Elevating A New Generation of Leaders

Aalina Tabani is an award-winning executive with proven experience spearheading global brand campaigns between the world’s biggest brands and artists.

As VP of Music for UEG and an independent Artist herself, she’s led collaborations that inspire and uplift communities like Doechii and Samsung’s award-winning performance on a skyscraper, J.I.D’s iconic transformation of Frosted Flakes’ jingle, SC Johnson, Pharrell and YELLOW bringing STEM education to urban communities in his hometown, and many more.

Prior to UEG she led athlete marketing for USA Rugby with award-winning content for the Tokyo Olympics, simultaneously earning her Master’s degree from Purdue University.

Andrew is a brand builder and marketing leader with 17+ years of experience transforming businesses and building community. He’s spent the last 10 years building IMAX into a culturally relevant brand in a category of its own. As VP, Marketing Strategy & Planning he’s charged with building strategic partnerships, overseeing marketing investments and driving market share performance across Hollywood blockbusters. Prior to his current role, he was VP, Creative Marketing leading the award-winning in-house creative team. Prior to IMAX, he made significant headwinds at The Sheppard agency growing revenue 15x and quadrupling its client portfolio. In the community, Andrew is an AAF Advisory Council Member, Adweek & Gold House Mentor, and a Big Brother since 2012 with Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Brianne Pins is an integrated marketing and communications executive with more than 20 years of experience across entertainment, consumer brands, corporate communications, talent relations, and reputation management. As Senior Vice President of Public Relations at Cashmere Agency, she built and led the PR and Influencer disciplines, helping scale the company from a 10-person startup to nearly 200 employees and contributing to its acquisition by S4 Capital. A longtime advocate for culture-driven storytelling and inclusive marketing, Brianne is the founder of In Context, a strategic advisory focused on culture, narrative, partnerships, and helping brands navigate meaningful connection in a rapidly evolving world.

Calune Eustache is an Experiential & Cultural Events Leader shaping some of today’s most culture-defining moments. With 18+ years of experience — spanning The Associated Press, Time Inc., and now ESSENCE — she has built a career at the intersection of creativity, community, and measurable impact.

As a force behind ESSENCE Festival of Culture, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood, and many more tentpole experiences, Calune leads with vision and executes with precision — engaging 500,000+ attendees annually and delivering experiences that resonate long after the lights go down.

A dynamic talent, culture, and community leader, Christie Sithiphone is the VP, Inclusion & Engagement at MMC, an integrated PR agency under Omnicom, leading initiatives driving the success of business and people through a Human First culture. Outside of work, Christie is passionate about community service. She is the founder of The Collective for Community Empowerment, a coalition dedicated to creating valuable alliances and meaningful impact. She serves on several nonprofit boards, including ACLU-Georgia and The University of Tennessee’s Tombras School of Advertising and PR Alumni Advisory Board. Christie is a proud daughter of Lao refugees and resides in Atlanta, GA.

I’m an employee experience and internal communications leader with 25+ years of experience helping global organizations navigate growth, transformation, and culture change. Most recently, I led engagement initiatives at Fidelity Investments. I’m also the founder of Bay Area Buzz, a networking community centered on authentic human connection and community-building.
As a stroke survivor and mother of twins with complex medical needs, I’ve developed a deep commitment to advocacy, inclusion, and creating systems that better support people through life’s hardest moments. My personal and professional experiences continue to shape how I lead with empathy, resilience, and humanity.

I am an Executive Director and Client Business Lead at Omnicom Influencer, where I lead influencer, creator, and global experiential content strategy for GEICO across the U.S. I have over 18 years of experience spanning media, sports, partnerships, experiential marketing, and brand storytelling, with a focus on culturally relevant content and scaled, real‑world impact. I am known for building high‑performing teams and navigating complex client ecosystems. Born and raised in Milan, Italy to Eritrean parents, I bring a global perspective to leadership, creativity, and inclusive growth.

