PULL UP TO ADCOLOR 2021

Aaron was exposed to the Industry via the 4A’s MAIP program, where he began his journey into the world of Advertising. Over the years he has worked across several verticals including retail, finance, gaming, and tech, leveraging his cultural currency and strategic thinking to build effective communications strategies.

A year into his career, Aaron joined the ADCOLOR community as a 2018 ADCOLOR FUTURE. He has since continued his involvement through mentorship of incoming classes while serving as a co-lead on the AAB. In addition to his role as a Senior Connections Strategist,  Aaron has experience developing internal infrastructures for employee development such as Employee’s Resource Groups & internal/external workshops highlighting skill sets such as personal branding, interviewing & resume building. Aaron prides himself on being a voice to the voiceless while continuously opening doors for aspiring professionals that come from under-served communities.

From a talent development perspective, Aaron has maintained relationships with the MAIP program via mentorship and workshops for incoming interns and is co-lead of the Media Department of the 100 Roses From Concrete G.R.O.W.T.H. Initiative. In the last year, he was has been honored as an AdAge Diversity Champion of the year finalist, 2021 MAIPer to Watch & a recipient of the 4A’s x McCann Worldgroup Billy Davis Award.

More recently, Aaron launched Black Visionaries, a hub for thought leaders, change agents, and multi-hyphenate creatives who identify as a part of the Black Diaspora. The goal of this community is to empower, connect and amplify Black professionals who have more than one passion point providing space and resources to bring their visions to life.

In addition to being an enthusiast for all things innovative, Aaron is a lover of comics and some would also say a pretty good dancer.

As Vice President of Global Consumer Marketing at Google, Adrienne Lofton oversees the end-to-end consumer experiences of Google’s Platforms & Ecosystems portfolio, such as Android, Chrome, and Play.

She’s on the Board of Directors of Alaska Air Group, Inc. and sits on  the Advisory Board for Howard University’s School of Business, where she is also a proud graduate. Adrienne is a purpose-driven DEI champion, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., an avid fitness enthusiast and resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Eli Kumekpor and their puppy Kosi Langston.

Alex Schmider is an Emmy®, Peabody, and Critics Choice Award nominated film producer and the Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD, the nation’s leading LGBTQ media advocacy organization. He advises media and entertainment industry leaders, and consults with production companies, editorial teams, brands, and corporations on how best to approach transgender and nonbinary characters, storylines, marketing, social impact campaigns, and gender inclusion on digital platforms. His producing credits include Changing the Game (Hulu 2021),

Disclosure (Netflix 2020), Framing Agnes (Kino Lorber 2022), Stay on Board:The Leo Baker Story (Netflix 2022) and Chasing Chasing Amy (TBA).

Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia (Dr. AMC) graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in biological sciences and minor in urban studies. She earned a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from George Washington University. After medical school, she completed four years of training in psychiatry and a fellowship in addiction medicine, both at Oregon Health & Science University. She is an international expert in trauma-informed systems change and the founder and director of McLean Hospital’s Institute for Trauma-Informed Systems Change and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. AMC is the author of two books “Training for Change” and “The Trauma of Racism”

A graduate of FIDM, Aminah Musa used her degree in Fashion Product Development to launch her brand, PaliRoots, alongside her brother, Hussein, that is focused on preserving the rich heritage of Palestine and giving back to those most in need living in her ancestral homeland. As much as it was her education that instilled in her the skill sets needed to create and run a successful company, it was her humble beginnings of growing up in Southside Chicago that maintain Aminah’s drive to push forward in not only becoming a successful entrepreneur but in creating a legacy that would be known for doing good social justice work. To date, Aminah and the PaliRoots team have donated over 2.5M meals to refugee children through their meal program, and PaliRoots has become the go-to destination for Palestinian cultural education and products.

Andrew McCaskill is a culture analyst, inclusion champion and marketing executive. He’s a communications leader and Career Expert at LinkedIn, and previously led DEI strategy for global sales, marketing and public affairs at Facebook and U.S. consumer marketing and global communications at Nielsen. He’s a PR Week “Top 40 Under 40 PR Executive” and co-author of the award-winning Diverse Intelligence Series on the economic and cultural impact of multicultural consumers. He’s an on-air contributor to SiriusXM’s delivering African American focused political, cultural, and economic commentary. He holds degrees from Morehouse College & Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

April Powers is has spent her professional career helping organizations manage differences through training and diversity and inclusion strategy. The former head of diversity for Nestlé USA, she also consulted at Amgen for many years, including project managing their cultural dexterity roll-out and delivering certified training in the areas of Generational Diversity, Communication, Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Competence. The first Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, April is a highly-rated trainer for Fortune 500, government, and non-profit organizations who also specializes in Diversity Executive Search. April co-launched Jewbian Princess to foster inclusion in Jewish spaces. She leads DEI for Project Shema to bring antisemitism education into corporate DEIBCA programs.

