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learn more about the be bold now 2025 sEATTLE
Speakers
Aliesha Pulliam
EVENT EMCEE
Aliesha is an Emcee, Speaker, and Actress who loves encouraging women to break free from career stagnation and step boldly into work that aligns with their true purpose.
After serving 8 years in the U.S. Navy, working for the White House, and at Microsoft, Aliesha has led a successful career in IT, engineering, and communications. Now she’s living her career dreams working in entertainment and media. Aliesha’s latest work includes interviewing influential leaders like celebrated ballerina, Misty Copeland, emceeing top conferences such as Microsoft Inspire and the Northwest Event Show, all while acting in projects for major brands like Nickelodeon, Amazon, and SAP.
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Aliesha is proud to be your Emcee for Be Bold Now Seattle!
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Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger
Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger grew up along the Front Range of Colorado. She graduated from Fort Collins High School, where she ran on two state championship cross-country teams and placed second as a Science Olympiad team member.
A scholar athlete, she ran cross-country and track and earned her B.A. in Geology from Whitman College. She went on to get a teaching certification from Central Washington University, and she taught earth science and astronomy for five years at Hudson’s Bay High School in Vancouver, WA. In addition to teaching, she coached cross country and Science Olympiad.
In June of 2004, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected her to join the Astronaut Corps. After several years of training, she flew as a mission specialist on the STS-131 crew, an International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission. Dottie served as Mission Specialist 2 (also known as the flight engineer), a robotic arm operator, the Intra-vehicular crew member (the inside coordinator of the spacewalks), and a transfer crew member (helping move six tons of hardware and equipment). The mission lasted fifteen days.
During June of 2012, Dottie commanded the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO) in the Aquarius Reef Habitat off the Florida coast. The 16 th underwater mission sought to develop techniques for working at an asteroid, while operating under a 100-second time delay.
In June of 2014, Dottie retired from the Astronaut Corps and returned to the Pacific Northwest with her family. She earned her M.S. in applied geology at the University of Washington and worked as a geologist for Geosyntec Consultants. In 2023. Dottie founded her own business, Dottie ML, LLC. She is a professional speaker, continuing to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. She also volunteers as a board member for Challenger Learning Center, the Seattle Museum of Flight, and the Presidential Advisory Board for Whitman College.
Malia Razzaia
Malia Razzaia is a force in the nonprofit world and is currently the Executive Director of Dress for Success Seattle, while also serving as a Commissioner with the Washington State Women’s Commission. With over two decades of experience, Malia has dedicated her career to fostering economic freedoms for women and advancing their access to opportunity. Her expertise in strategic leadership and program development has allowed her to drive impactful initiatives, both domestically and internationally. Malia is not only an advocate for women, but also for inclusive growth that brings men into the fold as allies.
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Beyond her executive roles, Malia is a seasoned educator, having taught Business, Leadership, and Communications at various universities in the U.S. and abroad. Her experience in NGOs spans from large U.S.-based organizations to grassroots international entities, always with a focus on anti-discrimination, human rights, and leadership development. Malia’s vision is clear: to support the next generation of women as they navigate their paths to claiming their power.
Stephiney Foley
Steph Foley is the Founder and CEO of Yuzi, a women's health tech company dedicated to accelerating the growth of postpartum care in America. A combat veteran, West Point graduate, and Dartmouth MBA, Steph brings a unique blend of operational expertise, leadership, and innovation to the maternal health space. After a decade in tech product leadership at companies like Tesla, Amazon, and IDEO, she pivoted to women’s health after experiencing firsthand the challenges of postpartum recovery.
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Yuzi care provides postpartum retreats to in-home support to a tech-enabled care platform, reimagining how families access postpartum support through personalized services, concierge care, and partnerships with major healthcare systems. A certified postpartum doula trained at Bastyr University, Steph is passionate about advocating for maternal care equity, supporting female founders, and bridging Eastern and Western postpartum traditions. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Perinatal Support Washington, furthering her commitment to improving maternal mental health and perinatal care accessibility. She is also a Presidential Leadership Scholar. She lives in Seattle with her partner and two kids.
