WHEN ONE OF US SHINES, WE ALL SHINE.

Kinney Edwards is the Global Head of Creative Lab at TikTok. At TikTok, he focuses on innovations and experiences that inspire, educate and unlock the possibilities for marketers and businesses of all sizes to reach their full potential on the platform and connect with its unique creative community.

Partners for over 10 years, Rony and Tony are just biding their time until the Golden State Warriors sign them to a 10-day contract. But until then, they’ll settle for working alongside the most creative

people in the industry.

As creative directors at GS&P, they lead work on some of the most recognizable brands in the world—Pepsi, BMW, Kraft/Heinz, Xfinity, and the Golden State Warriors. Prior to working at GS&P, they spent their careers at a variety of agencies in Chicago, where they worked on global brands like Toyota, McDonald’s, Tide, Crest, Jack Daniel’s,

Mountain Dew, Coors Light, and Babybel Cheese where Rony was the voice of the brand in the form of talking cheese, with a Haitian accent.

Their work has been featured on the Today Show and by Fast Company, The New York Times, ESPN, GQ, Mashable, Creativity, the NBA, and it’s been recognized by a variety of award shows, from Cannes, to One Show, ADC, D&AD, Andys, Clios, and AICP. In thepast year, they were named to Adweek’s Creative 100, AdAge’s 40 under 40 list, and were finalists for AdAge’s “Creative Director of the Year” award.

Their acclaimed “Not a Gun” campaign was an honoree for Fast Company’s “Innovationin Design” and “World Changing Ideas” distinctions and won the Grand Ogilvy award. And with all that, their moms still have zero idea what they do.

As Orion’s President, the veteran industry executive and producer Alana Mayo oversees the label’s day-to-day operations, including development, acquisitions, physical and post production. Orion Pictures, a division of MGM, is dedicated to underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film with a focus on developing, producing and acquiring feature films that amplify underserved voices, both in front of and behind the camera. This year, Orion is releasing its first slate of films, including ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE, directed by Billy Porter, TILL, directed by Chinonye Chukwu and produced by Barbara Broccoli, and WOMEN TALKING, directed by Sarah Polley and produced by Plan B. In the pipeline is a high school sex comedy entitled BOTTOMS directed by Emma Seligman and Michelle Zauner’s CRYING IN H MART, an adaptation of her best selling novel.

Mayo most recently served as Head of Production and Development for Outlier Society, a multi-platform production and media company led by actor Michael B. Jordan, where she oversaw the company’s slate of films (in partnership with Warner Bros Studios) and television series (in partnership with Amazon Studios). While at Outlier Society, Mayo led the charge with Jordan to create opportunities for more equitable hiring in Hollywood, with the launch of a first-of-its-kind company-wide inclusion policy, in partnership Warner Media, with JUST MERCY, based on the memoir of attorney, social justice activist and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson, becoming the first film made under the new initiative.

In addition to JUST MERCY, the slate of Outlier Society films projects overseen by Mayo include Paramount Pictures’ WITHOUT REMORSE; a film adaptation of the fantasy novel BLACK LEOPARD; RED WOLF by acclaimed author Marlon James; an untitled original monster movie from KONG: SKULL ISLAND filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts; and a WWII action drama THE LIBERATORS.

During Mayo’s tenure, Outlier Society has co-produced the Emmy-nominated HBO Films adaptation of FAHRENHEIT 451, which netted Jordan a Producers Guild Award; 61 STREET for AMC; the OWN drama series DAVID MAKES MAN from Oscar-winning MOONLIGHT co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney; RAISING DION, which was one of Netflix’s most-streamed shows of 2019; the comedy feature FASHIONABLY BLACK written by Emmy nominated writer Robin Thede and Christa Gatewood at HBO Max; and the series  FRIDAY BLACK, created by critically-acclaimed writer Nana Adjei-Brenyah.

