2010 Conference Speakers

Cheryl M. Ayers

National Business Development Executive, IMPACT Group

Cheryl is the National Business Development Executive for IMPACT Group – a Transition Company, where she brings over 16 years experience in the areas of Career Transition and Outplacement, Leadership Development and Management, Human Resources, and Business Development. She formed and is President of Career Vision Group, LLC, a consulting firm that focuses on career transition and career management and training. She works with candidates one-on-one who are in transition or are looking to better manage or change their careers. Prior to this role she was the Vice President of Consulting Services for Mulling Corporation. |Read More

Dr. Riché Barnes

Author and Consultant, Inter-Change Consultants

Dr. Riché Jeneen Daniel Barnes is a cultural anthropologist in the department of Afro-American studies at Smith College. She holds a M.S. in Urban studies and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Emory University. She completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Barnes specializes in race, class, and gender dynamics in African American families as they are experienced in the U.S. political economy. Her most recent publication is a chapter in the volume The Changing Landscape of Work and Family in the American Middle Class (2008) where she refutes commonly held iterations of work and family conflict. |Read More

Millicent I. Bright

Author and Consultant, Inter-Change Consultants

Millicent Bright is a rising senior Bonner Scholar, here at Spelman College. She is originally from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her family. She is a Biology major, interested in pursing her doctorates in public health, concentrating on Global Maternal and Child Mental Health within underrepresented populations. |Read More

Gayle Burnett

Author and Consultant, Inter-Change Consultants

Gayle Burnett is the co-author of Peace in Everyday Relationships (Hunter House Publishers, 2003) which provides information, practical tools and real life examples to support readers in the development of conflict resolution skills within diverse environments. From 1990 to the present, she worked with a wide array of clients, including Ernst & Young, Lucent Technologies, AT&T and the NCAA, to support increased understanding and effectiveness amongst their employees. |Read More

Angela Burt-Murray

Editor-in-Chief, ESSENCE

Angela Burt-Murray is editor-in-chief of ESSENCE, where she oversees editorial content for ESSENCE magazine—the premier lifestyle, fashion and beauty magazine for African-American women—as well as Essence.com—the leading daily online destination to serve that audience. As steward of ESSENCE’s editorial content since 2005, Burt-Murray aims to celebrate, inspire, entertain and empower the brand’s audience–which encompasses more than 8 million readers of the monthly magazine and over one million monthly unique users of the website. |Read More

Dr. Johnnella Butler

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Spelman College

Johnnella E. Butler arrived at Spelman as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2005. Prior to her appointment at Spelman, Dr. Butler was Professor of American Ethnic Studies with appointments in English and Women’s Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle, holding various administrative positions, including Associate Dean and Associate Provost of the Graduate School, where she established an award-winning program. A pioneer in the transformation of the undergraduate curriculum to include content and pedagogy on people of color, Dr. Butler has delivered numerous addresses and conducted over 80 workshops with faculty throughout the U.S. on interdisciplinarity and inclusivity. She has also taught and held administrative positions at Smith College and Towson State University. |Read More

April Caddel

Student C’11, Spelman College

Born in Opelika, Alabama to Harvey Columbus Caddell, Jr. and Margaret Lynn Holt Caddell, April Amanda Caddell was raised in Tuskegee, Alabama. As a proud Tuskegee native, April has volunteered at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site since her freshman year of high school. She is also a member of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement based out of Selma, Alabama, which focuses on developing community-conscious leaders. Through this organization, she has been exposed to passionate leadership from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. |Read More

Kimberly Davis

President, JPMorgan Chase Foundation

Kimberly Davis is Senior Vice President, Global Philanthropy and President of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. She is a member of the firm’s Executive Leadership Committee. Her responsibilities include overseeing the firm’s philanthropic activities globally, employee volunteerism and strategic corporate marketing programs. |Read More

Marietta Davis

General Manager, Greater Southeast District, Microsoft Corporation

Marietta Davis is the general manager for Microsoft's Greater Southeast District Enterprise and Partner Group. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the sales, marketing and service delivery functions to the company’s enterprise customers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. She is additionally responsible for Microsoft's engagement with the community on issues of importance including economic development and innovation. |Read More

Alicia Diaz

Director, Legislative Policy & Government Relations, Cuban American National Council

Alicia Diaz is an energetic professional with a dynamic personality and a strong commitment to public health and Latino communities.

