As the eighth President of Georgia State University, Dr. M. Brian Blake oversees the State of Georgia’s largest university spanning 6 campuses and a community of nearly 55,000 students and 10,000 faculty and staff. Georgia State is the largest land owner in the center of downtown Atlanta with 5 other campuses around the city’s perimeter. Georgia State is one of the most ethnically and socioeconomically diverse Research-1 universities in the Nation. With more than 23,000 Black and African-American students, the university graduates more Black students than any other non-profit institution in the Nation. Dr. Blake introduced a strategic vision for Georgia State that emphasizes four pillars: Research and Innovation, Student Success, College to Careers, and Identity and Placemaking.

As an academic, Dr. Blake has held appointments in the Departments of Computer Science, Software Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. As a scholar, Dr. Blake is most known for his contributions to the areas of internet computing and software engineering. He has authored or co-authored over 250 journal articles, books/book chapters, and refereed conference/workshop papers. Dr. Blake has a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Mercer University, and Ph.D. in Software Engineering from George Mason University. Dr. Blake lives in Atlanta with his wife, Dr. Bridget Blake, and their two sons.

Andrew Young is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Dillard University, Howard University – where he was a member of the varsity swimming team – and Hartford, Connecticut Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a minister in 1955, and his first pastoral assignment was deep in rural Southwest Georgia in Thomasville in Thomas County. From there, he and his young family moved to New York City where he worked on the staff of the National Council of Churches before returning to Georgia to help lead “citizenship schools” that had been established to tutor African-Americans in literacy, organizing, and leadership skills. It was that work which introduced him to the then recently-founded Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He became a member of SCLC and began working with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the rest is history!

Rev. Young ultimately became SCLC’s Executive Director and, later, Executive Vice President. However, it was as a top lieutenant and right-hand to Dr. King throughout the revolutionary American Civil Rights Movement that Andrew Young became known far and wide as “The Great Negotiator”! From his great service and sacrifices in The Civil Rights Movement, Andrew Young went on to be elected as the first African-American to represent Georgia in the U.S. Congress since Reconstruction – appointed by President Carter as the first African-American to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – and elected as Mayor of Atlanta. Ambassador Young is married to Carolyn McClain Young. Young continues to call Atlanta home where he lives with his wife, Carolyn McClain Young. He is the father of three daughters and one son and the grandfather of eight and great grandfather of one.

Jasmine Crowe is an award-winning social entrepreneur, children’s book author, TED Speaker, and determined leader working to better the world one cause at a time. In 2017, after years of feeding people experiencing homelessness from her own kitchen, Jasmine launched Goodr, a sustainable waste management company that leverages technology to combat hunger and food waste reduction. She has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Fast Co., New York Times and on CNBC. She has been named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top100 Influential Female Founders. Under Jasmine’s leadership, Goodr has redirected over 20 million pounds of surplus food from event centers, airports, and businesses to people who are food insecure.

In addition, Goodr launched a grocery delivery program that provides free weekly groceries to thousands of senior citizens and students. Most recently, the company implemented its first no-cost, grocery store for a Title 1 School and senior facility. Goodr HQ is based in Atlanta, Georgia and operates nationally in 20 other cities. Goodr clients include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Six Flags Over Georgia, City of Dallas, City of Denver to name a few.

Egbert L. J. Perry, a native of Antigua and Barbuda, is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Integral Group, a company he co-founded in 1993. Integral is a 300-person, community development and commercial real estate development & investment company with projects and investments in more than 18 U.S. cities from as far west as San Francisco, California to as far east as Baltimore, Maryland. Under Perry, Integral has earned a solid reputation as an innovative developer and investor with public and private partners and investors alike.

Credited with the community development strategy dubbed “The Atlanta Model,” Perry first conceived and then led Integral in collaboration with the company’s public-sector partner to create a legal, regulatory, and financial model that made holistic, mixed-income community developments a legal and financial possibility. The strategy facilitates market rate and affordable rental and for-sale housing, and commercial and retail uses, complemented by early childhood and K-12 education solutions, health, wellness & recreation facilities, and services that help families access job training and employment while pursuing self-sufficiency. The tenets of the model have been replicated more than 250 times across the country. Integral has an estimated $2B of completed or under development work.

Mr. Perry actively serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Boards of the Atlanta Business League, Central Atlanta Progress, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Centennial Academy Charter School, the Carter Center, and the Penn Institute for Urban Research. In addition to his service on the board of Fannie Mae, he also served on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Atlanta Life Financial Group, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Atlanta International School, and Literacy Action. Mr. Perry received both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania’s Towne School of Engineering, and a Master of Business Administration degree with majors in Finance and Accounting from its Wharton School.

Robert J. Yancy is a partner in Dobbs Business Associates, a boutique consulting firm. He is a former Chairman of the Atlanta Chapter of SCORE, (a strategic partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration). He was the 1st African American to serve in that position, and he earned two Platinum Awards during his three-year tenure.

In 1986, Yancy became founding Dean of the School of Management, at Southern Polytechnic State University (now Kennesaw State University). (He was the 1st African American Dean of Business for a traditionally white college/university in the state of Georgia, and 1st African American to earn tenue at Southern Polytechnic State University). During his tenure at Southern Tech, he was elected “Outstanding Faculty” and to the “University System of Georgia Hall of Fame”.

Prior to working at Southern Polytechnic, he served the faculties of the University of West Georgia, (1st African American on Business School Faculty), Clark Atlanta University, Hampton University, Albany State University, and Southern University.

He has a number of research publications relating to small business and management, including a six-part series entitled “Managing Business” that appeared in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, and a book entitled Federal Government Policy and Black Business Enterprise. He also co-authored (with Dr. Edward D. Irons) a series of case studies on African American entrepreneurs. As a doctoral student, he served as research assistant to President Richard Nixon’s “National Advisory Council on Minority Business Enterprise”.

Dr. Yancy’s business experience includes the following: partner in Park Space (now the Parking Spot), an airport shuttle parking facility in Atlanta; ownership/management of residential rental properties, President and CEO of ZEBRA Corp., a manufacturer of industrial paints and coatings, and consultant with FRANNET (a franchise sales organization).

Dr. Yancy has participated in the Babson College, “Seminar in Entrepreneurial Education” and has done post-graduate work in the field of Higher Education Administration. He earned the B.A. degree from Morehouse College, the M.B.A. from Atlanta University, and the (1st African American) Ph.D. from the Kellogg School of Management, at Northwestern University.

Dr. Yancy is a former member of the Board of Directors of 100 Black Men of Atlanta. He is also an active member of a number of civic and community-oriented organizations including Kellogg Alumni Association (past President), Leadership Atlanta Alumni, Leadership Cobb, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. He is listed in a number of reference publications, including: Alfred Nelson

Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Who’s Who in Finance and Industry in America,” “Outstanding Young Man in America,” “Who’s Who in the South and Southwest,” the “International Directory of Distinguished Leadership,” “Black Georgian of the Year in Business,” “Pioneer Businessman of the Year’,” “Living Legends in Black.” “Beta Gamma Sigma” Business Honorary Society, and “Men of Influence in Atlanta”. In 2015 as he was recognized as “Minority Business Champion of the Year” by the Georgia District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Dr. Yancy’s portrait is on permanent display in the Kennesaw State University, Zuckerman Museum, in recognition of his contributions to the goals of diversity and inclusion for the university.

A trifecta of community, commerce and compassion, Pinky Cole is a serial entrepreneur, brand strategist and founder & visionary of Bar Vegan, Slutty Vegan ATL – a nationally acclaimed, Atlanta-based burger joint offering creative takes on plant-based burgers with racy names like Sloppy Toppy, Fussy Hussy and One Night Stand – and The Pinky Cole Foundation. Born and raised in East Baltimore, Cole started her entrepreneurial journey early through creating business plans and side-hustles with friends and family members during high school. She moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University, and while she quickly became enamored with the city, she decided to pursue acting in Los Angeles upon graduation and later went on to become a successful television producer in New York City and Connecticut.

She eventually made her first foray into the culinary world with her popular restaurant, Pinky’s Jamaican and American Restaurant in New York, which tragically burned down. Soon after, Pinky relocated to Atlanta where she came up with the idea for Slutty Vegan during a late-night craving for mouthwatering vegan fast food. From there, she started cooking vegan burgers in a shared kitchen in August 2018, and the Slutty Vegan empire was born. Slutty Vegan has five brick-and-mortar locations in Georgia including outposts in the Edgewood, Jonesboro, Duluth, West View, and Athens neighborhoods, with additional stores that have been announced for Birmingham, Alabama, and Brooklyn, New York.

Andre Dickens is the 61st Mayor of Atlanta. A proud native of Atlanta and a product of Atlanta Public Schools, Mayor Dickens is focused on bringing opportunity and equity to the city that he loves.Mayor Dickens’ agenda is rooted in Moving Atlanta Forward, through improving public safety, increasing opportunities for the city’s young people, empowering neighborhoods, and investing in housing and combatting homelessness, all while fostering a culture of integrity in the City. Mayor Dickens was sworn in as Mayor in January 2022. Early accomplishments include making the City’s first-ever investment in early childhood education; the establishment of the Nightlife Division to address establishments with a history of high crime; the reestablishment of the Pothole Posse to rapidly respond to residents’ reports; and leading the successful coalition to keep Atlanta whole in opposition to a de-annexation effort.Prior to his election as Mayor, Dickens served eight years as an at-large City Council member. He was an entrepreneur for over a decade in both the private and nonprofit sectors and a leader in Atlanta’s tech sector. Mayor Dickens is a graduate of Mays High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as a Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University.Mayor Dickens enjoys spending time with his daughter, experiencing live music, attending church services, and traveling the world. He is an avid supporter of all of Atlanta’s sports teams.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is the Centennial Chair at Vanderbilt University and serves as University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School. He is also a New York Times contributing opinion writer, and a contributing editor of The New Republic, and of ESPN’s The Undefeated website. His rise from humble roots in Detroit to his present perch as a world class intellectual, noted author of 21 books, prominent leader and national media fixture testify to his extraordinary talent. Dyson has also taught at other elite universities like Georgetown University as a sociology professor, Brown University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University and The University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Dyson has won many prestigious honors, including an American Book Award and two NAACP Image Awards. Ebony magazine cited him as one of the 100 most influential African Americans, and as one of the 150 most powerful blacks in the nation.

Dyson’s influence has spread far beyond the academy in his roles of renowned orator, highly sought-after lecturer, and ordained Baptist minister. For the last quarter of a century, Dyson has also enlivened public debate across the media landscape on every major television and radio show in the country, from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to Real Time with Bill Maher, from Good Morning America to The Today Show, from NPR’s All Things Considered to its Talk of the Nation, from the Tavis Smiley Show to Def Poetry Jam, from This Week with George Stephanopoulos to Meet the Press, and Face the Nation — and several programs on ESPN.

Dyson’s pioneering scholarship has had a profound effect on American ideas. His 1994 book Making Malcolm: The Myth and Meaning of Malcolm X, was named one of the most important African American books of the 20th century and was also named a “Notable Book of the year” by the New York Times. According to book industry bible Publisher’s Weekly, Dyson’s 2001 book, Holler if You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur, helped to make books on hip hop commercially viable.

Dyson’s recent book, Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America, is a testament to Dyson’s consistent celebration of the outsized impact of African American culture and politics on this country. His other book, JAY-Z: Made in America, was named one of Washington Post’s 50 notable works of nonfiction in 2019. Dyson shares the impact Jay-Z has on America with his rapping and how he used his poetic talent to weave politics in his music, making important statements on race and social injustice. Dyson’s eloquent writing has inspired Vanity Fair magazine to describe him as “one of the most graceful and lucid intellectuals writing on race and politics today.”

Arian Simone is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, best-selling author, and international speaker. Arian is the Co-Founder and General Partner of the Fearless Fund, a $25MM venture capital fund investing in women of color-led businesses seeking pre-seed, seed level, or series A financing. She is also on the board of directors for the fashion brand Steve Madden.

She received her MBA from Florida A&M University and has more than 17 years of entrepreneurial experience from pioneering and growing a successful PR and marketing firm that included billion-dollar corporate clients, such as Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Universal, and more to founding the Fearless Platform in 2010 with a mission of inspiring entrepreneurial women.

Stokley is a multi-Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, and percussionist.  He is best known as the Former Lead Singer and studio drummer of the legendary band, Mint Condition.  In 2017, he launched his solo career with the release of Introducing Stokley.

In 2019, after partnering with celebrated music veterans Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis through his deal through Blu Raff, Stokley received his first #1 single with the infectious song “She.”  He also released his single, “Vibrant,” with global music legend Snoop Dogg.  His current single “Cascade” features R&B siren, The Bonfyre, and is currently in the Top 10 on both the Billboard and Mediabase R&B Airplay charts.  Stokley is preparing to release his sophomore album, Sanfoka, slated for a summer release.