Ashley Briley, President of VRinReview, went from CPA to full-time VR creator after downloading the world building and social VR application, Horizon Worlds. Since her first published world “The Blue House”, she has focused on creating inclusivity and safe spaces via her builds. On her creator journey she has had the chance to partner with brands who are looking to build the metaverse, including Meta, Fender, Monkeypaw Productions, Universal Studios, Felix & Paul Studios and Buzzfeed. When not upskilling new creators she spends her time speaking about the importance of placing DEI as the focus of creating the metaverse

Barbara is a proud native of The Bronx, NY, the birthplace of hip hop and all things culture. Her background growing up in NYC as a first generation Dominican-American woman has shaped her creative approach and view of the world. She is a multi-hyphenate creative and has directed music videos/conceptual shoots for music artists and fashion designers. She is a proud graduate of the inaugural class of the One School and is currently and Art Director at Ogilvy CA.

Bernice Chao is the Head of Integrated Creative at Zambezi and Co-Founder of the global non-profit Asians in Advertising. In 2022 Bernice was inducted into the AAF Hall of Achievement and featured on Forbes, Adweek, Nightline, AdAge, and The Muse. Bernice has given over 30 talks at SXSW, the 3% Conference, news stations, AAPI rallies, Fortune 500 corporations, and agencies. Bernice recently partnered with Adweek to curate a yearly month-long initiative, “Asian Talent Showcase,” and has co-written “The Visibility Mindset,” a book empowering AAPI with strategies for career growth.

Bing Chen is an impact founder, investor, and new world builder. He is the Executive Chairman of AU Holdings which incubates and invests in multicultural creators and companies; Chief Executive Officer of Gold House which invests in and champions the fastest-growing multicultural communities; General Partner of AUM Group which produces multicultural stories; and was previously a principal architect of YouTube’s multi-billion dollar global creator ecosystem. Bing is a third culture kid across North America and Asia, finally graduating from the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, which becomes obvious at $11.99 buffets.

Bridget Bland Bogee leads creator, public figure and experiential marketing for Meta brand. She started her career as a writer and producer for MTV and also has done on-camera work for MTV and BET. She’s held digital marketing and social marketing roles for Chrysler Fiat, The Recording Academy, Getty Images and Katie Couric Media.She’s a proud graduate of Spelman College.

I am the Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at adam&eveDDB, I’m on the
advisory board of 3 black-owned SME’s; Blanguage, a creative agency that translates, repurposes and authenticates brand messages through and for Black audiences, TING, set up to ensure every business has a plan in place to welcome marginalised people into their company culture, supporting their wellbeing and career success and The Women’s Association, an organisation supporting young girls and women to overcome the far too present barriers in various industries through workshops, professional mentoring and coaching. I am also a mentor for Apprentice Nation and the NABS Fast Forward Programme.

Christian is a Cultural Strategist at sparks & honey. They are a Texan-born creative/strategist hybrid with past lives in public relations, QTPOC community organizing, modeling, event planning, and theme park performing. They enjoy Disco, climbing things, late 2000’s fashion, being lactose intolerant, fancy wine, and very loud music.

Claudette Zepeda is an award-winning, culinary entrepreneur known for her fearless style and bold approach to regional Mexican cuisine. A celebrated culinary anthropologist, Zepeda draws upon 20+ years of experience working in restaurant kitchens, as well as her extensive travels around the world and throughout Mexico that inform her extensive knowledge of indigenous ingredients and cross-cultural expressions of cuisine. A veteran TV food competitor. In 2019 Zepeda Founded Viva La Vida, the company celebrates the colorful life and death Mexicans lead, with plans to grow into a 501c3 fund dedicated to helping Hispanic women break from generational poverty.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as DANIELS, are a directing/writing duo who have been working together in music videos, television, and film for over a decade, most recently with the breakout success of their film Everything Everywhere All at Once.

They managed to get a Grammy nomination for their raunchy viral hit music video for “Turn Down for What,” and later won the Sundance Film Festival “Best Directing” Award for their film, Swiss Army Man, starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe as a sentient, lovable, farting corpse. One Daniel is a Chinese-American father born in Pennsylvania and raised in Massachusetts.  The other is a bald, white, dog dad from Alabama.  But to be honest Daniel does most of the work.

