DAY 1 HOST

NYC native Adesina Sanchez is an established TV personality, visual artist, and technology professional; with over a decade of broadcasting credentials, and expertise in video production, coding and video game design. After years working as a freelance web developer, she began her TV career in 2005 under her stage name, Desi Sanchez, hosting “LatiNation” on CBS and FOX; and later becoming an MTV VJ. Ms. Sanchez is also known for her work hosting for E! News, VEVO, Bleacher Report, Syfy Channel, Music Choice, TMZ, Major League Gaming, and many more. An avid gamer, she also voiced a lead character in a popular Xbox video game.

Taking a sabbatical from television, in 2014 Adesina combined a lifetime of visual art practice with her computer skills, to become an iOS video game designer. And today, returning to the small screen, she often appears as a technology expert on news programs across the country. She is also the founder & face of GamesGeeksTech.com, which presents fun gaming and tech news with a focus on expanding tech & gaming opportunities for women and underrepresented populations. Her weekly GGT Talk segment airs on the Grindhouse Radio, reaching over 4 million listeners. And as always, Ms. Sanchez enjoys keeping her tech skills up to date by developing web solutions and video content through her company Powerful Creative.

Visionary and tech consultant. Creator of the Tech Women Network and HUE.

Dr. Tracee Walker Gilbert is a passionate entrepreneur and engineering executive. Dr. Gilbert owns and operates System Innovation, LLC, which has provided engineering and program management services to various clients in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) and the Department of Navy Modeling and Simulation.  She has over 21 years of experience leading large-scale initiatives and driving strategy for digital engineering, engineering research, and engineering programs across various domains including defense, homeland security, medical and public health, commerce/census, and the education sector.  She has held various leadership positions at Lockheed Martin, MITRE, Engility, and served as a fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF) at Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD). She received her B.A. (Physics, Minor Japanese) from Lincoln University and her M.S. (Systems Engineering), and Ph.D. (Industrial and Systems Engineering) from Virginia Tech. She also studied abroad with the Institute for International Students in Tokyo, Japan while working as a staff editor for Tokyo Classifieds. She is currently the Chair of the AAAS STPF Advisory Council, and a board member of the Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board at George Mason University.

Lauren Legette is the Business Lead of Business Product Marketing at Facebook Inc. She leads strategy, business, and management initiatives for the company’s Business Product Marketing, supporting 140M+ businesses.

Lauren is the strategic advisor and partners directly with the VP of Global Business Product Marketing of Facebook. Lauren is passionate about driving gender and racial parity across industries. She co-leads the Facebook Women of Product Marketing group, an organization geared towards shepherding community between women in the Product Marketing function.

Lauren has been recognized by ESSENCE Magazine in their 20th Anniversary issue for her dynamic career movements. The article served as an inspiration for women looking to make a career change. Throughout the community, her philanthropic duties include volunteering with the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Girl Scouts of America and the Urban League Young Professionals. Lauren is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her 1 year old Labradoodle puppy, Bear.

Candace Mitchell Harris is a technology powerhouse and visionary entrepreneur. As co- founder and CEO of MYAVANA, a digital hair care company based in Atlanta, GA, she used her passion for beauty and technology to create a personalized hair care service that recommends products and regimens based on scientific analysis of your hair.

Candace has been recognized for her work on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, WWD’s Top 50 Beauty Innovators, BET Honors STEM Award, Sephora Accelerate Fellow, and featured nationally on CNN’s Small Business Success segment, Marie Claire Magazine’s Next Big Thing in Beauty, ESSENCE Festival, Black Enterprise, Business Insider, and more. She graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2011 with a degree in Computer Science, where she was initiated into the ANAK Society, the highest honor at Georgia Tech.

She currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Ascend Atlanta, a technology startup and small business support ecosystem for minority-led companies. She shares her knowledge and insight with other entrepreneurs as an author of The Shift, her first book that helps entrepreneurs gain the spiritual transformation needed to endure and excel on the entrepreneurial journey.

Dr. Isfahan Chambers-Harris is committed to educating women on holistic health approaches to natural hair care. As a woman of color, mother, Medical scientist, and Trichology practitioner, Dr. Isfahan understands first-hand the misperceptions and misinformation that exists around textured hair. Her company, Alodia Hair Care, was created with the primary goal of educating and empowering women around the globe. 

Alodia Hair Care was birthed out of Dr. Isfahan’s’ personal experiences with unnatural, toxic hair care products. Facing excessive hair damage, she turned to her expertise in biology and chemistry. Over a 3-year period filled with countless research and experimentation, she developed transformative products made with organic and natural ingredients. 

In 2017, Dr. Isfahan officially launched Alodia, which features a full line of products and hair kits designed to make the growth and maintenance process simple. 

Today, the company is an international brand that offers luxury hair care products and services that are naturally, medically and nutritionally sound. The core of the business focuses on 3 areas: individual hair products, hair product kits, and scalp consultations.