Julie Dexter is a world renowned, award winning, British singer, songwriter, and producer. She is one of an elite few, whose talent can transcend genres. She has shared the spotlight with a host of cutting-edge artists, including Mint Condition, Caron Wheeler, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway, Omar, Ledisi, Doug Carn, Third World and Maxi Priest to name a few.

Dexter was recently honored at the Black Women in Jazz Awards with the Afro Caribbean Soul of Jazz Award. It was in 1999 that she moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she now resides. She launched her own label, Ketch A Vibe Records and in 2000 released the critically acclaimed EP Peace of Mind, followed by Dexterity (2002), Conscious (2005) and New Again (2011). Her single, “Ketch A Vibe” was featured in national radio ads for then Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama.

“Immanuel” is an internationally distributed recording artist with over 40 years of experience formulating and leading music ensembles and groups. In 2019, he received the honor of Instrumentalist of the Year from the Gospel Choice Music Awards. In 2020, Immanuel received a grant from Fulton County Arts and Culture for his Youth & Young Adult Mentoring Program “Walking with the Wind” honoring Congressman John Lewis.

In 2022, “Immanuel” was awarded the South Arts Jazz Roads Tour Grant enabling his group to tour the historic Hilton Head and Saint Helena Islands, during the Juneteenth weekend. Immanuel is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although starting out as a percussionist, he gravitated towards the flute and saxophones. He became an integral part of the Philadelphia contemporary music scene. Immanuel now resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Naturally Blessed was founded in 2011 by Rolandria Boyce. She is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. As a child, she attended a church which integrated the cultural arts element into the spiritual experience. In middle school, she studied under the tutelage of Donna Todd, Director of the Sculpture Essence Dance Company. As a student, she was introduced to numerous dance genres including ballet, jazz, contemporary and African.

She desires to create a space for artistic expression among mature women. The group is composed of women who believe in the impact of dance. This group has performed in a variety of locales ranging from local schools to the Broadway stage. Collectively, they have more than 25 years of dance experience. Naturally Blessed embraces the opportunity to tell stories through intricately woven movement and inspirational music.

World renowned saxophonist Mike Phillips is known as one of the most electrifying instrumentalists today.  Mike is the first musician signed by Michael Jordan to the Nike Jordan Brand.  He is the only musician in the world to have recorded and toured with the legendary “Big Three” of American soul and pop music: Michael Jackson, Prince, and Stevie Wonder, not only as a member of the band, but as a featured soloist.  Mike toured for nearly two years as part of the band for Michael Jackson: The IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil.

Phillips is also no stranger to performing in the professional sports world.  His version of the National Anthem during the 2016 NFC Championship game sent shockwaves throughout the NFL.  It has been deemed one of the best instrumental anthems ever done.  Mike has also played three Halftime NFL shows with various artists and served as Music Director for the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration for two consecutive years.

Phillips has also served as Musical Director and Host of the popular BET television show, Lyric Café.  His other television performances have included the Grammys, the Soul Train Awards and Mike’s World on the BET network channel Centric where millions of viewers saw his hosting skills.

Each of his solo albums have all debuted in the Top #5 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart.

DJ Labonita is originally from California, but now resides in Atlanta. She first got her start in radio as a teenager. She joined the Regional Occupational Program at her middle school. Labonita got involved in Radio/TV Production courses to further master her DJing skills. At just 13 years of age, DJ Labonita started a Teen Talk Radio show in Sacramento, California. Her initiative and creativity gained her Father’s attention and he decided to further invest in his daughter’s DJing gift. Noting her talent, he passed down a pair of Technic 1200 Turntables and gifted a mixer to her. As she grew older, DJ Labonita, she started doing traffic mixes as she evolved into a Radio Personality for stations. Labonita travels worldwide securing a variety of DJing experiences including corporate and leisure. Her passion has been to provide for a global audience.

Frank Ski, has been called “a rainmaker of urban radio” because he connects with his audience and increases ratings. With a distinctive style and sense of humor, Ski balances music with celebrity guests and discussions of culture, local and national headlines, and topical subject matter that means the most to the listeners and viewers. Once he turns off the board at the end of his show, his passion for connecting with the audience continues dozens of times a month out in the community. He is a radio broadcaster best known for hosting The Frank Ski Show for the past three decades. The up-tempo lifestyle program is designed to entertain, inspire, and inform every day. Atlanta’s V-103 and KISS 104.1, Washington, DC’s WHUR, and Baltimore’s V103 and 92Q have all placed their trust in him, where they experienced record-breaking Arbitron ratings during his broadcast time. Frank Ski’s career has evolved from a disc jockey and recording artist to a radio, film and T.V. personality, motivational speaker, journalist, producer as well as a philanthropist working to help children and, most importantly, a devoted father.

DJ Toomp (Aldrin Davis) is a masterful 3x Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum record producer, songwriter, and DJ.  The son of a soul singer, Toomp grew up in Southwest Atlanta, GA surrounded by music.  He realized at an early age that he had a special appreciation for baselines, pianos, horns, and strings.  These sounds would later influence his custom timbre and trademark drum patterns.

As a teenager, Toomp began his path to being one of the most sought-after DJs in Atlanta through self-taught, innovative turntable sequences and a unique flow.  Inspired by the New York sounds in the ‘80s, he incorporated sound layers and various beats to help craft the early Southern Hip Hop genre.  During his senior year of high school, he won a major DJ battle at one of the largest venues in Atlanta.  That win showcased his talent and he was quickly approached by recording artist MC Shy-D, who invited Toomp to join him as a DJ on his tour in Nassau, Bahamas.

While in Miami, DJ Toomp had the opportunity to tour with 2 Live Crew and to be mentored by Uncle Luke regarding label management.  He was afforded the opportunity to make significant contributions to the New Jack City soundtrack while living there.

After returning to Atlanta to explore the evolving music scene, DJ Toomp developed a partnership with Atlanta rapper, T.I. which resulted in Toomp getting signed with LaFace Records.

DJ Toomp boasts a masterful collection of collaborations with recording artists including: 2Chainz, Ludacris, Jeezy, Lil Jon, Bone Crusher, Mariah Carey, DJ Khalid, Jay-Z, Kanye, Rick Ross, Rihanna, Nas, Pitbull, Glasses Malone, Wale, T-Pain, 8Ball and MJG, Organized Noize, The Game, Ari Lennox, Black Jak, Da Back Wudz and Twisted Black.

DJ Toomp has reached one of music’s highest pinnacles from being an award recipient, to having hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and more than 80 discography credits for production, writing and arrangement, performance, and remixes.  He is a three-time Grammy Award recipient for the 2006 Best Rap Song “Goodlife” by T.I., 2006 Best Rap Solo Performance, “What You Know” by T.I. and the 2007 Best Rap Song “Good Life” by Kanye West.  He was also nominated for a Grammy for the song, “U Don’t Know Me” also by rapper, T.I.

DJ Tron started spinning in Queens NY.  After honing his skills spinning in the local parks, talent shows and house parties he began creating a strong following in Queens.  By the time DJ Tron graduated high school, he was a well-known DJ on the New York music scene.  He had an uncanny ability to enliven parties, create hot mixtapes and demonstrate his quick-handed skills on the turntables.

After graduating high school in Jamaica Queens, DJ Tron attended Morehouse College in Atlanta GA.  DJ Tron performed for the local Atlanta college scene for such higher institutions such as Spelman, Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, and Morehouse College.  He has also spun at Emory University and Georgia State University.

Following his matriculation from Morehouse College, DJ Tron dominated the Atlanta hip-hop scene.  He performed at some of the city’s hottest events such as the Fridays at the Shark Bar, 1st Friday Atlanta, Speak Easy Thursdays, Funkjazzkafe, Fridays at Dave & Buster’s (Cobb County, GA), Barley’s, and Old School Saturdays.

To create more impact, DJ Tron founded the Urban Legends DJs, a collective of hot DJs that have skills creating mixtapes, club DJing and radio experience.  The organization is responsible for promoting events, breaking new records, creating mixes and hype parties.  DJ Tron and The Urban Legends Djs aim to expand nationally and internationally to continue championing entrepreneurship, creativity, and hip-hop.

Currently, Tron has a nationally broadcasted mix show on cable TV’s Music Choice HipHop/R&B Channel.

Eclectic powerhouse performer Joya Bravo combines her Jamaican roots, Atlanta, upbringing and her native New York style in all of her unique performances.

This vocalist, rapper, actress and classically trained violinist has traveled to, and done music work in many countries and states including Brazil, Germany , the UK, Japan, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Orlando, Los Cabos Mexico, Jamaica and New York City.

She has been fortunate to have many large brand partnerships and performances under her belt including, but not limited to McDonalds, Mazda, Target, NAACP, Kipling, Diesel, Jameson, Facebook, Carnegie Hall, Demos.org, New York Fashion Week, and HSBC Bank.

Joya Bravo is putting in the work to create a foundation for global success!

Marc Alexander is a husband, author, a social entrepreneur, and a motivational speaker.  He is the Founder & CEO of Lite Tuition, a Social Tech company empowering students and organizations of all sizes.  He is a serial entrepreneur with more than a decade of leadership experience in Corporate America.  With experiences in for profit and non-profit entities, Marc demonstrates his prowess in developing innovative solutions that provide support for the greater social good.

Marc continues to inspire others through his work in various communities as well as through his book, Dreaming of Success.  As an active leader in his community, he sits on the Clinton Township Housing Commission Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Free Star Financial Credit Union Board.  He is also a Former Clintondale School Board Trustee as has been involved in community initiatives and activities.

Darryl Stephens is the Founder and CEO of the Bass Parlour music app and has a background in both music and business. Darryl worked for several years as a Sound Designer for video game juggernaut EA Sports. He went on to pursue an M.B.A. from Howard University, and a few years after graduating opened an Atlanta-based shared workspace for independent musicians. After witnessing firsthand some of the roadblocks that musicians face, he decided to launch the Bass Parlour app in to give musicians an easy way to find and collaborate with other musicians regardless of location.

Daniel Abate is the General Manager of Finance for Chevron’s Global Supply and Trading Business Unit headquartered in Houston, Texas.  As a member of the S&T Leadership Team, Daniel has primary responsibility for all global trading business activities related to finance, planning, contracting, and compliance.  He supports change management and Chevron’s continuing focus on improving business performance.

Daniel has also previously served on the Board of Governors of The American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand as Vice President.  He is currently an Executive Advisor for Chevron’s Elevate Diversity Inclusion program, as well as HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Co-Executive Sponsor for Southern University in Louisiana.

Ron is the Vice President – Career Distribution, Talent and Performance at Northwestern Mutual, a Fortune 100 holistic financial services organization with $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force. Ron leads a team of diversity practitioners responsible for the creation and execution of diversity & inclusion (D&I) strategies for the organization’s career distribution system. In this role, Ron co-leads the Northwestern Mutual D&I Corporate Committee and serves on the Field Experience Talent and Performance Leadership Team focused on developing and delivering core components of the overall field talent strategy to ensure the industry-leading Northwestern Mutual career distribution system is strong and vibrant.

Ron joined Northwestern Mutual in January 2015 after a distinguished military career where he served in many roles, including the Wisconsin National Guard’s diversity officer, equal employment manager, human resources branch chief, public affairs officer, and completed two successful commands. He retired from the Army Reserves as a field grade officer in August 2020. He was recognized as one of Savoy’s Power 300 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America (2022), North America’s Most Influential D&I Leaders (2020 – 2022), as well as one of Milwaukee Biz Times 2021 Notable Minority Executives.

He serves on the CFP Board Diversity Advisory Group and is a member of the national diversity committee for the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (Finseca). He serves as a member of the advisory committee and mentor for the MKE Fellows program creating a pipeline of African American male college graduates ready to return to Wisconsin to excel in their careers, build wealth, and become engaged leaders. Ron is a founding board member and immediate past president of the Wisconsin Veterans Network (VetsNet) – a nonprofit organization serving veterans and their families throughout Wisconsin.

Roy Wilkins Renown National Service Award, and numerous military awards and decorations. Ron holds a BS in Business Management and earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications and Leadership (MASCL) from Seton Hall University. Ron and his wife, Angela, reside in Mequon, Wisconsin, and they have one son and three daughters. He is originally from Brooklyn, New York, where his enthusiasm for sports, music, and culture began.

Erika Alexander is the Chief Global Officer of Global Operations at Marriott International.  In her 30+ years with Marriott, Erika has managed hotels, led corporate teams in brand management and operations.  She has also led the development of new hotel brands, including Towne Place Suites.  Today, she and her global team are responsible for food and beverage, rooms and hotel systems, meetings and events, global quality, procurement, sustainability, and supplier diversity.

Erika serves on multiple non-profit boards in the Atlanta area, including the Board of Directors for La-Z-Boy Incorporated.  She holds a BA from the University of Virginia and an MBA from George Mason University.  She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Tracy, and her dog, Payton.