Aditi Sinha
Aditi is on a mission to end pocket inequality for women. Through her functional fashion startup, POV Label, she solves design flaws in apparel to remove everyday barriers for women. Aditi imagines a future where women's wardrobe choices are purpose driven to enable them to feel confident, competent and in control. An entrepreneur, marketing leader, and lifetime learner, she believes in opening doors, fostering connections, and sharing ideas over coffee chats
Dr. Felisa Bryant
Serving as The IF Project’s Executive Director, Dr. Felisa Bryant is a seasoned nonprofit leader with over 15 years of experience working with individuals who are currently or formerly incarcerated, providing support, advocacy, and guidance. Dr. Bryant has extensive experience in effective nonprofit management, strategic planning, diversity, equity and inclusion, and program development and implementation. Dr. Bryant has always been a fighter for individuals whose voices have been lost, ignored, or simply gone unheard. As a formerly incarcerated individual herself, Dr. Bryant knows firsthand that the needs of previously incarcerated women often go unacknowledged and unmet and stands in a position of responsibility for those coming after her. She is also committed to centering the voices of incarcerated women and girls in the work of the organization, building on a 17-year legacy of programs co-designed with the women they serve. A tireless advocate for those furthest from opportunity, Dr. Bryant serves on Seattle University’s Crime and Justice Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Board of the Community Foundation of Snohomish County, and as Board President of Arms Around You, a nonprofit organization focused on providing people impacted by the justice system with reentry resources and referrals. Dr. Bryant earned her PhD in Psychology from Grand Canyon University and a Master of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. Her dissertation was titled “Formerly Incarcerated Females’ Perception on Their Reentry Transition Back into Society: A Phenomenological Study.”
Melissa Hutchins
Melissa is the founder and CEO of Certifi, an AI startup dedicated to combating malicious deepfakes and protecting individuals from artificially manipulated content.
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With a background in Product Management for Fortune 500 companies, Melissa brings extensive experience in Machine Learning and API development for image processing technologies. This specialized expertise led her to recognize the growing threat of deepfakes, particularly their disproportionate impact on women and minors.
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As a founder who understands both the technical challenges and human impact of this issue, she is dedicated to creating a safer online environment through innovative technology and advocacy.
Priyanka Kulkarni
Priyanka Kulkarni is the Founder and CEO of Casium, an expedited business immigration company reimagining how exceptional global talent navigates the U.S. visa process. Backed by the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) Incubator, Casium emerged from Priyanka’s decade of leading applied AI research at Microsoft, where her teams translated cutting-edge AI into real-world impact.
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As an immigrant technologist, Priyanka knows the complexities of U.S. immigration firsthand. Through Casium, she merges human expertise with machine intelligence to dismantle legal barriers, enabling founders, researchers, and specialized professionals to build the future in the U.S. This forward-thinking approach has made her a trusted partner for venture capital firms, startups, and global businesses seeking top-tier talent.
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Beyond her work at Casium, Priyanka mentors high school students through the Big Brother Big Sister’s MentorU program, guiding them to discover their potential and chart meaningful paths to success.
Christy Johnson
Christy Johnson is an entrepreneur, educator, and advocate for financial literacy. As founder of Artemis Connection and faculty at Stanford GSB and University of Washington, she brings over 20 years of experience in business strategy and education. Her passion for financial education stems from witnessing economic challenges in rural Washington and her family's entrepreneurial journey. A former McKinsey consultant and National Teacher of the Year, Johnson has served on the Washington Council on Economics board for over two decades, championing universal access to personal finance education. She holds an MBA and M.Ed. from Stanford and has dedicated her career to addressing the unique financial challenges facing women, who often become their family's primary financial decision-makers.
Victoria Contreras
PERFORMER
Victoria Contreras is a powerhouse vocalist, songwriter, and advocate. She discovered music’s healing power early, performing in shelters and retirement homes. A gifted poet, she won creative competitions before blending her love for words and music. At 19, she moved to LA to collaborate with Grammy-winning songwriters, later working with industry giants like Steve Dorff and Ryan Hadlock. Her music has charted on Top 40 and Hot AC Radio, and her viral hit Done Playing Small has 1.4M+ views. As a Grammy Board Governor, she champions creators’ rights, shaping policies to sustain the music industry.