Our Keynote Speaker

Dr. Claire A. NelsonDevelopment Engineer | Social Entrepreneur | Futurist
Dr. Claire Nelson is a pioneering thought leader and changemaker with over 25 years of experience in international development, with a specialization in private sector development, strategic foresight, and systems change. A true renaissance woman, she is a Development Engineer, Social Entrepreneur, and recognized Futurist whose career spans engineering innovation, global policy advising, and public intellectualism.
Dr. Nelson holds degrees in Industrial Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo and Purdue University, and she earned her Doctorate in Engineering Management from George Washington University—becoming the first Jamaican woman to achieve a doctorate in an engineering discipline and the only Black graduate in her class.
Her distinguished career includes service on numerous influential boards and advisory committees, such as the U.S. Department of Commerce's US/Caribbean Business Development Council, the Black Leadership Forum, the International Think Tank Commission on Pan-African Affairs (Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados), the African-American Unity Caucus, and the International Committee of the National Society of Black Engineers-Alumni Extension. She has also served as an election observer with the National Democratic Institute/Carter Center in the Dominican Republic.
A White House Champion of Change honoree, Dr. Nelson is an internationally sought-after speaker on economic development, globalization, and Caribbean affairs. Her insights have been featured in key forums such as the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, Harvard University's Black MBA Conference, the African Development Bank’s Women and Microenterprise Conference, US Black Engineer of the Year Conference, and academic institutions including Howard University, Florida International University, and Sacramento State University.
Dr. Nelson is also known for her groundbreaking work on diversity, inclusion, and social exclusion within multilateral development institutions. She has participated in prestigious forums including the Salzburg Seminar on Race and Ethnicity, the Fetzer Institute’s Global Leadership Dialogues, and the Bellagio Consultation on the United Nations World Conference on Racism.
As the Ideation Leader of The Futures Forum and CEO of Sagient Futures LLC, she leads strategic foresight and development consulting focused on empowering communities and organizations to anticipate and shape the future. A contributing voice to the World Futures Society Editorial Advisory Board, she is emerging as a vital voice in the Black Futurist movement.
An award-winning writer and performance artist, Dr. Nelson’s commentary and OpEd pieces have been featured on platforms such as NPR’s Morning Edition, WEAA FM, WHUR FM, and CaribNation TV. She continues to use her voice and vision to inspire transformative change and amplify Caribbean and African diasporic perspectives on the global stage.