At The Raben Group, Daniel works in the intersection of the firm’s media communications and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practice areas. He advises corporate and non-profit clients on communications and organizational strategies, including messaging, rapid response, advocacy campaigns, and change management. His client portfolio has recently included Charter Communications, Patagonia, the Minnesota Freedom Fund, Earthjustice, the Alliance of Children’s Rights and UnidosUS.

Previously, Daniel served as communications director for the House Democratic Caucus under the chairmanship of Congressman Xavier Becerra, and as a policy analyst and communications specialist with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).

As Chief Client Officer at sparks & honey, Davianne is responsible for managing c-suite relationships and driving organic growth among key clients while embedding equity and inclusion into the way organizational transformation is achieved.

Davianne has served as an AICP Awards judge, a speaker at the ADCOLOR Conference, and her work has been featured in Ad Age, Adweek, MediaPost, Campaign US, Digiday, WARC, and others. She is a Board Member for Family Promise, a nonprofit tackling family homelessness. She holds a B.A. in Communication and Consumer Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and M.A. in Media, Culture and Communication from NYU.

Dee Diaz, a 29 year old executive with an immigrant background, is passionate about pursuing diversity in music. As the VP of Digital Strategy at Reach Records, Dee oversees digital campaigns and commercial partnerships on releases including RIAA certified & Billboard charting records such as Coming in Hot by Lecrae & Andy Mineo. In 2020 Dee led the charge on the label’s first Latin project, Sin Vergüenza. She shaped branding and advertising to tell the story of the Latin Christian community. Dee is passionate about creating new opportunities for underrepresented communities, and continues to fight for innovative ways to do so.

Desyree Dixon, the acclaimed 2021 Keynote Speaker for the ADCOLOR Conference is a multi-award-winning trauma expert. Dubbed the “Trauma Transformer”, she believes in the dual power of Empathy and Joy.

She’s currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California with a concentration in Organizational Change and Leadership. An innovator in her field, she created the protocol for Identity Based Trauma called Trauma Based Identity Distressors.

She’s the Founder and CEO of Bolton Therapy & Wellness, a private group practice, and Whew Corporation, an industrial psychological firm, that works with organizations to enhance their performance and support their DEIB strategies.

Emily is Chief Equity & Impact Officer at Omnicom Group where she advances Omnicom’s vision to achieve systemic equity across the holding company’s global network, leading a team of 50 dedicated DE&I professionals. A seasoned communications strategist and client leader, Emily leads Diversity & Inclusion Communications.

Previously, Emily was at FleishmanHillard where she founded True MOSAIC; a global communications consultancy dedicated to driving DE&I to the center of corporate strategy. She has been recognized as a 40 Under 40 Honoree by multiple publications. A lover of education, she is a frequent lecturer and current adjunct professor on DE&I issues.

Constantly fine-tuning the media services division of Omnicom Group – Omnicom Media Group MENA and making sure the agency’s talent is performing to the very maximum degree, this dynamic CEO has an organic approach. Elda’s projects to accelerate the group’s transformation have included developments in automation, predictive modeling, and eCommerce, not to mention her efforts to bring the agency’s training and upskilling to the very highest level. With a 15-year history at Omnicom and plenty of accolades under her belt she also lends her expertise to industry groups the ABG, the IAB GCC and the International Advertising Association UAE Chapter.

Glenn Singleton is the creator of Courageous Conversation®, the protocol and framework for deepened dialogue around race, and founder of the agency of the same name. He has devoted over 30 years to constructing racial equity worldwide, fostering transformative partnerships and guiding leaders across sectors.

Author of pivotal books, Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, Third Edition; and MORE Courageous Conversations About Race, Glenn has garnered a multitude of awards for his work, including the 2021 Ad Age Creativity Awards Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year, the AdWeek/AdColor 2020 Champion Award, and more.

With her own unique flare and infectious sense of humor, Rae first received attention for her award winning web series and the accompanying New York Times best – seller, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” In 2020, Rae formed HOORAE, a multi- faceted media company that develops content across mediums to break boundaries in story – telling and representation. Rae’s commitment to South LA is evident in both her personal and professional pursuits. Rae is Co – Owner of Hilltop Cafe + Kitchen and Sienna Naturals a Black Owned and operated hair care line.

