The Catalysts

Meet the entrepreneurs here to spark new interests and get the conversations started. They are here to help us weave our individual efforts into a unified force, ensuring we leave Santa Fe ready to lead the revival.

Want to lead the conversation? Whether you’re interested in speaking or have an idea for a conversation circle, share your vision with us here.

Alexis Bunten-Naficy

General Partner, JumpScale

(Unangan/Yup’ik) Award-winning author, anthropologist & General Partner at JumpScale. She works at the intersection of Indigenous economics & decolonization to build regenerative enterprises that honor land, reciprocity & the strength of community.

Liz Gamboa

Executive Director, NMCC

Liz Gamboa is the Executive Director of NMCC & a strategist for Indigenous economic empowerment. She leverages her background in finance & technology to support Native entrepreneurs in building sustainable, community-driven businesses through technical excellence.

Vanessa Roanhorse

CEO, Roanhorse Consulting

Vanessa Roanhorse is a Diné entrepreneur. She creates economic models rooted in relationship & self-determination to lead Indigenous capital strategies that align investment with community priorities, generational impact & rematriating the economy.

Vincent Ferguson

Artist & Founder of Amplify the Human

Vincent Ferguson is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator & founder of Amplify the Human. He utilizes music, technology & social-emotional learning to unlock human potential, dedicated to helping communities reimagine the future of connection & learning within the AI era.

Brian Hardgroove

Founder of the FREEDOM Band

Brian Hardgroove is a Santa Fe-based bassist for Public Enemy, Grammy-winning producer & educator who founded the FREEDOM Band. He leverages music & mentorship to drive social change, fostering the unity & resilience necessary to empower the next generation of artists as catalysts for global transformation.

Gina Schaefer

Founder, ACE Hardware stores

Gina Schaefer is the founder of a $55M employee-owned business spanning 13 locations and 300 teammates. Author & keynote speaker, she champions inclusive culture, employee ownership & women in business, proving that second chances is key to long-term success.

Henry Jake Foreman

Program Director, NMCC

Henry Jake Foreman (Absentee Shawnee) is an Indigenous technologist & NMCC Program Director. He bridges traditional wisdom with emerging tech to build AI & Web3 tools that center reciprocity, data sovereignty & Indigenous values within the next economy.

Jessica Norwood

Founder & CEO, RUNWAY

Jessica Norwood is a financial activist, author & CEO of RUNWAY who pioneers “Believe-in-You Money.” She leads a reparative fund resourcing Black communities through restorative capital, centering Black joy, liberation & community care as essential pillars for economic transformation across the global diaspora.