Roughly half (48.15) of LGBTQ+ adults say they are financially unwell, compared to one-quarter (25.7%) of the general public. How can we change this? We sit down with Christopher Williams, CoFounder & Director of Strategic Initiatives at COWRIE to talk about achieving financial wellness for the LGBTQIA+ community and other underrepresented identities.

Christopher Williams

Christopher has been a Community Advisory Board member of TransTech since 2021, bringing 10 years of experience in Advertising, FinTech, SaaS, and Aerospace, as well as Grassroots and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). A Just Economy Institute alumni fellow and an Aspen Ideas Festival alumni fellow, Christopher is a champion of intentionally oppressed people queering every space they enter in every way possible. As a pastime, Christopher is a reoccurring guest on the British-based X-Men podcast, X of Words, where X-Men comic books are discussed from a Black-queer lens. Additionally, Christopher has been a hobbyist genealogist for over 15 years engaging in a form of “hauntology� (or the aim to understand how the social/cultural past “haunts� the present and future) by dissecting how Black family trees are innately queer and un-normed. The work Christopher does is self-dedicated to three groups of people affectionately known as “dead-folks, nerds, and sissies.�

Are you wondering how to attract and retain employees and increase satisfaction as we continue to hear about the “great resignation�? Mentorship has been proven to be a successful method of employee engagement that gives participants a chance to share their knowledge while making a difference. This can reduce stress and increase satisfaction. Having facilitated over 1,200 mentorship matches, StartOut is familiar with the impact these relationships have. StartOut Mentorship Program Manager Derrick Foust and Wealth Advisor’s Vice President Eve Ellis will be joining us to discuss how corporations have partnered with StartOut to implement their own mentorship programs for employees while supporting LGBTQ+ founders

Eve Ellis

Eve Ellis is a wealth advisor developing sophisticated solutions which integrate traditional investments, trust, and estate planning, lending, and philanthropy for a select number of high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, and nonprofit organizations, as well as custom planning for executives and entrepreneurs anticipating late-stage, pre- and post-liquidity events.

She also advises interested clients on socially responsible and impact investments, and provides access to two proprietary portfolios which she co-manages � the Gender Parity Strategy and the Matterhorn/Refinitiv Diversity & Inclusion Strategy - to investors seeking to align their investments with their values.

She is a member of the Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (US SIF).

Eve served on the board of the Ms. Foundation for Women for eight years and is a founding board member of the Ms. Action Fund. She is also longtime board member of Maccabi USA and of the investment committee of Congregation Rodeph Sholom in NYC.

A former professional tennis player, Eve was inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. She is also a Captain for the Yale Women’s Athletic Network.

Derrick Foust

Derrick is a Program Manager at , overseeing mentorship programming to drive impact objectives through curated connection and resource building.

To date, we have matched 1,000+ founders with mentors, with a 98% satisfaction rate from participants.

He has a passion for amplifying voices in entrepreneurship and working with smart companies who want to share their message in creative, community-driven ways.

He's worked for The Gotham Film & Media Institute (formerly IFP) and Made in NY Media Center championing creatives and entrepreneurs along the way.

Mx. Lex Horwitz

Lex Pe'er Horwitz (they/them) is a queer, non-binary transgender Jewish nationally recognized LGBTQ+ Educator, Activist, Consultant, Public Speaker and Model based out of Philadelphia and New York City. Lex received their B.A. in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies from Bowdoin College, where they competed on the Varsity Men’s squash team and became the first out transgender athlete in all of collegiate squash, and the first out transgender athlete to compete at Bowdoin.

Their work focuses on educating people of all ages and backgrounds on LGBTQ+ identities, topics, and issues through a multitude of pathways—facilitations and workshops, lectures and public speaking, one-on-one support, and consultation services to name a few.

Currently, Lex is a research co-investigator, consultant and writer in Gender Affirming Health Care at Temple University and Temple Health. Additionally, Lex works with higher ed institutions, nonprofits and businesses creating LGBTQ+ curriculum and training, developing inclusive policy, producing educational resources, and providing feedback and action steps to address areas of growth (and for Lex’s business partners, they create marketing and campaign development plans). And Lex's activism does not stop there—they bring their passion to the modeling world where they work for inclusive and expansive representation on and off the runway.

Through their work, Lex cultivates a powerful judgment-free safe space where all people can engage in critical conversation on gender, sexuality, and community.