Previously, Mayo served as Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures, where she worked on films including A QUIET PLACE, directed by and starring John Krasinski, ANNIHILATION, written and directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman as well the critically acclaimed FENCES, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. In her previous role as Production Executive for the studio, she worked on the Academy Award® winning THE BIG SHORT, directed by Adam McKay and starring Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell and Brad Pitt, 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI, directed by Michael Bay and starring John Krasinski and James Badge Dale, and the Academy Award® Best Picture nominee SELMA.

Following her time at Paramount, Mayo worked with Vimeo as the company’s VP and head of original development. In her role, Mayo helped strategize the creation of the video-streaming service’s SVOD platform with scripted, original television content. Born in New York and raised in Chicago, IL, Mayo graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Studies. After interning with independent New York filmmakers such as Lee Daniels, Tribeca Films and Warrington Hudlin, she moved to Los Angeles to further her career in feature film production and development.

Neal Arthur is the global chief executive officer for Wieden+Kennedy.

During his career, Neal has expanded Wieden’s portfolio of clients to include a broad and diverse roster of iconic brands. Under his leadership, the agency has grown significantly and in 2021, celebrated its best year on record. Wieden+Kennedy has consistently been recognized as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies,” and both Adweek and Ad Age’s Agency of the Year.

Neal currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Ghetto Film School, forming a decade-long relationship between W+K and the organization, whose mission is to educate and develop the next generation of great American storytellers.

Before coming to W+K, Neal spent time as a senior brand strategist at advertising agency Fallon, and brand and innovation consultancy Red Scout. Before advertising, he was a kindergarten teacher (a job remarkably similar to his current position), a Java developer at Netscape, and a law school student for one day.

Shawn Martinbrough is the author of “How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling”, published by Penguin Random House and an Eisner Award nominated artist whose comic book projects include; “Batman: Detective Comics”, “DMZ”, “Luke Cage Noir”, “The Black Panther: Man Without Fear” and “Hellboy”.

Characters co-created by Shawn are featured in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”, “Deadpool”, the animated “Batman: Gotham Knights” and the television series; “GOTHAM”, “The GIFTED” and “BATWOMAN”.

Shawn is the artist of “Thief of Thieves”, the graphic novel series co-created with Robert Kirkman (“The Walking Dead”, “INVINCIBLE”) and the Eisner nominated “Prométhée 13:13”, published by comiXology / Delcourt / ABLAZE.

Shawn is a Vanity Fair contributor and the writer of “Red Hood” for DC Comics. His two part story revisits the Gotham City neighborhood of “The Hill” and introduces new characters to the Batman Universe.

Shawn is a co-author of “Judge Kim and the Kids’ Court”, an upcoming children’s book series from Simon & Schuster, currently writing and illustrating his first creator owned graphic novel for Megascope, the new Abrams Books imprint and illustrating an upcoming children’s book by NYTimes best-selling author Derrick D. Barnes for Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin.

An original thriller written by Shawn has been optioned by Freedom Road Productions and AGC Studios.

Shawn created storyboards and key art for Netflix’s “Blood Brothers” documentary, which explores the friendship between Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X and for “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” by Oscar-winning screenwriter, Executive Producer Geoffrey Fletcher and ABC News.

Shawn has been a featured guest and panelist at comic conventions in San Diego, New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, São Paulo, Rome, Algiers and Poland.

Shawn has given lectures about his career at Walt Disney Animation, Lockheed Martin, The Pentagon, TEDx Mid Atlantic, The International Spy Museum, The California African American Museum, The Society of Illustrators, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, Columbia University, Fashion Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art & Design and The University of Michigan.

Inspired by his TEDx Talk, The George Lucas Foundation consulted with Shawn to develop the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Summer Studio, an intensive two week workshop with students in South Central, LA.

Shawn is an alumni of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and The School of Visual Arts.

For kids with a stutter, saying everyday sentences can take as much courage as public speaking: it seems like everyone is watching you as you try and get the words out. This PSA demonstrates what this feels like. Features real kids who have a stutter, it sees them in everyday interactions–such as asking for a job application or ordering food at a restaurant. But instead of being in everyday locations, they are standing in front of huge audiences, hundreds of eyes trained on them. The commercial ends by encouraging the public to be patient and give kids who stutter the space they need to say what they want to say.

