Phil is an activist and organizer based in Annapolis, MD. Beginning as a grassroots activist with Occupy DC and growing into being an organizer, Phil gained experience with Seattle based Backbone Campaign and their focus on creative, artful activism and high visibility tactics such as light projection, bannering, inflatables, and puppets and has a mind for creative and artful tactics. As Solidarity Brigade Coordinator with Backbone, Phil helped build and support teams in cities around the country to increase their capacity to deploy these high visibility tactics, and do coordinated actions on current issues.

He has collaborated with/assisted many different organizations with creative and technical assistance at actions over the years including Code Pink, Arm in Arm, Whole Washington, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Mighty Earth, 99% Pennsylvania, and many other groups large and small.

Phil Ateto is best described and likes to think of himself as the “Swiss Army Knife” of activists. Need a light projection on the side of a building? A truck-driver for a high stakes, high pressure action? A massive banner to hang off a building? A sound cart for your march? Phil is your guy.

He’s in his happy place when he’s in the streets organizing powerful direct actions with directly impacted communities, fighting for transformative political change.

In addition to his role as a movement MacGyver, Phil leads Re:Action’s street heat program. You can often find Phil and his team literally painting the nation’s capital with wheat pasted posters, stickers and banners.

Raised in Severn, MD, Phil is a graduate of Virginia Tech where he majored in International Studies.

Wayne Palmer Jr., is a Native Washingtonian, raised in N.E., Washington, D.C., and a multi-talented musician. He has exemplary relationships within the Community, through various Arts & Culture platforms.

Wayne Palmer Jr. has over 15 years combined experience in Communication, CustomerService, Public Service, Public Safety, Event Planning, Organizational Management, and Business Management. His skills were developed through an expansive knowledge of resources for private, commercial, organizational, and community engagements.

In addition, Wayne developed his skill for playing the drums within the church as a youth. He continued to develop his craft and went on to play the snare drum at Calvin Coolidge High School, where he learned and executed his musical talents by listening and engaging.

Next, transitioning to the local DC Culture music, (GOGo) he played in several local bands. He became member of the award winning TOB Band & Show, where he served his longest go-go tenure, as the drummer. Wayne played within the band for several years, until he became a mentor and manager to several bands, artists, and musicians.

Through this true passion, he joined The Long Live GoGo Organization as the Director of Production. In this position, he was directly responsible for the audio, visual, sound, equipment, and production for all programming and events.

His determination and passion for community work developed over the years through mentorship, partnership, and volunteering. This led him down the entrepreneurial path of starting a full production company,The Washington Source Sound & Production, LLC.

Currently, as the Production Director for several organizations, he is directly responsible for organizing the successful execution of all events. This includes, planning, coordinating accommodations, venues, food/catering, staffing/volunteers, audio, visual, sound, equipment, staging, lighting, and partnering with other organization departments as necessary. His mission is to execute unique experiences for all clients and to assist in bringing their visions to reality, leaving them with memories that will last a lifetime.

Patrick Young is a campaigner, organizer and researcher based in Washington, DC. He has spent 15 years working in the labor movement for the United Steelworkers, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

While at the Steelworkers, Patrick coordinated national contract campaigns, strikes and lockouts at some of the largest industrial employers in the United States. Notably, Patrick was the lead campaigner for the Steelworkers National Oil Bargaining Program through three rounds of contract negotiations with the US oil industry. Those negotiations covered 30,000 workers and culminated in the 12-week national oil refinery strike in 2015.

In recent years, Patrick has worked with a number of organizations including the Teamsters and the Athena Coalition to support workers at Amazon who are taking collective action to improve working conditions at the e-commerce titan. Patrick played a key role in analyzing health and safety performance at Amazon to illuminate the scale and scope of the injury epidemic workers face every day. That research work has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the BBC and a wide range of other outlets.

Patrick also has a long history of organizing dynamic and disruptive direct actions. For almost a decade, Patrick was an organizer with Rising Tide North America, a continent-wide climate justice organization that has played a major role in front-line fights against fossil fuel infrastructure including the Keystone XL Pipeline, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and fracking in the Marcellus Shale.

Patrick was one of the founders of ShutDownDC, an organizing space in Washington, DC that brings together individuals and organizations come together to plan and execute direct actions. ShutDownDC came together in the fall of 2019 in response to the Youth Climate Strikers call to action. That fall, ShutDownDC convened a wide range of social movement groups to blockade 23 intersections around Washington, DC —effectively shutting down business as usual in the nation’s capitol.

Since launching in 2019, ShutDownDC took action for protections for essential workers at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, mobilized in support of the Black Lives Matter uprising in the summer of 2020, organized to defend democracy in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, and mounted rapid response activities in response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

Katharina Maier is National Coordinator of Fridays for Future US. She is a youth climate activist and movement builder in the US, committed to driving tangible climate action in the world. Her journey has led her to develop a profound appreciation for the power of grassroots organizing and she focuses on the crucial behind-the-scenes work required to create a just and livable future for all.

As a climate activist, Kat recognizes the urgent need for collective action to address the pressing challenges of the climate crisis and the deep interconnectedness to many of the other pressing issues of our time. She focuses on shaking up the individual action narrative, empowering people to recognize their impacts, build people power together, and set up systems and frameworks that transform individual action into collective action into systemic change.

Kat's work extends beyond the public eye, as she recognizes that true change often lies in the details and the less visible aspects of activism. Whether it's managing networks, organizing events, coordinating campaigns, or developing comprehensive strategies, she is committed to the meticulous work required to lay the foundation for meaningful transformation.

Through her unwavering dedication, Kat exemplifies the spirit of youth activism and embodies the belief that every individual can contribute to building a sustainable future. Her behind-the-scenes efforts create platforms for change, empowerment to engage, and opportunities to create a better world for generations to come.