tileyard, Europe’s largest creative community for music, tech, and the arts. Known for housing artists and collaborators such as Sigala, Joel Corry, Ella Eyre, and countless hit songwriters, Tileyard provides an immersive, artist-first ecosystem that will support the next chapter of Parson’s artistry, with his first release on the label, "Water Me," slated for late 2025. The partnership is poised to elevate his reach while maintaining his emotional core.
Parson James continues to break barriers, onstage, in the studio, and through his outspoken advocacy for mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and authenticity in music. With over a billion streams and a new era on the horizon, he’s not just telling his story, he’s rewriting the rules.