Faith McIver is a communications executive who leads with curiosity and builds with intention. Vice President, Global DEI and People Team Communications at Edelman, she oversees enterprise-wide strategy, scaling ideas into programs that reach more than 60 markets. She has built her role at the intersection of DEI, corporate communications, and employee engagement, shaping how inclusion manifests internally and externally. Her career blends global agency experience with freelance experiences across music, sports, and entertainment. A recipient of the Diversity Action Alliance’s Distinguished Communicator of Color Award, Faith brings strategic rigor and a human-centered approach to building programs that deliver impact.

Gabriela Gironas (they/them), child of Bolivian immigrants, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Obama Foundation USA Leader, and creator strategy executive at the intersection of music, tech, and culture. As Senior Director of Creator Strategy at THE·TEAM and Founder of Cool Shit, Cool People, they build empathy-led partnerships, scalable creator strategies, and platforms for underrepresented talent to thrive. Their career spans YouTube, Reddit, Fender, Human Re-Sources, Keychange U.S., and campaigns for Taco Bell, Samsung, and Google Play. A mentor, speaker, and community leader, Gabriela advances equity across the creator economy.

Husani Barnwell is a Group Art Supervisor at Remedy Edge (formerly DDB Health), leading creative across major healthcare brands while exploring the intersection of design, strategy, and emerging technology. With a career spanning agencies including BBDO, R/GA, McCann Health, MRM//McCann, McGarryBowen and MullenLowe, and as an early creative force behind DonorsChoose, his work has consistently focused on ideas that drive meaningful impact. A Harvard and Parsons-trained designer, educator, and mentor, Husani is committed to developing the next generation of creative leaders. He approaches creativity and technology as force multipliers, using both to elevate human potential and shape a more thoughtful, inclusive future.

Jasmine Clennon is a community-builder, culture driver, and global marketing leader with 15+ years of experience across B2B marketing, advertising insights, and creator strategy. Currently a Global Marketing Lead at Pinterest, she leads marketing for global thought leadership. Prior to Pinterest, she spent seven years at Meta leading global business marketing initiatives, including creator-focused programs for Instagram. Jasmine has also held roles at WarnerMedia and USA TODAY. A former Advisory Board Member for both the ADCOLOR Advisory Board and ARFYP, she was named one of Adweek’s CMO Executive Mentees in 2020. Jasmine is based in Los Angeles and proudly hails from Pensacola, Florida.

I am Senior Vice President and head of earned media at M Booth Health, where I lead strategies that elevate stories and experiences to improve people’s health, highlight medical innovation, drive disease education, and make healthcare more accessible and equitable. A passionate DE&I advocate, I serve as Executive Sponsor of my agency’s Latino ERG and mentor diverse talent through our Accelerate Program. With nearly two decades of experience — including as Public Information Officer at Texas Children’s Hospital during COVID-19 — I’ve counseled C-suite leaders, navigated major crises, and built enduring media relationships to ensure the stories that matter most get told.

Julian McBride is Head of Communications at Residence, a global network of eight independent creative companies behind Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, JPMorgan, and Pepsi. With 20+ years spanning Accenture, Accenture Song, Droga5, Wolff Olins, and Digitas, he’s built communications functions from the ground up and led earned media at global scale, including the campaign that earned Droga5 “Agency of the Decade” honors from Ad Age and Adweek. A Page Society Distinguished Communicator of Color and advisory board member for the Diversity Action Alliance and The PR Habitat, Julian brings systems thinking and a commitment to representation to every brand he builds. He’s now doing something new: learning to build visibility for himself.

Adu Adu is an educator, mentor, author, and social media leader dedicated to creating space for the next generation of diverse voices in media, marketing, and technology. For more than 15 years, he has used storytelling not only to build global brands, but to uplift communities too often overlooked. A three-time published author, podcast host, and longtime educator, Adu is passionate about mentoring young creatives and helping them see possibility where the world once showed limits. From classrooms to boardrooms, his mission has remained the same: lead with empathy, open doors for others, and prove that representation, humanity, and creativity can change lives.

Kimberly King is a marketing and partnerships executive with 25+ years at the intersection of media, entertainment, and brand. As VP, Inclusion – Advertising & Partnerships at NBCUniversal, she drives commercial growth while building platforms that serve employees and audiences at scale. Creator of the LEAP (Leadership Executive Accelerator Program) and the Open Doors small business initiative, she is an Emmy Award winning writer and producer whose career spans NBCUniversal, Viacom/BET, Discovery, The Source Magazine, and RCA Records. KK holds an MS in Integrated Marketing from NYU, a BA from Wesleyan University and serves on the Board of Urban Arts.