Sandy Hook Promise is a nonprofit organization that trains students and adults in the warning signs of gun violence to prevent future school shootings. 2021 saw the most school shootings on record, but as the sensationalist headlines come and go in the media, the trauma that these tragedies leave behind remains. The aim of this campaign was to put a human face to the real, long lasting damage that gun violence is having on America’s youth and their families / communities. School shootings have become an accepted part of growing up, and they shouldn’t be.

Many of us are separated by distance or circumstance, especially during the past two years of lockdown. In these situations, a simple hug seems impossible. Studies show the importance of hugs for our health, but when we can’t physically be together, how can we embrace the people we love? To unite loved ones across the globe, Cox launched The Hug Project, an initiative bringing virtual hugs to those who can’t be together in person—all by creating the first haptic Hug Vest. Using this new technology, Cox enabled people to feel the real hugs of loved ones who were impossible to visit in person. Cox shared these stories through its national campaign, and the initiative continues today. Hug Vests are presently undergoing clinical trials to prove that connection assists in patient recovery and healing.

Transgender people in India are still struggling to find acceptance, even in their own home. 70% of them are forced to live on the streets before the age of 15. UNAIDS aims to change this, by helping parents of young children understand that gender is is something we identify with as early as 2 years old. Based on the stories of dozens of transgender men and women, we carefully recreated their secret childhood treasure boxes. Then we had some of India’s most influential personalities unbox them on social media, urging millions of Indians to provide children with a loving home where they can develop into the person they really are. Next, we took the boxes to school communities, where they’re being used as educational tools to help parents, teachers and children openly discuss gender identity. Without any media spend, Unbox Me’ is bringing visibility to the plight of transgender children, men and women, everywhere. It’s changing perception and helping to nurture the support transgender children need to become their happiest, healthiest and most accomplished selves.

This year, we continue to witness devastating levels of violence – both physical and nonphysical – against our communities of color. Not only our Asian community, but also our Black, Latinx, and so many of our marginalized communities. This film is an effort to overcome that violence, by exposing a common denominator fueling it: the myth of the “model minority”. The “model minority” was first coined in the 1960’s, at the intersection of the Civil Rights movement lead by Black activists, and the reintroduction of Japanese Americans after their forced internment during WWII. The concept of the “model minority” falsely positions the Asian community as successful, while undermining the Black community; effectively pitting the two against each other. Ultimately, it dismisses the oppression of both communities, and frees systems in power from responsibility. Since then, it has grown to become a dangerous weapon used against all communities, and systematically used in such a way that stalls progress at pivotal moments in American history, including the 1992 LA Riots, and most recently, the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, as we hover at another precipice of change, we created this film in an effort to neutralize this weapon. So that it can no longer be used against us. Contrary to what the “model minority” myth would have us believe, we – those of us who were born here, immigrated here, found refuge here, or are just simply here in America – all belong here. Together.

Maria Teresa Hernandez serves as Vice President of Brand Partnerships at Mirriad, an Academy Award winning entertainment tech company that is reimagining product and brand placement. In her role, she is responsible for building the US market; driving new brand partnerships connecting advertisers to TV, Digital and Music. Hernandez began her career in entertainment at Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), a multicultural experiential agency, spearheading sponsorship efforts for legendary acts like Ana Gabriel, Juanes and Daddy Yankee. Most recently, she held roles of VP, Brand Partnerships at Branded Entertainment Network (BEN) a Bill Gate’s owned entertainment company, and VP of Sales at IPG’s specialty agency, Orion. Hernandez holds an MA from Roosevelt University in Chicago and a BA from Northern Illinois University and is a wife to Giovanni, and mom to Zoe and Chase.