Do you ever wonder how we can cultivate inclusive, affirming, and welcoming environments where everyone can feel included and thrive? During this Chat & Learn, LGBTQIA+ Educator and Activist Lex Pe'er Horwitz will share foundational information on gender and sexuality so that you can engage in effective self-advocacy and even become an ally in action to the LGBTQIA+ community. Rooted in language and education as powerful tools for effective, positive societal change, this chat will center on affirming language and ways in which we can put this information into practice, ending with tangible takeaways that everyone can use to create affirming spaces at work and beyond. During this chat we’ll talk about:

• Foundational educational content about gender and sexuality
• How these inclusive strategies can be put into practice (as an ally too!)
• How self-advocacy can look like in the workplace

Whether it is Heartstopper or Pose, it seems that LGBTQIA+ representation in storytelling has made significant strides into the mainstream over the past few years. This can make it seem like these queer stories are a modern phenomenon but in fact LGBTQIA+ stories have existed throughout time, going back to our oldest myths. This is exactly what author and educator Guido A. Sanchez explores in his upcoming book Queer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World. We sit down with Guido to discuss queer representation in storytelling, why teaching LGBTQIA+ history is so important and the thousands of years worth of legends & tales he explores in his new book. Moderated by Hunter Lee Canning.

Guido A. Sanchez (He/Him)

Guido A. Sanchez is a writer, Middle School teacher & leader, comic aficionado, and podcaster based in New York. Guido revels in nurturing young people along their journeys as they begin to write the myths of their own lives. Once the school day wraps up, he also steps into the role of co-host and creator of "Dear Watchers: The Omniversal Comic Book Podcast." With his vast collection of over 30,000 comics, he navigates the intricacies, inspirations, and impacts of world-building in fictional reality and the modern myths we all love. Prior to that he created a queer history podcast and has contributed to print and online publications over the last twenty years. Guido is an education leader in a middle school by day, with a Masters in Public Health.

In 2015, Guido wrote a girls' puberty textbook published by a local school that is still used today. In 2023, his published book from Running Press / Hachette Book Group was released along with the Amazing Spider-Man Light Up Signal replica. In 2024 will be released through Running Press.

Out in Tech is the world’s largest non-profit community of LGBTQ+ tech leaders, creating opportunities for their 50,000 members to advance their careers, grow their networks, and leverage tech for social change. We are excited to sit down with Out in Tech’s Chief of Staff Marissa Trevisan to discuss the organization’s mission, the challenges facing LGBTQIA+ non-profits (and why we need them more than ever) and how LGBTQ+ people in tech can have full agency, from interns to CEOs.

Marissa Trevisan (She/Her)

Marissa Trevisan (she/her) has 15 years of nonprofit and community impact experience with a focus on social justice. As Chief of Staff at Out in Tech, a nonprofit supporting the largest LGBTQ+ techie community in the world, she leads operations and oversees corporate engagement strategy and global events. Previously, Marissa served as the Director of Development at Facing Forward to End Homelessness in Chicago; Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at national ed-tech nonprofit, Chapter One; and the Director of Partner Engagement at Building Impact, a Boston-based CSR and community engagement nonprofit. Beginning her career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Youth Development Program in El Salvador, she later joined The Home for Little Wanderers as a Therapeutic Caseworker upon returning to Boston. Marissa is a pragmatic optimist who enjoys playing soccer, exploring national parks, and breaking it down on dance floors around the world. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University and currently resides in Cambridge, MA with her wife.

Meaningful change doesn’t always start with sweeping policies. Often, it’s the smaller, intentional actions that create the most lasting impact. From introducing pronouns in meetings to implementing gender-neutral restrooms, these seemingly simple shifts can transform workplace culture. Join us for an inspiring conversation with Rae Johnson, a leader of Prism, Esri’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group. We’ll explore how Rae and the Prism team have championed change at Esri, from advocating for more inclusive insurance benefits to navigating the unique challenges of supporting LGBTQIA+ employees across distributed teams, proving that small actions really can make a big difference.

Rae Johnson

As a writer at Esri, Rae crafts insightful customer success stories that highlight equity and inclusion through the power of a geographic and geospatial lens. Previously, Rae lead marketing communications in local government and nonprofits in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Join Tyler Blackburn and Kika Chatterjee for an insightful session outlining best practices and tangible takeaways that workplaces and employers can leverage to create inclusive year-round inclusive work environments for LGBTQ+ staff, not just during Pride Month. From external campaigns, to internal policies, these thought leaders will share what it truly means for companies to be equitable.

Tyler Blackburn (He/Him)

Tyler Blackburn is a senior associate director at APCO and is based in APCO's Chicago office. He is a member of the firm's corporate communications and equity and justice practice and is an award-winning DEI subject matter expert.

Tyler is a corporate communications leader and DEI expert with a Master of Communications from Loyola University Chicago and over a decade of experience crafting compelling content, plans and communications strategies that empower people to influence systemic change. He has led projects and workstreams for private companies that resulted in 78% positive change in internal stakeholders� perception of DEI initiatives. His clients have included Prudential, Southwest Airlines, Pretium Partners, and VERITY Now, a coalition dedicated to removing gender bias from vehicle safety policies and practices.

Tyler has also served as co-chair for APCO’s Black African Ancestry Movement employee resource group (ERG) and is a member of the firm’s PROUD@APCO ERG. Prior to APCO, Tyler worked in and around the Chicago public school system leading family and community communications and strategic planning.

