2024 NOMINEES & HONOREES ANNOUNCED

Drew Afualo is a creator, advocate, podcast host and author best known as the internet’s “Crusader for Women”. Her hilarious, no-BS approach to shoveling misogyny out of TikTok via viral takedowns, takes female empowerment to new levels. She’s a preeminent feminist leader of her generation with an audience of over nine million. She’s also a proud Samoan who often spotlights her heritage and uplifts others in the AAPI community. She’s one of Time’s Next Generation Leaders, and one of Forbes’ Top Creators of 2023. She was the official Oscars 2023 red-carpet correspondent and her first book will launch July 30th.

Gabby Beckford—known as @packslight—is a trailblazing Founder and travel creator based in New York. By authentically sharing her perspective as a Black, Gen Z-focused, solo female traveler, Gabby has built a loyal audience of 800K+ people who also hope to seek risk, seize opportunity, and see the world as she does! She is a Gen Z marketing expert, consulting for companies including Pepsi Co, Lululemon, Google and Airfrance-KLM, and expert creator, having participated in creator programs run by Meta, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok.

Leah started her career at LinkedIn in 2010 in sales. She spent the first part of her career climbing the corporate ladder until she realized the importance of purpose in her work and pivoted.
She was selected by LinkedIn’s CEO to be an editor and podcast host focusing on personal development. Her podcast, Everyday Better, has been recognized in audio as “most inspirational” and “best personal growth show.” She has been featured on Apple Podcasts and iHeart Podcasts. She also coaches leaders and executives inside and outside of LinkedIn and shares her thought leadership through her weekly newsletter.

Agency: FCB Chicago
Client: Digital Public Library of America

America is facing a book banning crisis. Conservative politicians are silencing Black, Brown and LGBTQIA+ voices by forcing librarians to take their books off the shelf. In 2023 alone, 3,059 books were banned – more than in any other year. The Digital Public Library of America holds that our democracy relies on our freedom to read. And believes books should always be available to everyone.

The DPLA created the most up to date database of all of the books banned in America. Then, geo-fenced the exact footprint of every library that banned the books – and made those books available via a mobile app for any person when they are within those very libraries. Sending a strong message to the book banners – that every time they try to take a book off the shelf, the DPLA will put it right back, virtually.

The Banned Book Club was launched in partnership with President Barack Obama, the most notable defender of our freedom of speech. The campaign reached people in the more than 20 states that have books banned with geo-located Instagram and Facebook ads, that alerted people just as they were near those offending libraries.

The Banned Book Club is a digital solution for today and the future. Whenever a new book is banned – it can simply be added to our dynamic database, making it available instantly in any library on any mobile device. Ensuring no book is ever banned again.

Agency: Rethink
Client: KitKat

Iftar is a time of celebration, joy, and the meal that happens at sundown every day during the month of Ramadan following a period of fasting. During Iftar, Muslim communities take time to focus on spiritual discipline, charity, generosity, and reflection.

To help celebrate the diversity of a break in a community that is often overlooked by brands and marketers, we created the limited-edition KitKat Iftar Bar: a KitKat Bar with 30 pieces – one for each day of Ramadan.

Each piece is snapped off to break fast at the moment of Iftar.

To introduce the Iftar Bar to Muslim Canadians in an authentic way, we employed an influencer-led Iftar Bar giveaway on social media.

Agency: FCB Chicago
Client: Ad Council

Efforts to address mental health have been widespread – but many of them focus on dramatizing the issue, or appeal only to those with privilege, which leaves out Black and Hispanic men.

To build work that would address mental health stigma in a new light, we stopped focusing on them as “mental health sufferers” and thinking more about them as people. We focused on finding a common value that we could use to inspire them to rethink preconceived notions around mental health.

Through research, we uncovered success as a primary value this audience holds. They are 2.8x more likely to describe themselves as motivated, and over 60% strongly identify with the personal values of courage and hard work.

Instead of describing success as “have and not have” they described it as “doing” and “feeling” their best – verbatims like, “going after what you want in life, doing things better, completing what you started, achieving your dreams.”

That led us to our strategic solution for how we would reframe mental health.

Our strategic reframe: from “mental health is a weakness” to “mental health as their greatest asset for success.” We wanted to turn mental health into a tool they could use to get where they wanted to go in life, instead of a burden to address.

This strategy led us to make work that would inspire and motivate Black and Hispanic men to act, instead of trying to drive them through fear and force.

Our platform is “Love, Your Mind.” It’s a letter to you, from your mind, asking for love, attention and the partnership necessary to put you on the path toward success as you define it.

The letter takes many shapes — film, print, OOH, digital, radio, influencer content — but the substance is always the same. It comes from a place of care, respect, realism, and dignity. All with the intention of getting the audience to open up to themselves, and to the people in their lives.

Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
Client: American Indian College Fund

On Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2023, the American Indian College Fund (AICF) in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy Portland released its latest campaign titled, “Move Aside” featuring Reservation Dogs’ Elva Guerra of the Ponca Nation and directed by Erica Tremblay of the Seneca-Cayuga, that showcases the unwavering potential of Native American college graduates who are entering the workforce.

These graduates are innovators, healthcare providers, forestry techs, Senators, and NASA rocket scientists. They are leaders, mentors, and future change makers. When society makes room and moves aside for tomorrow’s Indigenous graduates, it supports the future. When society becomes a friend and ally, it is legitimizing Indigenous peoples’ place in the world.

Agency: McCann Detroit
Client: U.S. Bank

It’s nearly impossible to navigate life in America if you don’t speak English. Because of this millions of adults are forced to depend on children to translate for them. U.S. Bank saw this in their branches and created Asistente Inteligente – the country’s first and only Spanish voice assistant for banking. Millions of native Spanish speakers could now bank with their own voices and in their own language. To launch it, we created a documentary that celebrated the over 11 million child translators in the United States. The film was screened at film festivals and in communities across the country.

