Masih Alinejad

Iranian-born Activist, Journalist & Author

Masih Alinejad is an Iranian-American journalist and women’s rights activist who gained worldwide attention when she removed her veil, or hijab, and posted a photo on her Facebook page standing proudly with her hair blowing in the wind. From that, My Stealthy Freedom was born—her viral social media campaign against compulsory hijab that became the biggest civil disobedience movement in the history of the Islamic Republic. Today, it has almost 11 million followers.

Iranian authorities responded violently, arresting protesters and violating their rights while in custody. Alinejad continues to oppose the compulsory hijab and to speak out in defense of her fellow activists. She is one of the most prominent and vocal opposition figures challenging the Islamic Republic of Iran. She offers valuable insights into the unfolding protests in Iran and what it means for U.S. foreign policy.

Described by The New York Times as “The woman whose hair frightens Iran,” Alinejad wrote the widely acclaimed, bestselling memoir, The Wind in My Hair, sharing her extraordinary story about living in exile, leaving her country, challenging tradition and sparking change. An inspiring account about political activism, family, heritage, overcoming adversity and more, Alinejad offers a compelling and shocking look at the realities of the world we live in.

Alinejad’s activism started early. Growing up in a tiny village in Iran in a traditional family, she didn’t understand why girls were virtually banned from doing almost every activity boys were allowed to participate in. To get around it, she made a deal with her brother. He would teach her how to ride a bike and swim, take her to a stadium and do lots of other activities that were outlawed for girls if she walked with him at night to the outhouse—he was scared of the dark.

That small gesture changed her life as she tasted the freedom to do what she wanted. She became politically active and began fighting for human rights, which led to her being kicked out of high school, college, parliament and eventually her country. Her story is a tale of overcoming adversity and discrimination. Her commitment to human rights has won her the UN Watch’s International Women’s Rights Award, the AIB Media Excellence Award, the Swiss Freethinker Association’s Freethinker Prize, and the American Jewish Committee’s Moral Courage Award among other honors.

Alinejad currently lives in exile in New York City.

Quinta Brunson

Emmy Award-Winning Writer, Actor, Producer, and Stand-up Comedian

Quinta Brunson is a writer, actor, producer, and stand-up comedian from Philadelphia, Penn., best known for writing, producing, and starring in the hit primetime sitcom, Abbott Elementary. Quinta’s first ever TV series is a fictional show about teachers in the Philadelphia public school system. In 2022, she became the first Black woman to be nominated for three comedy Emmys and won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

 Quinta started her journey at Second City in Chicago and has grown to amass over one million Facebook followers and hundreds of millions of video views across Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Prior to joining BuzzFeed Motion Pictures, Quinta created the series The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date. The series went viral on YouTube and Instagram and was one of the first series to gain a huge, viral fan base on both social platforms.

Quinta was honored as a Just for Laughs New Face of Comedy and was hand-selected by Issa Rae and Jill Soloway for Forbes’ 30 Under 30. She created, sold, executive produced, and starred in two premium streaming series, Broke for YouTube Red and Up For Adoption for Verizon Go90. She also added author to her growing list of accomplishments with, She Memes Well. In this essay collection, Quinta applies her trademark humor and heart to discuss what it was like to go from a girl who loved the World Wide Web to a girl whose face launched a thousand memes.

Juju Chang

Emmy Award-Winning Co-Anchor of ABC News Nightline

One of the most prominent Asian Americans in broadcast news, Juju Chang is the Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News Nightline and a regular contributor to Good Morning America and 20/20. With the rise of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Chang leveraged her platform to become a much-admired champion of social change. She made U.S. broadcast history co-anchoring the 2021 ABC News Live special, “Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans” alongside fellow Korean-American co-anchor Eva Pilgrim and a cast of AAPI journalists, thought leaders, lawmakers and celebrities. Chang also reported from the scene at the mass shootings at three Asian-themed spas in Atlanta, co-anchoring the ABC News 20/20 breaking news special, “Murder In Atlanta.”

