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. 

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]