Bayyina Black is an award-winning creative sustainability and social impact expert. Her 10+ years career has been dedicated to championing positive business-wide evolution and driving change on a global scale no matter who with or where she opens her laptop. Bayyina has brought her relentless passion for helping brands and businesses align with their purpose and people to her current role with digital advertising agency, R/GA. As the self-proclaimed Queen of Pivots, throughout her 6-year tenure, Bayyina has worked within R/GA’s Ventures Studio, Content Studio, and Creative department as both a Producer and Art Director. The common denominator in every role she’s held was her passion for social impact and purpose-driven action initiatives which led to her becoming R/GA’s first Global Director of Sustainability and Impact. Bayyina’s most notable accomplishment in this role has been creating R/GA’s flagship pro bono program, Make/Good for Businesses designed to help close the racial wealth gap by providing creative and strategic services for Black, Indigenous, Latine and Asian small businesses and non-profits. To date, the program has provided services to 25+ underrepresented businesses and non-profits and aided in funding over $1M to them through grants and donations. Named a Rising Star of Madison Avenue by Business Insider and Global Connector by R/GA, Bayyina’s impact can be felt from having led initiatives from Brooklyn to Brazil. She is also the co-creator of Grupo de Negros (GDN), the Afro-Brazilian business resource group based in São, Paulo, Brazil. Her most recent projects include co-launching with Founderland, PAM, the AI-powered platform for female founders of color designed to practice their investor pitches, launching RISE, the new DEI brand for advertising holding company, Interpublic Group (IPG) and partnering with Black Women for Black Lives to create an NFT for the #blackinukraine movement which helped save over 5,000 people of African descent strained in Ukraine. Bayyina takes great pride is serving as an advisor for ESG-focused entrepreneurs as well as a mentor to professionals seeking to live more fully in their purpose. As an avid traveler and digital nomad, Bayyina splits her time between Brooklyn, NY, Salvador/São Paulo, Brazil and Kingston, Jamaica with her passport always in tow. When grounded, she still flies high moonlighting as a licensed drone pilot and can often be found blowing bubbles at music concerts and passing out sunflowers to add a little sunshine to people’s day.

As President of Publicis Media’s Multicultural Practice, Cultural Quotient, Lisa Torres has created a more modern, data-centric way to approach the multicultural marketplace, collectively leading over 140 multicultural experts at the largest targeted cultural digital investor in the US. To ensure Publicis Media remains a leader in the industry, Torres and her team take a research and data-driven approach to helping clients better understand their diverse consumer segments, thereby pushing the marketplace forward with the latest insights, inclusionary marketing strategies, and thought leadership.

Torres is also co-founder of Publicis Media’s groundbreaking Once & For All Coalition, a multi-year, industrywide initiative that aims to remove industry barriers to equitable financial opportunity and representation of underserved and ethnically-diverse suppliers – ultimately helping marketers uncover opportunities that more closely mirror their brand values and drive growth with audiences in a multicultural world.

Torres is heavily involved in Talent Engagement and Inclusion initiatives throughout the company. As a member of Publicis Groupe’s Diversity Progress Council, she plays an instrumental role in driving the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts with ongoing measurement and accountability. She is also a founding member of the Publicis Media Inclusion Council, an executive sponsor of the Young Professionals Network business resource group (BRG), and leads Publicis Media’s renowned Multicultural Talent Pipeline – a proprietary educational program created to introduce diverse college students to the opportunities within Publicis Groupe and industry at-large.

Because of her breadth of knowledge and experience, Torres is consistently known as a renowned thought leader and has spoken at conferences across the US including CES, Advertising Week, ANA Multicultural & Diversity Conference, Hispanic TV Summit, ARF Leading with Multicultural Speaker Series, Horowitz Cultural Insights Forum and more. She was profiled by Forbes in 2020 and has been featured in various trade publications such as Adweek, Ad Age, Campaign, Digiday, Mediapost and others.

In 2023, Lisa was featured as an Advertising Club of New York “Icon.” In 2022, she was named “Best Diversity Advocate” via Adweek’s Readers’ Choice: Best of Tech Partner Awards and honored by 212NYC at its 20th anniversary gala for being instrumental in pushing the ad industry forward. In 2021, Torres was honored with the T. Howard Foundation’s Executive Trailblazer Award and was shortlisted in the Campaign US Power of Purpose awards. She was named a Multichannel News Women to Watch honoree in 2019; and received the Executive Leadership in Hispanic TV and Video award at the 2018 Hispanic TV Summit. In 2017, Torres joined the Steering Committee for the ARF’s newly-formed Cultural Effectiveness Council and served on the ANA AIMM Committee. Additionally, she has been honored by the Association of Hispanic Agencies (AHAA) as Hispanic Executive of the Year (2012), named President of the 4A’S Multicultural Committee (2008), and was recognized by Crain’s New York Top 40 Under 40 and Mediaweek Media All-Star lists in 2004.

Prior to her current role, Torres served as President of ZenithOptimedia Multicultural from 2011 through 2016, where she worked closely with the agency’s strategy and investment teams to equip their clients with integrated and dedicated multicultural expertise. With more than 25 years of experience, Torres has held positions across agencies including MPG (Havas Media), Carat (Dentsu) and others.

As a proud, neurodiverse Latina, Sonia Bisono has dedicated herself to creating a more equitable workplace and industry—all a testament to how she wants to see the world.

Throughout her 19-year career at Wieden+Kennedy, she has grown and evolved the agency’s trafficking practices and ADA compliance. Prior to Wieden+Kennedy, she spent five years at the Spanish-language television network Univision, where she worked in everything from ad sales to field producing and editing.

As a single mother who lost a child to gun violence, she is continuously making space to help others and give a voice to the voiceless.