Committed to living by his personal motto, “Build As We Climb”, change agent, thought leader, entrepreneur and emerging philanthropist, James M Bailey has dedicated his life to serving others. James serves as President and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs RICE). Honoring the great legacy and visionary business leadership of Herman J Russell, Sr he will lead the development of the largest center in America, dedicated to empowering Black entrepreneurs and small businessowners; over 50000 square feet designed to inspire ideas, create jobs, grow companies, and increase wealth in the community. An Atlanta native and die-hard Georgia Bulldog, James has a proven trackrecord of success, recognized by 3 U S Presidents for his leadership and community efforts In 2012 James was one of eight Americans honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change Following in the Footsteps of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.” Dedicated to service, James is a National Point of Light Award and Presidential Lifetime Volunteer Service Award recipient. James has served on numerous boards including the Metro Atlanta and the Georgia Chamber Board of Directors, the Atlanta Beltline TAD Advisory Committee, a Georgia Forestry Foundation Trustee, and Chairman of Citizens Trust Bank’s, Next Generation Advisory Board. A graduate of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Atlanta, and the Regional Leadership Institute, James was also named to both the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Best and Brightest Leaders of the Future while Atlanta Magazine recognized him as one of the city’s most powerful leaders. He is a recipient of the coveted Whitney M. Young National Community Service Medallion, the Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr. Drum Major for Service Award, a New Leaders Council Fellow, member of Alpha Phi Alpha and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. Jamesand his wife, NBC news correspondent Blayne Alexander, currentlyreside in East Atlanta with their daughter Sage.

Norville Barrington is the Chairman of the Barrington’s of Brooklyn, LLC. with holdings bccelerator, Inc., Paybby, Inc, TekAvenir Group, and BlaqueNet.com as well as the Board of Advisors of the Black Sports Business Symposium, Inc.  Norville also has corporate experience in roles including strategy, portfolio management, innovation, technology, brand management, marketing, and advertising at Mondelez International (Nabisco/Kraft Foods), The New York Times, Mars Chocolate International, and GEICO.  He currently serves as Director of EXPAND Development (Innovation Portfolio of Specialty Products & Services) at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Barrington serves as President of the National Black MBA Association, Metro New York Chapter and Chairman of the NYBLACKMBA Advisory Board.  Barrington holds a Bachelor of Science from Brooklyn College and a Master of Business Administration from Rutgers Business School.  He has been a member of the National Black MBA Association since 1998, as a high school mentee of the C.A.S.H. program, now known as the Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) Mentoring Program.

Joyce has been with State Street since July 2012. During that time, she has held various roles within Global Services, Operations area. Initially as Vice President of IT and Operations Transformation, with oversight responsibility for technology implementation and project delivery within the transformation program.  She then held the position of Vice President of Administration, Global Operations Accounting Services Group. In her role she was responsible for oversight of financial reporting, communications, reporting, and process alignment.  As Vice President for Metrics and Reporting, Global Transactions Control and Banking, Joyce managed a global team responsible for data measurement, analytics and reporting for all trade processing at State Street. In her most recent role as Managing Director, Talent Marketplace, Strategy, Planning & Infrastructure she is responsible for goal planning and performance monitoring, executive reporting, communications planning, oversight for technology and execution of corporate initiatives.

Prior to State Street, Joyce held various leadership positions at BlueCross and Blue Shield in Operations, Account Service and Sales. During that time, she was responsible for supporting sales growth, process improvement, and the development and delivery of technology solutions.  In her last role at Blue Cross and Blue Shield Joyce served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion where she led the Inclusion efforts for the company.

Vincent T. Bell, Sr. was born to serve. It is through this mantle of service to mankind and building the Kingdom of God that he has found his purpose in life. Born in Decatur, GA to Roberta Jenkins and the late Eugene Bell, his call into the ministry came at the early age of ten, but he didn’t acknowledge it until twelve years later. He graduated from Decatur High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Johnson C. Smith University. He furthered his education and received a Master of Divinity degree from Andersonville Theological Seminary.

Pastor Bell possesses great leadership ability to organize and energize people to push them towards their destiny.  It is through his powerful teaching, preaching and God-given, anointed gift of healing that lives are changed forever.

In September 2006, Pastor Bell founded Redeemed Family Worship Center in Atlanta, GA.  In 2017, Pastor Bell accepted the call on his life to plant a new ministry in Columbus, GA. He founded The Edge Church in North Columbus, a “cross-culture” church that is AUTHENTIC, INTENTIONAL and RELATIONAL in Connecting People – Cultivating Families – and Pursuing the Kingdom of God. Pastor Bell says, “Our desire is to show God’s love and compassion in such a way that people exchange ordinary living for an extraordinary life through the transforming power of Jesus Christ.”

His ministry and service to God and man continues outside of the four walls of the church. Professionally, Pastor Bell served as the Trauma Resident Chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and continued his chaplaincy work at Glory Hospice and Kindred Hospice in Columbus, GA. He is also the founder of Barber Shop Talk, a Christian mentoring program for men. He also leads an All-Pro Dad chapter at Reese Road Leadership Academy, which is a fatherhood program geared toward helping men to love and lead their families well.

Pastor Bell travels the country preaching the Gospel and teaching other ministries about transitioning ministries and how to grow the church in the 21^st Century.

He is married to Minister Rhonda S. Bell who is his helpmeet in life, love and ministry and they have four children: Vincent II, Monique, Rya and Rhianna.

An experienced Independent Director currently serving as a Director for publicly-traded WAG! Group, Co. (Nasdaq: PET), a pet services marketplace and fintech corporation, the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), a network of the nation’s most influential African- American executives of the Fortune 1000, the Chamber of Commerce (Columbus, Ohio) and over 10 years nonprofit Board service. Leadership positions include Audit Committee, Nominating & Governance Committee, Chair of Innovation & Emerging Markets, Diversity & Inclusion, Organizational Strategy Committees, Vice-Chair and Executive Committee. Appointed by its Global Chairman, Blackwell also currently serves on the Gucci, Inc. Changemakers Council.

With more than 20 years’ experience in CPG, Kimberly Blackwell is heralded as one of the country’s top executives in new media, marketing and advertising. A disruptor of sorts, Kimberly is a technical, strategic and a creative consultant and trusted advisor to the C-Suite of publicly and privately held companies in areas of brand, culture and change management, organizational effectiveness, digital transformation as well as diversity, equity and inclusion through channels of media, high tech and experiential. As CEO of the omni-channel brand agency, PMM, Kimberly’s been called a powerhouse. As curator of consumer connections, her brand is brand – at the intersection of impact, engagement, community, commerce and culture.

No stranger to the White House, boardrooms, lecture circuit or a whiteboard challenge, Kimberly has earned a reputation as a trusted counsel. Representing the Fortune 1 as well as Fortune 500 multibillion-dollar interests of global corporations that sectors include retail, automotive, tech, insurance and financial services, beauty, shipping and logistics along with government agencies. Kimberly has developed a reputation of industry expertise, business value and end-user engagement effective in both

B-to-C and B-to-B business solutions.

With experience in startup to scale for consumer product goods companies, Kimberly is a founding member, investor and serves as an advisory member to the publicly traded Legacy Acquisition Corp (NYSE: LGC.U). With an experienced lens and entrepreneurial spirit, Kimberly contributed and led areas of the company’s $300M+ IPO, M&A target transactions and integrations. Kimberly’s career reflects a demonstrated track record leading successful large-scale transformation initiatives, optimizing financial management of P&L, managing across deal lifecycle, budgeting and planning, risk management, adapting to changing markets, emerging markets and global business environments.

A lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association®, Blackwell has served as Chair the American Heart Association Great Rivers, “Go Red for Women” campaign and is a former trustee and executive Board committee member of the Columbus YWCA, Vice-Chair of Columbus Urban League and past member of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO).

Tonya L. Brandon works within CBRE’s Global Workplace Solutions line of business and is responsible for coordinating and enabling diverse teams of professionals globally to identify, develop and deliver value-added outcomes overseeing process improvements and innovations in both operating and capital plans. Her current assignment includes management of services across 23 countries for one of CBRE’s key financial and wealth management clients. During her 22+ year career at CBRE, she has served led in various capacities across Project Management, Facility Management, Contract Governance, Compliance and Supply Chain Management.  Tonya consistently demonstrates a strong drive and persistence for transformative outcomes that yield both cost optimization and exceptional customer service results.  She builds trust with her clients and team members through a servant leadership mindset and highly optimistic viewpoint.

At CBRE, Tonya is also Chairperson of the company’s Black Excellence Business Resource Group, member of the Women’s Network Advisory Board and Diversity Advisory Council.  In these roles, Tonya inspires and motivates hundreds of professionals and colleagues, and coordinates with key executive leaders on strategic business diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives.

Tonya is a graduate of North Carolina State University, where she majored in Civil Engineering with Construction Option.  Tonya holds her RPA certification, LEED-NC accreditation and her CCIM designation.  Prior to joining CBRE, Tonya held positions within both state and city government agencies.  She has more than 26-years’ experience in corporate and commercial real estate services.

Melissa Brown is a licensed therapist and ordained minister who is masterful in blending the spiritual with the psychological. She is the Owner and Founder of Soul Love, LLC and has been doing healing work with women and hosting healing retreats for more than 25 years. Known for deeper level work, Melissa Brown is a frequent speaker for women’s retreats and conferences and is the go-to coach for high-impact women who need a safe place to work through personal issues. This work helps them fully embrace the assignment God has for them. Her unique emotional detox circles and life-changing retreats have helped countless women heal childhood soul wounds and reclaim their power. Using her Soul Love Method, Melissa guides women through a healing portal where they can release the past and reclaim their power.

Ms. Brown holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Morgan State University, a master’s degree from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. She has been featured as a guest on numerous podcasts, as well as Good Morning Washington, and Let’s Talk Live, on Washington DC’s news Channel 8. Her recent book, The Soul Surrender can be found on Amazon.

Daryll Bryant is a transformational leader, speaker, author, and business advisor with a distinguished career in manufacturing operations. Daryll’s mission is to provide outstanding results for his clients through “The Winning with Excellence System.” This system creates potent cultural and operational shifts that give underperforming organizations a competitive edge.

As a keynote speaker and Executive Coach with OptimizeU Coaching Partners, Daryll’s passion is inspiring leaders to identify their leadership signature and leverage the collective genius of their teams to create environments which support avenues to flourish.

Kimberly L. Bunton is a multi-disciplinary attorney, content creator, and business consultant with extensive corporate, large law firm and media management experience.  Kimberly serves as President of TKT & Associates, Inc., a national diversity and workforce development firm ranked No. 20 by Inc. 5000 in 2020.  The organization is also recognized as one of the Women’s Presidents Organization’s Fastest Women-Owned companies for the last six years.

When she was only 31 years old, Louisville Magazine named Kimberly as one of the Most Powerful People Under 45.  For more than two decades, she has advised and coached founders, business owners, and executive managers on business and crisis management strategies.

Kimberly has held appointed leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.  In her private legal practice, she has represented several prominent and high-profile individuals and businesses.

Kimberly is also founder of Fly Hip Ageless, the only influencer marketing agency + community for black and brown influencers over the age of 40 with more than 300K combined social media followers.

Daryl is a dynamic, results-driven senior executive with over 25 years of broad based, progressive experience in Marketing, Sales and Finance. During his decorated career, he has worked with iconic brands such as Beats by Dre, Nike, The Jordan Brand, Boost Mobile, Walt Disney and most recently HP, Inc. He’s exhibited an effective combination of creative and analytical leadership skills driving revenue and increasing profit margins. Daryl’s also proven to be adept at operating at 30k feet strategically and disruptively as well as 3 ft surgically.

In his current role as Vice President of Marketing for Google Devices and Services, he owns end to end responsibility for the US business including Strategy, Insights, Brand Management, Campaign Development and Third Party Retail Programming.

Daryl received a Dual Degree B.A. in Marketing and Finance from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He also received his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. Daryl is an active member in his community serving in various capacities with his church, local YMCA, college alumni association and The Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Jason Campbell is a transformation leader who has been with FedEx for 20 years. In that time, he acquired knowledge and experience from multiple disciplines within the company:  Sales, Marketing, Revenue Services, Fraud, Customer Service, and Information Technology.  Jason shares a strong a commitment to paying it forward and giving back.  He spends his time talking to youth about the importance of STEM education and working with Memphis-area program called Code Crew – which teaches computer coding and other IT-related skills to students. Jason earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Tougaloo College and his MBA in Marketing from the University of Memphis.

Michael Canady is currently Vice President, Global Operations & Client Services for Discover Global Network.  In this role, Mr. Canady has responsibility for leading DGN’s client and partner support efforts globally as well as providing operational support for the company’s commercial payments initiatives.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Canady led client engagement efforts for the Strategic Merchant Relations team, comprised of Discover’s largest and most strategic merchant clients.  Mr. Canady was also previously VP, Acquirer Relations – Americas with responsibility for acquiring and acceptance priorities in the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  Mr. Canady holds a BA from Morgan State University and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.