Tony Weaver, Jr. is a storyteller that creates diverse worlds where every person can find their place. After racism and bullying led to a suicide attempt in his teens, the pages of manga and graphic novels gave him the courage to continue living. As an act of gratitude, Tony made a commitment to tell stories that offered acceptance, hope, and inspiration for anyone who’s ever felt left out. He’s the creator of The UnCommons, an award-winning webcomic series with over 2.5 million readers. Plus, he’s the founder of Weird Enough Productions, a national nonprofit that uses diverse comics to improve social emotional wellness for over 400,000 students annually. His writing has landed him on the TED Stage, attracted coverage from NBC, The Huffington Post, and The Mary Sue, and landed him honors from organizations like Microsoft, Gucci, and Coca-Cola. Shortly after launching his first series, The UnCommons, he made history as the first comic writer to ever be selected for Forbes’s “30 Under 30.” Since then, his momentum hasn’t slowed down for a moment.

Due to its major impact, excerpts of The UnCommons are currently on display at The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture, and it’s being developed into an animated series. He’s also the author of Weirdo, a middle grade memoir chronicling his childhood battle with suicide, which was acquired at auction by FirstSecond Books, making him the first black male to publish a book with the imprint in over 20 years. His writing has been so impactful, he was named a Global Barrier Breaker by Marriott International, a History Shaker by Coca-Cola, Warner Media honored him with The Aspire Award, and CNN selected him as a Champion for Change. Earlier this month, MIT awarded him the Elevate Prize for Antiracism in Technology, making him the first African American male to win the award. Tony’s writing prowess has not only garnered him institutional accolades but has built him a loyal following of over half a million fans on TikTok. His positive influence in the nerd community is so strong, that recently Funko selected him to be the first public figure to ever be profiled on the side of a Funko Pop Figure Box.

Tony knows what it’s like to be lost in the dark, so he’s made it his mission to be a lighthouse, using his writing to guide young people through tough times and situations. By being open and vulnerable about his childhood experiences, and telling new stories that uplift underrepresented voices, Tony hopes to show everyone that as long as you pursue your personal truth you’re never too weird, you’re just Weird Enough.

Renée Reid is a dynamic and sought-after international keynote speaker, panelist, moderator, and MC. She’s a known & respected voice and activist for the importance of representation, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity within the Design, Product and Tech industries. Renee has been a speaker at popular conferences including AFROTECH, State of Black Design, Havard Design Conference and many more.

She is a Senior Manager of UX Design Research leading a team of researchers on Enterprise Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn and has over 20 years of professional tech experience, including roles in project management, CX, UX, and sales.

Renée uses her voice to help inform and inspire UX professionals and the next generation of researchers, while also helping underrepresented communities learn about Design as a career and how to become leaders in the UX industry.

A proud Historically Black College and University (HBCU) alumna from Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia, Renee also received her Master’s in Human Computer Interaction and Design from the University of California, Irvine.

She is an active Board Member with two non-profits in the California Bay Area, Inneract Project and Opportunity Junction, as well as an advisor and investor to several startups. Renee also volunteers and supports several organizations including the San Jose African American Community Service Agency (AACSA), the Boys and Girls Club of the Penisula, and YearUp.

Always adorned in one of her many signature headwraps, in 2020 Renee launched her popular podcast, Tech Wrap Queen available across all platforms, helping to amplify Black voices & leaders throughout Tech, Design and Culture through dynamic conversations that inform and inspire her guests which are known as her “Royal Court”.

Cass Cruz is a purpose-driven marketing leader with experience building brands, culture, and community in a variety of industries, including consumer electronics, education, CPG, and more.Through her current role at Bose Corporation, Cass is transforming the legacy audio brand to make deeper connections with consumers, through a shared passion for sound and music.

Cass is an unwavering equity warrior, constantly challenging the status quo to create more equitable and inclusive environments. She credits her tenacity to her Haitian heritage and the resilience of her parents who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s.