Hi, I’m a Creative Director/Writer who grew up in the hustle of Mumbai and moved to the hustle of NYC first for education (Miami Ad School + Columbia University) and then for work. I’ve worked both in-house at Peloton and LG Electronics, and at agencies like Code and Theory and Ogilvy. As an immigrant leader, I’m hyperaware of the responsibility to hold the door open for diverse creatives, which is why I teach at Miami Ad School and digital storytelling at Yeshiva University. I teach and mentor to hold that door open, which I have on occasion, have had to kick down.

Lolita is a passionate leader with experience in marketing, ad tech and digital media. In past roles at Pepsi, Coors, and Paramount she leveraged expertise to create and execute strategic partnerships and initiatives that drive growth and value for organizations. She is currently the VP of Brand Partnerships at Genius. Lolita is also an entrepreneurial spirit who has co-produced award-winning short films, authored a best-selling book, and host of a popular podcast. She is passionate about diversity and serves on the BOD for two non-profits that promote inclusion and representation in the arts and culture.

Marcos Hernandez is Executive Creative Director and Co-founder of FPO Marketing and Advertising, where he builds brands through culture-driven storytelling and authentic consumer connection. A second-generation Mexican American, Marcos brings more than 25 years of experience leading award-winning work across both General Market and Hispanic Market advertising in branding, traditional, digital, social, and shopper marketing. He has led campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola North America, Whataburger, Dove, Campbell’s, Tecate, and JCPenney. His work has been recognized by the One Show, Art Directors Club, ANA Multicultural Excellence Awards, New York Festivals, and PHNX. Marcos is passionate about mentoring and developing the next generation of creative talent.

Naria Frazer is a people strategy and organizational development leader with 15 years of experience across the creative communications industry. As the leader of People Experience & Belonging at Praytell, she oversees initiatives spanning talent development, workplace culture, employee experience, and leadership growth across the award-winning agency. Her background spans multicultural communications, public health, and social impact work, with experience supporting brands and organizations such as The Estée Lauder Companies, WeightWatchers, the American Heart Association, and GSK before moving into organizational transformation and talent development. Naria is passionate about building workplaces where people feel supported as professionals and whole human beings.

I’m an associate creative director and copywriter who’s created campaigns for more than 300 brands over the last 15 years. I speak four languages, have worked in three countries, and have two main goals for every project I’m a part of—make work that makes a difference, and have a bloody good time doing it.

In 2025, I was ranked the #2 copywriter in the world by the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. As an immigrant on a work visa in the US, I’m passionate about amplifying minority voices in advertising.

Paige Nicholson is an Executive Producer and Creative Director with 15+ years building culture-forward brand experiences for global clients including Meta, Airbnb, REI, Red Bull, and Comcast. As founder of Pointe Agency and Executive Producer of the Black Joy Parade — one of Oakland’s largest free cultural events, welcoming 130K+ attendees annually — Paige has built her career at the intersection of community, creativity, and operational excellence. Her work is rooted in the belief that the most powerful brand experiences are the ones that reflect real people and real culture. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Paris Tyler is a communications strategist with 15+ years at the intersection of media, culture and impact. She has led award-winning integrated campaigns for McDonald’s, Ancestry, Intel Security, Unilever and Pernod Ricard that have earned recognition from PR Week, Shorty Impact, Anthem and SABRE.

Her expertise spans media relations, thought leadership and partnerships across agency, brand and consulting roles, having served as Vice President at Weber Shandwick and now as Founder of Vibrant Communications. She partners with executives and founders to build purpose-driven campaigns rooted in cultural insight.

Paris holds an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University.

I’m a Senior Manager on the Responsible AI team at Microsoft. I work across the Marketing organization to ensure the AI tools and practices our marketers use are safe and compliant for both employees and our customers. I’m known for bringing clarity to complexity, turning ambiguity into direction, alignment, and measurable progress. I’m ready to expand my leadership, broaden my impact, and help shape bold, responsible transformation across the industry.

