Obama Scholars Forum: Igniting Civic Engagement for a Stronger Democracy

Jibreel Jalloh

Founder & Executive Director

The Flossy Organization

Jibreel Jalloh founded The Flossy Organization to dismantle inequities through local change-making tactics, civic engagement, and collective action. Through his work, Jibreel is building a grassroots movement of informed advocates who have the skills they need to change their communities from within. Their partnership with local residents in Canarsie successfully prevented the installation of a pesticide facility in their community, and they have trained hundreds of New Yorkers to lead issue-based movements on causes ranging from anti-gun violence to climate justice. Jibreel plans to build on his work by leveraging AI-powered technology to enhance The Flossy Organization’s advocacy work and expand its reach to marginalized communities. Jibreel seeks to use the Scholars program to develop this novel blend of technology and grassroots advocacy in an effort to transform passive community members into active changemakers.

Jibreel is a social entrepreneur and veteran community organizer, recognized through numerous awards and fellowships, including the New York City Urban Fellowship, New Leaders Council Institute, Edwin Gould Foundation Accelerator, Communitas Ventures Accelerator, and the 4.0 Fellowship. His experience includes participating in the Edward T. Rogowsky program, where he served in the U.S. House of Representatives on Capitol Hill. Previously, he worked in the President’s Office at the Open Society Foundations and in the Mayor’s Executive Office at New York City Hall. Jibreel contributes a weekly column for the Canarsie Courier. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics from CUNY Baruch College and is a candidate for a master’s degree at New York University.

Stefania Kapronczay

Director of Strategy

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

Stefania Kapronczay is the director of strategy at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and has spent over a decade as a human rights defender working to advance lasting democratic change. Under her leadership, the organization grew from a legal aid service that focused on litigation to a social change organization that supports grassroots movements with the aim of inspiring hope in democracy for the Hungarian public. Every year, they provide individual legal advice in more than 4,000 cases and representation in 120 cases, and nearly half a million people read their know-your-rights materials. They work to reduce exclusionary practices by public organizations, especially for poor, disabled, and Roma people. In a context where its citizens have lower participation in public life and low trust in institutions, Stefania sees the importance of expanding her organization’s rural outreach to promote positive messages of active citizenship. She plans to use her time in the Scholars program to increase her organization’s capacity to build consensus across lines of difference and leverage storytelling tools to bring about a belief in the possibility of change in Hungary and across the world.

Stefania has a juris doctor in law from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest and a master’s degree in law from Stanford Law School. She was a German Marshall Fellow and a European Young Leader.

Flavio Pantosti

Co-Founder

Officine Italia

Flavio Proietti Pantosti co-founded Officine Italia with the goal of revitalizing the declining civil society and public sectors in Italy. The organization supports the development and recruitment of the next generation of Italian public sector leaders with a focus on climate, digital transformation, and inclusion. Their programs have a strong cross-sector approach, having reached more than 130,000 youth, and involved more than 70 public, private, and third sector institutions. In response to the government's struggle to attract talent in public sector roles and keep pace with innovation, he leveraged his previous government experience to develop a fellowship for future policymakers. Following their fellowship, 91% of the ministry stakeholders found value in the fellows’ participation, and 83% of fellows expressed intentions to contribute to public administration projects beyond the program. With this momentum, Officine is working across the country in service of reigniting interest in public service in Italy. Through his work, Flavio aims to shape Officine into Italy’s foremost capacity-building initiative. He will dedicate his time in the Scholars program to bridging the gap between policy and action, with a focus on addressing climate challenges and developing strategies to equip future policymakers to strengthen democracy in Italy.

Flavio holds two master’s degrees, one in finance and one in law from Roma Tre University and is a qualified lawyer in Italy. He served as Special Advisor to the Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility and founded Reoassunto, an organization delivering digital training to inmates in order to reduce repeat felony rates. His prior experience spans consulting and research projects and strategic design.

Andrés Peñas

Co-founder & Executive Director

CIVIX Colombia

Andrés Sáenz Peñas is the co-founder and executive director of CIVIX Colombia, working to strengthen democracy in Colombia by preparing youth to become active, engaged, and informed citizens. Andrés leads efforts to bring democracy to life in the classroom through experiential learning initiatives, such as voting simulations, youth leadership programs, and media literacy projects to instill democratic principles in students. Through partnerships with the Secretariats of Education, CIVIX works directly with 830 schools across 173 cities in Colombia, providing teachers with training, curriculum materials, textbooks, and virtual visual aids to implement their programs. Andrés plans to use his time in the Scholars program to prepare to scale his organization regionally and become the largest civic education organization in Latin America.

Andrés holds a master’s degree in development and governance from Duisburg-Essen University in Germany and a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations from the Universidad Externado de Colombia. He participated in the U.S. Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, the Acumen Fellows Program, and Canada’s Emerging Leaders in the Americas program.