Chang’s highly visible reporting on Asian Hate is the culmination of decades of covering everything from natural disasters to terrorism, mass shootings, immigration, violence against the LGBTQIA+ community and, most recently, the inequities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Known for her in-depth personal narratives and long-form storytelling, Chang has won acclaim for stories
with underlying themes of civil and women’s rights and social justice. These include her critical examination of the controversial “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy, which she told through the eyes of one pregnant woman and her family living among the 60,000 asylum seekers camped for months along the Rio Grande. Her award-winning report, “Trans and Targeted,” on
violence against transgender women of color was the latest of a series of stories on the targeting of LGBTQIA+ Americans, including a GLAAD award-winning report on Matthew Shepard’s murder. Internationally, Chang has been a powerful voice on gender-based violence, including a trip through Central Africa on the front lines against Boko Haram and #bringbackourgirls. She
also traveled to Honduras for “Femicide: the Untold War,” an eye-opening look at rampant violence against women.

In addition to reporting, Chang has profiled newsmakers like Joe Biden, Oprah Winfrey and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg; entertainers such as Tom Hanks, Chris Pratt and Nicki Minaj; and social media moguls Kendall Jenner and Dude Perfect.

An ABC News veteran, Chang joined the network as an entry-level desk assistant in 1987 after graduating with honors from Stanford University. Prior to her current roles at ABC, she was a producer for World News Tonight, a co-anchor on the overnight show World News Now and news anchor for Good Morning America. Chang’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Emmys, Gracies, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody Awards.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Northern California, Chang is member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a founding board member of the Korean American Community Foundation.

Dorie Clark

Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author and Expert at Self-Reinvention

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School. 

She is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. 

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.” 

She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame. 

Gloria Estefan

Grammy Award-Winning International Superstar

International superstar, Gloria Estefan, is a Grammy Award-winning singer, actress, songwriter, author of two New York Times best-selling children’s books, philanthropist, and humanitarian. She is considered one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved performers and the most successful Latin crossover artist in music history, according to Billboard magazine.

Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Estefan has garnered eight Grammy Awards and an Oscar nomination for her performance of the song “Music of My Heart.” She has received an American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2015, President Obama honored Emilio and Gloria Estefan with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made meritorious contributions to the United States, to world peace, and cultural endeavors. In 2017, Gloria was the first Cuban-American singer-songwriter to receive a Kennedy Center Honor.

On Your Feet! is the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical based on the lives and music of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, who served as Executive Producers of the work. It is the story of two people who — through an unwavering dedication to one another and their pursuit of the American dream — showcased their talent, music, and heritage to the world in a remarkable rise to global superstardom. On Your Feet! has received rave reviews and nominations for Tony Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and Drama League Awards, and is now on tour worldwide. 

Gloria is the founder of the Gloria Estefan Foundation whose mission is to support charitable programs for disadvantaged children and empower young people through education and opportunity. The Foundation also supports spinal cord research through the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. 

In 2020, Gloria’s Grammy-winning album, Brazil305, topped the charts worldwide while she also served as one of three hosts for her four-time Emmy nominated and Emmy winning and GLAAD Award nominated Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk: The Estefans. Its 20 episodes are streaming now. In 2021 she voiced the character Marta in the critically acclaimed animated film Vivo, with music written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and released on Netflix.

In the summer of 2022, Estefan starred in Father of the Bride opposite Andy García airing on HBO Max. The movie amassed HBO Max’s biggest audience for a streaming-only film and soared to the No. 1 title spot across HBO Max worldwide.

Released in November of 2022, the Estefan Family Christmas album featuring Gloria alongside her daughter, Emily (27) and grandson Sasha (10), is one of the first albums of its kind to combine three generations. It includes 12 Christmas classics and two original songs, one of which was written by Gloria, Emily, and Sasha.