Kika Chatterjee (She/Her)

Kika Chatterjee is an associate director at APCO Worldwide in California where she specializes in nonprofit program management and digital implementation. Ms. Chatterjee brings knowledge in gender issues and the music industry to her clients, with a focus on the nexus of entertainment industry advocacy and modern issues of social justice. She informs her strategy development and implementation with a background in digital marketing.

Previously, Ms. Chatterjee managed marketing for Equal Vision Records, an independent record label based in Albany, as well as developed editorial for music magazine Alternative Press in Cleveland.

Ms. Chatterjee holds a bachelor’s degree in women’s and gender studies from Wheaton College Massachusetts.

Andrea Breanna (She/Her)

Andrea Breanna is the founder and CEO of RebelMouse. RebelMouse is a creative agency and CMS platform for enterprise brands and media companies. The platform reaches 160 million people monthly. Before launching RebelMouse, Andrea was CTO of The Huffington Post. Andrea is also on the Consumer Advisory Board for American Express, and is an advisor to Lerer Hippeau Ventures. Andrea is proudly and openly transgender. She lives with her wife and 4 kids in Brooklyn NY.

A June 2022 report from the BBC found that many employees who transitioned during the pandemic are now facing both the social pressures of being back around colleagues and a lack of trans-inclusive policies. In fact, of the trans professionals who completed PowerToFly’s What Diverse Talent Wants survey, zero responders felt like they have job security in the workplace. What are the perks and drawbacks of working remotely for trans professionals? We are excited to be joined by trans leader Andrea Breanna, CEO and founder of RebelMouse to dive in further into this important topic.

Milena Berry

Milena is the Co-Founder and CEO of PowerToFly - the fastest growing global platform dedicated to fast-tracking economic equity by upskilling and connecting underrepresented talent to roles in highly visible sectors. Milena’s on a mission to partner with top 100 brands to bring them a slew of diversity solutions provided through the PowerToFly platform.

Milena was born in Bulgaria and moved to New York City a week before September 11th to pursue a Masters at ITP NYU. Prior to co-founding PowerToFly, Milena has contributed to numerous startups, and had a blast being the CTO of Avaaz.org where she oversaw the technology to support growth to over 30 million members.

Milena is a frequent commentator on how companies can diversify their teams, especially in tech. Her work for PowerToFly has been recognized in Business Insider and she was named Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2015. Her biggest accomplishments are her four children who constantly push her to rethink what work-life balance means.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, only about 2% of C-Suite executives identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If meaningful change begins at the top, how can we uplift more LGBTQIA+ in their careers and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs to create their own inclusive businesses. We are proud to sit down with PowerToFly’s own CEO & Co-Founder Milena Berry, a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, to talk about her journey and how we can impact true change in the boardroom and beyond.

For a neurodiverse professional finding their footing in the workplace and in life, a little help can go a long way. Sometimes, that help comes in the form of coaching. In this talk, Founder and CEO of the Foundation for Life Guides for Autistics (LGFA) / NeuroGuides, J David Hall, explains the benefits of coaching programs for neurodiverse individuals, and for organizations that want to be a safe haven for their neurodiverse employees.

J. David Hall (He/Him)

J. David Hall (he/him) s the founder and CEO of the Foundation for Life Guides for Autistics (LGFA) / NeuroGuides, a U.S.-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization established in 2017. His organization provides business coaching and consultations to companies and organizations on neurodiversity, inclusivity, and life coaching for autistic people and other neurodivergent persons worldwide. He’s a Dad to three persons diagnosed on the autism spectrum (ASD) and was formally diagnosed as an autistic person in 2018.

His team of Neuroguides (life and job coaches) works closely with autistic and other neurodivergent individuals in helping them to succeed socially, occupationally, and relationally. David is passionately focused on guiding people to discover their strengths and enjoy meaningful lives.

Known as a relentless optimist and encourager, David is a celebrated writer who speaks at various national events and is a sought-after DEI and neurodiversity trainer and consultant for corporations.

David lives in the South Puget Sound of Washington state, where he writes, reads, cares for birds, hunts mushrooms, and rides his mountain bike.

Recent and upcoming appearances include:

Recent events and upcoming appearances include Leadership training for several Fortune 500 companies, Different Brains, Spectrum Lights Inclusion Summit, Southwest Washington Autism Conference, Bellingham SHRM, Microsoft, Seattle Aspiring Youth/Delphi Programs/Ryther, Stanford University Neurodiversity Summit, The Elijah Winfrey Show, a featured writer on Neuroclastic.com, North Carolina University, Neuroguides Parent Webinars and Podcast interviews, a founding member of the Diversity with Dignity Global Roundtable, corporate leadership training and coaching services with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies and government agencies in neurodiversity and building true inclusive workplace cultures.

Gallup Strengths Attributes: Input, Maximizer, Connectedness, Empathy, and Developer.