Illianna Acosta has over 20 years of experience in AdTech, Partnerships, and Sales. Today, she is a Senior Manager at LinkedIn, managing Global AdTech Partnerships that accelerate innovation, revenue, and customer growth and the Global Co-Chair of LinkedIn’s Hispanic ERG. She’s on the National Board of the 100 Hispanic Women Organization, is the Co-President of the Cornell Johnson School NY Alumni Organization, a sought out Speaker on DEI topics, and author of Lost In Translation, a newsletter focused on highlighting challenges and limitations under-represented groups experience that have shaped who we are on how we show up in our personal and professional lives.

Dr. Jamillah Bowman Williams received her J.D. from Stanford Law School and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford. She is a Professor of Law at Georgetown University, and she recently joined Harvard Business School, as a Visiting Faculty Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society. Dr. Williams uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate which legal and organizational strategies are most promising for advancing equity. Her research has been featured by a range of scholarly journals and media outlets and she frequently consults leaders in business, government, and education regarding their workplace practices.

Mr. White is the CMO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming and has held leadership roles in sport, entertainment and cannabis.

At cannabis leader Curaleaf Jason oversaw commercialization, marketing and retail brand. He lead the launch of prison reform brand B Noble with artist/activist Fab 5 Freddie.

Prior, Mr. White was the Global Head of Marketing for Beats by Dre. He also served at Wieden + Kennedy as Nike China Account Director, Nike Global Account Director and Shanghai Managing Director.

He is a board member of Marcus Graham Project, Dan Wieden’s Caldera Arts camp and a member of AAF Hall of Achievement.

Jayda Imanlihen is the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Film School. She earned her MFA in Film from Columbia University School of the Arts and has 15 years of experience leading strategic multimedia initiatives. Jayda innovates in spaces where media branding, video production, and storytelling meet to create high-impact learning opportunities. 

Joshua Kissi is an NY-based Ghanaian-American creative entrepreneur specializing in photography and filmmaking. Raised in the Bronx, Kissi grew up with an affinity for the arts and at the age of seventeen, launched men’s style blog, Street Etiquette with his friend and business partner, Travis Gumbs. The blog quickly became an online sensation and the two transformed Street Etiquette into a creative agency. Over the past decade, the agency has cultivated a strong trait for storytelling, branding, and marketing through visuals partnering with clients such as Apple, Adidas, GQ, and Puma.

Last year saw the launch of Kissi’s second biggest venture – TONL; a culturally diverse stock imagery company aiming to change the landscape of stock photography content by widening representation. Kissi has been featured as Inc Magazine’s “30 under 30” for his work with TONL and most recently selected as one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People”.

Julian is a copywriter and ADCOLOR Future Alumni.
He has worked on global integrated campaigns, social-first work, and digital. Julian is also passionate about purpose-driven work. Most recently he helped launch the latest Love Has No Labels campaign profiling women who acted with love in the face of hate. He also helped launch a pro-bono campaign for TURNNT, a community-led study designed to improve resources for trans women of color living in New York City.
When he’s not working, you can find him at a Yankees game, riding his bike, or scouring the city for the best Italian sandwich.

Kamala Avila-Salmon is the first-ever Head of Inclusive Content for Lionsgate, responsible for embedding DEI in the studio’s film slate, marketing, and key business decisions. Attaining her BA and MBA at Harvard, she has led marketing campaigns at companies from Bad Boy Records to NBC, Google, and Facebook. She is also an outspoken voice on issues of race, penning Medium articles and LinkedIn blogs on racism in corporate America and hosting and creating the podcast, “From Woke to Work: The Anti-Racist Journey”, geared at helping people go from “woke” feelings to clear, effective action to advance racial justice.

As the VP of Culture and Impact for Monkeypaw, Keisha leads breakthrough and innovative campaigns designed to move the culture forward and support Monkeypaw’s dynamic storytelling. Having started her career in politics and philanthropy, Keisha has consistently championed and centered diversity, inclusion, and equity for creators, activists, and young people. Her work has gained global recognition across media platforms including Vanity Fair, Essence, The New York Times, Good Morning America, and Rolling Stones. Keisha is a 2016 Presidential Leadership Scholar; and a graduate of Florida A&M University with an M.A. in International Relations from Dublin City University.

Kendall Navedo is an Afro-Latinx, Queer, Nerd currently exploring the intersection of entertainment and emerging technologies. As a member of HBO’s Digital Innovation team, Kendall leverages cutting-edge tech to create immersive marketing experiences that serve various fandoms across the brand. Adept at developing digital content and experiences in a wide range of industries for an even wider range of audiences, Kendall is driven by their desire to craft impactful moments that bring the people behind the screens (and beyond) even closer together.