In 2023, Gloria will be the first Latina in history to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She’s being recognized her for the iconic songs that she has written, including, “Anything for You,” “Don’t Wanna Lose You,” “Words Get in the Way,” “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “Let’s Get Loud…,” and many others that have enriched and transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.

Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley

Carla Harris is a Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She was most recently a Vice Chairman responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She formerly headed the Emerging Manager Platform, the equity capital markets effort for the consumer and retail industries and was responsible for Equity Private Placements. In her 30+ year career, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. 

For more than a decade, Ms. Harris was a senior member of the equity syndicate desk and executed such transactions as initial public offerings for UPS, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Ariba, Redback, the General Motors sub-IPO of Delphi Automotive, and the $3.2 Billion common stock transaction for Immunex Corporation, one of the largest biotechnology common stock transactions in U.S. history. Ms. Harris was named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America,” Fortune’s Most Influential List, U. S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance (2009, 2010, 2011), Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business (2017), and “Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street,” and to Essence Magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World,” Ebony’s list of the Power 100 and “15 Corporate Women at the Top” and was named “Woman of the Year 2004” by the Harvard Black Men’s Forum and in 2011 by the Yale Black Men’s Forum. 

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Carla received an MBA, Second Year Honors from Harvard Business School and an AB in economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude. Carla has also received Honorary Doctorates of Laws, Humanities, and Business from Marymount Manhattan College, Bloomfield College, Converse College, Jacksonville University, Simmons University, the College of New Rochelle, St. Thomas Aquinas College, Babson College, and Fisk University, Wake Forest University, and Felician University respectively. Carla Harris is actively involved in her community and heartily believes that “we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to someone else.” 

She is the past Chair of the Board of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and of The Executive Leadership Council, and sits on the boards of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), The Sesame Workshop, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and is an active member of the St. Charles Gospelites of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and the Mark Howell Singers. She is a member of the board of overseers of Harvard University and of the board of directors of the Walmart Corporation, Cummins Corporation, and MetLife. Ms. Harris was co-chair of the National Social Action Commission of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She has been named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2015) and has received the Bert King Award from the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association, the 2005 Women’s Professional Achievement Award from Harvard University, the Pierre Toussaint Medallion from the Office of Black Ministry of the Archdiocese of New York, the Women of Power Award given by the National Urban League, the Women of Influence Award from The Links, Incorporated and many other awards.

In her other life, Carla is a singer who has sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theatre, and released four Gospel CDs:“O This is Christmas” (2021) “Unceasing Praise” (2011), “Joy Is Waiting”(2005), and her first CD entitled, “Carla’s First Christmas”(2000), was a bestseller on Amazon.com in New York and was featured on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather in his “American Dream” segment. She is also an internationally renowned public speaker and the author of the books, Strategize to Win (2014), Expect to Win (2009) (Hudson Press) and of Lead To Win (2022).

Indra Nooyi

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo

Indra Nooyi is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo (2006–2019), a Fortune 50 company with operations in more than 180 countries.

In this role, Nooyi was the chief architect of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo’s pledge to do what’s right for the business by being responsive to the needs of the world around it. As part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo was focused on delivering sustained growth by expanding its portfolio to include more nutritious products, limiting its environmental footprint, and empowering its associates and people in the communities it serves. During her tenure, PepsiCo grew net revenue more than 80%, and PepsiCo’s total shareholder return was 162% beating the S&P over the same period.

Prior to becoming CEO, Nooyi served as PepsiCo’s president and chief financial officer and was a member of the company’s board of directors. She was responsible for corporate functions, including finance, strategy, business process optimization, corporate platforms and innovation, procurement, investor relations and information technology. Between 1994 and 2000, Nooyi directed corporate strategy and development for the company.

Before joining PepsiCo in 1994, Nooyi spent four years as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Planning and Strategic Marketing for Asea Brown Boveri, a Zurich-based company. She was part of the top management team responsible for the company’s U.S. business as well as its worldwide industrial businesses, representing about $10 billion of ABB’s $30 billion in global sales.