Gabby Fricke

An experienced project coordinator and manager with specialties in content and leadership development through various training and workshop settings. Skilled in developing tools and analytics for new system implementation. Knowledgeable on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles including cultural competency, allyship, unconscious bias, intercultural communication, and employee relations. My passions are greatly found in social and racial justice, equity, empowerment, and advocacy.

At the time that I joined a then “Big 8� accounting firm in Detroit, Michigan, there was one Black female partner in an office of close to 1000 professionals (Deloitte & Touche, 1991, Betty Maple); and she was in tax, not audit. It never occurred to me that I would remain at the firm for more than a year or two since I had no indication that someone like me could succeed there. Fortunately, two of my professors planted the seed that I should consider returning for a PhD. And even more important, The PhD Project launched as I started the third year of my PhD program so that I had a network and the support that I needed to complete it. In 1994, I was one of the 175 minority doctoral students in business schools across the country. Today, I am one of the 1346 faculty.

You will walk away from this chat with:

An understanding of why you should pursue the PhD program you’ve been considering
The link between diverse education and diverse professionals
How you can apply to The PhD Project

Richelle Oakley (She/Her)

Dr. Richelle L. Oakley is an Associate Professor of Information Systems (IS) in the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia. Her research interests include examining the role of technology in helping organizations achieve social goals that benefit society and examining the impact of emerging technology on human behavior. Recently in 2017-2019, Dr. Oakley was part of a team that was awarded approximately $400K in a National Science Foundation 3-year targeted infusion project grant to develop Interdisciplinary Data Analytics Certificate program at Savannah State University (her former institution). She has published her research in top-ranked IS and has presented her research at numerous regional, national, and international IS conferences.

Dr. Oakley is also actively involved in various service activities. She is a faculty mentor for the McNair Scholars program and is working with an undergraduate student on research examining user perceptions of disinformation in social media. For over 8 years, she has worked closely with KPMG’s Ph.D. Project, specifically with the Information Systems Doctoral Student Association (ISDSA). Dr. Oakley also serves as the President of the Southern Association for Information Systems (AIS).

Paquita Davis-Friday (She/Her)

Paquita Y. Davis-Friday is the Senior Associate Dean in the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and a professor in the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy. She earned her Ph.D. in accounting, MAE, MAcc and BBA from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Before entering the Ph.D. program, she was as an auditor and tax account for Deloitte and was certified in 1992 by the State of Michigan as a public accountant. Paquita currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Pollyanna Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to helping institutions achieve their diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

I have been a Woman in Tech before it was a “thing�. I have a Computer Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin and have been in the Retail Technology sector for almost 20 years. When I first started my career back in the year 2000, I was one of 2 women on my team but the ONLY black woman in the company. Being the “first� or the “only� in most anything is a daunting task. During this Chat and Learn session, I want to talk to you about my experience being in this position and how I help others who are in this position today.

You will walk away from this chat with:

Strategies on how to gain buy-in and respect from the majority of your team
The understanding that if you are the first or the only, you can help to create a more inclusive space for the other diverse people who may join the team

Barbara Jones (She/Her)

Barbara Jones is a serial entrepreneur and is currently the Founder/CEO of Freeing Returns (formerly known asLillii RNB), a leading IT consulting firm that helps Fortune 500 companies and government agencies increase their revenue, while improving the retail experience. We provide world-class subject matter experts in the areas of POS, Data Analytics, Fraud Prevention and IT Staffing.

The last three years have changed the workplace as we know it forever. So, as you prepare for dynamic developments and constant change, what does your 2023 sales strategy look like?

PowerToFly’s own account executive team along with sales leaders from throughout tech, media, and beyond will come together to share their thoughts, plans, and strategies for the new year during this one-day event.

Topics could include:

• Building trust with clients
• How to motivate your team
• Building your sales pipeline
• The role of data in sales
• And much more

This summit will end with a free virtual job fair featuring companies looking to expand their sales and customer success teams.

DEI is not just a gimmick—it’s a philosophy and practice that aims to make the world and its workplaces more diverse, and build work environments that are as they ought to be: where everyone is included and can bring their whole selves to work.

PowerToFly’s first Diversity Reboot summit specifically for our community in the United Kingdom and Europe will bring together a diverse group of underrepresented talent along with DEI, HR, and Talent leaders in business, tech, sales and beyond to discuss the latest DEI initiatives in the region, celebrate progress, and connect with change makers. Participants will hear from experts in business, policy, wellness, media, finance, tech, and more.

Following the summit, participants are invited to a free virtual job fair where leading companies committed to creating diverse and equitable workplaces will be looking for candidates for high-visibility roles across a variety of fields, industries and locations including remote and hybrid opportunities.

Come join us!

Note: This summit is intended for experienced professionals looking for professional development and/or career opportunities as well as DEI, HR, Talent leaders and business leaders based in the UK and Europe. The summit will take place on local time for this region.

In 2022, all effective leaders know that diversity is not only an ethical expectation but a driver of the success of their business. But amidst job market shifts, economic uncertainty, and the ongoing transition to distributed workforces, it’s not easy to always make business decisions through a DEIB lens.