The hair product line features shampoos, conditioners, oils and creams that aid in moisturization, heat protection, and length retention. The hair kits focus on taking the guesswork out of common hairstyles by providing customized products and instructions. The scalp consultations focus on treatment and prevention of common hair loss and hair thinning conditions. 

All 3 areas connect to Alodia Hair Care’s mission to help women Learn Love and Grow their hair.

Dr. Isfahan resides in the DC metropolitan area with her husband, Dr. Rashad Dupree-Harris, MD and their beautiful 6-year old twin boys. 

Jennifer Ford is a journalist and aficionado of all things Black girl magic. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
Jennifer is an Associate Beauty Editor at ESSENCE magazine, where she chronicles Black women’s unique approach to style and beauty.
Jennifer uses her platform to take a deep dive into issues surrounding natural hair discrimination and diversity and inclusion in the beauty industry.
She has interviewed a host of celebrities who’ve shaped Black beauty culture, including Jackie Aina, Zoe Kravitz, and Beauty Queens Cheslie Kryst, Kaliegh Garris, and Nia Franklin. She also covers must-see Black beauty moments from New York Fashion Week.  Jennifer’s published work is a celebration of Black women and our vast beauty.
And to keep up with her, you can follow her @msjenniferford on all social platforms.

Chemical formulator, Marquita Robinson-Garcia, trained and worked professionally in the beauty industry for major chemical companies including BASF and DowDuPont designing skin care products for global brands including Chanel, NARS and bareMinerals. After being promoted and ultimately transitioning from the lab to business development, she left her management role in 2017 after over a decade of corporate success with a mission to launch her own natural skin care line, DVINITI Skin Care, with a major focus on customization.

Toyin M. Odulate – is the Founder & CEO, Olori Cosmetics, an African-themed cosmetics manufacturing start-up, based out of Lagos, Nigeria. She is a seasoned Consumer Goods and FMCG senior management professional with over 16 years of corporate experience in retail management & distribution, strategic development, operational planning, risk management, business development, product development, branding and marketing across the telecoms, management consulting & Consumer Goods /FMCG industries. She has held past senior roles including missions at L’Oreal, MTN Nigeria & Accenture and most recently as Regional Director Anglophone West Africa at Danone ELN where she worked for the past 6 years. 

Toyin is also an entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of organic beauty products made exclusively with African ingredients in Nigeria. Over the last decade, she has gained extensive experience in the international beauty industry including a senior executive role with the French cosmetics giant, L’Oréal. In this role, which included missions in Paris and Accra, Ghana, she managed beauty brands – including Softsheen Carson, LASCAD and Garnier – across Africa and the Middle East, where she honed her skills in beauty, brand marketing, product & business development and distribution and logistics with a focus on the African consumer. 

Toyin’s natural affinity for entrepreneurship may be tied to her grandfather, Jacob Soboyega Odulate, the inventor and founder of the iconic Nigerian household headache remedy, Alabukun Powder. As a young girl, she observed this long heritage of blending natural products, and through these calculated experiences, Toyin has quickly become an authority in the business of beauty in Africa. Her company, Olori Cosmetics, was recently featured and awarded in the Companies to Inspire Africa 2019 Report by the London Stock Exchange Group. 

Toyin was recently appointed on to the board as an Independent Non-Executive Director of ABInBev (International Breweries PLC) in May 2019 and is also a Non-Executive Director at Afrinvest West Africa Limited since May 2018. 

Fluent in French and Yoruba, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD. 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Jihana Barrett has pushed her career in intelligence and cybersecurity to the limits.

Beginning her career in the United States Air Force, Jihana was quickly promoted to Staff Sergeant. During this time, she pursued a career in tech. After obtaining her Associates degree, she later completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Cybersecurity and acquired both her Security+ and Certified Ethical Hacker certifications (CEH) at the University of Maryland University College. ​

Following her separation from the military, Jihana received her Masters degree in Cyber and Information Security from Capitol Technology University.

Currently, Jihana is a Senior Threat Vulnerability analyst at one of the country’s largest telecommunications corporations. After many years of education and research, Jihana has developed a passion for excellence within her field—and encouraging up and coming women in tech to pursue their dreams in the industry through her organization, Tech Sorority.

Ms. Renata C. Spinks is the 2020 Stars and Stripes Black Engineer of the Year Awardee for Senior Executives Service (SES) Members, the first United States Marine Corps (USMC) Civilian Cyber Technology Officer; completing the Brigadier General Selection Officer’s Course August 2018 and has been the catalyst for transforming the USMC networks, technologies, culture and way of thinking for the Information and Cyberspace Environment. As the USMC partners with the National Security Agency, the Intelligence Community (IC) and United States Cyber Command with the USMC’s mission to secure, operate and defend USMC networks she leads teams responsible for defensive and proactive cyber tooling, techniques and protocols. She also works in support of the offensive cyber operational mission elements focused on degrading adversarial attempts to exploit the nation’s technology capabilities. Honors she has received are 2008 and 2010 Department of Homeland Security Shining Star Award; 2015 International Association of Women VIP Woman of the Year; 2016 Women Influencer of Color in STEM; 2016 Employee of the Year, US Treasury; and is one of St Augustine’s University 2018 “45 Under 45” Honoree and is a USArmy Combat Veteran.