Latasha Gillespie is the Executive Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon Studios, Prime Video, and IMDb. In her role, Latasha builds mechanisms to improve diverse representation of talent (in front of and behind the camera, above and below the line); dismantles longstanding barriers to success in the entertainment industry; and tells inclusive stories that are accessible and marketed to a globally diverse audience. Latasha created the Howard Entertainment Program, the first of its kind partnership between a major studio and a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). 

Lauren began her meteoric rise as an actor just five years ago. Prior to that, she won the title of MissDeaf America and was a kindergarten teacher in Manhattan for a decade. After leaving that job to take care of her two young children, she was hired in 2016 to tutor director Kenny Leon in American Sign Language as he readied the Broadway revival of Children of A Lesser God. After working together for months, Kenny and the producers concluded that Lauren was the ideal and only choice for the lead. She pulled it off with resounding success, including multiple rave reviews from the New York Times and a Tony nomination. She soon became a series regular on the longrunning AMCseries, The Walking Dead. She then became the first Deaf superhero opposite Angelina Jolie andKumail Nanjani in Marvel’s worldwide hit, Eternals. Lauren received a 2020 BAFTA Breakthrough Award recognizing the most promising stars of film and television. She divides her time between Atlanta and Brooklyn.

I’m responsible for global DEI hiring strategy at Electronic Arts as well as leading recruiting for our most
prestigious game studios. It’s a role that humbles me everyday. It’s also a role I’ve been working towards my entire 20+ year career. Having worked 15 years in the advertising industry (BBDO/DDB) and another 5 at Apple, I’ve spent 2 decades doing this work and I intend to spend the remainder of my career trying to crack the code on inclusive hiring and teach as many people how to do the work as I can in the process.

Mariama Diallo is a Brooklyn based writer-director. Her debut feature, MASTER, starring Regina Hall, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in U.S. Competition and will be released by Amazon Studios in 2022. Her short film, HAIR WOLF, premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival where it won The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction. HAIR WOLF was later released on HBO and the Criterion Channel. Most recently, Diallo co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the short film WHITE DEVIL, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In 2018, she worked as writer and director on the Peabody award winning HBO series RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS, and in 2020 returned for the season two writers room. In 2018, she was selected as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film and most recently, in 2021, she was selected as one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch.

Mariana Atencio is an award-winning journalist and author, who worked as an anchor for Univision and national correspondent for NBC. She won a Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editor’s (IRE) award for her work uncovering illegal weapons sold across the border in Mexico; as well as a Gracie Award for directing, writing, and reporting “Pressionados”, a documentary about press freedom in Latin America.
Originally from Venezuela, Mariana has earned 3 Emmy nominations, a Hillman Prize and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Presidential Award for her work on the Latino community.

Matthew is an award winning AR creator with a passion for content creation. His interest in digital art and background in product design initiated his exploration into Meta Spark, where he is able to blend the physical and virtual worlds to create immersive experiences. He has worked on AR campaigns for brands like Disney+, National Geographic, UPS, and Meta. See more of his work on Instagram @mattespray and on his website.

Michael Muñoz is Google’s Global Marketing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Lead. He drives strategy and delivery of the company’s Marketing DEI commitments and operational plans, advising Google’s leadership team on building capacity and shared DEI accountability.

Before joining Google, Michael has led DEI efforts at Aetna, MassMutual, EY and ESPN. Michael has been active in facilitating Anti-Defamation League’s ‘A World of Difference’ training for the last 20+ years. 

Michael serves on the boards of ADCOLOR, Cornell’s Executive Master of Human Resource Management Alumni, and the University of Connecticut Hillel. 

Michael has a B.S. from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Human Resource Management from Cornell.

Mimi is a first-generation Vietnamese-American, daughter of refugees, and Mom to Vietnamese Puerto Rican daughters. She is the Executive Producer of “The Myth” and the award-winning film “Call It Covid”. She currently occupies the role of Global Culture & Operations Manager across Wieden+Kennedy’s network of 8 offices. 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

Miss Diddy,true power-house entertainment marketer, prides herself on doing meaningful work that drives the culture forward. This Compton native began her journey over 15 years ago as the only female promoter in the entertainment capital of the world also known as Hollywood, CA. Miss Diddy publicly dominated this male-driven industry and bravely took her career to the next level when she created her own company The Brand Group. TBG specializes in brand partnerships, marketing concepts, and connecting the dots between entertainment, sports, politics, education. She has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Black Enterprise, Access Hollywood, Fox News.