Judith Harrison is Chief DEI Officer at Weber Shandwick. She is past president of the PRSA Foundation and two-term president of New York Women in Communications. She is the only woman of color to hold either position, and the only individual to hold both simultaneously.

While leading the PRSA Foundation, Judith drove the creation of Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership, a groundbreaking book of interviews with 40+ BIPOC and LGBTQ PR leaders designed to provide guidance to employers on ways to better maintain inclusive environments in which people from all backgrounds can thrive.

Judith has been honored with the 2011 New York Women’s Agenda STAR Award, the 2019 ColorComm Circle Award, and was named to Savoy’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2012, 2014, and 2019.

Marc Wilson, PhD joined FCB Chicago in 2020 to lead the agency’s Strategic Inclusion practice, where he is responsible for all DE&I initiatives as they relate to the agency. Over his 15-year tenure as a strategist, he has used his strategic acumen and intimate knowledge of the multicultural space to help build dozens of blue-chip brands across several global agencies. Marc’s passion for bringing multicultural values and insights to the mainstream has driven him to lead the development of “Upstream Inclusion” — FCB’s unique proprietary process to help businesses create more inclusive work. A husband and father of two, he finds his greatest joy spending time with his family and their dogs.

Topé Ajala stands as an inspiration of innovation and inclusivity, demonstrating exceptional expertise in driving global inclusion initiatives while simultaneously delivering tangible commercial impact. With over a decade of experience spanning marketing, operations, strategic planning, and change management, Tope’s journey as an award-winning DE&I advocate is marked by her unwavering commitment to fostering cultures of inclusion.

At Ogilvy, Tope serves as an executive leading the charge in fostering inclusion and spearheading a team of cultural innovators and change agents. Under her guidance, Ogilvy has witnessed the launch of groundbreaking initiatives such as the Modern Exchange, a platform showcasing the interconnectedness of global cultures within the organization. Additionally, Tope has pioneered bespoke leadership programs tailored to uplift underrepresented minority groups and forged strategic partnerships with industry giants to embed inclusion into the fabric of organizational practices, further amplifying Ogilvy’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Her strategic acumen is evident in her ability to craft and execute strategies that not only accelerate progress but also seamlessly integrate diversity and inclusion throughout the ecosystem, resulting in enhanced innovation and robust business outcomes.

Her tenure at WPP as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Lead underscored her commitment to driving systemic change, evidenced by the groundbreaking “Belonging” training initiative, which reached over 100,000 individuals, setting a new standard for inclusive practices within the organization.

Prior to her pivotal role at WPP, Tope amassed invaluable experience in project management and operations roles, providing invaluable support to esteemed clients such as T-Mobile and Google. Her early career at UBS, where she spearheaded the development of people analytics capabilities, laid the foundation for her data-driven approach to driving inclusivity.

A multifaceted professional, Tope also extends her expertise as a business consultant and trainer, fervently working towards revolutionizing global inclusion efforts and advancing academic and professional opportunities for Black women and minorities. Her international exposure, having lived and worked in London, Japan, Singapore, and San Francisco, has equipped her with a global perspective, enabling her to spearhead impactful global implementation projects and processes.

In addition to her corporate endeavors, Tope co-founded Levelset, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting high-potential individuals in tech and STEM from underserved communities with mentors, thereby empowering the community with invaluable resources. More recently, she launched “To A Tee,” a curated community experience tailored for executives to inspire and connect on a global scale.

Outside of her professional commitments, Tope remains deeply engaged in philanthropic endeavors, actively volunteering at women’s shelters in Los Angeles and Lagos, Nigeria, where she wholeheartedly serves her communities. A staunch advocate for mental health, Tope proudly identifies as a mental health ally.

In her leisure time, Tope finds solace in traveling, surfing, indulging in literature, and practicing yoga, embodying a well-rounded approach to life that mirrors her commitment to holistic well-being and inclusion.

Brandon Butler is partner/Chief Content Officer at Majority, an Atlanta-based crea=ve agency. With a background in adver=sing, marke=ng, and tech, he has worked with brands like General Motors, Sprite, MLB, and Amazon. His career includes roles at Accenture, Edelman, and the NBA. Butler is also the CEO of BuLer.ATL, a cultural voice in Atlanta. BuLer.ATL’s 404 Scholarship has raised over $250,000 for Metro Atlanta students since 2021. He was on Adweek’s Crea=ve 100 (2021) and Atlanta Magazine’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders (2020-2023).

Ian Mackenzie is McCann Worldgroup’s Global Creative AI Lead and Chief Creative Officer of McCann Canada. He is a white member of the LGBTQ+ community and has a long record of working with and in support of marginalized communities. His work has promoted LGBTQ+ safety and acceptance, combated anti-Black racism and supported survivors of sexual violence. Notable efforts include celebrated campaigns for Black & Abroad (“Black Elevation Map,” “Go Back to Africa”), PFLAG (“Destination Pride”) and Bimbo (“Greatest Guide”). He also worked as a reporter covering the equal marriage beat in Canada at the LGBTQ+ bi-weekly newspaper Xtra!.

Lachi is a globally touring artist, award-winning social entrepreneur, a PBS’ American Masters series host and active Governor of her GRAMMYs chapter board. Born legally blind, a daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Lachi works to amplify Disability Culture and representation. Her U.N.-recognized organization RAMPD has collaborated with the GRAMMYs, Netflix, Tidal, SONY Pictures Television and more to bring opportunity, visibility and community to music professionals with disabilities, neurodivergence and other conditions. Named a USA Today Woman of the Year, her work has been featured in national Google ads, TEDx stages, discussions with the White House, BBC, CNBC, NYTimes, Essence and Billboard.