At PowerToFly’s DEIB Business Solutions Summit, business leaders will gather to share best DEIB practices, inclusive benefits, inventive perks, innovative approaches to creating a culture of belonging, and discuss current hot topics, as well as the future of DEIB that’s still to come.

If you’re an HR, DEIB, Operations or Talent leader or the entrepreneur behind a fast-growing business intent on being at the forefront of DEIB organizational transformation, join us!

Whether you're launching your career or revamping it, don't miss this free opportunity to connect with companies looking for interns, entry-level professionals, career pivoters, and individuals returning to work. The Early Career Connections & Mid-Career Pivots Summit is the perfect opportunity to network with your peers, ask professionals about their transition to the working world and new roles, and most importantly, connect directly with companies! Are you wondering�

• how to showcase your coursework on your resume?
• how to highlight the experience you've cultivated as a caregiver?
• how the skills from your current role transfer to a new industry or position?
• what kind of internships to pursue to land your dream role after graduation?
• how to land an internship without any experience?
• what to wear to your (in-person or virtual) interview?
• how to know if a career change is right for you?
• how to navigate the ins and outs of returnships
• how to battle ageism in the workplace

If you said yes to any of the above, this summit is perfect for you. Sign up and connect directly with recruiters, hiring managers, and experts who want to help you find your next role!

Speakers from our 2021 “Early Career Connects & Mid-Career Pivots� summit included Liane Hornsey, EVP & Chief People Officer of Palo Alto Networks; Ann Hiatt, Leadership Strategist & Author; Tami Forman, Executive Director of Path Forward; Tracy Timm, Founder & CEO at Thrivist; Christina Coraglio, Senior Manager, Product Development & Strategy at HelloFresh; Heather Miller, Founder of GrasshoppHer; Helen Sanchez, Career Consultant & Ageism Strategist; Carol Fishman Cohen, CEO and Co-Founder of iRelaunch, and many more.

Working-age adults with disabilities participate in the workforce significantly less than those without disabilities, while neurodiverse adults continue to experience unemployment rates much higher than their neurotypical counterparts. These disheartening realities are often due to discrimination and unconscious bias; barriers that prevent recruitment processes from being accessible to all candidates; or workplaces with physical spaces, procedures, and technology that is designed for able-bodied, neurotypical workers.

Disability and neurodiversity inclusion is a critical, yet often overlooked component of DEI efforts and business expansion. PowerToFly is looking to change that by hosting a one-day, interactive summit focusing on destigmatizing disabilities and neurodivergence in the workplace, both visible and invisible.

Please join us for talks on topics such as:

• Understanding neurodiversity
• The benefits and drawbacks that hybrid and remote work can have on a person with a disability
• Respectful and inclusive language
• The historical context of disability in the public sphere
• Accessible technology
• And much more

PowerToFly is honored to present our first ever summit spotlighting our amazing community in India and the groundbreaking tech leaders there.

Topics may include:

• How to leverage the remote-work boom as an Indian.
• Explore freelance career opportunities in Tech
• Leverage new age opportunities on web3
  

This one-day event will feature India-based leaders coming together to discuss what’s next in tech in India. This special event will conclude with a free virtual job fair featuring companies looking to expand their workforces in India.

To uplift and support LGBTQIA+ professionals, PowerToFly is hosting a Virtual Job Fair as part of our June Diversity Reboot Summit, “Pride at Work: Championing LGBTQIA+ Leaders & Allies�. Companies seeking talent are leading brands who understand the particular challenges, needs, and strengths of LGBTQIA+ candidates, and want to bring those candidates on board to help catapult their businesses to new heights. If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally, come join us!

Lex Pe'er Horwitz (they/them) is a queer, non-binary transgender Jewish nationally recognized LGBTQ+ Educator, Activist, Consultant, Public Speaker and Model based out of Philadelphia and New York City. Lex received their B.A. in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies from Bowdoin College, where they competed on the Varsity Men’s squash team and became the first out transgender athlete in all of collegiate squash, and the first out transgender athlete to compete at Bowdoin.

Their work focuses on educating people of all ages and backgrounds on LGBTQ+ identities, topics, and issues through a multitude of pathways—facilitations and workshops, lectures and public speaking, one-on-one support, and consultation services to name a few.

Currently, Lex is a research co-investigator, consultant and writer in Gender Affirming Health Care at Temple University and Temple Health. Additionally, Lex works with higher ed institutions, nonprofits and businesses creating LGBTQ+ curriculum and training, developing inclusive policy, producing educational resources, and providing feedback and action steps to address areas of growth (and for Lex’s business partners, they create marketing and campaign development plans). And Lex's activism does not stop there—they bring their passion to the modeling world where they work for inclusive and expansive representation on and off the runway.

Through their work, Lex cultivates a powerful judgment-free safe space where all people can engage in critical conversation on gender, sexuality, and community.