Timeless poet and rhyme-master Nas, delivered his first full-length album, Illmatic in 1994. Nas went on to release 14 subsequent albums, 8 of which are multi-platinum and platinum including: Nastradamus, Stillmatic, God’s Son, and Street’s Disciple. With 16 GRAMMY nominations, Nas released King’s Disease in 2020, giving Nas his first ever GRAMMY win for “Best Rap Album,” and released King’s Disease II, a sequel to the GRAMMY Award winning album, produced by Nas and Hit-Boy. Legendary hip hop mogul, co-founder of Mass Appeal Records, actor, and executive producer, Nas’ extensive catalog speaks for itself.

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.

Mass Appeal CEO Peter Bittenbender is an accomplished entrepreneur who successfully bridges talent, ideas and brands. As co-founder of Decon, Peter spearheaded numerous campaigns for marquee brands. In 2013, Peter partnered with Nas and Sacha Jenkins to revitalize global entertainment company Mass Appeal. Together they’ve transformed it into an award-winning label, production studio, and creative agency. The 2022 Billboard Indie Power Players awardee is currently leading the charge on Hip Hop 50, a multifaceted celebration with releases in music, content, as well as immersive events and global partnerships. He’s also an investor in Sweet Chick, Cote and Soto Sake.

Raymond Leon Roker is the Bahamian-born street artist son of a public school teacher. In his 20s, he co-founded URB, an award-winning magazine and multimedia company considered a pioneer for its early coverage of America’s dance/electronic and burgeoning hip-hop movements. As Global Head of Editorial for Amazon Music, he leads a team inventing the future of content experiences across video, audio, podcasts, and live performance. 

As a creator, executive producer, and curator, Raymond is driven to tell stories that reflect culture, movements, voices, sounds, and communities. In 2020, Raymond served as an Executive Producer and co-writer of the YouTube Originals feature documentary, Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert. Raymond is a board member of Reboot, an arts and culture non- profit that reimagines and reinforces Jewish thought and traditions, and ArtworxLA, a community-based multidisciplinary arts program aimed at combating the high school dropout epidemic in Los Angeles. 

Rich Ferraro is the Chief Communications Officer of GLAAD, the world’s most visible LGBTQ advocacy organization. Ferraro leads GLAAD’s public education and media campaigns, along with behind-the-scenes work on LGBTQ representation with journalists, brands, Hollywood, and social media platforms. He is also an Executive Producer of the GLAAD Media Awards, which honor LGBTQ media images and stream on Hulu. He received a 2015 Daytime Emmy Award as part of the team behind the MTV and Logo documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word.” Ferraro was most recently named to the 2022 PRWeek 40 Under 40 and OUT100 lists.

Rinchen Lama is currently heading up Culture/Partnerships at humanoid labs, a beauty tech start up, launching 2023. Previous to this she was at Apple, where she launched HomePod, Apple TV+ and most recently was the the Global Brand Marketing Manager for Apple Music. Giving back is core to her values, and she played a huge role in the Orchard, a program created by Apple to find upcoming marketing talent. A double Virgo, she keeps busy with creative projects including the Mixed Emotions podcast and the Sangha Social dinner series, which has created a real community for POC femmes in LA.

Ronnie Dickerson Stewart is an award-winning coach & leadership development consultant. She is the Founder & CEO of OhHeyCoach, a Career Navigation and Executive Leadership Development Consultancy + 2x ADCOLOR Honoree

For 18+ years, she built her career in advertising, marketing & Tech – sharing her magic within powerhouse organizations, including Starcom, Burrell Communications, FCB, Digitas, Publicis & Zoom

She has coached thousands of professionals while supporting their most critical career navigation needs. She also partners with iconic organizations to create development opportunities for talent to thrive.

Ronnie’s mission is to ensure professionals are positioned to experience the best careers of their lives.

As President and Chief Creative Officer, Ryan Ford focuses on navigating the evolving dynamics between brands and The Culture.

An industry veteran, Ryan creates impactful campaigns for global brands, including Google, Facebook, BMW, Taco Bell, Universal, Disney, Amazon. Previously, Ryan was the Executive Editor at The Source, dubbed as “hip-hop’s bible.” Ryan is on the Advisory Board of ADCOLOR Music and The Marcus Graham Project. Ryan was recognized on the 2021 Adweek50 list.