Between 1986 and 1990, Nooyi worked for Motorola, where she was Vice President and Director of Corporate Strategy and Planning, having joined the company as the business development executive responsible for its automotive and industrial electronics group. Prior to Motorola, she spent six years directing international corporate strategy projects at The Boston Consulting Group. Her clients ranged from textiles and consumer goods companies to retailers and specialty chemicals producers. Nooyi began her career in India, where she held product manager positions at Johnson & Johnson and Mettur Beardsell, Ltd., a textile firm.

Nooyi served as a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors from 2001 to February 2019. Nooyi is now a member of the board of Amazon, where she chairs the audit committee. She sits on the supervisory board of Philips and is a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee. She also serves on the International Advisory Council of Temasek; is an independent director of the International Cricket Council; and a trustee at the National Gallery of Art. She is on the Dean’s Advisory Council at MIT’s School of Engineering and serves on the boards of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Partnership for Public Service. She is also an advisor to several early-stage companies.

Between 2019–2022, Nooyi served as the Class of 1951 Chair for the Study of Leadership at West Point where she worked with the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership to fulfill the mission of character at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She was also co-chair of The Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group, developing recommendations and guidelines for reactivating the state’s economy post-pandemic.

Nooyi is the author of the book My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future, a memoir that offers insight and a call-to-action on how our society can blend work and family — and advance women — in the 21st century. My Life in Full is a New York Times bestseller and available in multiple languages.

She is the recipient of 15 honorary degrees. In 2007, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Bhushan, the country’s 3rd highest civilian honor. In that same year, she was named an “Outstanding American by choice” by the US State Department. In 2019, her portrait was inducted into the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, and in 2021 she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts of Sciences, the Academy of Science and the American Philosophical Society. She is a revered role model for women and immigrants and celebrated for her empowering messages on inclusivity.

Nooyi holds a B.S. from Madras Christian College, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta, and a Master of Public and Private Management from Yale University. Nooyi is married and has two daughters.

Amy Purdy

Survivor, New York Times Best-Selling Author of On My Own Two Feet, World Class Snowboarder & Founder of Adaptive Action Sports

At 19, after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Amy, a massage therapist, was rushed to the hospital in a state of septic shock. En route, she experienced respiratory and multiple organ failure that caused her to lose circulation to her extremities. When she entered into the hospital she was given less than a 2% chance of survival, put on life support, and placed into a coma. After multiple blood transfusions, and the removal of her ruptured spleen, doctors diagnosed Amy with meningococcal meningitis, a highly deadly bacterial blood infection. Due to septic shock doctors had to amputate her legs below the knee. She later received a donated kidney from her father a week before her 21st birthday.

After going through this life-altering experience, Amy challenged herself to move on with her life and attain goals that even those who have both legs struggle to achieve. Just three months after her kidney transplant, Amy entered the USASA National Snowboarding Championship, where she won medals in three events. Today, she is the most decorated Paralympic snowboarder in U.S. history and a three-time Paralympic Medalist. Amyʼs creativity, positive outlook and her never-give-up attitude have opened doors to many other opportunities, including being featured in a Madonna music video, a lead actress role in an award-winning film, she and her husband were featured on the TV show the Amazing Race, and most recently, Amy came in 2nd place on the hit ABC show Dancing with the Stars with her partner Derek Hough.

Amy has evolved into a powerful motivational keynote speaker who has literally been seen by millions of people and invited to speak to audiences around the world, from small groups to the largest corporations in the world. She’s toured the country sharing her remarkable story alongside Oprah Winfrey, as part of Oprah’s The Life You Want Tour. She was featured in a Super Bowl commercial, which has since been named one of the Top 20 Super Bowl Commercials of All Time. Her autobiography, On My Own Two Feet, quickly became a New York Times bestseller, and is now published around the world in ten different languages. Amy is also a Founder of Adaptive Action Sports with her husband, which trains athletes with disabilities in action sports. Their organization is top in the U.S. for developing Paralympic snowboarders.