Dr. Patrick T. Carter, Sr., is a native of Winston-Salem, NC, who grew up in a loving but firm Christian home. Dr. Carter is a proud eight (8) year veteran of the US Navy, having served from 1987-1996. While serving in the military, Dr. Carter received various awards, including the Navy Achievement Award for his work as tactical air controller while assigned to the USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG-49).

Pastor Carter and his wife have been married for 31 years, and are the proud parents of 3 adult children, and a loving granddaughter.

Dr. Carter is lead pastor of the dynamic West End Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Dr. Carter is a believer in community empowerment and working across denominations and businesses.

Dr. Patrick Carter’s motto:

“It is easier to change your behavior in advance, than to change your reputation afterwards”. ~Author Unknown

Denise Cleveland-Leggett, Senior Vice President at The Integral Group, has more than 30 years of leadership and legal experience. She previously served as the Southeast Region Administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she managed more than 840 employees in 12 state and field offices. The HUD region had annual funding of more than $519 million, multi-family and public housing funding of $5.3 billion, and single-family housing insurance in force of over $236 billion.

As Region Administrator, Cleveland-Leggett oversaw HUD programs and operations in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Atlanta Business Chronicle recently identified Cleveland-Leggett as one of “…the most dynamic, powerful and game-changing professionals in Atlanta.” She has been named one of a small group of individuals chosen to receive a 2021 Women of Influence Award. She was honored with the 2009 State Bar of Georgia’s Justice Robert Benham Award for exemplary and unparalleled community service and was recognized in Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.

Shawn Cole is Vice President – Global Sales for Delta Air Lines. In this role, he is responsible for leading a global sales team focused on maximizing premium revenue and share performance with Delta’s commercial account base.

Shawn is a solutions-driven Delta executive, well known for his dedication to servant leadership and support for community partners such as the Atlanta Children’s Shelter and Atlanta Public Schools. Shawn is a board member of Delta’s Flight Museum and Delta’s Benefit Funds Investment Committee. In addition, he has been an active member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Transportation & Logistics council since 2018 and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta in 2020.

Since joining Delta in 2008, Shawn has held various positions of increasing responsibility in numerous divisions. Most recently, Shawn served as Vice President of Delta Cargo, overseeing the $900 million top-line revenue global organization with a team of 2,000 colleagues. In addition, Shawn worked in the finance division as the Vice President – Finance and Corporate Planning, where he was responsible for annual planning, rolling financial forecast, capital expenditure reporting and analysis, long-term plan development and maintaining a world-class financial system. Prior to joining Delta, Shawn had various leadership roles in The Coca-Cola System and an auditor for Arthur Andersen LLP.

Shawn holds a B.S. in accounting from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Sherette A. Constant is a Managing Director in the Technology Risk Division, leading the Physical Technology Asset Control Team for Wealth Management.  In this role, she is responsible for defining requirements and governing the management and handling of data-bearing technology assets.

Prior to her current role, Sherette led Enterprise Security Platforms’ (ESP) Operations Support team driving standardization, efficiency and continuous improvement in Change, Event, Incident, Problem and Vendor Management.

Sherette joined the firm as a trainee and has spent most of her career leading Technology Operational Support teams for both the Institutional Securities Group (ISG) and Wealth Management (WM) Divisions of the Firm.

Throughout her career, Sherette has remined active in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives.  In 2015, the National Society of Black Engineers awarded Sherette the “Outstanding Woman in Technology” Award for her pioneering work in Technology and her commitment to improving the workplace for minorities and women – marking the first time a woman from the Financial Services Industry won the award.  In 2021, Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Operations and Firm Resilience D&I Advisory Council awarded her “Advocate of the Year” for her significant D&I accomplishments while delivering outstanding business results.

Sherette, a proud graduate of Tuskegee University, holds a Bachelor ‘s degree in Business Management Science and resides in New Jersey with her husband, Robert, and their two young children.

Jasmine Crowe is an award-winning social entrepreneur, children’s book author, TED Speaker, and determined leader working to better the world one cause at a time. In 2017, after years of feeding people experiencing homelessness from her own kitchen, Jasmine launched Goodr, a sustainable waste management company that leverages technology to combat hunger and food waste reduction. She has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Fast Co., New York Times and on CNBC. She has been named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Top100 Influential Female Founders. Under Jasmine’s leadership, Goodr has redirected over 20 million pounds of surplus food from event centers, airports, and businesses to people who are food insecure.

In addition, Goodr launched a grocery delivery program that provides free weekly groceries to thousands of senior citizens and students. Most recently, the company implemented its first no-cost, grocery store for a Title 1 School and senior facility. Goodr HQ is based in Atlanta, Georgia and operates nationally in 20 other cities. Goodr clients include Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Six Flags Over Georgia, City of Dallas, City of Denver to name a few.

Shadan Deleveaux currently leads the Global Partnerships Recruiting team at Google, his team recruits Strategy and Operations as well as Business Development talent for the organization.

Prior to his current role at Google, Shadan spent nearly two decades in corporate America working across multiple functional areas including Marketing, Business Development and Talent Acquisition at some of the top companies in the world including Nestle Purina, Colgate Palmolive, and L’Oreal USA.

Shadan has authored several articles on career and professional development for Fortune.com. He has delivered keynote speeches on the topic to global audiences including UC Berkeley’s Annual Next Opportunity at Work conference, the First Annual Grand Bahama Island Tech Summit, AFS Intercultural Programs’ Youth Assembly and more. He co-founded a not-for-profit, Technology for Families in Need (TechFIN), that has helped to close the digital divide by distributing thousands of computers to low-income families. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is of Jamaican and Bahamian descent and is an amateur photographer.

Shadan received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester, a Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia Business School and is currently a doctoral candidate at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, his doctoral focus area is in Leadership and Innovation.

Brent DeMar is VP of Data Platform Engineering, overseeing the development of next generation data platforms for data pipelines, data management and BI for Discover Financial Services.  Prior to being in this role, he managed ETL and real-time decisioning application development teams at Discover.  He has also held architecture, infrastructure operations, and senior engineering positions across a diverse set of technologies.  Brent holds a BS in Computer Science from Purdue University.  He enjoys cooking, music, and New Orleans Saints football.

Dr. Sammie J. Dow is the Senior Pastor of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia.  At “The Grove, “as it is affectionately known, Dr. Dow leads a growing and vibrant congregation, of more than 2,000 members, in their vision of being transformed people transforming the world.  Dr. Dow was licensed and ordained for Gospel ministry by Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania under the leadership of Dr. William H. Curtis.  He served as Minister to Youth and College Students at Morning Star Baptist Church, in Baltimore, Maryland, under the leadership of Bishop Dwayne C. Debnam and as Director of Ministries at The Luke Church, in Humble, Texas, under the leadership of Dr. Timothy W. Sloan.

He previously served as the National Director of the NAACP Youth and College Division–the nation’s largest organized group of youth activists with more than 20,000 members under the age of 25.  During his tenure, the division engaged more than 8.5 million young people on the issues of police reform, racial profiling, and gun violence.

Dr. Dow served as the Georgia Faith and African American Vote Director for Biden for President.  In this role, he organized faith leaders, congregations, and African Americans, across the state of Georgia, to elect President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.  He also served as African American Vote Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia’s Coordinated Campaign during the January 2021 U.S. Senate runoff election.  His efforts supported increased Black voter turnout resulting in the historic election of Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Additionally, Dow serves as Principal and CEO of Sammie Dow Ministries, a comprehensive small business and nonprofit consulting firm focused on building capacity among national and local advocacy institutions, churches, public health organizations, and grassroots movements.  He also serves as a Consultant and Impact Strategist with Values Partnerships, the nation’s largest black-owned social impact firm, based in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Dow is a Professor of Religious Studies at Beulah Heights University and Doctor of Ministry cohort mentor at Payne Theological Seminary.  His first book, Protect Your Peace: Tools for Managing Your Mind and Emotions, was released in November 2020.

Dr. Dow is a Silver Life member of the NAACP and has previously served on the Executive Committee of the Georgia NAACP.  He also serves as an at-large chaplain with the Cobb County Police Department and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.  A proud native of High Point, North Carolina, Dr. Dow earned a Bachelor of Science from North Carolina Agricultural &Technical State University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, and an Executive Certificate from the Morehouse School of Medicine.  He also holds a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University and an earned Doctor of Ministry from Payne Theological Seminary.

He is extremely fortunate to share life with his wife and best friend, Dr. Jacqueline Dow, a public health research scientist and Chief Executive Officer of J. Dow Fitness, LLC. They are the proud parents of one son, Jackson Andrew Elijah.

Mary Katherine DuBose, Executive Vice President and Wells Fargo’s Head of Asset Based Lending and Leasing, is responsible for leading the secured lending and leasing businesses, including Capital Finance, Equipment Finance, Global Receivables and Trade, and Distribution Finance. She is currently a member of Wells Fargo’s Management Committee and a Nonexecutive Director of the Wells Fargo Irish Bank Board. Mary Katherine also served as the head of Capital Markets.

Mary Katherine has more than 2 decades of investment banking experience and joined Wells Fargo in 1998 to assist in forming the Business & Commercial Loan Securitization team. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Mary Katherine spent three years at CapUSA, where she helped structure Capital USA Funding and Llama Retail Funding, two commercial paper conduits and financing trade receivables. Mary Katherine holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas with a concentration in finance. She is a member of the Executive Committee for KinderMourn and a member of the Board of Trustees for Charlotte Latin School.

Johnel Angel Evans joined Live Nation in June 2021 as Vice President of Global Diversity &Inclusion, responsible for advancing the company’s commitment to diversity and culture of inclusion for its employees, artists, and fans.  Prior to joining Live Nation, Johnel was Global Vice President of Inclusion, Diversity and Engagement at Becton Dickinson (BD) in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.  While at BD, Evans was a member of the AdvaMed Board’s Inclusion & Diversity Sub-committee and The Conference Board’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council.

Johnel has more than 20 years of HR and leadership experience spanning multiple global, industry-leading organizations including CR Bard, Medtronic, International Paper, Honeywell, PepsiCo Frito Lay and Allstate Insurance.  She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis and MBA from The University of Tennessee Knoxville.  Evans was previously honored by the Memphis Business Journal as one of Memphis’s Top 40 Under 40 and named a Fellow by the New Memphis Institute.

For the past 15 years, her passion for ensuring underrepresented students gain access to the knowledge and tools needed to recognize and reach their potential.  Johnel serves as a founding and governing board member for Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter School in Memphis, Tennessee, and as a strategic marketing committee member at Waterford School in Sandy, Utah.  Most recently, she has served as a Trustee of Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and as a member of the Sparta School District Diversity Council in Sparta, New Jersey.  Johnel, her husband, Dan, and their children, Riley and Aidan, reside in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Audrey Frey is a Senior Managing Director at CBRE and is part of the company’s Advisory Services group focused on its Broker Operating Platform (BOP). Within the BOP, Audrey serves as CBRE’s South Region Platform Leader, working as a business partner and strategist to CBRE’s market leaders and brokerage professionals. Her role, which began in October 2021, is to ensure that CBRE’s professionals have the resources needed to support their client’s unique challenges across CBRE’s extensive platform.

Previously, Audrey worked in numerous leadership roles within CBRE’s Atlanta office, where she has been since 2015. With a passion for assisting and mentoring the next generation of real estate professionals, Audrey has also served in leadership roles within Atlanta’s Commercial Real Estate Women chapter, also known as CREW, and currently serves as a Director on the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, where she is Chair of the Diversity Committee. Outside of commercial real estate, Audrey serves as Vice Chair of the American Cancer Society’s Georgia Leadership Board.

When she’s not working or volunteering, Audrey enjoys spending time with her family, including their chocolate lab, Ralph, 5 a.m. workouts and traveling as much as possible.

Sharron Furgess, Human Resources Business Partner at The Coca-Cola Company, responsible for managing Talent Development, DE&I and Culture and Engagement initiatives across the Finance, Marketing and PACS functions.  Sharron brings over 20 years of progressive experience in Human Resources and first joined the Company in 2017, supporting the global McDonald’s business, Coca-Cola’s largest and most strategic food service customer.

Prior to coming to Coca-Cola, Sharron worked for Fragomen, PWC, Fannie Mae and Turner Broadcasting Systems, Inc. She served as a trusted HR Partner providing support in performance management, employee relations, coaching and development, onboarding, and compensation consulting.

Sharron holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from Georgia Southern University. She is married, has three girls, and enjoys being an AAU basketball mom and spending quality time with family and friends.

Debrena Jackson Gandy is CEO of Masterminds, a 25-year-old organizational and self-development company that specializes in designing and facilitating transformational courses and programs for individuals and companies.  She is a Master Life Coach, world traveler, international speaker, nationally published, best-selling author of three books, Life Mentor to 16 women thought leaders around the country, Founder of Juicy Women Universe-ity, Creator of The Love Academy, and Creator of the Masterminds Transformational Coaching Certification Program.  The cornerstones of her transformational approaches are based in her holistic concept of the Sacred Self-Caring Consciousness, personal and group healing, and forgiveness work.

