PULL UP TO ADCOLOR 2024

Adrienne Lucas is Head of Strategic Partnerships & DEI at The One Club, an advertising nonprofit. As part of her role, Adrienne partners with companies throughout the US, Africa and Europe, to create programs designed to increase the number of creatives of color in advertising. One of the largest programs under Adrienne’s purview is Where Are All The Black People, an annual diversity conference and career fair. WAATBP attracts up to 3500+ attendees and 60+ partner companies. Adrienne holds a J.D. from NYU Law, a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and a DEI Professionals Certificate from Cornell University.

Angelica Matthews works at Procter & Gamble, leading the North American Dish Care portfolio where she is responsible for running a $3 billion business across Dawn, Cascade, and Gain Hand Dish. Over her 14-year tenure, she has successfully grown businesses across a diverse set of brands and roles including across Febreze, Swiffer, Mr. Clean, Microban, and leading P&G’s marketing efforts with Sam’s Club. She has a passion for representative and inclusive brand building, leading transformational innovation, and building winning, joyful work cultures. She is based out of Cincinnati where she lives with her husband and her adorable dog Milo.

As the SVP of Multicultural Consulting, with over 23 years of industry experience, Arnetta has worked across key clients, such as Walmart, Visa, and REI. She’s led initiatives to increase inclusionary strategies by developing a self-paced learning curriculum and speaker/vendor series. As the former co-chair of VivaWomen of Color, Publicis’ Business Resource Group, she helped grow membership by 267% and active markets by 233%. Recognized as a top industry professional by Business Insider, she holds degrees from Pace and Pepperdine University and was recently recognized as a Campaign U.S. Inspiring Women, Championing Change Honoree.

Throughout the entertainment industry and creative spaces, Courtney Richardson is known for building the vibe and nailing the vision. Highly sought-after and award-winning, she’s earned a reputation for being a cultural and creative visionary par excellence. By day, she is a Creative Director at Droga5 and by night, Courtney is the brainchild behind the Museum of Nail Art. Formerly of PAPER Magazine and crowned ‘Creative of the Year’ in 2021 by ADCOLOR and The One Club, she values liberation through authentic craft and storytelling. A disruptive leader, Courtney isn’t here to scratch the surface. She’s here to break glass ceilings.

Dany Garcia is the Founder and Chairwoman of The Garcia Companies, a portfolio of human-centered brands including the UFL, Seven Bucks Productions (JUMANJI franchise, Hobbs & Shaw, Rampage, Red Notice – Netflix’s number one most watched film of all time), ZOA, Teremana Tequila, the Project Rock line at Under Armour, Acorns, Atom Tickets, and Salt & Straw. 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 brands built directly from values – merging high performance with joyful experiences.

Doniel Sutton joined Pinterest as Chief People Officer in 2024. Doniel oversees Pinterest’s global talent teams, including human resources strategy, talent management, total rewards, recruiting, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Previously, she was the Chief People Officer at Alteryx, where she led all human resource functions including talent strategy, total rewards, talent acquisition, development, culture, and DEI. Prior to that, she served as Chief People Officer for Fastly, a high-growth and innovative software platform, and held various roles at PayPal, including Senior Vice President of People where she led all functional areas of HR in support of the global workforce.

Emily K. Graham is a change agent and visionary leader at the intersection of corporate impact and the future of diversity, equity and inclusion. For 17 years, she’s broken the Black and glass ceilings by rapidly ascending in the worlds of communications and advertising. Emily serves as Global Chief Equity & Impact Officer at Omnicom, a $17B marketing communications conglomerate, where she advances systemic equity across its global network, leading a team of 70+ dedicated DEI professionals. An award-winning corporate communications strategist, Emily is also SVP of DEI Communications at Omnicom, engaging stakeholders in Omnicom’s DE&I story and vision.

Eric Austin is a brand building marketing executive at Procter & Gamble with 20+ years of experience. He has developed some of the world’s most successful, global billion-dollar brands in the US and abroad in Europe including Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Wella Koleston, Braun, Olay and others. Throughout his career, Eric has gained a broad range of experiences across the Marketing and IT landscape which includes initiative management, consumer insights, data & analytics, marketing strategy and more. Beyond marketing, Eric is a media maven with deep expertise in leading disruptive innovation, accelerating media productivity for the world’s largest advertiser.

Franchesca Ramsey is an actor, writer, sought-after public speaker, and creator/star of the award-winning web series MTV Decoded. A former writer/correspondent for Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, her first book, Well That Escalated Quickly was nominated for an NAACP award and named one of Amazon’s best books of 2018. In 2020 she served as writer/co-producer on the iCarly reboot for Paramount+ and guest starred on NBC’s Superstore. These days you’ll find her co-hosting Wondery’s Black History, For Real along with Acast’s Lemme Fix It! In 2024 Franchesca’s debut feature was selected for the Sundance screenwriters fellowship.

