Dr. Ksenija Komljenović from Belgrade, Serbia is a prizewinner of the International Percussion Competition Luxembourg and is a percussionist, educator and composer. Ksenija’s musical journey has taken her across continents, performing, teaching and studying in Europe, the United States and Asia. She holds the distinction of being the first woman from Serbia to earn a Doctor of Musical Arts in Percussion Degree. In Fall of 2023, Ksenija joined the esteemed faculty at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, following four years of teaching at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. In recent years, she has been recognized for her performances in Hong Kong, England, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Poland. As a performer and an educator, she has presented hundreds of concerts and conducted more than 50 masterclasses, continuing her mission to mentor aspiring musicians worldwide. Ksenija lives in Winston-Salem with her husband. She is an avid reader and is currently working on a book of her own.
Laura Craig is the Chief Operating Officer for American Conservation Experience. She has recently been appointed President in addition to her current role as Chief Operating Officer. Laura joined the organization in January of 2022 as Chief Financial Officer and has continued to expand her footprint within the organization to oversee finances, information technology, human resources, risk management, facilities and operational activities. Laura Craig has more than 25 years of nonprofit accounting and financial management experience including serving as a Chief Financial Officer for 16 years. Laura has a master’s degrees in community economic development and accounting, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance. American Conservation Experience is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit conservation corps that recruits, trains and mobilizes more than 1,000 young adult volunteers annually to complete conservation projects across the United States benefiting public lands.
Liyu Nalven was born in a small village in southern China, where she grew up under extreme poverty and hardship, only made worse by her family’s punishment for disobeying China’s one child policy. In order to pay the 500-yuan fine, the family was forced to sell their home, leaving no other option than to live for the next three years in a windowless, mud-walled pigsty. In spite of great challenges, Liyu worked hard to earn an accounting degree, followed by a degree in international business from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. After working for 15 years, Liyu immigrated to North Carolina in 2011, and became a United States citizen in 2016. Together with her husband, Gary, Liyu co-founded Linor Technology in 2012. For the first two years, Liyu and Gary worked more than 10 hours a day, seven days a week to bring the business to life. Today, as President and 51% owner of Linor Technology, Liyu oversees financial planning, budget management, sales and marketing, and export strategy — overseeing a staff of 11 employees. Liyu has a daughter, Jen, a high school senior in Winston Salem. Liyu’s hobbies include flower gardening, cooking and travel.
