Corporations & Associations
Culture & Belonging
Culture & Belonging:
(fka Ron Artest) NBA Champion & All-Star, Coach
We have long admired athletes for coming back from injuries, addiction or other hardships, but until NBA champion Ron Artest (nka Metta World Peace), none had so publicly triumphed over mental illness to reach the highpoint of their career.
Emmy Award-Winning Co-Anchor of ABC's Nightline & Best-Selling Author
Byron Pitts is an award-winning journalist who has covered some of the most horrific and dangerous news stories in the world, from Sept. 11 to Hurricane Katrina to the Boston Marathon to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
International Business Leader
An entrepreneur and humanitarian, speaker Marilyn Tam helps organizations integrate social and environmental concerns into business profitably.
Disability Advocate, Educator & Best-Selling Author, Sitting Pretty
Rebekah Taussig will challenge everything you think you know about disability as she invites us into her experience of living in a body that looks and moves differently than most.
Award-Winning Advocate and Trans Justice Leader & Campaign Manager at the ACLU
LaLa B Zannell is an advocate, organizer, and artist working towards liberation for transgender and nonbinary communities, with a particular focus on trans women of color and trans sex workers.
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.
The Professors: Nationally Recognized Educators
This unusual duo of tuba and piano, present events containing musical performances as well as opportunities to discuss diversity in many of its forms – gender, race, cultural, ideological and textural.
Co-Authors of We Are Not Like Them & You Were Always Mine
Christine Pride partnered with Jo Piazza to write We Are Not Like Them, a story of an interracial friendship upended by a police shooting that hits close to home for two women.
Author, Podcaster & TV Host
Touré is a host and Creative Director at TheGrio. He is a TV host, a podcaster, and the author of eight books including The Ivy League Counterfeiter and the Prince oral history Nothing Compares 2 U.
Co-Authors of The Thread Collectors
Richman is an internationally bestselling author of several novels and Edwards is a former corporate attorney who now leads Global Talent and DEI for an international law firm.
Gracie Award-Winning Media Personality, Motivational Speaker & Boy's Prep Basketball Coach
For nearly two decades, Gracie Award-Winning media personality and basketball coach, MalaniKai has dedicated her life to training and mentoring youth and daring to speak her mind on radio and television.
Award-Winning Investigative Journalist at NBC News & Criminal Legal Reform Activist
In 2002, Dan Slepian, award-winning NBC News journalist and veteran producer of its newsmagazine Dateline, received a letter from Jon-Adrian "JJ" Velazquez, a man incarcerated and serving 25 years to life in person for a crime he didn’t commit.
Deputy Superintendent & Senior Executive Officer of the Office of Equity & Access (OEA) for New York City’s Department of Education
With an unyielding commitment to a vision of transforming the lives of adults, children, communities and school systems, Dr. Ruby Ababio-Fernandez comes to the work with over twenty-three years of experience in education and leadership.
Global Authority on Using Soft Power to Change Behavior, Forbes Columnist on Leadership Strategies & Fellow-in-Residence at the McSilver Institute of Poverty Policy and Research, NYU
Penny Abeywardena is an award-winning public official and international columnist with a rapidly growing audience. She has learned a lot about how and why political and social progress happens — especially before and after courts and politicians get involved.
Global Speaker, Author, Analyst & Leader
With an outstanding track record in leading, innovating and collaborating, Katrina Adams is a woman of many firsts. She is the first African American to lead the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Ex-Felon, Lawyer, Serial Entrepreneur, Wall Street Investment Banker & Globally Recognized Transformation Expert
Rashmi Airan is a force of nature. A keynote speaker, consultant, and unapologetic truth-teller, she shakes up rooms with her raw, riveting story—one that challenges everything you think you know about leadership, ethics, and the hidden traps of ambition.
Pioneering Psychologist & Best-Selling Author
As the curator of the Urban Trauma® framework, Dr. Akbar has dedicated her career to understanding the lasting effects of social and cultural barriers on vulnerable communities.
CNN Political Analyst & Anchor for theGrio
Natasha S. Alford an award-winning journalist, host and media executive driven by the
power of storytelling to inspire and change people’s lives.
TIME Women of the Year 2023, Journalist, Activist & Author
Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind.
Emmy & Golden Globe Nominated Actor
Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor, Anthony Anderson starred in and executive produced ABC’s multi-award nominated sitcom black-ish where he portrayed Andre “Dre” Johnson.
Co-Star of TLC’s Little Couple, Neonatologist & Cancer Survivor
Featured on TLC’s The Little Couple, which follows her personal and professional life, Dr. Jennifer Arnold's presentations range from healthcare simulation education to motivational talks on overcoming obstacles.
Speaker, Author, and Advisor on Corporate Culture & Purpose
Daisy Auger-Domínguez is a trailblazing voice transforming how we work and lead - building more human, high-performing teams and organizations.
Author, Entrepreneur & Paralympian
Although physically challenged, Lloyd Bachrach has never let anything keep him from achieving his dreams. He turned his challenge into a strength by excelling in a variety of sports and taking his confidence to others seeking a positive message.
Breakthrough Strategist
Inspirational business speaker Simon T. Bailey is the author of Shift Your Brilliance: Harness the Power of You Inc. He teaches influencers how to improve themselves and change the world.
Founder, CEO of Ball Family Farms
Chris Ball is the founder of Ball Family Farms, the first Social Equity licensed vertically integrated cannabis facility in Los Angeles. Mr. Ball is an accomplished entrepreneur and innovative cultivator.
Best-Selling Author, Permission to Speak
Samara Bay is a sought-after speech coach and thought leader on a mission to change how power sounds. Her clients include top actors in Hollywood, C-suite execs and thought leaders, candidates for U.S. Congress, celebrities, activists, diplomats, moms returning to work, and high school girls who want to make a difference.
18th U.S. Surgeon General & Healthcare Disparity Expert
A leader in fighting health disparities and developing innovative community-based health strategies and systems for low-income communities, Regina Benjamin is best known for her service as U.S. Surgeon General from 2009-2013.
11-Time IRONMAN Champion
Lisa Bentley raced for 20 years as a professional triathlete. She won 11 Ironman and 16 Ironman 70.3 races. She should not have won any of them. She has cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic lung disease.
Futurist, Speculative Designer & Founder of Protopia Futures & Partner at Africa Life Centric Design
Monika Bielskyte is a futurist, speculative designer and founder of Protopia Futures & partner at Africa Life Centric Design.
Founder & CEO of Turning Point Leadership Group LLC
Dr. Linda Wiley Bing is founder and CEO of Turning Point Leadership Group LLC, an innovative performance improvement company that specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion, leadership development, and relationship management.
Co-Founder & CMO of Nunbelievable & Serial Entrepreneur
Kuda Biza is a serial entrepreneur who started his first company when he was 9 years old in Zimbabwe.
Plays “Nessarose” in Universal’s Wicked Duology, PRWeek’s Communicator of the Year & Inspirational Changemaker
Marissa Bode is a groundbreaking actor and disability advocate who made her feature-film debut as principal character Nessarose in Universal’s Wicked duology, directed by Jon M. Chu.