Since Trishna Shah can remember, she has wanted to help people. She graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from North Carolina State University and worked for an optometrist soon after. When she met her husband, she was introduced to the world of advertising and, after moving to New York in 2016, decided to pivot and try a different career. She fell into recruiting and is now Director, Recruitment & People Experience at Big Spaceship. A talent acquisition and management specialist, Trishna devotes herself to making sure all voices are heard, and all crew members are supported. While in New York, she not only discovered her career passion but also that she is a passionate foodie. You can find her exploring new boroughs and restaurants with her family on any given weekend.

Mira Kaddoura is founder of Red & Co., a female- & minority-owned boutique brand consultancy that helps brands make a larger, more meaningful impact on culture, business & society.

Red&Co. created “Made with Code,” one of Google’s important initiatives to diversify the tech industry & Netflix’s lauded brand campaign, “Make Room,” that positioned Netflix as a champion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Red & Co. recently launched the Babyganics Brand Refresh “Here’s to Perfectly Imperfect Parenting” to challenge the category and disrupt once and for all the idea of perfect parenting. Red & Co.’s clients have also included lululemon, New Belgium Brewing, adidas, Planned Parenthood, Diageo, Method, Nike Brand Jordan, Solace, Transcend, Golden Gate University and most recently Theya Healthcare, Coop Home Goods & Liquid I.V.

Mira got started at Wieden+Kennedy, Nike’s long time advertising agency, creating award-winning work for Nike, The Girl Effect & Travel Oregon being mentored by people like Dan Wieden, David Kennedy & Jim Riswold. A staunch advocate of female leadership and diversity, equity & inclusion, Mira has written numerous op-eds and spoken at industry conferences and organizations like 3% Conference, Creative Mornings, ADCOLOR, Parsons New School, Google Spotlight Series and Do Lectures. Mira and her work have also been featured on Good Morning America, in NYT, Fast Company, The Atlantic, CNBC, CNN, BBC and other media platforms.

Recently in 2022, Mira was honored as a Campaign US “Female Frontier” that recognizes the most progressive and boundary-pushing women in the marketing & Advertising industries & as one of Think NW “Marketing All-Stars”. In 2019, Mira was awarded Ad Age’s “Women to Watch” & Adweek’s “Creative 100” alongside Lebron James & Billie Eilish and Portland Advertising Federation’s “Ad Person of the Year”. Her work has also won Cannes Lions, TED’s Ads Worth Spreading, D&AD Pencils, Effies, Clios, Communications Arts and Webbys. Her TEDx Talk “How women can change the world by asking ‘Why not me?’” received a standing ovation from 4000 people.

She is also known for her conceptual interactive art projects that challenge rigid cultural assumptions around feminism & biology as well as projects that highlight the media’s control on what we think is our individual Point of View.

Her philanthropic efforts include, but are not limited to, sitting on the board of Portland Institute of Contemporary Art that makes room for underrepresented artists, Dubai Institute of Design & Innovation supported by MIT and Parsons School of Design and 600 & Rising a non-profit & Advocacy group whose mission is to dismantle systemic racism & advocate for Black talent in marketing, advertising and public relations.

Mira is an Egyptian-born Lebanese Palestinian fluent in Arabic, French and English & her passions are her family, her individual & collective justice & healing work & learning to cook her mamas love-filled food. She sees nature as her greatest teacher. As an Arab immigrant, she’s most proud to be challenging the status quo in everything she does & especially proud to be raising three multicultural, multiracial and multilingual daughters in an ever-evolving America.

A 21-year advertising and marketing veteran, Jeff Marshall leads UM Worldwide’s Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) efforts as the agency’s Chief Diversity Officer. In this role,he develops and leads UM’s diversity strategy, directs a DEB Council of over 90 members, and acts as the accountability partner to agency leaders as they push towards the future. He recently spearheaded the launch of Breaking Media, a media certificate program in partnership with Vox Media and the AAF to educate BIPOC college students on the media and advertising business and facilitate their entry into the industry.