This is the story of how a partnership between the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) and FCB Canada became many partnerships. These partnerships have led to life-altering solutions for people with Down syndrome. By partnering with Google, the United Nations, GoogleAI, Fitbit, and LinkedIn, we have used the power and reach of global brands to tackle a new challenge that people with Down syndrome face each year. We answered questions for expectant parents, changed Google’s voice algorithm to better serve the 78 million people around the world living with atypical speech, led a global research study to prove the link between fitness and cognition, and made the Down syndrome community visible to employers.

The Down syndrome community needs to drive awareness and gain advocates and partners so they can lead the fulfilling lives they are capable of. In Canada, despite a growing movement towards diversity and inclusion, bias continues to be pervasive against people living with disabilities. Stigma and stereotypes impact people with Down syndrome and their parents at every stage of their lives, from the moment of diagnosis through adulthood. While Canada has made great strides in building an inclusive society that values people of different races, genders, and sexual orientations, there is still a long way to go in including people with disabilities.

The ambition of the CDSS is to empower the Down syndrome community, closing the gaps in support, information, and resources that make leading a full life more challenging for people with Down syndrome. Every year that FCB has worked with CDSS, we have aimed to push through boundaries that limit the potential of people with Down syndrome and boundaries that limit how we think about advertising itself. We focused our efforts on people with Down syndrome and their parents, not the general public, and used our strategic process to map a journey that defined moments when they need information and support.

Michelob ULTRA and FCB New York have partnered for years to champion the joy of sports. Our celebrated brand platform, “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It,” brought this mission to life with the iconic, groundbreaking activation, “Courtside.” Developed during COVID and the NBA Finals, the “Courtside” experience gave fans across 30 NBA arenas an opportunity to appear live on the surrounding courts. This innovation brought back the joy and enjoyment to fans who were missing live experiences due to the pandemic.

This desire to reach consumers in a unique way continued with Dreamcaster, a shining example of rising up and reaching back. We’ve collaborated with Michelob ULTRA for 8+ years, and through our shared commitment to inclusion, Dreamcaster was developed as a new avenue for individuals with disabilities to experience sports in an extraordinary way. Going beyond the usual TV spot or a short-term activation, FCB New York and Michelob ULTRA made a socially conscious statement to invent an entirely new piece of technology that will make the joy of live sports more accessible to 250 million blind and visually impaired fans around the world, in perpetuity. That long-term commitment to accessibility started with Cameron Black.

FCB New York and Michelob ULTRA reached back to help Cameron Black — and soon, other athletes and fans with disabilities — achieve a lifelong dream in the world of sports that he never thought was possible because of his physical condition. Dreamcaster technology gave Cameron the opportunity of a lifetime. We empowered him to become the first blind person in history to commentate a live NBA game, going far beyond anything he thought was possible as a blind sports writer in Kansas. Now, with our technology becoming widely available, the sky is the limit for him and other visually impaired people in sports culture. And this approach informs FCB New York and Michelob ULTRA’s creativity moving forward — as partners, we’re already developing future creative ideas that use technology in unprecedented ways to make the joy of sports accessible to everyone.

By rising up and reaching back, Michelob ULTRA and FCB New York are proving to the world that It’s Only Worth It If We All Enjoy It.

Cultural preservation is a critical and often overlooked part of equity. True inclusion starts by being seen and understood. WhatsApp and Giannis Antetokounmpo exemplify this spirit.

WhatsApp’s product and brand mission is to bring people closer to their cultures and communities, and Giannis is a global NBA superstar with cross-cultural roots. When Giannis and WhatsApp teamed up for the brand’s first-ever global partnership in 2023, they saw the potential to demonstrate the power of culture to create impact. They focused on the issue of language and literacy: mother tongue language books are one of the most cost-effective literacy interventions, yet 40% of children globally lack access to mother-tongue educational materials.

In Nigeria, Giannis’ home country, 70% of children cannot read with meaning. Together, WhatsApp and Giannis partnered to shine a light on this issue globally and make a direct impact—co-founding an on-ground arm of a literacy NGO in Nigeria and reaching 900,000 children globally in just six months.

Giannis’ origin story exemplifies the importance of cross-cultural identity. Greek-born and of Nigerian descent, Giannis credits WhatsApp with helping him stay connected to his friends and family around the world for years while he built a career in the NBA abroad. Growing up in Greece, his mother’s Igbo lullabies became a vehicle for passing on Nigerian culture and language. As a father and philanthropist with a vision to make an impact and connect more deeply to his roots, Giannis, his family foundation—the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF)—and WhatsApp teamed up with NABU, an international nonprofit creating culturally responsive children’s books in mother tongue language to preserve culture and improve literacy rates.

Together, WhatsApp, Giannis, CAFF, and NABU embarked on a collective mission to pass down Nigerian culture through mother tongue children’s books. As part of this collaboration, the group co-founded NABU Nigeria—bringing the organization’s work to a market where mother tongue language books can make a massive impact but where previously no on-the-ground presence existed—established NABU’s ABC Lab in Lagos, and sponsored the creation of dozens of children’s e-books in Igbo, Giannis’ mother tongue. The six-month campaign included global digital activations on socials and streaming, including the release of an original film “Ugo: A Homecoming Story,” which highlights Giannis’ visit to NABU Nigeria’s new lab. The campaign also included a local activation in Houston, TX, the U.S. city with the largest diasporic Nigerian population, engaging over 150 kids during a celebratory afternoon at a local Boys & Girls Club.

As a result of this partnership, nearly 900,000 children engaged with NABU globally over six months (a 45% increase over their monthly average), providing them with proven tools for increasing literacy and cultural preservation. In addition, direct search for NABU increased by 2,500,000%, engagement with NABU’s content nearly tripled globally, and over 2M unique users visited NABU’s website within the six-month campaign period. NABU continues to create and disseminate free mother-tongue children’s ebooks across the globe, working across 10+ countries and serving over 7M children.

