Vashti Boyce
(she/they)
Wild Iris is the brainchild of founder Vashtina “Vashti” Boyce.
Vashti holds a Masters in Humanistic Psychology from the University of West Georgia (UWG) as well as an MBA in Healthcare Administration. Vashti has been in the field of mental health for over 7 years across clinical, research, and administrative realms.
Vashti has spent 20 years volunteering and leading in Delta Phi Epsilon (DPhiE), an international women’s organization, as an advisor to members and serving on multiple committees. Vashti was DPhiE's first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Chair and is a current member of the International Governing Board. Vashti also serves on the board of The Living Room for Youth, an agency in Oregon that serves the needs of LGBTQ+ youth.
Vashti’s approach to Wild Iris is based on a holistic framework, never losing sight of the value of human experience, subjectivity, perspective, and relationship with the self and society. Vashti leans into their educational foundation at UWG, vocational experiences, and integrative values as they work with individuals and organizations, all the while illuminating how individuals can better relate to and work with one another.
Fiona Dawson
(she/her)
Fiona Dawson is an Emmy®-nominated and award-winning filmmaker, and Founder of Free Lion Productions. She is a proud bisexual, cisgender, immigrant woman living with a non-apparent disability, who uses media to advance equity. Following her short, "Transgender, at War and in Love," Fiona was honored by President Obama as an LGBT Artist Champion of Change. Her feature documentary, "TransMilitary," premiered at SXSW 2018 winning the Audience Award, and Fiona was an honoree on the OUT100 2022: LGBTQ+ Titans of Media and Entertainment. She is a #1 bestselling author with two books published, the latest title being, "What Does That LGBTQIA+ Label Mean? Explaining the Spectrum of Gender and Sexuality with Humor and Ease."
Prior to starting her own business, Fiona worked in corporate social responsibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Free Lion Productions creates multimedia personal storytelling content using video and animation to build empathy. Fiona is an acclaimed speaker who has presented to the Assistant Secretary Generals of NATO and an audience of over 3,000 at Disability:IN. Fiona is a DEIBA consultant with an expertise in LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion. She is on a mission to decolonize the worldview of gender and sexuality with inspiring education and entertainment.
Cordell Carter
(he/him)
Cordell Carter, Esq. is executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Socrates Program and founding director of its Project on Belonging. He founded and leads the Festival of the Diaspora and Expectant Advisory, a human-capital advisory firm. Previously, Carter held leadership roles with the TechTown Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle Public Schools, Business Roundtable, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and IBM.
A facilitator and speaker on topics including belonging and inclusion, he serves on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and advises SkillStorm on creating technology-training academies in underserved communities.
His other honors include: the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awardee by Cultural Vistas, an Eisenhower Fellowship to China; designation as a “40 under 40” by business and civic organizations in Washington State and Tennessee; University of Notre Dame Law School alumni of the year awardee; selections as a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow for Young American Leaders and a Broad Foundation Resident in Urban Education.