Prior to assuming the mantle on all things diversity, Jeff was a VP and Group Partner on UM’s Coca-Cola account. In previous agency stints, Jeff provided advertising expertise for a host of brands ranging from Anheuser-Busch to Las Vegas Hilton Hotel/Casino to Blue Cross Blue Shield of America.

Jeff is a member of the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee, She Runs It’s DEI Advisory Council, the Marketing Council of The African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Board of Trustees for Delaware Valley University. He has served as an adjunct professor at Temple University’s Klein College of Media & Communication and currently moonlights as a motivational speaker.

Jeff holds a BA from Delaware Valley University and a JD from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.

Kai Deveraux Lawson, uses her life long passion for culture, and nearly a decade of experience in advertising, to tell honest stories that shed light on the need for Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. Her experience led her to launch the culturally focused platforms, Mixed Company Podcast and her blog, Mylifeofkai.com. On these platforms, she shares her first hand experiences in life, travel and career, from the perspective of a millennial woman of color.

Kai has been honored as The-Dot’s 100 Trailblazers redefining the Creative Industry, The Advertising Club of New York’s 2020 Innovators Award, and the Inaugural Blacklist100.

Jason serves as Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer at BBDO where he leads the agency’s vision of building an intersectional and inclusive creative agency.

In his role, Jason shapes strategic diversity initiatives at the enterprise level that builds community, culture, and accountability. He partners with senior management and team leaders to align the practice with clients’ business objectives while ensuring progress against agency success metrics internally and externally.

He founded TLoM, a social impact agency that explores themes around masculinity and identity. He sits on the board of Made of Millions and earned an MBA from NYU Stern.

Filippia Iboko is the Director of Partner Solutions at Roundel, leading media strategy for Seasonal Brand Moments and Inclusive Marketing. In her role, she is responsible for developing the multicultural go-to- market strategy for Roundel’s clients, with a focus on increasing Target’s commitment to priority audiences by developing a product offering that span across Roundel and Target to drive more meaningful guest relationships and incremental investment from clients.

Filippia is an accomplished media and marketing professional with experience across various verticals, including entertainment, technology, automotive, retail and CPG. She specializes in driving innovation through customer-centric multichannel marketing solutions that build brand equity. She has proven success in orchestrating change amongst large enterprises. One of her proudest moments at Target includes establishing a $25M media fund program for BIPOC businesses, which subsidizes the cost of marketing campaigns at Target.

Filippia is a diversity and inclusion champion who is passionate about the intersection of business and philanthropy. She currently serves as a chairperson for the Women’s Business Council, an employee resource group, supporting more than 4,400 women at Target Corporation. In her role, she is responsible for fostering a global community through which all team members can support and inspire one another and advocating for women’s issues. Filippia also serves on Board of Directors for Girls Taking Action, a non-profit organization focused on mentoring, motivating and empowering girls to succeed in life.

During her time at Target, Filippia has also served as a Board Member for the African American Business Council and the Twin Cities Black Affinity Network Development Day (TCBANDD), where she developed programming intended to improve retention and reduce the rate of racial/ethnic turnover at Target and within the Twin Cities.

In her free time, she loves to cook and practice yoga.

Shaheed has spent most of his career as a Creative working within the advertising industry.

Notable highlights include a Guinness Book of Records for the creating the world’s largest robot for the NFL, having his work celebrated at No. 10 Downing Street, The House of Lords, Speakers House, Mansion House and becoming Cannes Lions first British Asian Health & Wellness President. Shaheed founded The Creative Floor Awards 9 years ago. A global platform that celebrates the world’s best creative work in healthcare communications and raises money (over £120k to date) towards helping support those from under-represented backgrounds into the advertising industry.

He also hosts a podcast (The Creative Floor Awards) that is currently the ranked No. 1 in the world for advertising & marketing

Rosalina Jowers is the Director of Communications at Participant, where she leads the communication strategy development and execution for impact campaigns tied to Participant’s content. While at Participant, she has led the strategy around campaigns tied to films and series including Judas and the Black Messiah, Slay the Dragon, When They See Us, John Lewis: Good Trouble, and Participant’s upcoming Netflix / Higher Ground documentary Descendant.