Ivan Delgado, Cincinnati-based Designer at Landor, brings four years of experience building transformative brands for global clients. Passionate and articulate, he challenges cultural conventions while championing inclusivity and student outreach. Ivan’s thought leadership promotes a competitive advantage for businesses and inspires industry-wide conversations on creative excellence. With his expertise in brand strategy, visual identity, and cultural transformation, Ivan has shaped brands like The Human Rights Campaign, The Coca-Cola Company, and SC Johnson. Ivan’s versatile talent has been featured in Communication Arts Magazine and recognized at Graphis International, Graphic Design USA, and the Transform Awards in North America and Europe.

Jazmin Eusebio is a Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging & PR Manager at Highwire PR. In this role, Jazmin combines her passion for social justice with her skills in strategic communications and media relations. At Highwire, she is an active voice in the Internship Program and Mentorship committees, where she dedicates time to create and refine workplace trainings for junior staff members. She has been recognized by PRNews, Diversity Action Alliance, PRSA, and the Social Impact Awards for her contributions to DEI and dedication to creating spaces and opportunities for historically marginalized communities and emerging young professionals.

At Praytell, Shahamat Uddin is an account supervisor sitting at the intersection of our corporate reputation and travel practices. He also serves as the lead for our queer ERG: Prism. Outside of Praytell, he is a notable freelance writer, contributing to Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Business Insider, Vice, and more. He was also a programming director for the 2022 Out4Undergrad Marketing Conference, enacting major changes for the organization. He also serves as the Communications Director for the non-profit organization Artists Climate Collective.

Named on the 2024 Campaign Magazine UK A-list and one of their 2023 Trailblazers of the Year, Chloë Davies is an award-winning founder, creative, passionate social impact consultant, chef, and entrepreneur who has dedicated much of her 20+ year career campaigning for inclusion and equality in all spaces, whether in-house at agency level, corporate organizations, or through wider community engagement. With over 15 years of experience in retail, artist management, and PR, Chloë has honed her expertise in leadership, social impact, and inclusive representation. Her work centers around authentic storytelling, creating spaces of belonging, mental health & well-being, self-empowerment, culture change, and workplace advocacy. Simply put, she is trying to change the world for the better.

In April 2023, she founded ‘It Takes A Village Collective’—a global hub for Black women in advertising, media, marketing, and comms whose mission is to ensure that 1 in 5 people in adland will be a Black woman by 2028. By celebrating and championing them, for their talents to be seen, heard, and amplified, and together shaping the collective industries into a space where Black women can have agency and thrive.

She is also one of the 8 Co-founders of ‘Join Our Table’—a community platform created with a purpose to use their collective power to amplify the amazing work of Black female talent in the UK advertising, marketing, and media industries and build an uplifting space for Black women to be visible, feel supported, and succeed.

She is a member of ForbesBLK, WACL, MEFA, and BLOOM UK. Alongside volunteer roles for UK Black Pride and The London Queer Fashion Show, she is an Ambassador for Mental Health First Aid England, Founding Ambassador (Community Engagement) for LBTQWomen, and a Trustee for The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre Charity.

In 2024, Chloë will take on the role of Chair of Judges for Campaign UK’s ‘40 over 40’ Awards, is a member of the D&AD24 Impact Jury, a Judge for the Pros Awards, and a returning judge for the Creative Circle and Prolific North Creative Awards.

Kati Fernandez is an Afro-Latina born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Cambridge, MA, with a wealth of experience in content creation, strategy, production, management, operations, and marketing. As ESPN’s Senior Director of Content Development, Kati currently oversees the strategy and development of compelling content across ESPN+ Originals, ESPN Films, 30 for 30 documentaries, and ESPN Special Projects. Additionally, Kati is a HearstLab Scout, actively participating in evaluating potential HearstLab investments at pre-seed and seed stages, TechStar Mentor, and is the current Vice President for WISE Boston (Women in Sports and Events). Previously, Kati contributed to platforms such as the NFL Network and Hulu.

Theo Gibson is an award-winning creative, brand strategist, and content specialist with over sixteen years of experience in the marketing industry. As Executive Creative Director at JOAN, he brings his expertise in art direction and branding to modernize today’s biggest brands, orchestrate impactful campaigns, and create award-winning films. His impactful work has been recognized by prestigious award programs, including The One Show, Clios, Ciclope, and Young Lions. Theo is a graduate of Humber College’s Advertising and Graphic Design program and an advisor at HXOUSE, where he mentors and runs lectures and workshops for young creatives. With a focus on creative and brand strategy, Theo continuously establishes himself and his partners as progressive creatives and marketers.

Dany Garcia is the Founder, CEO, and Chairwoman of The Garcia Companies, a portfolio of brands with a human-centered approach at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. With her passion for building global enterprises and advocating for diversity in business, matched by her love for professional sports and personal athletic ambitions, Garcia redefines what it means to build and balance brands built directly from values – merging high performance with joyful experiences. As Chairwoman, Garcia oversees a vast portfolio including the UFL, Seven Bucks Productions (JUMANJI franchise, Hobbs & Shaw, Rampage, Red Notice), GSTQ, ZOA, Teremana Tequila, the Project Rock line at Under Armour, Acorns, Atom Tickets, and Salt & Straw. In 2020, Garcia’s acquisition of the XFL made her the first woman to own co-equal or majority ownership stake in a major professional sports league in the United States, and she continues this achievement through the newly merged United Football League (UFL). In May 2021, Garcia launched her latest venture GSTQ, a lifestyle brand intersecting luxury and streetwear that is focused on amplifying and empowering every individual to stand in their extraordinary presence. Through her immersive work within The Garcia Companies, Garcia was also the visionary behind the careers of Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill and continues to serve as Johnson’s global strategic advisor. In recognition of her work, Garcia has won a number of prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Outstanding Film Producer Impact Award, Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100, Variety500, Entrepreneur’s Women of Influence, Adweek’s Most Powerful Women in Sports (2020) and more. Garcia is a proud mom to daughter Simone Garcia Johnson and wife of her husband and business partner, Dave Rienzi.