Debrena has been featured in publications such as Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, Oprah.com, Ebony, Ebony.com, Essence, Essence.com, Black Enterprise, Woman’s Day, SoulofAmerica.com, and Jet.  She has also been featured in regional newspapers such as the New York Daily News, Atlanta Metro, the Seattle Times, Chicago Defender, and the Chicago Crusader.

Debrena has also been featured on national and regional TV shows such as CNN, CNN Live, most recently on Good Morning Texas, Good Day New York, TV One’s Sister Circle, Washington D. C’s, Good Day D.C., C-SPAN, and was a recurring Guest Expert on King 5’s New Day Northwest in Seattle, and Portland’s Afternoon Live.  She’s a former Huffington Post Contributor and has been a radio show guest on more than 55 radio shows and podcasts.

Hawaii native turned Texas resident, Gregory Gibson Jr. is a serial social entrepreneur who has aligned his talents and passions around creating access for individuals in industries in which they are traditionally underrepresented.  Gregory has been a pioneer and notable in connecting corporations with minority-serving institutions to expose students and professionals to opportunities in sports, entertainment, tech, finance, and other STEM-related fields.

As the Founder of HBCU Battle of the Brains and HSI Battle of the Brains, Gregory has worked with over 100 minority-serving institutions to expand programmatic impact, exposing college students to careers in entrepreneurship and the corporate and governmental sectors.  Gregory also manages his tech and branding consulting firm Dashingfoot and serves a variety of national nonprofit organizations in board or consulting capacities.

Gregory’s latest venture, the Black Sports Business Symposium, has taken the sports industry by storm as a disruptive and invitation-only annual event that unites, cultivates, illuminates, and celebrates Black professionals and students in the sports business industry.

J Israel Greene, LSSGB, CDE – Founder and Owner of Greene Consulting Group (GCG), International Keynote Speaker GCG is a boutique consulting firm committed to helping companies transform their company culture. With a focus on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Leadership development, GCG leverages their proprietary framework to ensure companies are implementing global best practices and are fully equipped to handle the everchanging landscape around DE&I strategy. He is a Professional Speaker, Certified Diversity Executive, Strategist, and Leadership Trainer & Coach. In addition to being the founder of GCG, he is also a Senior Consultant with Envisioning Equity and a contributing member to “A World Without Suicide.” He has been listed as one of the “Top Ten Trending DE&I Training Experts” by All American Entertainment, a recent Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Torch Honoree for Business, A proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a sitting board member for the NBMBAA, Chicago Chapter.

Traci Harrell is a Leadership, Diversity & Inclusion Trainer and Consultant, a keynote speaker, and a Facilitator.  She is also the President of the National Black MBA Association, Seattle Chapter, President of It’s All Bigger Than Me Consulting, and the Founder of It’s All Bigger Than Me Ministry.  She uses a proven proprietary methodology called, Transformational Inclusive Leadership ™ in her work.

Traci is an International Best-Selling Author.  She has contributed to 5 books.  Her current book and video series, “Achieving Success in Business and in Life,” helps leaders, teams, and organizations to increase their competency, and to co-create solutions that support inclusion, equity, engagement, leadership development, happiness, and results.  She was voted “Top 100 Executive Leaders under 50,” and has more than 25 years of diverse corporate and leadership experience: 8 years with IBM, 14 years with The Walt Disney Company, and 5 years with Microsoft.

Ian is a Senior Director of Engineering at Nordstrom.  He has grown and supported teams focusing on quality, operations, and engineering initiatives during his nearly three-decade career, bringing high-impact results that drive enriched experiences for customers and businesses.

At Nordstrom, he supports the Checkout, Fraud, and Payments’ technology teams.  Through his leadership, these teams have produced quality experiences that continue to deliver on Nordstrom’s purpose of striving to make every customer feel good and look their best.

Ian is an active leader in Nordstrom’s efforts to increase focus on diversity and inclusion, participating and sponsoring initiatives to grow the visibility of underrepresented minorities amongst the engineering organizations and beyond.

Ian has previously been part of the Microsoft and Expedia Group where he managed both domestic and international teams to deliver exceptional outcomes focused on increased performance and customer experiences.

Ian is a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana.  He and his wife enjoy spending time together and raising their two sons.

Randy Irving joined Nutrien as Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in August. He will have responsibility for the Retail organization, Supplier Diversity and the ERG’s. He comes to Nutrien from FedEx where he served as the Managing Director of HR Service Delivery for FedEx Logistics where he led an organization of over 100 HR professionals providing strategic guidance to the FedEx Supply Chain organization encompassing 130 sites and 15,000 team members across the United States and Canada. In his 15 years with FedEx, he has led various Employee Relations teams. He was the Manager of Diversity and Inclusion for FedEx Services. Where he was responsible for aligning the Diversity and Inclusion strategies for FedEx Services and the Enterprise Diversity Councils. He has also led the FedEx Services HR Business consulting team responsible for HR strategy, employee relations and guidance to executive leadership on complex HR issues. Before joining FedEx, he was the HR manager at Roadway Express for 6 years.

He currently is the VP of Diversity and Inclusion on the Board of Directors for SHRM Memphis and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board for Setting The Standard Enterprises focusing on mentorship for at risk high school and college students. He was also voted to the Board of Directors for Girls Inc, in September of 2021.

Randy holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin in business management, an MBA from Union University and PHR certification from SHRM.

He is a 2011 recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award, awarded each year to the top two percent of employees. He is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity and founded the Germantown graduate chapter. He is very involved in community empowerment. Most importantly he is the father of two special kids Ryan Charles Irving and Taliyah Rose Irving.

Ramon Jones was named Nationwide’s Executive Vice President–Chief Marketing Officer in November 2019. As CMO, Ramon oversees departments that advocate for and share the On Your Side promise with customers, partners, communities, and associates. He is responsible for brand and marketing strategy, advertising, creative services, social media, and corporate communications. His experience in numerous leadership roles in both marketing and the business makes him uniquely qualified to promote and protect the Nationwide brand and to drive further business success.

Ramon joined Nationwide in 2000. Since then, he has held several leadership roles including Regional Vice President of Nationwide’s Western U.S. operations, Associate Vice President for the Office of the Chief Executive Officer, Marketing leader of Nationwide’s Property Casualty businesses, and most recently Financial Services Marketing leader. Prior to joining Nationwide, Ramon was an engagement manager with Accenture’s financial services strategy practice.

Ramon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Villanova University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and the Mount Carmel Foundation.

Samantha Jones is an executive vice president and region executive for the Commercial Banking Credit Execution Team, responsible for portfolio management, credit strategy and administration, and management of centralized credit teams, including 700 employees globally. With more than 20 years of banking experience, Samantha brings a wide range of both sales and credit expertise in leading our Commercial Banking credit transformation efforts.

Samantha has held various regional roles for Wells Fargo, including managing Commercial Banking’s Southern California division, where she led a team that provided financial services to middle-market and business banking companies with annual revenues between $5 million and $1 billion in Southern Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego County, and Inland Empire, California. Prior to that, Samantha was a regional vice president in San Diego County, and a regional vice president and loan team manager in the West Los Angeles Regional Commercial Banking Office. She joined Wachovia in 2002, where she held various risk management positions in both Commercial Banking and Commercial Real Estate in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Before joining Wachovia, she worked at Morgan Stanley in the Real Estate Group, where she focused primarily on acquisitions, origination, and structuring of third-party real estate funds.

Samantha earned her bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in management at Spelman College in Atlanta, and her M.B.A in finance and real estate from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Melissa Knowles is a correspondent for “Morning Express with Robin Meade” on Headline News. She covers entertainment and pop-culture news. Prior to joining the on-air team at HLN, Melissa worked at Yahoo! News as the host of “Trending Now,” The Summer Olympic Games in London and Super Bowl XLVII.

Melissa has also served as a correspondent for BET News covering the presidential inauguration in 2013 and the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington. In addition, she has extensive experience as a sports reporter. Melissa worked for Fox Sports covering the Detroit Pistons, anchored “Big 12 This Week” on ESPNU and served as a sideline reporter for the network covering college sports.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University.

She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but now calls Atlanta home. She and her husband, Scott, are active volunteers in the non-profit, educational community and their philanthropic efforts help support closing the opportunity and achievement gap for children who are economically disadvantaged.

Her son, Beckham is her greatest pride and joy.

Catherine W. LeBlanc is a Business and Education Consultant who works with businesses, universities and other organizations in the areas of leadership development and diversity. An early member of the National Black MBA Association, Catherine co-created the organization’s Leadership Institute and has consulted on the design and implementation of leadership and career development activities for its members and its 10,000 plus participants at its national conference. She co-authored the history of the organization: “The National Black MBA Association, Celebrating a Legacy, Empowering the Future.” Catherine coaches individuals in the areas of career strategy and personal and professional effectiveness.

Catherine served at the national level in both terms of the Clinton Administration where she began her tenure in White House Personnel and assisted in the political appointment process. She subsequently worked for the Secretary of Education as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), where she led government efforts to increase federal and private funding to these colleges. Catherine received her MBA from the Harvard Business School and her undergraduate degree from Duke University. She is the proud mother of three adult children and the doting grandmother of three.

Marcia Mack is Senior Director, Accounting for the Southeast Region of the Live Nation Concerts Division, the world’s largest producer of live entertainment.  Live Nation Concerts Division supports 98 million fans, 40,000 concerts and over 100 festivals annually with 4,000 touring artists at more than 200 venues in 49 countries globally.

In her role, Marcia oversees the accounting function and organization for multiple tours, concerts, festivals, and venues across the Southeast United States.

Marcia joined Live Nation more than 20 years ago, progressing over multiple levels of Accounting leadership.  Her career has been spent in the entertainment industry, having worked with SFX Entertainment which, over a series of acquisitions, became Live Nation.  Prior to SFX, Marcia began her career with Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta where she worked for five years.

Marcia left her hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to attend Clark Atlanta University.  She is a proud alumna of Clark Atlanta University and received her Bachelor of Accounting degree.  She currently resides in Atlanta.

Bernhard Marschitz is an Associate Partner at Bain & Company. He is a member of the Financial Services and Private Equity practices and specializes in due diligence and strategy work for growth and private equity investors. Bernhard’s work often touches different areas of Digital Assets and Payments. He is based in Atlanta, GA.

In addition to his client work, Bernhard leads the “internationals” and “environmental sustainability” affinity groups in the Atlanta office. He is also active in supporting Bain’s local social impact initiatives and recruiting efforts.

Prior to joining Bain full-time in 2012, he worked as an investment banker in London and served in the Austrian Armed Forces. He holds an MBA from Tuck and a MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS.

Charles Maxell, Jr. is Managing Director, US Digital Sales Leader at Marsh. During his 30 year
professional career, Charles has held multiple senior level executive roles with leading global
firms (CNA Insurance, Zurich Insurance, Willis Towers Watson, and Aon) in the insurance,
brokerage and professional services. While serving clients across multiple industries, private and
public, domestic and global, Charles spends his time leveraging technology, creativity, and
imagination to help clients solve complex problems and develop strategies and systemsto enable
and accelerate growth in an evolving digital world.
Education:
Howard University, BA Economics
Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), M.Div.
Boards and Affiliations:
Leadership Atlanta Class 2020

McKinsey & Company Black Leadership Program; alum
Fernbank Museum; Corporate Leadership Council
The Center for Children & Young Adults; Board Member
The Breakthrough Fellowship, Smyrna, GA; Founder, Senior Pastor

CEO and founder of P&L Group, Ltd which has 3 key brands: Diversity MBA Media, 3I Research Institute & Diversity Learning Solutions, headquartered in Chicago, IL. Ms. McElvane has spent more than 25 years working with large and midsize companies providing insights and best practices, leadership and executive coaching, strategy, and organizational management.

Diversity MBAs key brands positions companies to recognize top talent, celebrate diversity leadership, and support thought leaders. DiversityMBA Media publishes three magazines and distributes to 1.95 million subscribers print and digital. Inclusive Leadership Index has surveyed more than 1,350 unique companies across industries and recognized more than 700 companies for the Best Places for Women and Manager of Color to Work, and 78 companies in the 2020 inaugural issue of Diversity Benchmarking Index.  Diversity MBAs Top 100 also recognized 1,500 leaders with advanced degrees for outstanding leadership and service.  Diversity Learning Solution has trained more than 30,000 professionals within the past decade. And Diversity MBA partners and supports more than 30 professional associations and minority businesses.

Ms. McElvane hosts weekly talk show: The Inclusive Voice on 820AM WCLT. She serves as an expert panelist for Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Center, media expert, published in numerous publications, received many honors for her work.  She is also certified master coach providing board development and executive legacy coaching.  Ms. McElvane published in December 2021, The SkiNy on Diversity Recruiting: Best Practice Trends & Strategies on Recruiting Guide.

Larry Miller is vice president of Global Financial Services for Lockheed Martin Corporation. He leads a team of more than 500 accounting and finance professionals, responsible for cash management solutions, global accounting, people financial services, financial planning analysis and controls, business operations and capital planning across several enterprise functions.