By developing communications campaigns that highlight the intersection of art and activism and the impact of Participant’s content on relevant social issues, Jowers has brought critical attention to advocacy campaigns, resulting in measurable wins for impact partners, from historical landmarking status to increased voter mobilization. In addition to the more than 100 press hits across national and local media, this work was also recognized in multiple categories for the Shorty Awards, Shorty for Social Good Awards, Inc.’s Most Innovative Company, Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas competition, the Webby Awards and the Anthem Awards.

Prior to joining Participant, Jowers was the Research and Policy Manager for The Hub Project, a progressive advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., where she worked on issue advocacy campaigns around healthcare and the economy. Prior to her time at the Hub Project, she worked on public affairs, social impact and diversity-related communications campaigns at Weber Shandwick, supporting clients including Nike, Adidas, Dove and Sweetgreen. Jowers received her Bachelor’s in Communications from Villanova University and her Master’s in Public Relations and International Relations from Syracuse University. Jowers is a member of the ColorComm Women organization, and was a 2021 ColorComms mentee, and an active member of two Participant internal Employee Resource Groups.

Isioma Odita is a Sr. Account Manager at Twitter, where she helps hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses successfully launch their advertising campaigns on the platform. She has worked in this role for 1.5 years and has since been able to manage campaigns for clients like Universal Music Group, Tissot, and Grammarly. In addition to this, she has launched partnership activations for her clients with well known brands like ESPN, Yahoo Finance, and Bleacher Report. Her most notable accomplishment has been managing a 4-day work week campaign for her client, Bolt, which resulted in 5M impressions in just 1 week.

Outside of her day-to-day work with her clients, Isioma also leads her department’s Black-Owned Business Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to reach back to the Black community and offer them advertising support in order to grow their businesses on Twitter. Through this program, she has volunteered for the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, during which she hosted a workshop for 30+ small Black business owners.

Over the years, Isioma has volunteered her time with different non-profits like Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, Prison Entrepreneurship Program, and Nerdy Girl Success.

Prior to working in advertising at Twitter, Isioma worked in marketing at GEICO and The Walt Disney Company.

Devin Baker is just getting started.

To date, he is an award-winning Creative Director, film maker, historian, and artist born and bred in Harlem. But the truth is, his story is much more interesting than that.

Going from homeless, to being Emmy nominated, it was Devin’s early experiences that led him towards his current career in film, television, and advertising.

His first industry job was as an A&R for Universal Motown and Universal/SRC; where he worked with artists including Akon, Wu Tang, David Banner, Erykah Badu, Indie Arie and others. During this time, he was recognized by Billboard for the co-development of Diamond Certified Grammy winning Album “Konvicted” by Akon.

An opportunity to art direct Akon’s “I Wanna Love You”, and “Smack That”, as well as being close to the production and photography for Pharoahe Monch’s film “Push” are what led him to Richmond, VA, where he gained a mentor in Mike Hughes [RIP, Martin Agency] and a college degree at VCU – which kickstarted his career in advertising.

Devin used that opportunity to hone his “culture-first” approach to work at several notable agencies such as BBDO, Meta, W+K, WhatsApp, and 72ANDSUNNY where he is currently Creative Director.

From spearheading the partnership with the NBA and Universal Motown for the 2016 NBA All Star Game, to leading the “Written By” campaign in partnership with META to highlight health care disparities for the Black community, to most recently creating the Emmy Nominated campaign “Where I’m From” in partnership with the NFL to bring attention to the Alabama prison system and its connection to slavery – his work has consistently challenged industry norms, and pushed the industry to be more honest, noteworthy, and inclusive.

Throughout his career, Devin’s work has been nominated for Cannes, ADCOLOR and a Sports Emmy, while racking up numerous awards, including Gold at the International Andy Awards, 2022 Campaign Power of Purpose Awards, Muse Creative Awards, OneShow, and Webbys.