Alicia has recently returned to the non-profit sector to take over the position of Director of Government Affairs and Legislative Policy for the Cuban American National Council’s DC office, an office she launched in 2002 and guided through unprecedented expansion and growth for over three years. |Read More

Dr. Robert Michael Franklin

President, Morehouse College

Dr. Robert Michael Franklin ’75 is the tenth president of Morehouse College, the nation’s largest private, four-year liberal arts college for men.

Prior to Morehouse, Franklin was a Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics at Emory University, where he provided leadership for a university-wide initiative titled “Confronting the Human Condition and the Human Experience” and was a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at the law school. |Read More

Kristen Haley

Student C’11, Spelman College

Kristen A. Haley is a rising Senior Bonner Scholar, here at Spelman College from Ellicott City, Maryland. She says, "I was born with a God given love and compassion for children. Through the years this love has shaped my perspective, and every experience is seen through the veil of its potential benefit to children. I am consumed with the possibilities presented through the intentional and meticulous socialization of children. I am diligently exploring the best path to answer what I believe is the call on my life to serve children." |Read More

Phyllis Haynes

Marketing Partner, Inter-Change Consultants

Award winning television personality, producer, and former ABC Network News correspondent, Phyllis Haynes has motivated, trained and inspired thousands of people around the world and across the USA. She is currently the marketing partner for InterChange that consults to For-profit and not-for-profit organizations worldwide. |Read More

Ariana Huffington

Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post

Exclusively Represented by the Washington Speakers Bureau

Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist and author of 12 books. She is also co-host of Left, Right and Center, public radio's popular political roundtable program.

In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that has quickly become one of the most widely read, linked to and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. |Read More

Sara Manzano-Díaz

Director of the Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor

On September 30, 2009, Sara Manzano-Díaz was nominated by President Barack Obama and was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate, on February 11, 2010, as the 16 th Director of the Women's Bureau at the United States Department of Labor. The Women’s Bureau was created by Congress in 1920, the same year women were granted the right to vote. It is the only federal agency exclusively mandated to serve and promote the interests of working women. Director Manzano-Díaz' vision is to empower working women nationwide to achieve economic security. |Read More

Julius Pryor, III

General Managing Partner, JPryorGroup LLC

Julius Pryor III is an innovative strategic evangelist. General Managing Partner of JPryorGroup LLC, he is a speaker and strategic consultant in high demand. He helps individuals and high performing teams marshal strengths to realize true potential. He talks about conceptual thinking: becoming more comfortable being uncomfortable. He speaks about how to be relevant in the 21st century. |Read More

Pat Russell-McCloud, J.D.

Visual Speaker

Russell-McCloud is a "visual speaking experience." With more than 20 years on the lecture circuit, she is categorized as being one of the nation’s best. Her speaking style is engaging, highly substantive, well-researched, pertinent to her audiences, and entertaining, whether for the public or private sector. She is distinguished and distinct. Her style is classified as "big, broad and animated", which leaves her audiences anxious for more. |Read More

Dr. Jane E. Smith

Executive Director, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, Spelman College

Jane E. Smith, Ed.D., is an accomplished educator and nonprofit executive. Since 2004, she has served as the executive director of the Spelman College Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (LEADS at Spelman College). |Read More

Hiroko Tatebe

Founder and Executive Director, Global Organization for Leadership and Diversity (GOLD)

Hiroko oversees program development and is responsible for all aspects of operating the organization. Prior to forming GOLD, Hiroko was Director, Executive Vice President and Treasurer of Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank of California (DKCAL). During her tenure at DKCAL she was the first and only woman board of director. Her extensive banking experience includes management in finance, investment, domestic and international operations, product development, compliance and information technology. |Read More

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

President Spelman College

When Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum became the ninth president of Spelman College in 2002, she set an expectation that Spelman College would be recognized as one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country – a place where young women of African descent could say, "This place was built for me and it is nothing less than the best!" .

