Ken E. Nwadike, Jr., is a peace activist, motivational speaker, and video journalist known as the Free Hugs Guy online. Nwadike Jr is the founder of the Free Hugs Project, which produces motivational videos to spread love, inspire change, and raise awareness of social issues. His ‘Free Hugs’ videos have reached hundreds of millions of views on Facebook and YouTube.

In 2014, Nwadike launched the Free Hugs Project to spread love in response to the bombing of the Boston Marathon. The Free Hugs Project gained popularity in 2016, as Nwadike made major news headlines for his peace-keeping efforts and de-escalating violence during protests, riots, and political rallies. Nwadike was featured in Google’s 2016 Year in Search video as a highlight of some of the year’s most defining moments. Nwadike has made many appearances on news programs and radio broadcasts worldwide, including CNN, USA Today, Good Morning Britain, and BBC News.  Ken has spoken at hundreds of Colleges and Universities and is a favorite at high-schools and corporations.

Sheriff Swanson is a career police officer with experience spanning nearly three decades. He has served in a variety of positions, including corrections, patrol, narcotics, criminal investigation, death investigation, human trafficking investigation, and command operations.

As Sheriff, Christopher oversees the 6th largest Sheriff’s Office and 10th largest law enforcement agency in the State of Michigan. Sheriff Swanson holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Michigan.

In 2019 Sheriff Swanson was instrumental in the creation of the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (G.H.O.S.T.). In less than two years of work, G.H.O.S.T. has arrested more than 117 individuals on charges ranging from human trafficking to criminal sexual conduct. G.H.O.S.T. has received national attention for its efforts to combat human trafficking while also ensuring victims are given a voice.

On September 8, 2020, Sheriff Swanson turned another vision into reality with the creation of Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education (I.G.N.I.T.E.). Today, inmates in the Genesee County Jail go to school two hours a day, five days a week. I.G.N.I.T.E. has assisted more than 20 returning citizens find full-time employment upon release. In addition, more than 29,000 hours of coursework has been completed. Math skills have improved 1.5 grades and reading comprehension increased 2.5 grades. I.G.N.I.T.E. is committed to making better people, not better inmates.  I.G.N.I.T.E has spread to numerous other counties in Michigan and will be implemented in September in Hennepin County (Minneapolis), MN.

Also in 2020, during a time of volatile protest across the Nation in response to the killing of George Floyd, Sheriff Swanson brought protesters and officers in Flint, Michigan
together. Those actions led to a viral message of hope for the nation and world. “Sheriff Swanson showed the kind of leadership, courage, and integrity that makes exemplary law enforcement leaders,” stated the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.

“They said march with us, so he did”, David Muir – Anchor ABC World News.

Adam Mizel is an accomplished C-level executive, entrepreneur and private / public equity investor that is a successful leader by bridging both of these worlds.  He has a combination of operating, investing and strategic experience in the media & entertainment, technology and consumer appindustries as well as in asset management, financial services and business services.  He has founded and/or managed both public and private companies, served on over 40 boards of directors and been responsible fordirectly investing with strong returns almost $2 billion of equity and/or debt in his career.  

Adam is the co-Founder and CEO of US United, a not-for-profit whose mission is to build the brand to rally all who share our belief in unity as the path forward.  US United leads by example to make unity “cool” in the community, media and culture and provides the infrastructure necessary to disrupt discord and build a movement.  

Prior to launching this movement, Adam was Chief Growth Officer / CFO of Freebird from 2017-2021.  Freebird was started with a very simple premise: to make Uber and Lyft free.  Freebird has built an agnostic marketplace that connects to the ride share platforms and enables any business to reimburse Uber / Lyft rides up to a cap per ride the business sets for customers who transact in their establishments.  The business only pays after a verified consumer transaction occurs bringing to local businesses the powerful ad spend to revenue positive cash flow loop that fueled the Google / online boom.  

Prior to building Freebird, Adam was Chief Operating Officer of Cinedigm Corp (NASDAQ: CIDM) from 2011 and until late 2015.  Adam was appointed to the Board of Directors in March 2009 and served as a director until October 2015.  He was also CFO & Chief Strategy Officer from August 2009- June 2014.  Cinedigm is a leader in the digital distribution revolution that continues to transform the media landscape through both its home entertainment distribution arm and its portfolio of narrowcast, over-the-top SVOD and AVOD digital channels available to avid audiences on all connected devices.  

Prior to joining Cinedigm, Adam was a professional private equity, hedge fund and venture capital investor for 22 years.  He founded Aquifer Capital Group, LLC, an investment firm which took a private equity approach to investing in public micro capitalization and small capitalization companies with a particular emphasis on investing in growth companies at value basedprices.  In 2001, Adam co-founded, was COO and led the long/short equity and event driven investment practices at Azimuth Trust, a hedge fund of funds with over $450 million of assets that was sold to a private family office in 2006.  

During his private equity career, which began in 1991 at Morgan Stanley Capital Partners, Adam has invested in an assortment of industries with a focus on financial and business services, financial technology and software. His investments cover the range of venture capital, growth capital and leveraged buyouts.  From 1994-1998, Adam led Zurich Centre Investments (“ZCI”), the corporate private equity area of Zurich Financial Services, and in 1998 was a co-founder and general partner at Capital Z Partners, an alternative asset manager with over $5.0 billion under management at its peak in direct private equity and hedge fund / private equity fund of funds.  

Adam earned his A.B. degree in Economics, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1991.

Adam has sat on a number of charity boards including the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneer Fund where Adam was also Chairman of the Investment Committee, the New York International Children’s Film Festival and the St. Aloysius School in Harlem, NY.