Mr. Miller has more than 40 years of experience in business operations, strategy, internal research and development (IRAD), financial planning & analysis and contracts administration experience with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of program financial operations and control.

He joined the Lockheed Martin Financial Planning and Analysis team in 2007 as the Business Operations Director for Residual and IRAD financial processes where he was responsible for the performance of the Business Operations requirements and financial aspects of the Corporate Headquarters functions.

Mr. Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Southern University A&M, Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Leadership Development program. He currently serves as a member of the management board of directors of Lockheed Martin Global, Inc. and has served on the boards of various civic and religious organizations, and is an active participant in youth and community development programs. He resides in Herndon, Virginia, with his wife, Jannie.

Lauren Miller, a graduate of Howard University, is an Entrepreneur and Business Owner. She currently serves as the Director of Business Development and DEI consultant at Miller3 consulting, a second-generation management consulting firm founded by her father in 1986. She specializes in working with public and private sector clients on inclusive procurement and MWBE/Supplier Diversity initiatives and policy.

Before inheriting and taking on a role in the family business, Lauren previously built and successfully executed a niche lifestyle and travel brand and platform–CANT STAY PUT. A daughter and granddaughter of entrepreneurs and farmers, family business and the business of family is woven into the fabric of Lauren’s DNA. But not until Lauren’s father became terminally ill and she began the succession planning process did this reveal itself in a way that ultimately changed her forever. Taking on the role of her father’s caregiver came with the task of securing his legacy and preparing her and her siblings for his departure. She became a student of her father, learning his business, his life, but most importantly understanding her lineage—a 150-year legacy of entrepreneurship rooted in farming and land ownership Through her and her father’s succession planning process, Lauren gained a true understanding of legacy, how to build it, secure it and how each generation has a responsibility to foster opportunity and freedom for the next. She is now on a mission to help the Black millennials and Black families understand how to build, secure, and pass on their legacy and the mindset required to do it.
Lauren teaches workshops, advises families, and partners with brands to tell her story and amplify the importance of the cultivation and sustenance of our legacy and wealth.

Keith Millner is a native of North Carolina. As an entrepreneur, corporate athlete, author and servant leader, Mr. Millner is a renaissance man. After a three-decade career in Corporate America in multiple senior executive roles, he transitioned into entrepreneurship. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Coaching Catalyst, LLC, a boutique executive coaching and business advisory firm. He is also the Co-Founder of Social Capital, LLC, which owns and operates multiple Jersey Mike’s restaurant franchises in Metro Atlanta.

In addition to entrepreneurship, his community leadership includes serving as Chairman of the Board for 100 Black Men of Atlanta, The Board of Directors for 100 Black Men of America (BMoA) and the Co-Chair of 100 BMoA’s Leadership Institute. He is also an alumnus of Leadership Atlanta Class of 2018.
A former collegiate quarterback and fitness enthusiast, he has completed several full and half marathons, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, The Grand Tetons, navigated Class V rapids, and dived in the Great Barrier Reef. Keith is the proud father of two daughters, Hershey, and Kameron and is married to Charmaine Ward-Millner.

Shamea Yvonne Morton is a powerhouse of talent: a dancer, singer, actress, and a multi-media personality.  As a modern-day, revolutionary woman, the Atlanta, GA native has been in the spotlight since childhood.

The former high school beauty queen received her first major break while attending Morris Brown College where she was pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism.  In the middle of her transfer to Georgia State University, Morton secured a role as a principal dancer and confidant to Zoe Saldana’s character in the film DrumLine, starring Nick Cannon.  Because of her extensive performance background, Morton earned the position of dance captain with both the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Falcons cheerleading squads.

Morton worked overnights at the Atlanta radio station, V-103, studying under the tutelage of industry veteran Ryan Cameron.  Her preparation and perseverance culminated almost a decade later when she became a Co-Host on The Big Tigger Morning Show at the beginning of 2022.  The on-air personality can be heard weekdays from 6AM-10AM greeting her devoted listeners with the catchphrase, “Hey, best friend!”

As a believer in creating her own opportunities, she transitioned from rallying on the Atlanta Hawks sidelines to becoming an In Game Host for the NBA franchise.  She is in her eighth season as a broadcaster and has two All-Star games under her Gucci belt.

The triple-threat phenom has also entered the world of film and television.  In 2011, Morton caught the attention of director, Tyler Perry, when she landed a part in his hit stage play, The Haves and the Have Nots.  Later, she was cast in Perry’s critically praised films Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor and Acrimony.  Her other film credits include Universal Pictures, Ride Along 2 and the Lionsgate horror film, The House Next Door: Meet the Blacks 2, where she played a vampire.  Morton appeared on the second season of the Emmy-nominated, BET+ original television series, The Ms. Pat Show and is a frequent guest on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Manu Muraro is the Founder of Your Social Team, an Instagram training membership. Your Social Team helps social media professionals and Instagram-savvy small business owners grow their audiences and revenue using Instagram.
The company offers Instagram training and template shop creation through monthly subscriptions.

Manu supports ethical brands with a sense of humor to grow their organic engagement and sales on Instagram.  Your Social Team also offers Your Template Club, a Canva template subscription, for social media managers and busy business owners.
Born and raised in Brazil, Manu moved to the U.S. in 2000 after graduating college.  She was previously employed by Cartoon Network. Manu enjoyed an award-winning career in creative strategy before starting Your Social Team in 2017.

As a native Atlantan, Derrick has a deep passion for community and culture. He is guided by his core values integrity, passion, and grit.  Derrick views his role as an advisor not as a job but a calling.  He believes helping people is the true definition of success.

A graduate of Furman University, Derrick earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.  He played college football as a defensive back for the mighty Paladins.  Upon graduation, he started a financial planning practice associated with Northwestern Mutual in 2013. Dedicated to education, he also completed a graduate program in Financial Planning at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

Derrick belongs to the approximate 28 percent of nationwide certified advisors.  He completed his board certification as a Certified Financial Planner through the American College.  As a financial planner, his mission is to help clients build and maintain multi-generational wealth.

He is married to Zaahidah Murray.  Derrick loves to volunteer at Kipp Ways Primary, a local elementary school where Zaahidah is Assistant Principal.  For fun, he loves to exercise, attend live sporting events, and spend time with family and friends.

Moreland Murray is Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and Chief People Officer for corporate functions at Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), a leading professional services firm with 83,000 colleagues advising clients in 130 countries. In these roles, he combines his commitment to diversity with his business acumen to develop and deliver change for clients, colleagues and society. Moreland collaborates with senior leaders to deliver on business priorities and enable a vibrant and inclusive culture of belonging where colleagues can do their best work. Moreland has dedicated his career to helping people—and businesses—grow. Prior to joining Marsh McLennan in 2011, Moreland spent 18 years with JPMorgan Chase across various groups and locations. Before this, he had leadership roles at USAA Property & Casualty Insurance and NationsBank (now Bank of America) in employee relations and compensation.

Moreland holds a BS in Statistics and Economics from SUNY Oneonta and an MBA in Labor Relations from the University of Tampa. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.

Moreland Murray is Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and Chief People Officer for corporate functions at Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), a leading professional services firm with 83,000 colleagues advising clients in 130 countries. In these roles, he combines his commitment to diversity with his business acumen to develop and deliver change for clients, colleagues and society. Moreland collaborates with senior leaders to deliver on business priorities and enable a vibrant and inclusive culture of belonging where colleagues can do their best work. Moreland has dedicated his career to helping people—and businesses—grow. Prior to joining Marsh McLennan in 2011, Moreland spent 18 years with JPMorgan Chase across various groups and locations. Before this, he had leadership roles at USAA Property & Casualty Insurance and NationsBank (now Bank of America) in employee relations and compensation.

Moreland holds a BS in Statistics and Economics from SUNY Oneonta and an MBA in Labor Relations from the University of Tampa. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.

Brandon Pankey, Vice President of Business Development and Operations with Live Nation Urban, is a Philadelphia native and music industry executive credited as one of the moving pieces behind some of your favorite music festivals.  As Vice President of Business Development & Operations for Live Nation Urban, Brandon Pankey proves integral to the planning, positioning, and execution of marquee annual events and initiatives, ensuring the ultimate audience experience along the way.  These include The Roots Picnic where he serves as an official producer and offers his local expertise firsthand, Broccoli City, Strength of a Woman Festival, D-Nice’s Club Quarantine series, and more.

While music is the basis of everything he does, Brandon’s career has allowed him to explore other areas such as technology, gaming, film, and television to name a few.  Most recently, Brandon is launching his own Advertising Video On-Demand video network called Artist Presented Experiences (APEX).  APEX offers viewers diverse, artist-centric content, starring and produced by some of the industry’s most influential and sought-after talent, to create original scripted, unscripted, and licensed programming by and for artists.

Last year, Brandon was recognized as a Breakthrough Creator on the esteemed Ebony magazine’s 2021 Power 100 List, Billboard magazine’s prestigious “30 under 30” music executives list.  Additionally, he has been featured in national publications such as Black Enterprise, Ad Age, and Pollstar.

His career accomplishments have also allowed him to give back meaningful knowledge through founding and leading programs designed to educate Black youth and adults on the music industry and inspire them to enter it.

Brandon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Annenberg School of Communications at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.

Tarak Patel currently serves as vice president of IT, Consumer Packaging. In this role, Tarak leads the global strategic planning, management, and effective delivery of information technology and solutions for Consumer Packaging. Tarak and his team are key drivers of WestRock’s technology transformation efforts to ensure the continued alignment of business and technology strategies.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​Before joining WestRock, Tarak served as vice president of Information Technology at E. & J. Gallo Winery. Prior to E. & J. Gallo Winery, Tarak held several technology leadership positions at Henkel AG & Company and IBM Corporation in IT technology delivery and transformation areas.​​​​​​​

Tarak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from the University of California San Diego.

William F. Pickard, Ph.D. is the Founder and Executive Chairman of GAA Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management and GAA New Ventures, generating more than $5 billion dollars in sales in the U.S. and Canada.  He is also the Co-Managing Partner for MGM Grand Detroit Casino, CEO of Bearwood Management, and Co-Owner of Real Times Media and Marketing Company.  His 50-year entrepreneurial career began in Detroit, Michigan, as a McDonald’s franchisee.

He has served on numerous business and nonprofit boards including LaSalle Bank, National Urban League, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and is a lifetime member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.  He has received many awards for business success, civic leadership, and continued philanthropy which include the 2022 Morehouse College’s, A Candle in the Dark Award, the Michigan Lifetime Humanitarian Award, and Michiganian of the Year.

He has also held several appointments including the Chairman of the African Development Foundation in 1982, appointed by Former President Ronald Reagan.  Under Former President George H.W. Bush, he was appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Trade Policy Negotiations in1990 and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board-Indianapolis Bank the following year.

Dr. Pickard holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Ciara Pierce is currently a Finance Manager at Amazon where she does financial planning and analysis for Advertising International Expansion.  Before joining Amazon, Ciara worked as an Associate Director of Investor Relations at SiriusXM where she interacted with institutional and individual investors to help communicate the company’s value with the investment community.

Prior to SiriusXM, Ciara was a Sr. Manager, Financial Planning within the community investment team at Comcast Corporation managing the budget, forecast and long-range planning cycles.  In addition to financial planning, Ciara previously worked in Comcast’s corporate treasury team managing the company’s entire cash forecast, return of capital programs and debt portfolio.  Prior to Comcast, Ciara worked in investment banking both at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Barclays Capital Bank.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Stockton University and an MBA in Finance and Management from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  Ciara is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Rowan University and is also the current Philadelphia chapter president of the National Black MBA Association®.

Adrion Porter is a passionate age diversity advocate, podcaster, and the founder of Mid-Career Mastery (MCM), a platform dedicated to building the most powerful personal and professional growth community for people ages 40 and older.

He is the creator of both the #FabulousOver40 Spotlight and Fireside Chat Series on LinkedIn, which highlight an inspirational selection of leaders who are making a meaningful impact on the world at midlife.  Adrion is also the host of Gen X Amplified, the premier podcast created to give a prominent voice to the often overlooked, yet very powerful generation between the Boomers and Millennials.

Adrion is sought after by organizations as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator on a variety of topics, including the power of age diversity, building your personal brand at any age, and his signature framework: The Malaise-to-Mastery Map™.  The Map outlines three actionable pillars for getting unstressed and unstuck during your middle years.

As an advisor, Adrion also works directly with executive leaders and mid-career talent to help accelerate their professional growth so they can thrive at work and in life.  Some of Adrion’s clients include The Atlanta Hawks, Humana, Black Enterprise, The Institute of Coaching, International Coaching Federation (ICF), Hired Inc., The Executive Leadership Council (ELC), Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and others.

Drawing upon his 20+ years as a marketing executive, where he worked for the leading brands including HBO, Cartoon Network, Citi, and as the CMO of a media/tech non-profit, Adrion has garnered an impressive clientele roster.