Hi, I’m Taz. I’m a cyber security specialist, empath and big picture thinker. I work to bring mindfulness into cyber security, and make noise around our lack of data ownership & privacy. Critical thinking is my superpower. I am the daughter of a Freedom Fighter and it shows. I am a work in progress, human before anything and determined agent of change.

Aunshul Rege, PhD, is an Associate Professor with the Department of Criminal Justice at Temple University. Her National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research, totaling over $1 million (CAREER, CPS, EAGER), examines adversarial and defender behavior, decision-making, adaptations, modus operandi, and group dynamics. She intersects theoretical frameworks and methodologies from criminology with hard science approaches (time series analysis, graph theory, simulations, and machine learning) to foster innovative and multidisciplinary proactive cybersecurity research. Her has been published in the several journals, such as Journal of Information Warfare, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and the Security Journal. Dr. Rege is also passionate about educating students about the relevance of the human factor in cybersecurity through experiential learning. She has published in the area of cybersecurity education in several outlets, such as USENIX, Frontiers in Education, and IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference. Her innovative course projects, which promote multidisciplinary engagement, methodological training, and industry-government-academia partnerships, have been utilized by educators and organizations worldwide. Dr. Rege holds a PhD and MA in Criminal Justice, an MA and BA (Hons) in Criminology, and a BSc in Computer Science. She is a NSF Trusted CI Fellow.

Selena Rezvani teaches thousands of women each year to negotiate like a boss. She also consults to employers on how to make work truly “work” for women – by architecting workplace culture changes that improve working women’s experience. She’s the author of two leadership books targeted at professional women, the bestseller Pushback: How Smart Women Ask—and Stand Up—for What They Want (Jossey-Bass, 2012 & winner of an Axiom book award) and The Next Generation of Women Leaders (Praeger, 2009). Selena has been featured in the LA Times, Oprah.com, Todayshow.com, and NPR. She wrote an award-winning column for The Washington Post and today, serves as a popular columnist on women and the workplace for Philadelphia Magazine (https://www.phillymag.com/author/selena-rezvani/). In 2019, she delivered a TEDx called ‘Interrupting Gender Bias Through Meeting Culture,’ which won the Croly Journalism award. Selena is based in Philadelphia where she lives with her husband Geoff and 7 year old boy-girl twins. For more information, visit www.selenarezvani.com.

Viral immunologist focused on elucidating mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity to propel the advancement of novel vaccines.

Recent press: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/05/06/kizzmekia-corbett-vaccine-coronavirus/

*Recorded remarks

April Walker is the National Director of the US Microsoft Technology Centers (MTC), in this role she is responsibility for setting the vision, strategy, and overseeing the operations of (15) MTCs across the US. An accomplished engineer and expert in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud, April began her career in STEM more than 30 years ago in the DC area and amassed an impressive portfolio of success leading organizations in the corporate arena. A technology evangelist and change-leader, she has been the catalyst for driving innovation for many F500 corporations. A well-known and respected thought leader in both technology and D&I, April has a noteworthy array of keynote and speaking engagements conducted throughout the country where she is sought after to share her experiences as a technology leader and woman of color thriving in the world STEM. April is a graduate of MIT Sloan School of Management and earned an MBA and an Executive Certification in AI, George Washington University, M.S. in Engineering Management and University of Maryland, B.S. in Global Business. A community advocate, she recently was appointed by the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney to the Philadelphia Works, Inc. board and is board member of the Philadelphia POWER of Professional Women’s organization.

DAY 2 HOST

Technology and Lifestyle Expert Stephanie Humphrey’s mission in life is to show people how technology can make their lives easier. 

Stephanie is a former engineer who is now a contributor to ABC News as Tech Expert on the nationally-syndicated daytime talk show Strahan, Sara & Keke. She was previously the Technology & Lifestyle Expert on The Harry Show, hosted by Harry Connick, Jr. She was also the regular on-air tech contributor to Fox 29’s Good Day Philadelphia and the technology writer for EBONY.com and contributor to EBONY magazine. In addition, Stephanie spent two years as the spokesperson for HP, Inc. on the QVC shopping channel. Her monthly tech segment can be heard on The Karen Hunter Show on Sirius XM, and Stephanie uses social media to help people understand tech basics with her weekly 60-Second Tech Break on Instagram & Twitter. 

‘Til Death Do You Tweet is Stephanie’s signature seminar that helps people understand the potential negative consequences of online behavior – especially through social media – and gives helpful advice on how they can maintain a positive reputation in cyberspace. 