Ashley Henderson is an LA Native, Howard Graduate, mentor, leader and friend. College served as an incubation period for mastering the skills needed to perfect her craft. It was through internships at Interscope Records, W.H.U.R Radio in DC, and the desk of Michael Eric Dyson where she learned the art of business and how it intersected with creativity. She then led regional events as a manager at Estee Lauder, Mac Cosmetics where the entrepreneurial spark eventually became too bright to ignore. After a long corporate run, she founded League 22 and the rest is still being written.

Above all else, Jason Campbell is a Caribbean immigrant first. His Caribbean roots colors his creativity, his perspectives and was instrumental in how he got to where he is today. These same roots power his leadership and legacy inside and outside the walls of Translation. 

Although his career has extended across some of the top agencies, he found Translation to be a place where he could test many of his beliefs around the true value of diversity and its creative power. As the Chief Creative Officer at Translation, an agency that’s legacy is founded on pushing culture forward; it takes fearlessness and vulnerability to lead within a space dedicated to breaking free of the dated norms of the advertising industry. 

He has a storied career that has led him to work with the likes of Nike, the NBA, Verizon, Impossible Foods, Airbnb, and perhaps most famously, Beats by Dre, for whom he made the Cannes Lion Titanium-winning “You Love Me.”  Prior to Translation, Campbell graduated to applause. Adweek named him one of the ‘Top 5 Ad School Graduates’, and the One Club awarded him the prestigious Patrick Kelly Scholarship.

Yet early in his career, Jason realized that learning from the best was even better when you could share it with others. This not only led him to a teaching position at Miami Ad School but has shaped his impact across the industry. 

Campbell took up the reins as the Chief Creative Officer of Translation in the summer of 2020. That summer, the industry had a knee-jerk reaction to go after black and brown talent, and yet at Translation, where diversity was already pure at its core, he delved straight into the deep end of getting to know his team remotely. He made an immediate impact. That impact was felt through his conscious effort to get deep quickly and to exert trust and belief in the creative department he inherited. 

He carries a sense of pride across all the creatives he’s mentored and championed. Of his team at Translation in particular, he religiously speaks of their focus, talent, and drive that gets them through each project and the tough tasks. He has continuously advocated for what happens when you unleash diversity and creativity in business.  

He’s been able to build a team that doesn’t look one way or sound one way; it’s a team of differences. The diversity of background, talent, and thought allows him to empower his team to keep each other honest on many things. “We don’t assume the right answer, there’s a lot of debate and a lot of conversation about what’s right.” 

Campbell understands how to distill a brand’s story to its true essence and combine that with the cultural climate to build a moment an audience can’t miss. This, in combination with his ability to uplift others to reach new creative heights, is his true art.

88rising is a pioneering global music and media company representing the best of Asian talent and culture. Since its inception, 88rising has paved the way for many music industry firsts for its artists. Under the leadership of founder & CEO, Sean Miyashiro, the company has also grown its brand to include a global festival, Head In The Clouds Music & Artist Festival, and special partnerships with the likes of Coachella, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and many more. With over 200 million followers across global social media platforms and over 50 billion streams and views, 88rising’s global influence is undeniable.

Adrienne Hayes is the Vice President for Global Subscriptions & Customer Growth Marketing at Google. Previously, she served as the VP of Marketing for Google’s first-party devices and services, including Pixel, Nest, Fitbit and Google Store. She helped advocate for and sponsor research focused on building better, more accurate camera technology in Google’s products – particularly for people of color and low vision. Adrienne has also held leadership roles at PR and Marketing agencies working alongside C Suites for the world’s top brands. She is currently the Global Executive Sponsor of Google’s LGBTQ+ employee group and serves on GLAAD’s Board of Directors.

Brian Anthony Moreland is a distinguished and visionary creative lead producer for theatre, film, and television. Lauded for his exceptional contributions to the performing arts, Brian has been profiled on EBONY’s prestigious Power 100 List and honored as one of “Variety’s 2020 Top 10 on Broadway to Watch.” With two Tony Award nominations, his body of work is a testament to his dedication to producing universal stories that introduce fresh narratives into the mainstream entertainment arena. He is a firm believer in the transformative power of theatre to foster empathy, enlighten, and captivate audiences.

Brian’s current endeavors on Broadway include the critically acclaimed production of The WIZ, featuring the talents of Wayne Brady and Deborah Cox. Looking ahead, he is poised to produce a highly anticipated rendition of OTHELLO, starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, under the direction of Tony Award winner Kenny Leon.

Brian’s impressive repertoire of past productions reflects his commitment to excellence and innovation in theatre. Notable works include August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson, which became the highest-grossing revival of the season and starred Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Brooks, and John David Washington; The Lifespan of a Fact, featuring Cherry Jones, Daniel Radcliffe, and Bobby Cannavale; Sea Wall / A Life, a dual narrative starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge; and The Sound Inside, a compelling drama headlined by Mary-Louise Parker.

Hailing from California, Brian has made New York City his home, where he continues to shape the cultural landscape with his innovative vision and unwavering passion for the arts. Beyond his professional achievements, Brian is deeply committed to giving back to the arts community. He is actively involved with the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), an organization dedicated to expanding access to live theatre and dance.

Brian’s leadership extends to his role as an influential member of the Board of Governors at The Broadway League, where he also serves as Co-Chair of the Multicultural Task Force. His dedication to fostering diversity and inclusion within the theatre industry is further exemplified by his positions on the NYC Tourism and Conventions Board of Directors and as a Trustee of the board for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Additionally, Brian is a Trustee of the board at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he supports the development of the next generation of performing artists. Brian has also been honored by the Audelco Awards with the Board of Directors Distinguished Service Award and by the Theatre Communications Group (TCG).