Adrion holds an MBA from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Memphis, and currently lives in the Greater Atlanta area with his wife and their two children.

James Reid is the Chief Information Officer for the Employee Experience and Corporate Technology organization reporting to JPMorgan Chase’s Global CIO, Lori Beer. In this role, he leads an organization that builds and maintains systems used across the bank’s corporate functions such as HR, legal, and audit, tax and robotics. He also oversees efforts that include building a seamless and unified digital interface across common employee-facing technologies. JR leverages his strong transformational experience and skills in the areas of Modernization, Data, Cloud and SRE to further transform the ways JPMorgan Chase works and collaborates, with a focus on employee experience and workplace technology, to accelerate the execution and delivery of capabilities that have a direct impact on the productivity, performance, and satisfaction of firmwide employees.

He is one of the firm’s Distinguished Engineers and a member of the Cloud Design Council and the Global Technology Architecture Council. In addition, he’s an active leader of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, and a member of its Black Executive Forum and serves as an ambassador and thought leader for firmwide initiatives.

Prior to this role, JR was the Head of Corporate Technology’s Engineering and Architecture. Before joining JPMorgan Chase in May 2019, JR worked at Equifax for 17 years and served as SVP of Core Software Engineering, leading a global software organization that designed, built, and delivered their strategic global platforms and capabilities. He holds software patents created from his passion to use technology to deliver business value.

JR graduated with a degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University, and holds a Master of Business Administration, Global Business from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Damon is currently VP, Global Tax, for Alphabet and leads a team of over 130 Googlers representing the company on tax matters. He also serves as an executive sponsor for the Company’s Finance Diversity & Inclusion Council. Damon joined Google in 2006 as the first internal lead for international tax. Prior to his tenure at Google he was Senior International Tax Counsel at Agilent Technologies and a member of the PricewaterhouseCoopers International Tax practice in Los Angeles, CA. Damon graduated from the UCLA School of Law where he was a Coopers & Lybrand Tax Fellow.

In his spare time Damon enjoys running (he was a 400M hurdler in college) and traveling with his wife and two sons. On his bucket list of things to do is to run a half marathon.

Fun Fact: One of 22 grandchildren on my mom’s side of the family and the only grandchild to have ever moved from Southern California. To this day my grandmother has not let me forget it.

Valerie Royal is a Diversity Relationship Strategy Consultant in Wells Fargo Talent Acquisition Strategy & Delivery. She is a strategist on the National Partnerships & Programs team and has been with Wells Fargo for 11 years.

In her role, she collaborates with business leaders to elevate the role of National Diversity Partnerships and drive diverse talent acquisition efforts. She also leads cross-functional teams to strategize, plan, and execute initiatives to deepen diverse segment focus in talent acquisition. Previously, Valerie held various leadership roles in Employment Investigations, Human Resources Consulting and Talent Acquisition.

Valerie joined Wells Fargo in 2011 from Walt Disney World® Resort, the country’s leading vacation destination. As Sr. Manager of Minority Business Development, she was responsible for the sponsorship portfolio of national diversity partnerships with some of the nation’s most influential HBCUs, diverse professional and civic associations. She began her career in Finance at industry leading financial services firms.

Valerie is an alumna of Florida A&M University’s School of Business & Industry and earned her MBA at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business (Minneapolis, MN).

She is a Lifetime Member of the National Black MBA Association®, FAMU Charlotte Metro Alumni Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Val serves on the boards of Deltas of Charlotte Foundation and The Undie Chest. In her spare time, she enjoys the arts, travel and delivering memories through special events for nonprofit organizations.

Fredrick Russell is a professional coach – not for athletes, but for executives, businesswomen and businessmen – leaders. He designs and facilitates leadership and management development programs, teaches interpersonal skills, develops cohesive teams, works as an executive coach, delivers keynote speeches and consults on leadership development for organizations of all types and sizes. He founded the True North Leadership Group in 2005 to foster responsible, character-driven leadership and help others understand its critical role in strengthening families, businesses and communities. Fredrick’s intense interest in leadership grew out of many years of leading various organizations and being intentional about developing the leaders around him. Fredrick has served for over 20 years on a number of community-based boards, university trustee boards, publishing company boards and Health Systems Boards. He has developed leaders on every continent except one (Antarctica), which has given him a cultural competency to interface with leaders across the globe. Fredrick has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theology from Oakwood University, and a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership and Management (MS) from National Louis University.

Sunil is a global fintech executive with a significant breadth of experience in banking and payments at companies such as American Express, Meed and Pershing. He has worked for Fiserv for nearly a decade in various roles and geographies. He was initially tasked with setting up the Fiserv sales office in India, before his role was expanded to extend the Fiserv payments business into international markets. In recent years, he led the Community Bank segment for Fiserv, a position that helped him gain a deeper appreciation for the power of fintech partnerships to help community banks deliver differentiating experiences, support new revenue streams and improve speed to market.

In 2021, Fiserv launched an official Fintech segment of the business, with Sunil leading a team that has greatly accelerated the planning, execution and delivery of new fintech capabilities across the enterprise. He also leads product management and marketing for a range of capabilities that drive growth for banks and credit unions using Fiserv cores.

Sunil has established key partnerships with a number of fintechs – bringing their innovative services to the expansive network of financial institutions and merchants Fiserv serves. In addition, Sunil and his team continue to make it faster and easier for fintechs to work with Fiserv to embed a range of banking, payments and crypto services into their digital experience.

Claudia is an experienced leader and professional of 23 years and has held various roles in the payments industry and oil industry across marketing, strategic development, and client management.

Claudia Schaefer is currently the Director of Strategic Client Management at Discover Financial Services. In this role, she leads a team of sales executives focused on the development and management of external enterprise business relationships designed to drive market change and support Discover’s overall growth initiatives.

Claudia was born in Chicago IL and raised by her loving parents alongside two brothers and a sister. Her interests include traveling internationally, playing with ceramics and dabbling in photography as well as spending quality time with her husband Erik, dogs Roscoe and Bernie.

Claudia holds a BS in Political Science and MBA from Northern Illinois University.

Alisha Scott is a Cybersecurity Portfolio Architect, currently leading the enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy at Liberty Mutual Insurance.  She is responsible for securing the identities of Liberty Mutual’s global workforce as well as modernizing and streamlining the management of systems access.  Before joining Liberty Mutual, Alisha developed some of the largest and most secure IAM solutions for nearly a decade.  She has led numerous successful identity governance implementations for the commercial and governmental sectors, including the Department of Homeland Security and Capital One.

Alisha is an active member of the Women in Technology (WiT) group at Liberty Mutual and loves to mentor others interested in technology or cybersecurity.
Alisha earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in Computer Engineering and received her Master of Science in Computer Science from Georgia Tech.  She is certified in CompTIA Security+, SailPoint IdentityIQ, and ForgeRock Identity Management.  She resides in Virginia with her husband, James, and their dog Great Scott.

Jannon Siler is currently a Lead Program Manager in Twitter Service, working to support the user experience around products as well as providing an elevated support for external users and high profile users.  She has worked in Product Management, Product Operations and User experience for over 15 years, creating scalable business operations that drives both efficient and effective support. Jannon earned her MBA from Western Governor’s University.

In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, traveling, and spending time with her family.

T. Dallas Smith is the Founder and CEO at T. Dallas Smith & Company.  He leads all new business development initiatives.  His role includes overseeing all brokerage affairs related to the company and providing chief liaison services to key clients.

Dallas began his commercial real estate career in 1982.  In 1989, he became the first African-American Broker at Cushman & Wakefield of Georgia.  His affiliation with the company opened doors for many minority brokers.

In 1995, he pioneered the brokerage division for H.H. Russell & Company, an African American-owned construction and management firm, where he served as VP of the Brokerage Division.  Dallas led the company’s initiative of acquiring 40 parcels of real estate, a full city block, in the intercity of Atlanta resulting in a mixture of office, retail and multifamily developments now valued upwards of $20 million dollars.

In 2006, with the blessing of the late Herman J. Russell, Dallas opened T. Dallas Smith & Company, specializing in tenant representation.  His company has led projects across the country with metrics exceeding more than eight million square feet of tenant and buyer representation in office and industrial space, and more than five thousand acres of land acquisitions.  Since its inception, the team has grown exponentially, and with their combined experiences have successfully led transactions totaling over $16 billion in aggregate value.

Dallas is an innovator in the commercial real estate community and is international about cultivating and developing diverse talent to help shape the commercial real estate industry.

He received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Management from Georgia State University and has more three decades of experience.  He is also the recipient of more than 15 accolades to his name including the Atlanta Business League’s 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year Award recipient and the 100 Most Influential Georgians consecutively for 2021 and 2022 for Georgia Trend Magazine to name a few.

Vera Stewart is a National Performance Manager for the Consumer Bank. In this expanded role she has responsibility for the launch of the Business Employee Banking and Investing Program.  Previously, as a Business Support Manager II for the California Division of the Consumer Bank Vera was responsible for Community Development & Growth Strategies.

Vera began her career at Bank of America as a management trainee and has held several Executive positions including Consumer Market Executive LA Mid- Cities and Customer Experience Executive for the Southern California Region.  Vera is a 2012 and a 2014 recipient of the Bank of America Global Diversity and Inclusion award.  She was selected for the Inaugural 2018 Enterprise Women’s Next Level Leadership Program and the 2019 Diverse Leader Sponsorship Program.

In her personal time, she sings in the Voices of Faith choir at the Faithful Central Bible church where she is an active member. Vera was recognized by Senator Curren Price with a SHERO award for outstanding service to the community. Vera received a BA degree from UC Berkeley in Economics and earned her Jurist Doctorate (J.D.) degree from Loyola Law School. She has also studied Economics with the American Economics Society at Yale University.

Jice L. Stokes, Jr. is a people leader for Wells Fargo’s Enterprise Investigations Team. In his role, he leads a team of professionals who investigate allegations involving Title VII matters (e.g., discrimination, harassment, and retaliation) and who manage disputes from employees across the enterprise. He is enthusiastic about providing counsel to others so that they may achieve their goals and dreams.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Jice held executive level human resources (HR) positions in human at NCCI and The Coca-Cola Company. Before those roles, he worked in HR and finance at Merck, The Walt Disney Company, Ford Motor Company, and National Bank of Detroit. He holds a Bachelor of Business

Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Florida A&M University’s School of Business Industry. He also attained a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) Certification in addition to several HR-related certifications.

He is married to his lovely wife, Lynne. In their free time, they enjoy traveling to tropical destinations and spending time with extended family when possible.

Crystal Swain-Bates is a celebrated children’s book author and the owner of Goldest Karat Publishing. Fed up with the lack of black children’s books on the market, Crystal founded Goldest Karat Publishing in order to address the lack of diversity in children’s literature. With over 500,000 books sold, Crystal and her books have been seen on platforms such as Forbes, Black Enterprise, Essence, Entrepreneur, INC., a nationally televised Amazon commercial, and hit television shows such as BET’s Being Mary Jane, The Game, and Shaquille O’Neal’s TNT docu-series, Game Plan.

Her book, “Big Hair, Don’t Care was named by the Huffington Post as one of “21 Children’s Books Every Black Kid Should Read.” “Big Hair, Don’t Care” is also one of Amazon’s most highly reviewed Black children’s books on the market. Known as a “Diversity Publishing Pro,” Crystal won the 2019 Digital Book World Medal for Leadership in Diversity and offers free and paid courses to an online community of over 10,000 aspiring underrepresented authors who aim to bring their stories to life through self-publishing. A native of Atlanta, GA, Crystal holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Florida State University and is an avid world traveler.

Christina Tyson is the Sr. Director of Sales – National Accounts for Quaker Foods North America. In this role, she is responsible for customer management across multiple channels covering the Quaker Foods and Snacks portfolio.

Christina started at PepsiCo in 2013 and has served in various roles including sales, category management and global procurement, as well as cross division experience at Quaker Foods, Pepsi Beverages, and PepsiCo. Before joining PepsiCo, Christina worked in sales at The Hershey Company & Advance Auto Parts. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Christina is also a leader within PepsiCo’s DE&I initiatives focused on Supplier Diversity and recruitment.

Jesse Tyson grew up a sharecropper. He interned with USAID, has a BS and Honorary Degree from Lane College and received an MBA from Fisher College at The Ohio State University where the Diversity & Inclusion Suite is named after Jesse and Cheryl. Jesse retired from ExxonMobil after a 35-year global career that included marketing, logistics and safety. Tyson’s acumen for operations and strategy positioned him to lead ExxonMobil’s Global Aviation, based in Brussels, Belgium. Prior to relocating to Brussels, he was President of ExxonMobil’s South America Fuels business. Upon retirement, Jesse became President & CEO of The National Black MBA Association (2013-2019).

