Phillip Boykin

PHILLIP BOYKIN (Bass-Baritone) a native of Greenville, SC is a Grammy Award Nominee for the 2019 Tony Award Winning Broadway cast recording of the musical “ONCE ON THIS ISLAND”. He is a TONY Award, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominee for his work as Crown in “THE GERSHWIN’S PORGY AND BESS”. He most recently starred as Hades on Broadway in the award winning "HADESTOWN" production.

Dr. Chris Kukk

Dr. Kukk is the HarperCollins author of The Compassionate Achiever, co-host of The Compassionate Achiever Podcast, Dean of the Cormier Honors College for Citizen Scholars and Professor of Political Science at Longwood University. He is also a Fulbright Scholar, member of Phi Beta Kappa as well as proud husband and father. His research and publications combine neuroscience with the social sciences and focus on understanding how weaving values such as compassion into our learning, civic, and business communities affect levels of financial, intellectual, and social capital.

Daryl Calfee

In his professional life, Daryl Calfee has been an art director, a marketing executive, a community-minded real estate developer, and a damn good mechanic. Then there's his real job: raising two beautiful, creative teenage girls and a room-brightening, monster-truck-loving preschooler. Calfee's life lessons and funny reflections on his early farm life were recently documented in his book Let's Skip the Bull: Lessons from Dad after your Mom died.

Avery Sprouse

Avery Sprouse (Heritage High School '22) is a student at the University of Mary Washington studying Museum Studies and Historic Preservation. With a deep passion for history and culture, she has partnered with institutions like the Maier Museum of Art and Ridderhof Martin Gallery to explore the importance of museums in protecting valuable artifacts and stories for future generations. She will be studying abroad in Paris over the summer and plans on furthering her education at Virginia Commonwealth University for a master's in Museum Studies. She enjoys reading, playing guitar, and crochet and is proud to work as a barista. She believes in the power of storytelling and is excited to bring new ideas to the conversation.

Bobby Vinson

Bobby Vinson, a University of Lynchburg Theatre Performance Major (class of 2025), is originally from Thomasville, Georgia. He is an E.C. Glass High School graduate and has performed theatre since he was eight years old, along with working in the technical field since his sophomore year of high school. Recently, he played Miles Gloriousus in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”. Additionally, he was with Curtain Call: “Curtain Up Songwriters Workshop”, which performed at 54 Below in New York City.

Zhakia Scott

Zhakia Scott is the Transition Specialist for Turning Point Academy at Lynchburg Regional Juvenile Detention Center. With seven years of experience in public service and social work, she earned her BS in Social Work from VCU in 2019 and an MPA from Liberty University in 2020. Zhakia is skilled in community action planning, crisis response, and guiding students through educational transitions. Recognized for her leadership and problem-solving abilities, she was named the 2024‑25 Lynchburg City Schools Support Person of the Year, and she also runs an entrepreneurial venture in holistic, nutritional dog food and treats.

Manan Shah

Manan is a proud graduate of Heritage High School in the class of 2018. Manan then graduated from the University of Virginia in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy & Leadership. He currently works as a Government Affairs Associate at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. called the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, or NCRC. NCRC is a coalition of more than 600 grassroots organizations creating opportunities to build wealth in low-to-moderate-income communities across the country. Manan strongly believes in the power of the grassroots -- that each of us plays a role in building bridges amongst each other and shaping our world to be more just and fair. In the future, Manan hopes to attend law school and become a civil rights attorney. During his spare time, Manan likes to solo travel, play music, and pretend to be "Bowser" while chasing his nephew and niece.

Emcee, Kathleen Davis

Flat Five Jazz