Shaela Lawson believes inclusive cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re built with intention.
As Director of Global Engagement at Netflix, she leads efforts to create consistent employee experiences worldwide that reinforce culture and drive innovation. Over nearly two decades, she has shaped DEI strategy at Dropbox, Riot Games, Sodexo, and T. Rowe Price, and led member programming at The Executive Leadership Council. As Executive Director of the PBG Foundation and board member of Inner Spark Learning Lab, she brings that same commitment to expanding opportunity for Black and Brown students. She holds an MBA from Florida A&M University.

Shayna D. Jamison is a senior experiential marketing executive architecting immersive brand activations across Amazon’s global ecosystem. As Experiential Lead on Amazon’s eXperiences and Upskilling team, she pioneered the Together Community Experience—installations creating hubs for employee connection, learning, and celebration across business units and geographies. Her 18-year career spans Amazon, NBC4 Washington, Comcast, and Thurgood Marshall College Fund, where she amplified $56M in Fortune 100 partnerships. She holds two master’s degrees from George Washington University and a bachelor’s from Hampton University. Recognized as a 2024 Marketing Academy Scholar and Forty Under 40 honoree by both the US Black Chamber of Commerce and Hampton University, she’s a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Shola Aminu is a finance leader with 15+ years of experience across advertising and sports entertainment, serving in leadership roles at Bang & Olufsen, Gotham FC, Ogilvy New York, and DAZN. He believes every big idea needs a strong finance wingman and has a reputation for driving financial strategy and bringing people-first leadership to the table. He’s been featured in Fast Company, Ad Age, and Attitude Magazine for his approach, which he credits to those who recognized his potential early and now pays that forward. A British native, he has spent the past decade living across New York and Philadelphia.

Stephanie Omo-Abu is a brand marketer and cultural storyteller who builds brands that push culture forward. She is on the founding team of SirDavis American Whisky, founded by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, where she helped drive the most successful spirits launch in Moët Hennessy history. She leads brand strategy & communications, commercial development, product innovation, and consumer activations. Her 15+ year career spans roles at PepsiCo, Absolut Vodka, and 1800 Tequila, with a focus on building culturally resonant brands for overlooked audiences. A graduate of Georgetown University and The Wharton School, she believes exceptional creative ideas should change how people see the world.

Tahirah is a British-Jamaican Creative Director at 72andSunny. Obsessed with fun, culture-shifting work, Tahirah believes good work becomes great when it’s imbued with real humanity — she delights in championing underrepresented communities, identities and stories within her work.

This approach has shaped her 15+ year career in the industry, and led to her creating award winning work rooted in representation for brands including Nike, Adobe, Barbie, Pinterest, UGG, United Airlines and many more.

She’s also the creative lead on 72andSunny’s “The Work” subcommittee, an ERG that centers equity, diversity and inclusion as a creative principle, not just a checkbox.

Wayne Arthur is the Founder and CEO of Kaleide Agency, an LA-based creative agency specializing in TV and film marketing. After beginning his career in investment banking in Houston, Wayne realized his true passion was in entertainment, and he hustled his way into a job as editor at MTV Networks (with ZERO prior edit experience!) Since then, Wayne has led campaigns for major media brands including Disney, Hulu, A&E, BET+, and NBCUniversal. Wayne is also the founder of Kinfolk Circle, a networking and wellness initiative supporting Black men across the media industry.

Yasmeen Telsem is a dynamic entertainment and media executive with 15 years driving brand narratives, strategic partnerships, and revenue-generating initiatives across Fortune 100 companies including NBCUniversal, Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount, and X, Corp., where she spearheaded Go-To-Market strategy influencing over $500M in advertising revenue. She founded Telmore, a culture-led marketing and partnerships agency helping filmmakers, athletes, musicians, and cultural institutions turn IP and influence into scalable revenue. A Google RARE Leadership alumna and Elevate Africa Fellow representing Eritrea, Yasmeen is a sought-after speaker at Advertising Week NY, Grow ANZ, Cannes Series, Rise Up Summit, and Essence Festival.