Through his extensive and impactful work, Brian Anthony Moreland has established himself as a transformative force in the world of theatre. His ability to bring compelling stories to life not only entertains but also enriches the cultural fabric of society. His contributions to the arts continue to inspire and elevate the standards of storytelling on stage and beyond.

Geena Rocero, born and raised in Manila, Philippines, is a four time Emmy Nominated and an Award Winning Producer, Writer, Director. She is 2023 Glamour Woman of The Year, recipient of The A1 Award in Gold House’s A100 List of the most impactful AAPI’s, 2024 SeeHer Award and OUT100’s most impactful and influential LGBTQ People.

Her award winning memoir Horse Barbie published by Penguin Random House imprint, The Dial Press is the recipient of THEM Now Awards for Literature. She recently directed and executive produced the EMMY and GLAAD Media Awards nominated CARETAKERS, a four-part original documentary series with PBS featuring stories of Filipino American frontline healthcare workers.

On March 31, 2014, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Rocero came out as transgender in a now viral TED Talk at the annual TED Conference. Geena has spoken at the White House, World Economic Forum and United Nations.

DIVE Studios, founded by brothers Eric, Brian, and Eddie Nam, is a leading media company focused on Korean and AAPI pop culture. DIVE creates culturally-driven, high-quality content that appeals to Gen-Z through collaborations with the hottest K-pop artists, K-drama and film actors, and visionary brands that understand the importance of meeting consumers at their passion points . With more than 1 Billion views and counting, DIVE’s community of loyal fans helped inform the creation of Mindset – a daily self-care app dedicated to delivering exclusive collections of personal stories and life lessons from artists and celebrities.

MAKERS is a Yahoo media and community-focused brand that exists to accelerate equity for women in the workplace and beyond by forging purposeful partnerships and sharing stories that ignite passion, drive action, and make change.

Mónica Ramírez is a trailblazing Latina leader reshaping social justice in the workplace and beyond. As the founder and president of Justice For Migrant Women and co-founder of The Latinx House, Mónica champions migrant and Latinx voices from rural fields to Hollywood sets. Rooted in her farmworker family background in Ohio, Mónica fiercely combats workplace sexual violence, supports low-paid workers and immigrants, and fights for the recognition these often overlooked individuals deserve.

She launched the first U.S. legal initiative to tackle gender discrimination against farmworker women, which she scaled into the Esperanza Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center. This work was foundational to creating Justice for Migrant Women as a stand-alone non-profit organization. Her pivotal “Dear Sisters” letter in TIME magazine, written on behalf of farmworker women, has been credited with catalyzing the TIME’S UP movement. Mónica also co-founded Alianza Nacional de Campesinas and Poderistas. She has also built and led the national Latina Equal Pay Day since 2015.

Mónica’s advocacy and influence have impacted important legislation, including critical bills like the BE HEARD Act, which provides more protection against sexual harassment, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. She founded Raizado Festival in Aspen, CO, which celebrates Latinx culture and surfaces some of the most pressing issues impacting the Latine community while lifting the change makers and leaders working to address these problems. Mónica seamlessly bridges activism and storytelling. She earned degrees from Loyola University Chicago, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, and Harvard Kennedy School. She holds accolades including the Smithsonian Ingenuity Award for Social Progress, James Beard Leadership Award Winner, and TIME 100 Next Leader.

As Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe, Carla Serrano drives transformation across all aspects of the business and in service of Publicis Groupe’s clients. She is the co-creator and evangelist of some of Publicis’ most disruptive talent models including Le Truc, a creative collective centered around diverse shared leadership; Marcel, the global AI platform powering access, inclusivity and equality; and Working with Cancer, changing the lives of millions of cancer survivors in the workplace. A member of Groupe’s Diversity Progress Council, Carla is passionate about mentoring the next generation (particularly young female professionals) and creating innovative experiences for talent rooted in diversity and flexibility.

Justina Omokhua is the Senior Vice President at Parkwood Entertainment – a production company, record label and management firm founded by entertainer and entrepreneur, Beyoncé. Justina works across the entire ecosystem of the company creating synergy across the various businesses in the portfolio. As SVP, Justina is responsible for strategic planning and firm-wide management, overseeing day to day operations.

Respected marketing guru, Justina Omokhua, is synonymous with “strategist.” She maintains an insatiable curiosity and a thirst, drive and need for information – that has been central to the success she’s manifested in her career. Prior to Parkwood, Justina worked at Apple as the Global Head of Content Strategy & Lifestyle Marketing for the Software and Services Business. She has also worked for some of the largest brands in the world – including Endeavor, Verizon, Nokia, Pepsi and L’Oreal.

According to her, “Marketing is more than logos and beautiful imagery, it’s about establishing a meaningful relationship with people that is reinforced at every touchpoint”. “Wherever I work, I seek to help architect and build the next phase evolution with this in mind.

Justina holds a Bachelor’s Degree from York University, an MBA Certificate from Rutgers and a Certificate in Leading Difference for High Performance from Harvard Business School. She has served as a delegate at the 2015 United Nations Social Impact Summit and she currently sits on the board of E-SPAT TV, and advisory councils for Happy Hues and The Bloom Africa.

As CEO, Sean Tresvant oversees Taco Bell’s global growth strategy, franchise operations and overall performance. Since joining Taco Bell, Sean has led the brand into a new era, accelerating profitable growth and spearheading boundary-pushing efforts that drive culture. Previously, he served as Taco Bell’s Global Chief Brand & Strategy Officer.

Sean is Vice Chairman of the Taco Bell Foundation and a founding member of the Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA), where he advocates for opportunity and access for Black marketing professionals. Before joining Taco Bell, he spent 15+ years at Nike, working his way up to CMO of Jordan Brand.

