Featured Speakers
Richard Reeves
Founding President, American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM)
Richard Reeves is the founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM), which he launched in 2023 to address the challenges facing boys and men through evidence-based research.
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His 2022 book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It, was described as a “landmark” in The New York Times and named a book of the year by both The Economist and The New Yorker. He is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution in Washington, D.C., where he previously directed the Future of the Middle-Class Initiative and the Center on Children and Families.
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His current research priorities include the impact and importance of fatherhood and gender gaps in education.
Sen. Ruben Gallego
U.S. Senator (AZ)
Born the son of immigrants and raised by a single mom, Ruben knows what it means to live the American Dream. After growing up poor and working every job he could find to help support his mom and three sisters – at a pizza joint, construction sites, and a meat-packing plant – Ruben became a first-generation college student, graduating from Harvard University.
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Motivated to give back to the country that had given him such opportunities, Ruben enlisted in the Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq in 2005 as an infantryman, serving with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines.
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His Company saw some of the worst fighting of the Iraq War, losing 22 Marines and Navy Corpsman to enemy action in eight months. Following his experience in Iraq, Ruben committed to ensuring that servicemen and women are never sent into harm’s way without a plan for winning the fight and securing their well-being.
Ruben was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 where he pushed to expand Medicaid and worked across the aisle to secure in-state tuition for all veterans.
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In 2014, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Over his ten years in the House, Ruben fought tirelessly for hardworking Arizonans – distinguishing himself as the highest-ranking Latino on the House Armed Services Committee and defending Arizona’s water supply and natural beauty as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee.
In November 2024, Ruben was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in on January 3, 2025, with the promise to fight for all Arizonans.
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Ruben lives in South Phoenix with his wife, Sydney, sons Michael and Cooper, and daughter, Isla.
Zac Clark
Founder and CEO of Release Recovery, mental health advocate, and host of The Zac Clark Show podcast
Zac is a multi-dimensional business executive with over a decade of professional experience in the behavioral health field. As Founder and CEO of Release Recovery and the founding board member for Release Recovery Foundation, he is dedicated to providing comprehensive, innovative, and individualized care to all those in need. Having started in direct client care and quickly evolving into senior leadership positions, Zac has a strong understanding of the many facets of the recovery industry, including the nonprofit sector. His entrepreneurial endeavors, partnered with his commitment to high quality care, continue to expand Release’s growth and impact.
Vansh Malik
Student Panelist
Vansh is a member of Sigma Chi at Santa Clara University, where he studies environmental studies and political science (graduating Spring 2026). He is a two-time Chapter President.
Colin Shea
Student Panelist
Colin is a member of Phi Delta Theta at Cal Poly-SLO where he studyies business administration and entrepreneurship (graduating Spring 2026). He is a former Chapter President and IFC President.
