Our Team

Hassan Bazzi is the Director of Community Innovation at Forward Cities, a national learning network that equips cities and micropolitans across the U.S. with tools and resources to accelerate inclusive innovation and grow and sustain more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems.  In this role he oversees the delivery of the national entrepreneurial ecosystem capacity-building engagements in the national network of cities. Hassan is an entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial ecosystem builder.  Prior to joining Forward Cities, Hassan served for over a decade in Detroit’s non-profit sector working in partnership and collaboration with philanthropy, government and the private sector on ecosystem building projects, cross-sector economic development initiatives including commercial corridor development, talent pipeline development, and entrepreneur and small business development initiatives aimed at catalyzing neighborhood based businesses and under-resourced entrepreneurs.  Hassan serves as a Kauffman Foundation ESHIP Champion along with ecosystem builders from around the world who champion entrepreneurial ecosystem building.  He is an alum of Leadership Detroit, an Aspen Ideas Scholar, and serves on a number of boards including Eastern Market Corp. and Venture for America–Detroit.

Kim Louis is an entrepreneur and nonprofit director in New Kensington, PA with 25 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector and with at-risk youth. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry from Trinity School for Ministry. She has worked as a Behavioral Specialist in autism for Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and a Youth Ministry Consultant for the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh. She is the Founding director of Sonward Youth Programs in New Kensington, PA, working with kids in the neighborhoods with the highest poverty rates in the county. She created a tiered mentorship program where kids can move from participants to interns to staff. Currently, the daily operations of the program are partially run by staff who started out as program participants. Kim has been married to her husband, Dave, since 2004 and together they are raising their four adopted children who are all middle school aged. She is a resident of New Kensington and hopes to be able to bring innovative redevelopment to her community through her work with Forward Cities.

Kaliah Ligon, the Indianapolis Inclusive Innovation Fellow, has served the Indianapolis community for the past ten years in several roles in grant-making, community building, outreach and organizing. Having worked for the city’s public transit system as the manager of outreach, Indiana’s largest non-profit hospital system as a community outreach project manager, and a capacity building director for a grassroots leadership development organization, Kaliah has touched the lives of thousands of Indianapolis residents. Kaliah is skilled in facilitating effective meetings, analytical and strategic thinking, and building relationships. Kaliah studied at the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs earning a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in policy analysis. Kaliah is married to her childhood sweetheart, Chris, and they have three children ages 20, 15, and 13. She enjoys traveling and meeting new people. Her favorite side hustle is driving for Uber and Lyft rideshare services.

Gabriel Muñoz is Kansas City’s Inclusive Innovation Fellow. As a Fellow, he serves as the central project manager for the “Forward Cities Community Innovation Accelerator” – a structured strategic planning, investment, and implementation process.

Prior to his role as a Fellow, he served as the Director of Sales and Small Business Advising for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City. In his role, he was responsible for cultivating and maintaining relationships with start-ups, government/non-profit agencies, community leaders and corporate America. During his 12 years at the HCC, he assisted over 1,000 micro-enterprises in getting licensed, certified as M/WBEs and connected in the community.

In addition, Gabe serves on various community boards and committees including Junior Achievement, Big Brothers Big Sisters Diversity Task Force, Olathe Latino Coalition, Olathe Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee, Minority Business Coalition, KCK Public Schools Economic Inclusion Committee. He is also the Founder of the Young Latino Professionals of Kansas City and Founding member of Starlight Theater Young Professionals.

Gabriel is the 2nd oldest of 9 children, was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas and has resided in Kansas City for 12+ years. He is a first-generation college graduate. Gabriel holds an associate’s degree from Allen County Community College, where he graduated summa cum laude and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance and entrepreneurship from Washburn University, where he graduated magna cum laude. Gabe is an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, Royals & KU Basketball. In his free time, you can find him playing soccer and spending time with his wife, Julia, and their four children, Devin, Diego, Daisy and Desiree.

LC Johnson is an award-winning writer, entrepreneur, and activist with a passion for uplifting and empowering women and communities of color. She is a recognized subject matter expert whose work and writings on the topic of race and gender have appeared in outlets such as Forbes Magazine, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, and Policy Mic. In addition to over ten years of experience developing and facilitating entrepreneurship, economic development, and social justice initiatives in a diverse range of communities, she is the founder of Zora’s House – a coworking and community space whose mission is to provide women of color with the clarity, confidence, and connections they need to amplify their authentic voices; grow and contribute their talents; and powerfully transform their lives, careers, and communities.

LC resides in Columbus, OH with her husband, her two-year-old son, and their dog Huey. When not at work LC enjoys reading, watching comic book movies, drinking beer, road trips, and eating ALL OF THE THINGS.

Megan comes to Forward Cities with over 15 years of non-profit experience including program design, storytelling, grassroots fundraising, communications and program management. Before becoming our ESHIP Communications Manager, Megan directly supported conscious and social entrepreneurs as a transformational coach. Megan is excited to uplift the stories of our diverse ecosystem builders, community leaders and entrepreneurs, while continuing to support the creation of healthy entrepreneurial ecosystems in our Forward Cities’ partner communities.

She is also a passionate and dedicated community builder, healer, storyteller, conscious co-creator and founder. Her life values are centered around compassion, love, honoring intuition, excellence, curiosity, community building and racial, economic and social justice. Megan is the founder of Dreams Followed, a community accelerator that empowers emerging change-makers with financial and strategic support, mentorship and coaching while they develop and implement their positive and powerful community programs, solutions and visions.

Her background includes a Masters of Science in Social Work with a concentration in Non-profit Management from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (2009) and a Bachelors in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College in Richmond Indiana (2000).

Feel free to contact Megan at [email protected] with any questions or just to say Hello!