One of only a handful of African Americans to earn a PhD in entomology, Dr. Sammy Ramsey is an inspirational science leader and communicator who has defied the odds to achieve his dreams and is a testament to the power of grit, determination, and an unwavering commitment to one’s purpose. When people said he didn’t have what it took to make his mark in entomology, he proved them wrong by making a breakthrough discovery in the field of bee research — one that could potentially reverse a devastating pandemic in bee populations. And when people told him he didn’t “look” like a scientist, he remained true to himself and redefined what a scientist could look like. Dr. Ramsey has mastered the art of unconventional thinking to arrive at innovative solutions to some of the most significant challenges shaping the future of our society and teaches organizations and individuals how they can do the same as they address their most-pressing challenges in business and life head-on.

Regarded as the “CEO-Maker,” “DEI Professor,” and the “Cubicle to Corner Office Empress,” Dethra Giles is a workplace and career optimizer who advises organizations and individuals on how to chart their unique paths to success. She is a four-time TEDx speaker who has been named a “Top 100 HR Influencer” by Engagedly, and was selected by HR Gazette’s “HRchat” podcast as one of the “Top 22 Most Influential Figures in HR.” With clients including Kaiser Permanente, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The Army Corp of Engineers, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Salvation Army, Giles shares a unique blend of advanced education and industry experience that has been described as “university-tested and industry-approved,” and can be implemented by organizations of any size, and across industries.

Lauren DeLisa Coleman is part of the new technorati-to-watch. A digi-cultural trend analyst, mobile strategy specialist, author, speaker, and consultant, Lauren is an expert at deciphering and forecasting power trends and public sentiment within the intersection of popular culture and emerging tech and the impact of such on business and governance—with a unique focus on millennials. She helps brands create messaging and content that better resonates with today’s tech-savvy, pop culture millennial consumers by providing innovative communication strategies, as well as forecast, analysis, and insight into cultural trends, attitudes, and behavior as it all intersects with emerging tech usage. A successful innovator, thought leader, and entrepreneur with over 14 years of experience, Lauren has provided digi-culture intelligence and trend consulting to notable clients from Jay-Z and Snoop Dog to Microsoft execs and public policy leaders. She is an on-air commentator for MSNBC, a columnist at Inc. magazine, and a regular contributor to Forbes. She also contributes to other major media outlets, such as Daily Beast, cnbc.com, The Next Web, Business Insider, and Campaigns & Elections.

Tall and thin, with remarkable onscreen energy and ease, the actor possessed intense malleable features that he used to good effect in both dramatic and comedic roles. Despite this gift, he surprisingly began his career with off-screen pursuits. Jones worked as writer and story editor for NBC's college-set comedy "A Different World" from 1991 to 1992. In 2000, he took on a role in a sports-themed feature set in the recent past in "The Replacements" and in 2002, Jones portrayed a band director out to prove that he has the best band/drumline that the historical black colleges and universities have to offer in the drama "Drumline." Jones has appeared in numerous television series including "Rules of Engagement," "Necessary Roughness," "House M.D." and "Pushing Daisies."

As a child growing up in rough inner city neighborhoods, Chef Jeff Henderson never imagined he would one day become the inspirational success story he is today. Raised in a struggling single-parent household, Jeff didn't go to school to learn--he went for the free lunches which quelled his everyday hunger. At the age of 19, success came exclusively from his $35,000 a week drug business. But when he turned 24, he was arrested, and spent the next ten years of his life in prison.

Dr. Dambisa Moyo is an international economist who analyzes the macroeconomy and global affairs. She has travelled to more than 80 countries over the last decade, during which time she has developed a unique knowledge base on the political, economic, and financial workings of emerging economies, in particular the BRICs and the frontier economies in Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Her work examines the interplay between rapidly developing countries, international business, and the global economy, while highlighting the key opportunities for investment. She is the author of multiple New York Times best-selling books, including Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth - and How to Fix It, Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, How The West Was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly - And the Stark Choices Ahead, and Winner Take All: China's Race for Resources and What It Means for the World. Moyo was recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" by TIME magazine, and was named to the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders Forum. Her work regularly appears in economic and finance-related publications, such as the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Tricia Clarke-Stone is an entrepreneur, multi-award winning innovative marketer, and revenue-producing executive who has spent the last two decades at the intersection of marketing, branding, tech, media, and entertainment. She has a proven track record of building brands and companies and driving tens of millions in revenue through innovation, technology, marketing, business strategy, IP/product development, and team leadership. Tricia is the former CEO of WP Narrative, an award-winning creative and tech agency she cofounded with hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, creating a new marketing agency model uniting code (tech) and culture to power a brand’s purpose and experience. The agency was acquired by Hollywood producer Will Packer in 2017. Currently, Tricia continues to advise the WP Narrative team in addition to consulting blue chip companies, entertainment brands, and innovative startups. Known for being a boundary-pusher with a uniquely attuned business and creative mind, Tricia redefined the status quo with a mandate to future-proof brands, drive innovation, create transformative IP, develop products and game-changing marketing strategies for startups and some of the world’s most iconic brands. The results have been a series of “firsts,” technology patents, and groundbreaking campaigns that have garnered buzz and awards, including SXSW, Cannes Lions, the ONE Show, Clios, D&AD, Shortys, and the Webby’s.

Antoinette Clarke is an author, two-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and the SVP of Branded Entertainment and Media Innovation at ViacomCBS. She is responsible for ideation, pitching, selling, negotiating, developing and activating strategic branded content and advertiser partnerships across multiple platforms for the CBS Daytime slate of shows and specials. In the previous decade, Antoinette worked as a supervising producer/producer for a variety of award-winning talk shows with hosts Montel Williams, Tyra Banks, Rachael Ray, and Nate Berkus. Throughout her career, Antoinette's contribution to producing hundreds of lifestyle-based shows including social experiments, celebrity interviews, home and personal makeovers, holiday Extravaganzas, and tentpole events have led to some of the highest rated episodes on daytime television. Years prior, she worked as the Director of Broadcast Sales Integration for Martha Stewart, where she collaborated with marketing and production teams, executed creative concepts and managed integration sales activities.

Simon T. Bailey believes you are meant to share your brilliance. His passion and purpose is unlocking that ability in a way that ignites sustainable transformation. He understands the pressure leaders and high performers are facing in the midst of uncertainty and equips them with simple, easy-to-implement strategies to accelerate results. Simon knows how to challenge an audience and provide them with tangible takeaways and sustainable action steps. LinkedIn Learning features three of his online courses that reach professionals in 100 countries. Simon has more than 30 years experience in the hospitality industry, including serving as sales director for Disney Institute, and has worked with more than 1,800 organizations in 50 countries. He has been named one of the top 25 people who will help you reach your business and life goals by SUCCESS magazine, joining a list that includes Brene Brown, Tony Robbins, and Oprah Winfrey. His Goalcast video, released on Facebook, has over 90 million views worldwide. When he is not working, Simon serves as a board member for the U.S. Dream Academy and Orlando Health Foundation Board.