Stephanie is a former engineer for Lockheed Martin with engineering degrees from Florida A&M University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Visionary and tech consultant. Creator of the Tech Women Network and HUE.

Angela Benton is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Streamlytics, a next-generation data intelligence ecosystem which helps everyday people and companies ethically access consumer data streams. Prior to her role at Streamlytics she founded the first accelerator for minorities globally in 2011, NewME was acquired in December 2018.

To date, Ms. Benton has received numerous accolades, some of which include Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and their Most Influential Women In Technology, Business Insiders’ 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology, ADWEEK’s 2020 Women Trailblazers, and many more.  She’s been featured in numerous national and international media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Bloomberg, Inc, Forbes, Good Morning America, and the Wall Street Journal where she was a featured essayist for the paper’s 125th Anniversary edition on The Future of Entrepreneurship.

At the helm of Streamlytics, Angela continues to uncover untapped spaces in technology and innovation.

*Recorded Remarks

With a background in economic development, public policy, and management, Arshiya Malik has been dedicated to growing meaningful social impact organizations that truly make a sustainable positive difference in the world. Arshiya has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors, concentrating specifically on companies that embrace the model of social enterprise. Currently, she is focusing her efforts on taking the guesswork out of Diversity & Inclusion as Co-Founder of Aleria.

De’Havia Stewart is on a mission to help diversify the face of entrepreneurship, technology, and other professional fields by spreading knowledge in the form of digital content and through motivational speaking.

Former Venture Capital Associate at Cross Culture Ventures, De’Havia Stewart has been able to help with 20+ investments; which majority have been investments into minority-owned startups. From this experience, De’Havia has gained expertise and knowledge of the startup scene and Venture Capital landscape. Currently, De’Havia works as a Strategist at Accenture; where she helps shape the strategic vision of Fortune 500 companies. Given her experience in Venture Capital and Strategy Consulting, De’Havia is capable of providing guidance on raising venture dollars, and developing the short and long term strategy of companies.

De’Havia Stewart is the host of a leading podcast for minority young professionals; which was created to give guidance on different career paths that they could pursue. Also, De’Havia Stewart is an HBCU graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida A&M University.

Olivia Owens is the Head of Partnerships at iFundWomen, the platform for female entrepreneurs to raise capital through crowdfunding, grants, coaching, and the connections needed to launch and grow successful businesses. Olivia was a founding team member of iFundWomen, which launched in 2016 and continues to help women raise millions of dollars in capital. Her leadership brokered critical partnerships to help scale the business, including Girlboss, The Riveter, and The Wing. In addition, she supported the creation of iFundWomen’s proprietary coaching program and helped build-out one of the nation’s largest connected communities of women business owners through the platform. Olivia previously held positions at Under Armour in People & Culture and received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland.

Bobbie Shrivastav is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, author, technology and digital transformation expert whose unwavering innovation, customer-centric approach, and continued success have earned her the reputation as an industry leader. Over the course of nearly two decades, she has cultivated extensive knowledge in the information technology space and leading enterprise-level initiatives.
Currently, Shrivastav serves as the Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Benekiva, a software company intended to bridge the gap between life insurance companies and their intended beneficiaries, through claims automation, beneficiary and policyholder management, and asset retention. Her team has won several awards and recognition, most recently being part of 2020 MassChallenge FinTech program in Boston.
Shrivastav earned her MBA from Wake Forest University, Masters in Project Management from Western Carolina University and Bachelors in Information Systems and Marketing from Appalachian State University. She has numerous project management certifications from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Scrum Alliance. She is passionate about helping organizations weather the paper storm through digital and process transformation. She gets invited to speak and share thought leadership about process re-engineering, innovation, digital disruption, and entrepreneurship.

As a seasoned User Experience and User Interface Designer, Ashley Janelle focuses on designing customer-centered experiences that target her users everyday pain points. At Caterpillar Inc., Ashley taps into user needs and challenges while designing solutions that allow them to save time, money, and increase productivity. As a UX coach and course creator, she’s developed an online course, “Learn UX Online in 16 Weeks” to help aspiring UX designers go from beginner to experienced UX Designers and land jobs at top companies. Using her UX expertise and passion for working with people, Ashley’s not only helped others land their dream roles, but build the confidence to become successful UX Designers.

Denise Nicole Francis is an Atlanta based Sr. Product Designer at Salesforce with a background in UX|UI Design at The Weather Channel | An IBM Business, Visual and Creative Design with Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter India.Arie and Architecture with various firms. With an education from Florida A&M University and Savannah College of Art and Design, she is known for contributing aesthetically pleasing and functional design to the world which is inspired by interacting with people. She is also more recently known for her unique hand-drawn visual note-taking passion. Francis’ claims that a good portion of her successes attribute keeping people at the heart of [her] designs and knowing herself as a designer, but focusing on the humanistic parts of those experiences. Her interests include most things designed, anything creative, as well as an obsession with her own imagination. She is also inspired by her experiences from her Caribbean [Antiguan] upbringing as well as all things dunked in good ethical reason, especially relatable creative content.