Jesse holds civic memberships and awards in several organizations from:

• • Board of Trustees: Lane College, Florida A&M University and Benedict College
• • Dean Advisory Council – The Ohio State University Business School
• • Board President – The Ensemble Theatre
• • The Orange Bowl Committee, Executive Leadership Council, 100 Black Men of America, and UNCF
• • Jack & Jill Father of the Year
• • Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi
• • Member of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
• • Board Member at Williams Companies
• • Avid art collector

The Tysons are donors to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Additionally, Jesse has endowments at Spelman, Lane and Ohio State, in honor of his grandmother, Lena Taylor.

Sharhea is the Head of Global Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (GIDE) North America at State Street Corporation. She is responsible for developing and implementing GIDE programs that promote State Street’s strategic goals of being a destination for top talent with a diverse workforce and inclusive culture. She also oversees State Street’s approach to GID consulting with internal clients, engaging leaders with insights from qualitative and quantitative diversity data.

She previously worked as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of State Street. In partnership with senior executives, she was responsible for managing the department’s strategic projects, including business communications, recertifications and employee hiring. She was also the Secretary for the Technology and Operational Risk Committee, a senior management level committee reporting to the Board of Directors. Sharhea began her career at State Street as an Intern in 2008 and succeeded in various credit analyst roles within the Global Treasury Investment Portfolio managing fixed income investments with deep dive analysis, monitoring, and assessing the creditworthiness of the bank’s global portfolio.

Sharhea is also an active community member, currently serving as the elected President of The National Black MBA Association–Boston Chapter. She has served as the Executive Director of the Boston Chapter’s Leaders of Tomorrow Program. She has also served on the Founding Board of The Philanthropy Connection. Her passion comes from her modest upbringing and her commitment to Boston’s pre-collegiate leadership organizations such as Summer Search, Bottom Line and The Posse Foundation that helped to mold her.

Sharhea graduated from Bryn Mawr College, majoring in Economics. She also graduated from Boston University with a Master of Business Administration. She is originally from the volcanic, beautiful island of Montserrat, West Indies and now resides in Roslindale, MA.

Music industry executive & restauranteur Zak Wallace is a culture curator whose work and impact span cities and communities across the U.S. Zak founded Local Green Atlanta, a fast-casual eatery with a mission rooted in equity access and public health. The company’s first brick-and-mortar location made its home in the historic West End community. In March 2022, Local Green celebrated its expansion into Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resorts, becoming the first Black-owned food truck to grace the amusement park.

Through Zak’s mission to redefine healthy, affordable food and being a change agent, he has provided thousands of meals to voters. He also donated 7,000 masks to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic through philanthropic organizations such as BET and US Foods. In 2022, Zak also served on the transition team for Atlanta’s 61st Mayor, The Honorable Andre Dickens. He is married to Robyn Wallace, Local-Green Co-Owner, and they are the parents of four boys.

Stephen Washington is the Head of Identity & Access Management for Discover Financial Services.  With more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology & Cybersecurity, Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge in multiple industries including Financial Services, Retail, Consulting, and Healthcare.  Stephen is known for developing teams, successfully steering organizations towards their modernization efforts, and bringing a unique perspective to disrupting the way work is done.  In addition to his role at Discover, Stephen is an advocate and ambassador for the Arthur M. Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research.

Adam Weers serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Trammell Crow Company. In this role, Adam administers TCC’s Investment Committee and Executive Committee processes, and oversees TCC’s Marketing, Communications, People, Legal/Risk Management and Digital & Technology activities. He a member of both the TCC Executive and Investment Committees and leads TCC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee.

Prior to his appointment to COO in April 2021, Adam was a Principal in TCC’s MidAtlantic Business Unit. He played a valuable role in leading projects in Washington, DC, including the McMillan Healthcare Campus, a 1,000,000-SF component of the multi-phased, mixed-use redevelopment of the McMillan sand filtration site, and Northeast Heights, a 1,500,000-SF multi-phase, residential, retail, and office development.

As EVP, Head of Venue Services for Live Nation’s US Venues division (Venue Nation), Larry oversees key departments that service and support over 150 venue operations across all venue types that Live Nation operates across the US, including amphitheaters, ballrooms, theaters, clubs, House of Blues, etc.

Wethers began his career with Live Nation in 1994 as PACE Concerts, an independent promotion company based in Houston, TX that was part of a series of acquisitions over the years by SFX Entertainment and Clear Channel Entertainment as predecessors to Live Nation.

He has been a part of Live Nation since its inception in 2005.  In addition to roles within Venue Operations over the years, Wethers has also had roles in business development, new venue design and development, festival operations, and 3rd party concert promotions with arenas, stadiums, and other venues across the country.  Larry is a graduate of the University of Texas.

The Reverend Dr. Angela D. Williams was born and reared in Atlanta, Georgia.  She was baptized and confirmed as a child at the historic First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rev. Williams received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spelman College and a Master of Divinity degree in Theology from the Johnson C. Smith Presbyterian Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center.  In 2015, she received a Doctorate in Ministry from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center.

After graduating from seminary, she served as the youth minister and Minister of Christian Education at the historic Friendship Baptist Church in Atlanta.  Next, she became an Assistant Minister at the Olivet Church in Fayetteville, Ga. (2008), serving as the Children, Youth, and Young Adult Pastor.  Then she served as the youth pastor and minister in Christian Education at First Congregational Church, U.C.C. in Atlanta (2011).  Rev. Williams later served Ousley United Methodist Church in Lithonia (2018), and later returned to serve as an assisting pastor at First Congregational Church.

During her years of experience as an educator, mentor, and advocate for women in leadership and social justice, Dr. Williams has committed her life to make a difference in our communities’ civil and religious lives and promoting the quality of life for all.  Dr. Williams served as a professor in the areas of humanities and religion at Strayer University and campus dean.

Rev. Williams is the recipient of numerous awards and is affiliated with various community, religious, and civic organizations.  Rev. Williams has served as a board member for the Jean Child Young Institute for Youth Leadership and Midtown Assistance Center.  Also, she has published works, Harmony 4 Life: A Ministry Model for Women in Transition from Incarceration, and her sermon, entitled “A Bridge Across the Gap,” was published in a book entitled, Those Preaching Women, Vol. 4, edited by Dr. Ella P. Mitchell and Dr. Jacqueline Glass.

She currently serves as the Site Coordinator for Communities in Schools Atlanta at Love T. Nolan Elementary.  Although she describes herself as a preacher, teacher, and counselor, she is proud of her role as a mother to her children, Carlos Jr., and Janine.  Rev. Williams believes and teaches others, “You have to serve until your eyes are closed.”

A Chicago native with over 25 years in the industry, Damon Williams began his comedy career at All Jokes Aside Comedy Club.  In 1999, Damon performed for over 300,000 fans as the opening act for the highly successful Kings of Comedy Tour, establishing him as one of the elite comics in the nation.  Damon has recently performed on several shows and comedy tours nationwide such as HBO’s Martha’s Vineyard Comedy Fest, The US Comedy Arts Festival, the Cedric the Entertainer Revue, and HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, to name a few.

In addition to comedy, he has also starred in tv and film with Not Another Black Movie, Heaven on Seven, and made an appearance on the Bounce TV sitcom, Grown Folks.  Damon’s previous television appearances date back to 1994 with BET’s Comic View, including his own one-hour special.  Other credits include features on BET Live, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, The Tom Joyner Sky Show on TV One and HBO’s P Diddy’s Bad Boys of Comedy.  He hosted several episodes of the legendary Showtime at the Apollo.  Damon’s work has taken him internationally to places such as the Cayman Islands and Canada.

His popularity has provided him the opportunity to work with some of the biggest stars in the business such as the late Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, Frankie Beverly, Chris Rock, James Brown, Jamie Foxx, and Former President Barack Obama –where he hosted a campaign brunch.

Damon landed his own unscripted comedy stand-up, Laugh Tonight with Damon Williams, on new streaming service, UrbanFlix TV.  Most recently, Damon has taken on the role of manager of Riddles Comedy Club where he provides a stage for new and veteran talent.  He currently maintains his monthly showcase in Chicago for Funny First Mondays.  He can be seen on Chicago’s #1 Day Talk Show, Windy City Live.

Jessica Williams (she / her) is a Group Product Manager and people leader at YouTube. In this role, she is a lead on the YouTube Commerce team, responsible for powering commerce and buying experiences across YouTube, partnering with teams across Google, and scaling the Commerce platform infrastructure to accelerate Creator, user, and business growth. Since joining YouTube in 2021, Jessica has served as a Marketing Co-Lead for the 2022 Women@ YouTube Annual Summit, bringing together hundreds of colleagues from around the world, across all YouTube organizations and levels, to foster connection, increase awareness, and initiate action.

Before this role, Jessica served as a Group Product Manager at Walmart, owning the transformation of the transactional communication platform and customer experience for the Enterprise, and was the PM Lead responsible for the successful launch of a multi-million dollar business on walmart.com. Jessica began her career in Financial Services, and worked in
various roles within the consumer and business lifecycle before transitioning into Product Management in 2013.

From 2015 – 2018, Jessica served as the inaugural Fundraising and Event Board Chair of America Needs You, Chicago, mentoring and fighting for the economic mobility of ambitious, first-generation college students through mentorship and career development. A native of Long Island, NY, Jessica is a graduate of Spelman College, a 2011 MLT MBAP Fellow, and holds an MBA from Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business. She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.

Ryan Wilson is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Gathering Spot and the Chief Community Officer of Greenwood, a digital banking services platform for Black and minority individuals and businesses. As a native Atlantan, Ryan and his business partner created The Gathering Spot which is a private membership network that serves as a hub for collaboration, connections and experiences and have expanded nationally.

Ryan is an active board member of several Atlanta civic and community organizations. He was named Small Business Person of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Ebony Power 100 and one of Goldman Sachs’ Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs. He is the recipient of the Phoenix Award, Atlanta’s highest honor. He graduated from Georgetown University and resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children.

Shawn Williams is currently a People Systems Analyst at Twitter, working on Talent Acquisition system implementations and improvements. Having worked mainly in the Human Resources space for the last 12 years, Shawn’s experience includes performance management, compensation, onboarding, and training. Shawn earned his MBA from Savannah State University. He is certified as a SHRM Certified Professional. Shawn is passionate about process improvement and designing systems to enhance the user experience. In his spare time, he loves to relax with his wife and daughter.

As the Senior Pastor of Hunter Hill First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, Christopher A. Wimberly’s dynamic preaching approach equips and empowers the saints and touches the hearts of believers and non-believers.

He studied religion at Gainesville College in Gainesville, Georgia and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.  He was also the recipient of the distinguished Paul A. Anderson Scholarship at Beulah Heights Bible College in Atlanta, Georgia.

At the young age of 19, Pastor Wimberly was called to preach God’s Word.  He was licensed in 1997.  In 1999, he began his pastorate at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Hartsville, Tennessee, where he faithfully served for five years.  Since June 2004, he has served as the visionary at the historic Hunter Hill First Baptist Church in NW Atlanta.  Wimberly is dedicated to “taking the church beyond the walls,” and has successfully done so throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and by integrating the core principles of his E7 Vision.  This vision includes Evangelizing and Enlightening the Sinner, Embracing and Encouraging the Suffering, Equipping and Empowering the Saints, and Exalting the Savior.

A spirited orator, Wimberly’s prolific messages make him a sought-after revivalist and preacher across the country.  As the owner and operator of Wimberly Funeral Home in Gainesville, Georgia, he is also a gifted entrepreneur who leads with a servant’s heart.

He is married to First Lady Felicia, and they are the proud parents of their daughter, Jahri, and their son, Christopher, Jr.

Wayne M. Wormley is the President of The Wormley Company, a general management consulting firm, established in 1994 and based in Philadelphia, PA. He has been active for over four decades as an educator, faculty member, administrator, and entrepreneur. He has served as a trainer to the business, industry, government, and the not-for-profit sectors, in the areas of organizational development, human resources management, cultural diversity and strategic planning.

Since 2018, Dr. Wormley has been an Executive Search Consultant with AGB Search, one of the premier higher education executive search firms, based in Washington, DC. From 2015-2016, he served as Interim Dean, Division of Professional Studies & Workforce Development, at Bunker Hill Community College, providing leadership for seven academic departments and the non-credit Workforce Development Department.

From 2012-2014, Dr. Wormley served as Dean of the Division of Business & Technology at Community College of Philadelphia. Since the 1970s, Dr. Wormley has held faculty and/or administrative positions and taught online courses at multiple higher education institutions.

Lu Yarbrough III is responsible for ensuring diverse consumers’ insights and needs are integrated into enterprise solutions that facilitate enduring relationships. He also develops and manages key alliances and partnerships with organizations that share Nationwide’s commitment to improving the communities in which our members and associates live and do business.
Previously at Nationwide, Lu led Co-op Advertising and Channel Marketing/Communications. He joined Nationwide in January of 2005.

Over the past 20 years Lu has held Marketing and Leadership roles with companies like IBM, Emerson and Wells Fargo. His experience includes product development, brand management, strategic development, market planning, profit & loss management and consumer experience.

Lu graduated from Franklin University with an MBA and received a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing from West Liberty University. He has served as Chairman of the Board for Godman Guild an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and families in Central Ohio since 1898.