Cashmere has been recognized with multiple awards including: Cannes Lions Creative Award, Clios, AdColor, Ad Age’s Multicultural 2019 Agency of the Year, 2020 and 201 A-List Agencies.

Sean Choi currently calls The Martin Agency, AdWeek’s back-to-back Agency of the Year, home. He takes pride in quite literally ‘breaking into’ strategy as a recent agency convert but brings along backgrounds in Talent & Culture from Apple as well as freelance photography. Aside from fully believing “New York or nowhere,” Sean is a proud Korean-American committed to being a megaphone for the marginalized. His recent highlight reel includes speaking at conferences like 4A’s Stratfest and AIA/3AF panels; contributing to and being featured in Adweek; crafting an industry-beloved cultural moments calendar; and leading the ERG restructure at The Martin Agency.

Serena Anthony is Chief People Officer for GroupM North America. Serena is an expert People Management professional with over 20 years of experience in Human Resources strategy, working across complex, disparate ecosystems where she demonstrates her true capabilities as an innovative thinker, and change-maker in the field. As a member of GroupM’s North America Executive Committee, Serena is a key player in designing, driving and championing GroupM’s people strategy. With a passion for diversity and inclusion programming, and a focus on culture, Serena aims to position GroupM as an employer of choice.

Sheereen M. Russell is a seasoned media executive and currently Senior Vice President, Advertising Sales and Inclusive Content Monetization Strategy for Warner Bros. Discovery. In her current role, Ms. Russell is responsible for driving sales, educating marketers, and developing content and data-based solutions to engage brands and consumers across the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio of cable, social and digital platforms. She also leads efforts to deliver on WBD’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in front of and behind the camera, while partnering closely with programming and merchandising teams across all platforms to develop diverse and inclusive content and sponsorship opportunities.

Sherrell Dorsey is the founder and CEO of The Plug—a digital news and insights platform covering the Black innovation economy serving Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, government agencies, and research universities. Her work has been featured in VICE, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, The Information, and more. Sherrell has been a contributing writer for notable publications like Columbia Journalism Review, Fast Company, Black Enterprise, and others. In 2018, she was named an inspiring woman in tech by CNet, and most creative people in business by AdWeek in 2021. Prior to launching The Plug, Dorsey served as a marketing manager for companies like Uber and Google Fiber. She holds a Master’s degree in data journalism from Columbia University. She is the author of Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us published by Wiley. And the host of TED Tech—the creators of the famous TED Talks.

Sophie Kelly has had a colorful career in advertising spanning decades and multiple continents. She has established herself as a professional troublemaker for change, known for her passion and unapologetic belief that creativity, culture and purpose have the power to transform brand marketing.

Sophie joined Diageo in 2016 as the SVP of DIAGEO’s industry-leading Whisk(e)y portfolio in North America. She has propelled the growth of iconic brands including Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker and Bulleit Bourbon. Sophie is the driving force behind boundary-pushing initiatives that reinforce DIAGEO’s corporate values and represent Sophie’s commitment to impacting the communities her brands serve.

Over the last 5 years Sydney has worked with artists, managers and labels to create and execute impactful campaigns that build audience and engagement for the streaming platform. She was previously an Account Manager for multiple advertising agencies, including Weiden & Kennedy and TBWA/Chiat/Day, managing commercial production and consumer activations for Heineken, Equinox, and Gatorade. 

Ms. Sullivan is a well-respected civil rights leader and lawyer. She serves as the volunteer president of the NAACP in Boston and has built a strong reputation as a results-driven leader championing policies that advance racial, economic, and social justice.

She has over 20 years of experience working in the life sciences and currently serves as an executive with Sanofi.

Ms. Sullivan frequently comments for media outlets including: NPR Boston, WCVB, CBS, and NBC. Notably she is the recipient of several prestigious recognitions, including Boston Magazine Power listing (2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022) and Boston Business Journal Power 50 (2019 and 2020).

Recognized as a leader in the field of diversity, Tiffany R. Warren is a talent strategist with 25 years of championing diverse professionals in the creative industries. In 2005, she founded ADCOLOR, which has launched the ADCOLOR Conference, Awards, FUTURES and LEADERS programs. As President of ADCOLOR, she has been widely recognized for the progress and direction the creative industries have taken around diversity, equity & inclusion.