As the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact and Professor of Practice, Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel teaches design thinking courses for the Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Minor and builds Tulane University’s capacity for design thinking education through facilitations, consultations, and training. Before joining Tulane, Dr. Noel was a lecturer and a fellow in the 2018-2019 Ocean Design Teaching Fellowship at the d.school at Stanford University, a cohort of fellows that brought deep experience in design, ocean science and international policy. In her professional practice, she draws on the fields of design, anthropology, business and education to create product development and business strategy with stakeholders. Her research practice is guided by an emancipatory philosophy. She focuses on developing design curriculum for non-traditional audiences and promoting the work of designers outside of Europe and North America. She has exhibited work at design exhibitions in Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Brazil, Germany, France and the USA. She has presented peer-reviewed papers at design conferences in the Caribbean, the US, Europe and India.

Bhavini Patel is the CEO and co-founder of beamdata, a civic tech company that operates at the intersection of social issues and data. Her company works with local governments to tackle community-level problems by building data tools that guide equitable impact and decision-making. In 2019, Bhavini was a candidate for Allegheny County Council District 8 and came in second in a competitive three-way race. In 2020, she was appointed to the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board by Senator Jay Costa and also currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Edgewood Democratic Committee. As a Pittsburgh native, Bhavini volunteers her time on the Boards of several nonprofits including Second Generation PAC, the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh and Civically Inc, which is a Wilkinsburg-based nonprofit dedicated to community development. She graduated from the University of Oxford as a Rotary Global Grant Scholar and the University of Pittsburgh. Most recently, she was recognized as 30 Under 30 by the Pittsburgh Business Times and The Incline’s Who’s Next Politics 2018.

Kim Campbell is an Oakland based Lead researcher at Salesforce who uses a range of mixed-methods to craft insights that drive strategic product and design decisions. Kim is passionate about seeing more Black voices in data storytelling and this has lead her to develop programming with BOLDforce (Salesforce’s Employee Resource Group for Black employees), join the Bay Area chapter of Data for Black Lives, and serve as a fellow with BlackcomputeHer’s Data Science Executive program. Kim received a B.A. of Economics with a minor in Sociology from Georgia State University and a Data Science certificate from Georgia Tech.

Dr. Angel Durr is a PhD in Information Systems. She has spent over 10 years working in data and analytics science. Dr. Durr founded DataReady in 2019 to provide under served communities obtain more equitable access to data skills upon learning there were a variety of commonly found barriers preventing equitable access. DataReady is the only nonprofit in the world founded by a WOC that is focused on providing under served communities access to data skills and knowledge at no cost to the participant. Dr. Durr is also a consultant focusing on data strategy planning and implementation in addition to a first generation college student and child of a single mother. Lastly, she is a mother of amazing 6 year old daughter and a proud cat owner.

Brandi Rand is a rockstar wife, amazing mom to two boys under 5, and an award-winning advertiser at ane of the largest multicultural ad agencies in the US, Burrell Communications, where she leads African American social media marketing for her client Toyota

In her 13+ years in marketing and advertising, Brandi has launched digital and integrated campaigns for AT&T, Sally Beauty, and Uber. She’s partnered with major media outlets including ESPN, ABC, OWN, Essence, and BET having worked her social media magic from the Soul Train Awards and NAACP Imaged Awards to The College Football Championship and The Masters’ Tournament in 2020 she was awarded a Silver and Bronze Telly award for her work on the For Jason: Black is Human campaign, which shed a light on how the Covid-19 pandemic is adversely impacting the Black community.

As a speaker. Brandi educates audiences on branding, influence, networking, diversity, self-care, and social media. In 2019, Brandi led a discussion on natural hair in corporate America at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference titled Pressed: Natural Hair in the Workplace with Ryann Richardson, Miss Black USA 20ig and leaders of the historic Crown Act. In June 2020 she shared her opening perspective on being Black in advertising in Black Lives Have Always Mattered to Us, a virtual town hall moderated by Ryan Smith, ESPN, and ABC Legal Correspondent.

Brandi served two years as inaugural Comms Director for the Dallas chapter of ColorComm. a business community for women of color in the communications industry, and currently serves as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Co-Chair for the American Advertising Federation Dallas Chapter. She prides herself on being “a Black woman in advertising leadership, saving space for the next.'”

Connect with her online at Brandi Rand on Instagram and Twitter.

Sian is a creative technologist and storyteller.
An accomplished entrepreneur, Sian has founded 3 tech companies and has been at the forefront of technology for the past 15 years.
Sian was named one of 3 winners of the L’Oreal Women in Digital Award in 2015 for her app Cast Beauty and has been named to several lists highlighting her work in technology.
She is the author of the best-selling Learn Design for iOS with Sketch and as well as Design for iOS Development. She has written and contributed to Urban Geekz, Black Enterprise, and Politic 365 among others.
Sian’s educational background includes graduation from New York University’s Tisch School of the arts with a bachelor’s degree in Film & Television and a master’s degree in Electronic Art from Middlesex University in London.

