Speakers

Gilda (Gigi) Pedraza is the founder and executive director of the Latino Community Fund in Georgia, a direct service and philanthropic intermediary dedicated to accelerating positive and equitable change for Latinos in Georgia through its pillars: advancing people’s democracy, protecting and building communities, and expanding economic opportunity.

During her tenure, she has been successful at expanding knowledge of the Latino community in the state through various research projects and reports, uplifting immigrant and Latino leadership and contributions, and securing more than $13 million for the community.

Her work has been recognized with 2 Emmys for public information and human interest campaigns, and with many awards, including the 2023 Caminar Latino Journey Award, 2022 MLK Community Service Award from Emory University, 2022 Partner of the Year by the Georgia Hispanic Construction Association and the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, the 2018 NFL Hispanic Leadership Award, and inclusion in the Latino Hall of Fame in Georgia.

Ms. Pedraza is active in the community, and is involved with Kids in Need of Defense, Atlanta Speech School, Georgia Immigrant Rights Alliance, and Georgia Grantmakers Alliance. She lives in the Atlanta area with her two daughters.

Dejah N. Gay is an associate wealth advisor at Delta Community. As a woman of color, Ms. Gay celebrates bringing a unique perspective and cultural lens to her work that is not often represented in the financial services industry. She is dedicated to creating safe, welcoming spaces for her clients, with a particular focus on working professionals, first-generation wealth builders, and those preparing for retirement. Her approach balances the importance of enjoying today while planning for tomorrow, offering a blend of left-brain financial acumen and right-brain empathy and service.

She holds a BA from Spelman and an MA from the University of Cincinnati, and she is a Certified Financial Planner. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé and their Frenchie, Bleu.

Scot Lockman is the acquisitions librarian for the DeKalb County Public Library. He has worked for the library system for 16 years, first as a librarian at the Clarkston, Scott Candler, and Tucker-Reid H. Cofer branches, and then as a staff trainer. In his current position, he is responsible for managing the library's eBook and eAudiobook collections in Libby, supervising the acquisition of print and AV materials, and working with database vendors.