America’s first two Black Generals were a Father & Son duo with the same name: General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. & Sr.

Beginning as unwelcome additions to the Army, they would work under eight different Presidents in various capacities over the course of 75 years. During that time, the pair accumulated an impressive list of achievements, including:
Being the architects and the commander of the 15,000 Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the Red Tails during WW2.
Being the driving force of Executive Order 9980 & 9981, which ordered the desegregation of the federal workforce and integrated the military in 1948.
Leading the creation of the US Air Marshall Program and what’s now known as the TSA in 1971.
Integrating the US Air Force Academy to allow women cadets in 1975.
Heading the creation of the 55 mph national speed limit in 1977 to save lives.
These two men, known as the Invisible Generals, represent what it is to be an American and laid the foundation for a more equitable United States – for everyone.

Judy Jackson, best known for her candid, straightforward approach and her unmistakable laugh, is driven by bringing out the best in others while maintaining her authentic self. She is a well-respected thought leader in human resource management. Judy founded JLC Ventures to help build inclusive cultures within corporate spaces by supporting under-represented groups in their career growth, development, and well-being. She also works with leadership to provide the vision and strategy for building a culture where people can bring their whole selves to work and be respected for who they are.

Earlier leadership roles include Global Head of Culture at WPP, Global Chief Talent Officer at Wunderman Thompson, Chief Talent Officer at IPG Mediabrands, Digitas, and People leadership roles at Essence Communications, ABC Disney, and Planned Parenthood of NYC.

She has contributed to several articles and books on human resource management and has received several awards including the 4A’s 2022 Gladiator Award. She serves on the board of directors for BRIDGE, an organization dedicated to addressing the gap in Belonging, Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity in the workplace. She is the co-founder of We All Rise Together, created to minimize the impact of the pandemic on communities most at risk. She is also the former president of BRAINY, an organization committed to elevating people of color in the communications industry.

Sandra Sims-Williams is the Chief Business Inclusion, Impact & Belonging Officer of Nielsen, a global audience measurement and data analytics company. In this role, Sandra leads Nielsen’s business inclusion, impact and belonging strategy to create a more inclusive and equitable media industry—empowering clients, communities and employees.

Sandra is a transformational leader with over 30 years of experience. Since joining Nielsen in 2020, Sandra has led the company’s work across inclusive culture and business practices, global talent development and corporate responsibility. In 2024, she evolved the combined DE&I and Corporate Citizenship team to Business Inclusion, Impact & Belonging to reflect the team’s tangible and positive impact on both internal and external stakeholders and ultimately, the success of Nielsen’s people and business. Making the case for “all at the table” brings more opportunity for change and outcomes that improve the bottom line.

She has increased the Business Resource Groups at Nielsen to 14 representative groups. She is also on the Nielsen Foundation’s board which seeks to support development of diverse representation in media and marketing, while educating external constituents. In addition, she leads Nielsen’s External Advisory Council, a group that ensures fair audience measurement that is representative of the population benchmarked by the U.S. Census.

Prior to joining Nielsen, Sandra made history by becoming the very first Chief Diversity Officer for Publicis Groupe—a communications holding company with global affiliates. She spent 14 years working for a variety of Publicis agencies. Her diversity and inclusion career began at Digitas, a media and digital agency.

Sandra is a straight talk leader and change agent. She counsels leaders to develop an inclusive mindset in business, communication, and people engagement. Given her influence across multiple industries, she is known for creating space for diverse groups—space that gives room for their voices and creates opportunities to build stronger leaders and managers with a mindset and behaviors that drives inclusion at work. She believes in the power of high-touch experiences that change people through stories, situations, and developmental workshops.

To influence and help change the marketing and media industries, Sandra is on the boards of the New York Advertising Club, BRIDGE and ColorComm. On these boards, she helps shape the industry through CEOs, CMOs and CDO colleagues while also helping to develop future leaders and building diverse industry connections.

Sandra has been a mentor, advisor, supporter of women in various stages of their careers. She has created two groups of women: one of her peers to support each other, and Sandra’s Sister Circle (SSC)—a younger group of women mentored by the first. Both groups have lasted over 12 years and meet each month. SSC women have advanced their careers through the support and mentoring from this group interaction. Sandra’s purpose is to leave a place, a person, a situation better than she found it.

Sean Choi is your everyday first-gen Korean American, neurodivergent New Yorker on a crusade to arouse influential creativity through cultural fluency. Client jerseys he’s hung up include Google, DoorDash, & Snapchat while repping award-winning shops like 3x Agency of the Year, The Martin Agency. Currently, he operates as The Culture Whisperer LLC, educating, consulting, & collaborating with professional & commercial creatives. Sean’s side quest is ushering in future changemakers as an instructor at Parsons School of Design.

He’s brought honor to his family & career by taking the keynote stage at 4A’s Stratfest, interviewing the Oscars-sweeping directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once, podcasting with strategy godfathers Mark Pollard & Julian Cole, curating an industry-beloved cultural moments resource, & even being dubbed an official Rockstar by Ad Club.

Mimi is a first-generation Vietnamese-American, daughter of refugees, and Mom to Vietnamese-Puerto Rican American daughters. She is the Executive Producer of award-winning films, “The Myth” and “Call It Covid.” She currently occupies the role of Global Creative Producer across Wieden+Kennedy’s network. In an industry that champions brands, Mimi champions people. She uses her position in the industry to identify opportunities for brands to act as platforms to uplift marginalized communities. And where there are none – she creates them.

An Ad Age The List Generation Next alum, she was recently selected as an AICP Judge and honored by The Advertising Club of NY. She has spoken at ADCOLOR, SXSW, Meta, Portland Trail Blazers, Courageous Conversation National Summit, Asians in Advertising, Paramount, Mailchimp, Wende Museum & TDW+Co.