A sought-after speaker, she has graced the stages of MoDev, SXSW, and Black Tech Week among others. She is regularly called upon to speak about topics ranging from diversity, to design and investing. Sian has been featured globally in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, Essence, Black Enterprise, and Inc. Magazine.

Yaneris M. Rosa serves as Vice President, Legal & Business Affairs at World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE).  She previously served as General Counsel Americas, Security & Safety and Water Solutions Businesses and Data Privacy Officer at Resideo Technologies, Inc., a spinoff of Honeywell International Inc. Prior to the spinoff, Yaneris served as Assistant General Counsel of various Honeywell businesses. Before joining Honeywell, she served as the Associate General Counsel of Planet Payment, Inc., a New York-based start-up, which she listed on NASDAQ. Yaneris started her career as a Corporate Associate at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett LLP.   Yaneris has been committed to diversity since the inception of her career and previously led diversity initiatives at Resideo, served as a leader of Honeywell’s Legal Diversity Council and Simpson’s Diversity Committee Advisory Council. Yaneris is also passionate about education and serves on various non-profit boards, including: Council of Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Alumni Task force, Cornell University MOSAIC and Harvard Law School Black Alumni Network. Yaneris was born in Dominican Republic and moved to NY when she was 10 years old. Yaneris received her JD from Harvard Law School and BS from Cornell University.

Teddi Rene has 13+ combined years of education, training, and professional experience in Psychology, specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis to develop communication solutions for non-verbal youth and adults with diverse care needs. She holds a Master’s of Science in Information Technology with a focus on Systems Engineering planning, and gathering requirements to create and provide enterprise-level technology solutions. Under her personal brand, she is helping Black women and men utilize best practices to champion their careers, eliminate procrastination, and master their mindset. She is the owner and operator of Paraphernalia University, her first business of more than 8 years in which she helps small businesses and local organizations increase their revenue to support their operations by monetizing their brands using custom apparel. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of United Kweendom, a community for Black women seeking to master life integration and energy management. She is also a full time technology solutions consultant working with government and public Service organizations at Deloitte, LLP.

Viral immunologist focused on elucidating mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity to propel the advancement of novel vaccines.

Recent press: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/05/06/kizzmekia-corbett-vaccine-coronavirus/

*Recorded remarks

Aisha Bowe is an aerospace engineer and the founder and CEO of STEMBoard.

STEMBoard creates smart systems and solutions for large-scale, U.S federal, and private sector clients. The company proactively identifies technical gaps and executes programs that lead to high-quality, cost-efficient solutions in data analytics, IT services and geospatial visualization.

STEMBoard also has an Education Directorate committed to closing the opportunity gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among historically underrepresented youth worldwide.  In June of 2020, STEMBoard officially launched LINGO, a STEM-based, teen coding kit designed by STEMBoard’s engineers. LINGO is a fun and engaging way for students to learn basic coding and engineering concepts at home or as part of a virtual camp or school program, junior high through the first two years of university.

Prior to founding STEMBoard, Aisha worked at NASA’s Ames Research Center where she focused on miniaturized satellites and aircraft trajectory optimization.  Aisha holds a B.S.E in aerospace engineering and an M. Eng. in space systems engineering, from the University of Michigan. She has received numerous awards for her dedication to technical excellence and the principles of diversity and opportunity, including:

• The 40 Under 40: Tech Diversity – Silicon Valley
• U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce Emerging Star Award
• NASA’s Engineering Honor Award.

DAY 3 HOST

Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey is the Global Head of Inclusion Programs for Women of Color at Google and the founder of Parenting Backwards.

Stephanie has a deep passion for investing in the growth and success of women by intentionally building community in areas they don’t naturally occur.  This work includes the co-creation of a portfolio of women of color summits (Asian, Indigenous and Latinas), including the State of Black Women @Google Summit and Collective, an initiative designed for black women Googlers, globally, to have dedicated space for community, conversation and connection.

Her career started in infrastructure engineering within the finance industry and shifted to digital media, where she spent over 10 years leading inventory forecasting and yield analysis for major media conglomerates such as Forbes Media, FOX News Digital, and NBC News Digital.  Most notably she worked on the divestiture of NBC digital media properties from Microsoft, bringing their top digital media sites back under the NBC Universal umbrella.

Stephanie is a graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Electrical Engineering  and a New York native. She’s married and a mom of three.

Visionary and tech consultant. Creator of the Tech Women Network and HUE.

Eloise Young was named Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Information Services after serving as the Chief Information Officer of the Philadelphia Gas Works for several years. With this promotion, her responsibilities expanded to include strategic planning, business process optimization, and enterprise program management. A native Philadelphian, Eloise is a Citizens Planning Institute graduate who actively serves her city through organizations such as Mill Creek Urban Farm, Friends of Carroll Park, and HMC Squared.