!

If you’re planning to resign because you want a remote or hybrid job, you’re not alone—the number one demand arising from The Great Resignation is flexibility. Good news: our Diversity Summit’s Virtual Job Fair this month is for remote and hybrid roles, exclusively! Participating organizations have embraced the workplace of the future and are trailblazers in work-life integration and employee wellness. And, they are searching for savvy and diverse talent like you! To say goodbye to your commute forever, come join us

The Great Resignation has shown employers everywhere that things can’t go back to the way they were. COVID-19 has helped many employees see the value in family time, not tolerating workplace biases, and demanding respect from employers. Employees want to work at organizations where DEI&B is not just a slogan, but intertwined into company values, mission, and strategy. Unsupportive leaders who fail to grasp this will continue to face high turnover and struggle to recruit as candidates learn about company culture by speaking with current employees or utilizing employer review sites. In this talk, LaShawnda Rodgers, Leadership and Business Consultant, outlines how the job market has changed since the pre-pandemic years, and what candidates and leaders must do to adapt and thrive in this new reality.

LaShawnda Rodgers

LaShawnda Rodgers is a resident of Cary, North Carolina where she resides with her loving husband and her 3 amazing boys. She has obtained a Bachelor’s in Science of Business Administration, MBA, Certified Scrum Master, and PMP. LaShawnda is sociable, compassionate, lifelong learner, overcomer, and adventurer. She enjoys traveling, hiking, hanging out with her family, whitewater rafting, Womens Advocacy, meeting new people, and helping others to win in life.

LaShawnda is currently the Founder and CEO of Rodgers Global Leadership Consortium. She started Rodgers Global Leadership Consortium after seeing the need for leadership development training programs and coaching for new through experienced leaders within mid-large enterprises. She believes that change starts at the top, so if our leaders are better equipped and supportive than so will our teams be. LaShawnda also is a Certified Transformation Life and Marriage Coach. Her coaching programs help married couples and individuals to eradicate the barriers that are blocking them from achieving goals, win the battles in their mind, and walk confidently in every area of their life. She’s also a Keynote Speaker and speaks on Leadership, Diversity, Mindset, Building Teams, Communication Skills, and others. LaShawnda is a Co-Author of Simply Grateful an Anthology Project, and Author to �Manna in the Workplace: Spiritual Food for The Career Minded Soul�.

Maryella Marie

Maryella Marie [she/her] is a renaissance womxn and social impact multimedia producer who has spent a decade working with diverse technologists, independent artists, and divergent innovators across the globe to deepen their audiences� emotional intelligence.

You can find her at The Positive Force Team curating and facilitating masterclasses and workshops centered around emotional intelligence, equity, and creative leadership; producing mindful collaborations between artists and organizations in the Americas to build bridges and inspire positive social impact, and creative directing the “Brainwashing� radio series featuring counter-culture conversations, storytelling, ASMR, and independent music from heart-full thought-leaders, visionaries, and independent artists around the world.

Go to to get their newsletter and learn how to participate.

Grab a notepad and a pen, and come experience a 30 min well-being practice session for the hybrid workplace. In this ever-changing workplace environment, routines and work-life balance have been upended. Join June Blanks and Laurent Besançon, co-founders of COOLER, as they guide you through well-being practices you will want to adopt as new habits throughout your workday. June and Laurent will also reveal the link between individual well-being and collective team well-being in the workplace.

June Blanks

As COOLER’s CEO and Head of Product and Experience, June taps into her multi-discipline design background to ensure that each workshop, coaching card set, and box experience is well-received, impactful, and enjoyable. As founder of Junius Coffee - one of the 1st companies in the US to provide cold brew coffee as an office perk - June saw first-hand how great perks programs and staff engagement became a pivotal staple of company culture. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, June designed COOLER for companies to show appreciation and create shared experiences in a deeper way as we move forward into a work frontier with new challenges and parameters.

Laurent Besançon, PCC, SHRM-SCP

Co-founder and Head of Coaching Laurent Besançon, PCC, SHRM-SCP, drives the development of COOLER's well-being card sets and workshops that take on the challenges staff are facing in the changing workforce. Laurent is a professional leadership coach and is the former Global Head for Staff and Leadership Development for a finance institution with offices in 130+ countries. He is passionate about helping others develop problem-solving strategies to navigate change and achieve their personal and development goals.

Burnout is REAL! The question is: can you avoid it, and if so, how? To avoid burn out, you have to be more strategic with your daily activities. In this session with Georgie-Ann Getton, CEO and Lead Execution Strategist of GSD Solutions, you will learn how to maximize your daily 24 hours so you can do your best work and live your best life.