With her creative energy focused on five strategic goals – Academic Excellence, Leadership Development, Improving our Environment, Visibility of our Achievements, and Exemplary Customer Service (collectively known as Spelman ALIVE), Spelman College has experienced great growth. Spelman is now widely recognized as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the nation. Applications have increased more than 40% in the last six years, making Spelman one of the most selective women’s colleges in the United States. |Read More

Mimi Valdés

Editor-in-Chief/Editorial Director, Latina Founder, Mimi Media Inc.
Founder, Mimi Media Inc.

Mimi Valdés is an award winning editor-in-chief/editorial director, accomplished entrepreneur and noted speaker. Known for her ability to develop innovative solutions for enhancing competitiveness, growing revenues, and increasing audience engagement, she has cultivated a successful career across media in the areas of fashion, beauty, lifestyle and entertainment. |Read More

Rolonda Watts

Journalist, Talk Show Host, Actor, Producer, Novelist, and Voice-over Talent

Rolonda Watts began her television career as a local CBS news reporter in Greensboro, North Carolina, before moving on to larger markets. She landed a reporting and anchoring job at the New Jersey Network, becoming part of one of the first duo-women anchor teams in the country. While there, she was selected for the cover of New Jersey Monthly Magazine as "a person to watch." She then moved on to the Big Apple, joining WNBC-TV news team, where she also anchored the local morning news cut-ins for the "Today Show." While at WNBC-TV, Ro received an Emmy nomination for her "Live Spot News Coverage" of a deadly train crash. She later moved on to WABC-TV “Eyewitness News” in New York to anchor, report, and moderate "Eyewitness News Conference," the station's weekly political forum. |Read More

Judith White

President and Executive Director of HERS (Higher Education Resources Services)

Judith S. White has been President and Executive Director of HERS (Higher Education Resources Services) since June 2005. During her tenure, the organization has launched the HERS Institute at the University of Denver, expanded the HERS Institute at Wellesley, and begun transition of the HERS Bryn Mawr Summer Institute to a new shorter format. These changes will create a shared and enhanced curriculum across all HERS Institutes, while also nearly doubling the capacity of HERS Institutes to serve women faculty and administrators seeking leadership and management development. |Read More

Beverly Wright

Former Five-Term Chairperson, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah

As the chief elected official and chairperson of an 11-member Tribal Council, Beverly Wright maintained the integrity and goals of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah as per the Tribal Constitution. She served as chairperson from 1991 to 2005, and was the chief negotiating official with all federal, state and contracting agencies, other Tribes or Tribal organizations, and any other legal entities wishing to enter into agreements with the Tribe. |Read More

Telisa Yancy

Director, Advertising, Brand Strategy, American Family Insurance

When American Family Insurance made the bold decision to shift the focus of their advertising campaigns from the insurance agents to the consumers, they looked outside the company for a fresh, new ad leader.

The company named Telisa Yancy, an 18-year marketing and advertising veteran, as its new advertising director. She was hand-picked by American Family’s vice president of marketing, Lisa Bacus, who saw the kind of positive change Yancy could bring to a major brand during their tenure together at the Ford Motor Company. Yancy was credited with making loyalty a priority at Ford by creating the first-ever automotive industry data-driven loyalty program, leaving an indelible impression on the brand.

Within her first 12 months at American Family, Yancy piloted an innovative marketing campaign that changed the way people think about insurance. |Read More

Elizabeth Miu-Lan Young

Co-Founder, Inter-Change Consultants

Elizabeth Miu-Lan Young co-founded Inter-Change Consultants in 1987. She is a specialist in multicultural diversity training focusing on Asian issues at work. She has been active in the New York City Asian Community for the past 30 years. She was one of the founders of the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in NYC (formerly the Chinatown Health Clinic). She taught the pilot Asian American Experience course at Hunter College and the University of Southern California. Liz served as the first Director of Project Reach - a program working with Chinatown street gangs. She also worked in a garment sweatshop to better understand the immigrant experience. She was a senior research associate with an Affirmative Action consulting firm headed by Dr. Kenneth Clark. |Read More