*Recorded Remarks

Angelina Darrisaw, is the founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, a firm that offers expertly designed inclusive training and coaching programs for working professionals and small business leaders. C-Suite Coach has staffed coaches and provided training programs for Google, NYU’s Veteran Lab accelerator, Zendesk, Oscar Health, Year Up, Omnicom, SEO, THowardF and many others.

Angelina services small businesses as a National Google Digital Coach & New York Coach, supporting Google’s efforts in bridging the digital divide through tactical digital skills training. As a part of this work, C-Suite Coach staffs and manages 12 digital coaches who offer free coaching and resources to over 50,000 US-based diverse small businesses through more than 900 programs across the US. These efforts helped Angelina earn Walker’s Legacy Power25 award in 2017, the “Innovators & Disruptors: Diversity & Inclusion Award” presented by New York On Tech and NBC Universal, the Year Up Urban Empowerment Award in 2018, and the Digital Diversity Network 2019 Innovation and Inclusion for social entrepreneurship.

She is an adjunct professor for the Master’s in Integrated Marketing Program at New York University. (@linadarrisaw)

Delilah Dee holds many titles, but is most known as a symbol of positivity and inspiration to her Philadelphia community. The proud Latina is a true definition of a 24/7 businesswoman. She is the founder and CEO of SHFT World — a digital content & events agency focused on empowering communities of color to transition from dreamers into doers.

Delilah is best known for her work in event curation and experiential marketing working with brands such iHeartRadio, HBO, Google, SalesForce, and many more bringing high quality events and opportunities to the City of Brotherly Love. Her work is fueled by a passion for creating meaningful experiences targeted towards under-represented communities and enterprising women.

More recently, Delilah has been coined the collector and connector of Philly’s creatives and entrepreneurs. With a proven track record in building exposure and generating opportunities, Delilah has been able to yield powerful results for brands and collaborators.

Some of these accomplishments include producing iHeartRadio’s National Jingle Ball concert in Philadelphia, acting as co-lead for Philly StartUp Week, and contributing to multiple local/national events.

Whether she’s producing benefit concerts, tech startup events or managing an online store of social conscious apparel; Delilah’s multi-layered career continues to grow and positively impact those around her, serving as a catalyst for her community to pursue their dreams.

Pariss Athena began her career in tech as a front-end developer back in 2017. Today, she is creator of the hashtag and movement #BlackTechTwitter, bringing awareness and exposure to the Black community in the tech industry. She is also Founder of Black Tech Pipeline, a service based platform connecting opportunity extenders to Black technologists. Pariss also runs a Slack and Discord community for #BlackTechTwitter, as well as a newsletter dedicated to shining a light on influencers within the community.

A lifelong entrepreneur, Deepti is the CEO and Founder of FoodtoEat, a community-minded catering concierge service. She started FoodtoEat in 2011 to connect immigrant, women and minority-owned food vendors to opportunities for growth – ultimately helping them strengthen their own business skills. FoodtoEat helps businesses feed employees great food and build stronger & more diverse work cultures. She is also a Co-Founder of Bikky, a platform solving customer engagement for restaurants.

As a mother and small business owner, Deepti is a vocal advocate for policies that benefit these communities. She served on the Board for the Business Center for New Americans, a non-profit that encourages immigrant entrepreneurship by providing micro-loans and financial education. She also writes about how companies can modernize motherhood in the workplace, and mentors female entrepreneurs as part of the NYC Mayor’s WE NYC initiative.

Deepti is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnae, and an avid runner. She lives in Queens with her husband (Abhinav Kapur) and two children (Zubin & Chetan

Working in the heart of Silicon Valley, Ariel Solomon has had many careers before she found herself in technology. She started out as a financial analyst at JP Morgan, partnering with financial leaders to evaluate and report on the performance and efficacy of various financial products. She then transitioned to a leadership role at the largest hedge fund in the world, Bridgewater Associates, where she worked with engineers and investment associates to systemize investment-related decision making. As a manager of research teams, Ariel led some of the highest performing groups that executed on cutting edge investment ideas. It was during her time at Bridgewater that she realized her love and appreciation for technology. She transitioned into the tech field shortly thereafter- first as a leader at a Tech Social Enterprise focused on providing access to tech roles for underrepresented minorities, and then as a leader at Tesla where she has and continues to lead teams focused on optimizing the use of technology.

At Tesla, Ariel has transitioned through several business-transforming roles, from scaling and saving millions of dollars in supply chain/logistics costs for the Mobile Service business, to nearly doubling sales in the Residential Energy business, and now as leader of the Energy Business Programs and Operations org. She is the inaugural winner of Tesla’s “Multiplier of the Quarter” award, awarded to those who see, use, and enhance the intelligence of those around them.