Georgie Ann Getton

My name is Georgie-Ann Getton I am a NY-based tech ecosystem trailblazer. I am a 27 yr old black female immigrant from Jamaica and mom of 2. As my full-time job I am the CEO and Lead Execution Strategist of GSD Solutions, a business development agency I founded in 2019. During the 2020 Pandemic, my business grew 6X due to our virtual event production services. I am the author of The Art of Getting Sh*t Done, a memoir and entrepreneurship guide. And the host of Doing The Most The Misadventures of Entrepreneurship Podcast. I am also a multimedia content creator and thought leader through my personal brand GSD with Georgie. I am passionate about developing inclusive, innovative, and experience-driven business models. Additionally, I hold a seat on the NY Tech Alliance and Caribbeans in Tech & Entrepreneurship Boards. I graduated from Baruch College in 2017 with a B.A in Business Communications and have taken courses on Entrepreneurship at both eCornell and Harvard Business School Online.

Maryella Marie

Maryella Marie [she/her] is a renaissance womxn and social impact multimedia producer who has spent a decade working with diverse technologists, independent artists, and divergent innovators across the globe to deepen their audiences� emotional intelligence.

You can find her at The Positive Force Team curating and facilitating masterclasses and workshops centered around emotional intelligence, equity, and creative leadership; producing mindful collaborations between artists and organizations in the Americas to build bridges and inspire positive social impact, and creative directing the “Brainwashing� radio series featuring counter-culture conversations, storytelling, ASMR, and independent music from heart-full thought-leaders, visionaries, and independent artists around the world.

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The future of work demands a new type of leadership: one that focuses on empowering others and prioritizes authenticity over perfection. In this panel, the Leadership Team of SAP SuccessFactors will discuss the importance of understanding one’s own leadership style in order to overcome today’s unique challenges and support employees in a remote workplace.

Jill Popelka

With 25 years of experience as a technology executive, Jill Popelka is a dynamic, people-first leader who has successfully driven large, global organizations through change. She has deep expertise in sales, marketing, consulting services, product development in the cloud, and human resources. Jill has demonstrated reliability in achieving growth and building cultures with an innovation mindset. She is passionate about leading teams to achieve more than they believe possible.

Jill is currently the President and Chief Marketing Officer of SAP SuccessFactors, an organization with over 200 million users worldwide, providing cloud software solutions to care for the needs of employees, putting them rightfully at the center of business. In this role, Jill is responsible for the end-to-end business, including its growth strategy, vision and delivery of the product roadmap, and the success of 12,000 customers and over 6,000 employees globally.

Prior to her role as president, Jill served as Senior Vice President, SAP SuccessFactors for Asia Pacific and Japan, where she was responsible for sales and revenue for the region. During her 3-year tenure living and working in Singapore, Jill also led the SAP Consulting Services business, where she was responsible for the P&L and focused on driving successful customer outcomes through the implementation and adoption of SAP solutions. Additional roles over her 11-year SAP tenure include leading teams dedicated to specialized industries, including utilities, aerospace and defense, healthcare, and government.

Jill got her start as a consultant at Accenture, where she spent 13 years in a variety of roles, including oversight of the company’s alliance with SAP and management of large complex software implementations and sales pursuits.

Meg Bear

Meg Bear is the Chief Product Officer of SAP SuccessFactors. She is responsible for setting product vision, driving engineering and operations success, and leading the teams that bring the SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite to life. Meg is a visionary leader passionate about leading through business transformation with a people-first innovation mindset.

With more than 25 years of experience building and scaling technology platforms, Meg brings a wealth of software development lifecycle, market, and innovation expertise. She is a patent holder, change agent, startup advisor, keynote speaker, and a TEDx host. Meg is enthusiastic about applying technology to solve business problems, building and growing teams, and defining market-winning product strategies that are customer-centric and innovative. Meg holds a Bachelor of Science double major in economics and entrepreneurship from the University of Arizona.

Prior to SAP, Meg held strategic executive roles as SVP, Product and Engineering, at Juvo, SVP of Cloud Services at Imperva, GVP Social Cloud and VP HCM Development at Oracle, as well as HCM leadership positions at PeopleSoft and Saba.

Maryann Abbajay

Maryann Abbajay is the Chief Revenue Officer, SAP SuccessFactors. As an enthusiastic leader at SAP for over 13 years, Maryann continues to provide support and motivate others to achieve their goals. As the CRO, she is responsible for building a sustainable revenue model to ensure continued, robust sales growth and execution globally for SuccessFactors. She is passionate about Employee Experience and its criticality to a successful company. For her, it is important to make sure employees have the same amount of confidence in their leaders as leaders should have in their employees. Previously, she served as the Global Managing Dir. of Qualtrics SWAT Team. Also as the VP of Strategic Customer Programs and UKI Board Member, her primary focus was on SAP’s most strategic customers in the West and in the UK. Prior to SAP, she held Sales Management positions with webMethods, Cisco Systems, & Oracle. She is a University of Georgia graduate. In her spare time, Maryann enjoys gardening, making jams and bread, and spending time traveling with her family.

Bridget Finkeldey

Bridget is an organized and empathetic leader with demonstrated success in event coordination, stakeholder relations, digital marketing, copywriting, project management, human resources management, and public speaking.

