College & Independent Schools
Culture & Belonging
Culture & Belonging:
Award-Winning Actress, Producer & Equal Rights Advocate
With various ‘firsts’ in her already impressive career, Laverne Cox is a four-time Emmy- nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer, and a prominent equal rights advocate and public speaker.
Sierra Leone Princess, Humanitarian & Author
Princess Sarah has an extraordinary journey that has been featured on CNN, GMA, BBC, and numerous other media outlets. Her story inspired the book she co-wrote, A Princess Found, which is being adapted into a live-action movie with Disney.
Filmmaker
The creative mind behind Monster's Ball, speaker Lee Daniels was the first African American producer of an Academy Award-nominated movie.
Former Head of Multicultural at Google
As director of multicultural strategy at McPherson Strategies, Paulita David brings deep expertise with multicultural consumers, including what motivates them, what matters most to them, and how they live in America today.
Physician & Inspirational Leader
One of three young men raised in poverty that made a pact to become doctors, NY Times best-selling author Davis told his story in The Pact and wrote Living & Dying in Brick City and The Stuff.
Author of The Queens’ English
Chloe O. Davis is a Broadway performer and debut author who works in the entertainment industry in New York. A graduate of Hampton University and Temple University, she has centered her creative platform on amplifying the narratives of Black culture.
Track & Field Athlete & 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist; YouTuber & Content Creator
Tara Davis-Woodhall is the reigning Olympic Gold Medalist in the long jump and has remained undefeated for the past two years.
Best-Selling Author, Educator & Thought Leader
Jennifer De Leon is author of the YA novel Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From which was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection, and the essay collection White Space: Essays on Culture, Race, & Writing, which is a recipient of the Juniper Prize in Creative Nonfiction.
TV Critic/Media Analyst/Guest Host
Eric Deggans is NPR’s first full-time TV critic and media analyst, providing reviews, feature stories, commentary and guest hosting for the network’s shows such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
Decorated Clandestine Officer
Intelligence poacher-turned-gamekeeper, Shawnee Delaney is a decorated Intelligence Officer, licensed Private Investigator, and an Insider Threat Expert and Founder of Vaillance Group.
Wellness Advocate & Founder of Naaya
Sinikiwe Dhliwayo is a true creative and public speaker who for the last decade has made a home at the intersection of wellness and publishing. She is dedicated to shifting the perception of BIPOC and certain that love is a catalyst for great change.
Former Mayor of Miami
As former mayor, speaker Manny Diaz transformed Miami from a poor, crime-ridden, and economically stagnant city to a flourishing metropolis with a hurtling skyline.
Global Storyteller, Trilingual Poet & Thought Leader in Respectful Dialogue & Social Courage
Dr. Omékongo Dibinga is the UPstander. His life’s mission is to inspire all across the globe to take a stand when they witness an injustice, no matter how small or large.
National Book Award-Nominated Author & Executive Editor of YES! Media
Evette Dionne, known across the internet as @freeblackgirl, is a journalist, critic, and magazine editor. She’s the National Book Award-nominated and Coretta Scott King honor author of Lifting As We Climb.
Global Sustainable Justice Vanguard
Dominique Drakeford is a mother, a non-traditional environmental justice educator, published writer, independent researcher and creative storyteller that has been a leader in reimagining sustainability for the past 15+ years.
Founder, Brown Girl Green; Environmental Media Host & Activist
Kristy Drutman, otherwise known as “Browngirl Green” is a speaker, consultant, media producer, and environmental educator passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism.
Trans Non-Binary Filipinx Activist & Educator; Creator of "Call Me They"
AC Dumlao (they/he) is a transgender non-binary first-generation Filipinx-American New Yorker. They were named a NYC/WorldPride Community Hero, during the 50th anniversary year of the Stonewall Uprising.
CEO and Member of Board of Directors for Sign Talent Solutions, Former NFL Player & Author
Success isn’t about talent alone — it’s about being able to LOCK IN on vision, values, and disciplined execution that drives long-term success. Damon Dunn has built a career proving that high performance is a mindset, not a moment.
Performing Artist, Founder of the Sphinx Organization, & Best-Selling Author
Named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee, Aaron P. Dworkin is former dean and current Professor at the University of Michigan.
Public Intellectual & Best-Selling Author
Featured on NPR and MSNBC, Professor Dyson melds scholarly insight with contemporary culture and examines civil rights and race relations. This thought-provoking talks foster social change.
Emmy Award Winning Storyteller
Sarah Eagle Heart is an Emmy award winning storyteller focused on education and advocacy on behalf of Indigenous Peoples whose deep perspective is rooted in her life story as Oglala Lakota activist raised on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Activist & Lawyer
Iranian lawyer and activist Shirin Ebadi is the first Muslim to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She speaks about democracy and the fundamental rights of women, children and every individual.
178th President of the American Medical Association
Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld was the 178th president of the American Medical Association (AMA). Upon his inauguration in 2023, he made AMA history as the first openly gay president of the organization.
Teacher & Diversity Trainer
Chosen as one of Peter Jennings' ABC-TV's "Person of the Week," Jane is the adaptor of the "Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes" discrimination experiment. This ground breaking exercise is the pinnacle of all other diversity programming in the country today.
Professor of Science Education & Author
Christopher Emdin teaches STEM classes at Columbia where he serves as Director of Secondary School Initiatives at the Urban Science Education Center. He wrote Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation.
4X Bestselling Author; Founder and CEO, Every Monday Matters
For the past 15 years, Matthew Emerzian has been on a mission to create a world where everyone embraces how much and why they matter.
Former Astronaut, NASA Johnson Space Center
Dr. Jeanette J. Epps is a trailblazing former NASA astronaut, aerospace engineer, and former CIA intelligence officer whose remarkable career embodies leadership and a steadfast commitment to inspiring the next generation.
NASA Aerospace Engineer, Defense Tech Strategist, Program Manager & STEM Educator
Named one of the top 50 minority women in science and engineering, Ericsson is the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering from NASA’s Goddard Flight Center.
Professional Boxer, 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist & World Champion
Marlen Esparza made history as the first US female boxer to win a medal in the first-ever women's boxing games at the Olympics.
Transgender Public Scholar & Intellectual Activist
Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza is passionate about the politics of radical difference and the ways that our collective differences might shed light on how we become a better body together. He is also a teacher at heart and loves being with people and teaching the community.
Grammy Award-Winning Singer, NYT Best-Selling Author, Philanthropist & Humanitarian
One of the biggest new stars in the '80s, Gloria Estefan predated the Latin pop explosion by a decade, scoring dance hits rooted in rhythms of her native Cuba before shifting her focus to softer ballads.
Civil Rights Activist
Myrlie Evers-Williams was the first woman to lead and restore the NAACP’s credibility in a time of controversy. She continues to fight for racial and gender equality and co-authored Medgar Evers’ autobiography.