Ms. Danielle Hilliard is an Aerospace Systems Engineer and Supervisor for the Discovery Program in the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. Her technical experience over the past 24 years has focused on the complete design and systems engineering process: concept through test primarily for ballistic missile defense programs. She has been a Program Manager, Project Manager, Technical Group Supervisor and Lead Engineer. Ms. Hilliard has received numerous Letters of Commendation form the Department of Defense and was a National 2012 Black Engineer of the Year Award Recipient. She holds a Bachelor’s in Aerospace Science Engineering and a Master’s in Information Technology.

Imani Grant is an inquisitive strategist with a penchant for everything food! She has used her solution-oriented thinking to advise fortune 50 companies, small businesses, and founders. Now, she enjoys contributing to the success of DoorDash as Senior Strategy and Operations Manager focused on special operations.

Following her passion for food and exploration, Imani founded two companies simultaneously – a B2B marketplace for produce (e.g. fruits and vegetables) buyers and sellers, and a lifestyle experiences company for Queer, Multicultural Womxn and non-binary individuals (The Weekend Soiree). Although she would not recommend starting two drastically different companies at once, she credits the culmination of her experiences for her career in tech, especially without having an engineering background.

Imani holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BA from Temple University. She is a proud alum of Management Leadership for Tomorrow MBAP ’10, MBA Jumpstart ‘10, and BIG’s Digital Undivided Incubator – Cohort 3. Forever a New Yorker, she currently resides in Atlanta where she enjoys barbecuing veggies in the winter and weekly poker with family and friends.

Nannearl Brown is a User Experience Researcher who journeyed into the field by way of systems engineering and the social impact space. Currently, she works at Figma, doing research on Figma Community. She cares greatly about creating a shared understanding of the tech industry with all, most especially with Black people and other marginalized groups. Nannearl has shared her knowledge by leading design workshops, serving as a mentor and design educator for the Thinkful online UX/UI bootcamps, and through her YouTube channel/podcast, Unpacked Angles. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Virginia in engineering science and systems engineering (respectively) in addition to a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in nonprofit leadership and management (focused in social entrepreneurship). She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and in her spare time she enjoys creative projects, hiking, and volunteering as a technical instructor for Black Girls Code. 

Catalina Peña is the founder of Catalyst Creation, a professional development firm that focuses on creating resources to teach traditionally underrepresented professionals how to step into their power and own their career journey.

Being an AfroColombian female who immigrated to the US at 9, Catalina knows first hand the struggles underrepresented individuals face in the workplace. As a former recruiter, she has also seen thousands of qualified job seekers get rejected from the hiring pipeline in Silicon Valley and is passionate about creating solutions to get individuals from these communities hired and empower them to advance in the corporate space.

Catalina has helped thousands of students and professionals gain the knowledge to land a job in Tech by speaking to 10,000+ job seekers at 25+ career fairs, hosting 100+ events, and helping secure 129 offers (~27% URM) at top startups and companies in Silicon Valley. She is currently based out of NYC.

Denise Wong is a Principal Robotics Engineer at Exyn Technologies, a Philadelphia-based startup that creates autonomous aerial robots capable of navigating complex, GPS-denied environments. From underground mines to complicated warehouses, Exyn’s intelligent drones empower humans to work with greater productivity, efficiency, and safety in otherwise dangerous and inaccessible places.

Denise has over 7 years of R&D experience in robotics. At Exyn, she leads algorithm development in mapping. She never imagined she’d ever step foot in an underground mine and now she’s been to underground mines all around the world to fly robots that collect data in areas that are too dangerous for humans to go into!

Prior to joining Exyn, Denise earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S.E. in Robotics at the University of Pennsylvania in the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory, where she developed algorithms for the manipulation of magnetic microrobots using visual servoing and interfacing microrobotic tools with basic science. This research was featured on the Science Friday, Xploration Earth 2050, and IEEE Spectrum. She also graduated with a B.S. and M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.

Denise is passionate about increasing workforce diversity in STEM and in the tech workplace. When not working on robots, she enjoys being outdoors exploring the woods around Philadelphia by bike and playing tennis.

Viral immunologist focused on elucidating mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and host immunity to propel the advancement of novel vaccines.

Recent press: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2020/05/06/kizzmekia-corbett-vaccine-coronavirus/

*Recorded remarks

Dr. Marian Croak is the Vice President of Site Reliability Engineering for Ads, Corporate Engineering and YouTube, at Google, Inc. Marian joined Google in late 2014 after retiring from AT&T as an SVP responsible for advanced research and innovation, and designing and developing one of the world’s largest wireless and broadband networks.  She managed over 2,000 world class engineers and computer scientists.  Marian holds over 200 patents mostly focused on IP technology. Marian has received numerous awards, including the 2013 and 2014 Edison Patent Awards, was inducted into the Women in Technology International’s Hall of Fame in 2013. She is a strong supporter of STEM initiatives, served on many boards including NACME and Catalyst, and personally mentors many individuals in STEM.   Marian attended Princeton University, and the University of Southern California where she received her doctorate in quantitative analysis. She is currently a member of the Corporate Advisory Board for the University of Southern California.