LJ Louis is the Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer at WPP. In her role, she leads teams responsible for talent management, learning and development, succession planning and DEI. Ms. Louis has 15 years of talent and DEI experience across several industries. Prior to WPP, she was SVP, Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer at WeWork. She also held earlier roles at L Brands as VP, Head of Global Leadership Talent and was a Partner at Korn Ferry. Ms. Louis received a master’s degree in human resources management at New York University and a bachelor’s degree in finance and management at Georgetown University.

Luvvie Ajayi Jones is a 4-time NYT bestselling author, speaker and book coach who thrives at the intersection of culture, business and leadership. She’s CEO of Awe Luv Media, and founder of The Book Academy.She has written 4 critically acclaimed bestselling books (including her banner book Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual and her children’s book Little Troublemaker Makes a Mess), establishing her as a literary force with a powerful pen.Her TED talk has close to 10M views.

Channing Martin is Interpublic’s Global Chief Diversity and Social Impact Officer. In this role, she is responsible for advancing the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion objectives and continuing to strengthen the company’s progress to being one of the world’s most diverse and inclusive companies. Reporting to the CEO, she sets the vision, strategy and measurement on all diversity-related matters, including the continued diversification of talent, collaboration and partnership with the orgs network of agency brands, CEOs and DE&I leadership community. Prior to joining Interpublic, Channing has made measurable impact across a number of industries including tech, finance and the U.S. government.

Mary Nittolo is the Founder and CCO of the STUDIO NYC, founded in 1988, She credits her longevity and penchant for change to her Brooklyn heritage and the borough’s embrace of self-invention. the STUDIO’s projects have included films, museum exhibitions, Time Square & stadium takeovers, installations, advertising, social media content, and so on… She’s judged ADCOLOR’s Ad of the Year for a decade and is a proud recipient of their ‘Unsung Hero’ Award. She’s also an Adjunct at NYU and Hostos College in the Bronx and has served on the Board of AoIT High School In Brooklyn for 12 years.

Naeemah LaFond is a hairstylist known for her iconic runway looks and global ad campaigns. Renowned for her versatility with all hair textures, she has taught in over 15 countries and shaped the aesthetic of leading hair brands. In 2013, LaFond made history and broke barriers as the first Black woman to become Global Artistic Director for a major international beauty brand. A vocal advocate for diversity, she wrote a viral guide on inclusivity in 2020 and helped develop Pinterest’s hair texture search tool. LaFond also leads “Black On Set,” a mentorship program empowering Black women in fashion.

Naomi is an actor (“Mythic Quest” on Apple TV+), writer (for shows like Search Party, Broad City, and the upcoming St. Denis Medical on NBC), comedian (with specials on Netflix and Comedy Central), and podcaster. She currently co-hosts the podcast “Couples Therapy” with her husband, writer Andy Beckerman. Previous podcasts include “I Love a Lifetime Movie” for A&E and AMC’s “interview with the vampire” companion podcast.

Nidia Serrano is an innovative marketing leader at SiriusXM Media, driving B2B marketing and redefining the advertising landscape. As co-founder of Fluency, she leads efforts to connect brands with communities in culturally authentic ways. With nearly two decades of experience, Nidia is known for turning insights into thought-provoking industry leadership. Nidia holds a Sociology degree from Binghamton University and is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, championing opportunities for people of color across industries.

Ruth Umoh is an editor at Fortune, overseeing its executive leadership and management coverage. She was previously the editor-in-chief of The Filament, a news source for DEI leaders in tech. A veteran business journalist, she served as Forbes’ D&I editor and was a CNBC reporter covering leadership strategy, corporate management, and equity issues prior. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and received a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Journalism School. In 2021, she was named one of the top 15 journalists who hold companies accountable for diversity efforts.

Sharon is a media, entertainment and tech executive with a reputation of building and scaling brands from nascent stage companies to large, profitable businesses with viable longevity. She is currently the CEO of NowThis, the hub for entertainment-focused, series-based, and social-first digital content.Sharon has held senior positions at Meta, iHeartMedia, and Some Spider Studios (exited in 2021 to Vox Media and BDG).She holds an MBA from the M.I.T. and a BA in Quantitative Economics from Tufts University.

With 17 years of experience in sales, strategy, and marketing, Tadji fosters meaningful connections between humans and brands. As Director of Client Partnerships at Left Field Labs, she collaborates with influential leaders to design innovative digital and immersive experiences. Tadji’s approach centers on connecting dots, big-picture thinking, and developing strategic solutions aligned with client goals. Her portfolio includes large-scale projects spanning AI, AR, interactive installations, and more. A first-generation Iranian American, Tadji focuses on moving the needle in the world, bridging cultures and driving change through technology. Her work exemplifies the power of diverse perspectives in shaping transformative digital solutions.

Zach Stafford is an award-winning journalist, Tony Award-winning producer of A Strange Loop, and co-host of the podcast Vibe Check.