He credits the hardships of his early beginnings as igniting a passion for improving culture through advertising.

He prefers Kendrick to Mozart.

Finding her way from Seaside, California to Portland and now Atlanta, Tiffany Golden has graced and shaped the halls of Wieden+Kennedy with her compassion and skills since 2013. Formerly a seasoned Integrated Producer working on Coca-Cola and other flagship brands, she is now the Director of Community Partnerships for the Global Communications Team. Introduced to the creative industry through Streetlights, a nonprofit creating ethnic diversity in the entertainment industry, Tiffany has truly made it her mission to continue to rise up and reach back, bringing everyone she can along with her. She partners within the community and the industry, producing internal/external initiatives, experiences, activations, and events. Collaboration, culture and craft is what comes with the Tiffany “Golden” Experience.

Louis Carr has been with BET Networks for 36 years, serving as the President of Media Sales for the last 21 years. During his tenure with the company, Carr has transformed the multicultural space for some of the world’s biggest brands. Through strategic partnerships with corporations like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, McDonald’s, General Motors, Facebook, Apple, and many more, he has been a guide and a consultant on opportunities that exist within black and brown communities. Through his deep understanding of linear TV, digital and social platforms, he has made BET Networks the number one brand and choice for Black consumers. Carr’s mantra, “Be led by data and insights,” has driven BET to have the largest repository of information on Black consumers than any other media company worldwide. His understanding of this data has inspired him to create content and messages that help marketers sell products and services and help them become good corporate citizens.

In addition to Carr’s stellar professional career, he has had a long-term commitment to young people and his community. Carr founded the Louis Carr Internship Foundation (LCIF) 19 years ago to help improve diversity in corporate America through paid internships. The foundation has provided 200 paid internships, in which 61 alumni now have full-time jobs within the industry. He has also created The Blueprint Men’s Summit and The Blueprint Connect Podcast, which bring together some of Black America’s high profile thought leaders to educate Black men in the areas of Finance, Health, Careers, Relationships, and Entrepreneurship. Staying true to his commitment of giving back, Carr launched his latest brand called WayMaker. He purposed this initiative to help provide direction, wisdom and inspiration to people wanting to grow their life and change the world. Through the quarterly WayMaker Journal and other avenues, the umbrella brand offers insight from subject matter experts across a wide range of fields.

Carr has authored two books, Dirty Little Secrets and Little Black Book: Daily Motivations for Business and Personal Growth. He openly lays out his blueprint to greatness, covering much-needed topics like Leadership, Culture, Strategy, Vision, Success, and Diversity.

Carr has been recognized by theboardiQ as a Top 100 Hall of Fame African American and was named one of the Most Influential Black Corporate Directors by Savoy Magazine. He was honored with the 2022 Media Award from the AEF (ANA Educational Foundation) for his outstanding contributions to the next generation of young, diverse advertising and marketing leaders. He has served on more advertising industry boards than any other African American. He held seats on the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS), the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), the Advertising Council, and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

He currently serves on Cedar Fair’s Board of Directors, Drake University’s Board of Trustees, and The United States Track and Field Foundation (USATF) Board.

Mr. Carr attended Drake University on a full athletic scholarship and received a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. He has been happily married for 36 years. For more information, visit iamlouiscarr.com or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @iamlouiscarr and Louis Carr on LinkedIn.

Recognized as a trailblazer and thought leader, Aaron Walton’s focus on innovation and insight-driven experiences has transformed traditional marketing. He challenges the status quo by prioritizing diversity of thinking and identifying unseen opportunities by wielding the power of culture.

Founded in partnership with Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Walton Isaacson’s clients include Lexus, McDonald’s, American Airlines, Amazon, Bristol Myers Squibb, PNC Bank, and Corona.

Walton launched his award-winning marketing and advertising career at PepsiCo. He currently holds several Board and Advisory roles for the nation’s most influential industry and advocacy organizations including the 4A’s, and The Human Rights Campaign.