She currently is PowerToFly's Summit Coordinator, managing logistics and day to day operations of the Virtual Diversity Reboot Series. She previously served as Marketing Project Manager at The Finance Marketing Group while simultaneously coordinating event logistics for the National Alliance Of Commercial Loan Brokers.

Bridget is military spouse, yoga teacher, and dog mom. She holds a B.A. in Media and Communication from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY and also played four years of NCAA basketball.

DEI is about more than just the optics of a company website—it must be embedded into our economic, social, and political systems in order to solve the world’s biggest problems. Join James Felton Keith, award-winning engineer, economist, and the CEO of InclusionScore, as he explains the bigger picture of DEI, how the future of work ties into that picture, and how meaningful inclusion has the power to transform the world.

James Felton Keith

James Felton Keith, is an award-winning engineer and economist who was the first Black LGBTQ person to run for US Congress. He currently lectures on Inclusion at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. As an activist, his Data Unions redefined the labor movement and personal-data as the natural resource driving all corporate productivity. As an entrepreneur, he established the first international diversity & inclusion certification and the first insurance policy for a lack-of-inclusion based on an "inclusion score". As an author, his bio-political philosophy, Inclusionism, is at the forefront of International Relations and Human Rights diplomacy.

JFK has incubated the data industry via his founding of Data Unions and Personal Data Week conferences. He co-founded and edits the Ethics of Personal Data Collection series at Anthem Press. He and his institutions have either written or consulted on all of the seminal global cyber policy of the 2010s. He has founded multiple companies across the Non-Profit InsurTech FinTech and AdTech sectors. Most notably: Slay TV, LGBT Chambers, and Accrue.com. His expertise is in the ethnography of technology, or the study of the culture of tech. Over the past 20 years between 4 continents, he has been obsessing about economic inclusion, and how to get equity in the hands of the people who have increasingly less, while the world becomes more productive from their input.

Working between government and business he regularly says “it’s necessary to have the mind of a CEO and the heart of a Social Worker to solve real people's problems�. His career transitioned after founding Detroit’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the "Pride Nights" at the four Big Box American sports franchises: NBA, NHL, MLB, & NFL. James has been appointed to the cabinet of Elected Officials, taken over for and advised CEOs, Academics, Governments, and Non-profiteers. James is an elected member of the New York Democratic Committee and is a frequent keynote at global venues like the United Nations, Future Tech Congress, Data Protection World Forum, and the World Pride Human Rights Forum to name a few.

Zara Chaudary

An experienced change maker, Zara prioritizes the disruption of harmful systems, creating and facilitating brave spaces and opportunities for individuals to explore their intersectional identities, and empowering every individual to bring their whole self to work. Utilizing a holistic approach, she excels at collaborating with key players to craft strategic vision and operationalizing strong action steps to elevate workplace culture to a healthy culture of belonging. With an extensive background in Human Resources, operations, and programming within the non-profit, education, and tech sectors, Zara keeps a focused eye on the long-term mission and ensures she infuses humor in everything she does along the way. She’s also not afraid to openly share her love for Brooklyn and donuts!

Experienced in DEI, relationship management, conflict mediation and management, coaching, Human Resources, compliance, financial and budget management, administration, and auditing.

With some workers eagerly returning to physical workplaces and some determined to remain remote, the future of work will be hybrid. In a hybrid workforce, collaboration cannot be left to chance; however, despite technologies that connect us, many feel disconnected from their teams and organizational goals. Collaboration, a critical business strategy, requires dedicated leaders charged with connecting others and enhancing overall productivity. In this talk, LaĂŻla von Alvensleben will offer best practices from her work as Head of Culture and Collaboration at MURAL, to inspire your teams to successfully connect by bringing purpose and intention to the collaboration process.

LaĂŻla von Alvensleben

[email protected]

Laïla von Alvensleben is the Head of Culture and Collaboration at, a digital workspace for guided visual collaboration. She is a champion for the remote-first and hybrid-remote approach to team collaboration, and regularly contributes to many of the leading courses, conferences, and publications on the future of work. She has worked remotely since 2014, as one of MURAL’s 900+ employees distributed across 29 countries, empowering the company’s rapidly growing team to successfully connect and collaborate from anywhere.

Maryella Marie

Maryella Marie [she/her] is a renaissance womxn and social impact multimedia producer who has spent a decade working with diverse technologists, independent artists, and divergent innovators across the globe to deepen their audiences� emotional intelligence.

You can find her at The Positive Force Team curating and facilitating masterclasses and workshops centered around emotional intelligence, equity, and creative leadership; producing mindful collaborations between artists and organizations in the Americas to build bridges and inspire positive social impact, and creative directing the “Brainwashing� radio series featuring counter-culture conversations, storytelling, ASMR, and independent music from heart-full thought-leaders, visionaries, and independent artists around the world.

Go to to get their newsletter and learn how to participate.