In addition, Warren is Executive VP, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Sony Music Group and serves as the 2021-2022 Chair of the National Board of Directors for the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

Together with his wife, Hadley, TJ is the founder of The Urban Grape and Progressive Wine Company, two groundbreaking businesses in the wine and beverage industry. TJ and Hadley are also the founders of The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color, an annual education, mentorship, and paid internship program dedicated to increasing BIPOC representation in the wine industry.
In 2017, TJ authored Drink Progressively: A Bold New Way to Pair Wine and Food with Hadley and chef Gabriel Frasca. TJ’s business and philanthropic ventures are aimed at creating accessibility to, and inclusion in, the wine industry.

Thas takes pride in being “the first former-figure-skating-coach-Canadian-Sri-Lankan ad agency CEO.” From training future Olympians in a mall ice rink to leading creative agency, Omelet (yes, like the delicious breakfast food), her path has never been linear. A career-trained strategist, she’s strategically built and championed work with brands such as Google, Walmart, Youtube and Pepsi at agencies that include BBH, Deutsch and TBWA\Chiat\Day. Driven by a personal mission around democratizing business for creative people – and the inverse, make creativity more accessible to business – Thas continues to push the boundaries of our industry.

Towalame Austin is a talented executive with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Austin has carved a niche in the charitable sector bridging the worlds of traditional philanthropy and entertainment philanthropy. In her role at Sony Music Group (SMG) as Executive Vice President of Philanthropy and Social Impact, she works to advance the Company’s global humanitarian efforts through impactful contributions and sustained strategic partnerships. In addition, she’s expanding the Company’s philanthropic programs and activities across its global network, while advising the businesses, artists and songwriters on charitable initiatives reflecting Sony Music Group’s existing commitment to corporate giving.

Ty is Director, Market Engagement, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, a think tank funded studying the future of B2B marketing and decision making. She is also Co-Founder of TransformHer, the premier conference for professional women of color and allies in tech. With research, Ty engages and educates the industry in partnership with the leading marketing effectiveness thinkers and organizations. Ty is passionate about sharing research to help marketers be more productive and successful. An award-winning marketer and champion for B2B and DEI, Ty is also an international speaker and two-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the 800 meters.

Valeisha Butterfield Jones is a globally recognized, award-winning business leader with 20+ years of experience driving impact at the intersections of tech, entertainment and politics. She is the current Vice President of Partnerships and Engagement at Google, Inc, responsible for driving change and accelerating DEI outcomes for the global organization. Valeisha formerly served as the Co-President of the Recording Academy, Global Head of Inclusion for Google, Inc., Deputy Director of Public Affairs for International Trade in the Obama Administration and as the National Youth Vote Director for Obama for America, helping to deliver one of the highest youth voter turnouts in American history. Valeisha has been recognized by FORBES, EBONY Power100, Billboard, ELLE Magazine’s top 25 leading women, ESSENCE and others. Valeisha is also a mom, author and co-founder of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network (WEEN) and serves on advisory councils and boards for the Recording Academy, Anti-Defamation League and more.

Xian Horn is a joyful, half-Asian woman with Cerebral Palsy. Xian is a ForbesWomen and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global contributor and lends her expertise to ensure that corporations and cultural institutions operate with inclusivity and are at the forefront of innovation. Xian Horn serves on the ReelAbilities Film Festival Committee and Advisory Board. She has consulted and spoken at brands and cultural institutions such Target, Amazon, Cooper-Hewitt, NBC Universal, FIT, Parsons, the UN, and the Whitney Museum among others. Her nonprofit, Give Beauty Wings, is focused on the empowerment of all people with disabilities and fostering inclusive leadership.

As SVP of PR at Cashmere, Brianne Pins oversees strategic PR and with nearly 20 years experience, she leads campaigns rooted in Culture, data and social. She has worked with clients; including Universal Pictures, Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon, SONY Pictures, Taco Bell, Coca Cola, Danone, Michelob and Snoop Dogg. Under her guidance, the Cashmere PR team was recognized as PR News 2022 Agency Elite Top Winner and in 2022, Brianne was a Campaign US Female Frontier Honoree. 

She is a mentor in the Asian American Collective and a Board Member on Filipinos Advancing Creative Education (F.A.C.E.).

Danny brings a blend of creative and business acumen to The Martin Agency, where he oversees brands including GEICO, OREO, DoorDash, UPS, and Carmax. He helped lead the agency to back-to-back Adweek Agency of the Year wins in 2000 and 2021 and was recently named Campaign US Agency Head of the Year; Ad Age’s CCO of the Year; and honored on Adweek 50 and Campaign US 40 Over 40 lists. An accomplished artist, pop culture aficionado, former DJ and standup comic, Danny was once voted by the Stand Up NY Comedy Club as “one of the funniest men in advertising.