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Emmy Award-Winning Star of ABC’s Abbott Elementary, Singer, Producer, and Activist

From bringing characters to life on screen, performing on Broadway, producing, landing the title of national best-selling author with her literary debut, and her deep rooted philanthropic  endeavors which touch lives across the world, Emmy Award Winner, Tony Award nominee, NAACP Image Award nominee and Independent Spirit Award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph has become a staple in the entertainment industry, with an acclaimed career spanning over three  decades. 

Sheryl can currently be seen starring on ABC’s smash hit, comedy series Abbott Elementary opposite Quinta Brunson. In this laugh out loud workplace comedy, Abbott Elementary follows a group of teachers brought together in a Philadelphia public school simply because they love teaching. They rely on one another to make it through the day, and find a  way to counteract the school district’s indifferent attitude toward educating children. Sheryl shines as Barbara, a longtime and respected teacher. Season one of Abbott debuted to critical acclaim and rave reviews; with media calling it “charming and insightful” (The Atlantic),  “the next great network sitcom” (The Hollywood Reporter), “a smart conceit, sharp writing, the  right cast…” (Entertainment Weekly), and “should be everyone’s new comedic obsession”  (IndieWire), to name a few. In summer 2022, the show earned a total of seven Emmy nominations from the Television Academy for its freshman season, including Outstanding Comedy Series, with Sheryl winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She also landed the Hollywood Critics Association Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a  Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Comedy, for her work on the show. 

Additional credits for Sheryl include starring in over 100 episodes of Moesha opposite  Grammy Award-winner Brandy, a lead role opposite Tia Mowry in three seasons of Nickelodeon’s hit series Instant Mom, starring opposite Jon Voight in Ray Donovan for Showtime, and appearances on Barbershop, ER, It’s a Living, New Attitude, George, Designing  Women, Two Broke Girls, Smash, Criminal Minds, MacGyver, One Mississippi,  and Claws. Sheryl is currently recurring as President Kelly Wade, on Freeform’s supernatural drama series Motherland.

On the big screen Sheryl has worked with some of Hollywood’s leading and award winning men with credits that include The Mighty Quinn opposite Denzel Washington, Mistress with Robert de Niro, To Sleep with Anger with Danny Glover and The Distinguished Gentlemen with Eddie Murphy. She also appeared opposite Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act II.  Sheryl picked up a win for Best Supporting Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards for her  performance in To Sleep with Anger. 

Finding success in writing and directing, Sheryl’s award-winning short film, Secrets, co starring award-winning actress Alfre Woodard and Robin Givens was a finalist in the HBO Film  Short Competition, Showtime’s Filmmaker Award Series, and the BET Filmmaker Award Competition. The film was also selected as the audience favorite at the Outfest Film Festival. Secrets was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as the Hollywood Film Festival, the Acapulco Film Festival and the Urban World Film Festival. Sheryl is also the creator of the Jamerican Film and Music Festival. Most recently, Sheryl completed four back-to-back movies; Just Getting Started opposite Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo,  Christmas at Holly Lodge for Hallmark, Netflix’s Step Sisters with Naturi Naughton produced  by Lena Waithe, and No Sleep Til Christmas for Freeform. 

In theater, Sheryl is well known for her award winning work, creating the role of Deena Jones in the legendary Broadway musical Dreamgirls which earned her Best Actress nods for  Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Sheryl most recently appeared on Broadway as Madame  Horrible in Wicked, becoming the first African-American actress to take on the classic role. She  also holds the title of producer on Broadway’s Thoughts of a Colored Man at The John Golden Theatre (October 2021-March 2022), which explores a single day in the pulsing heart of Brooklyn, as seven Black men discover the extraordinary together. Additional Broadway credits include: the Tony Award-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, and reuniting with Loretta Devine and Jennifer Holliday for a sold out, one-night-only, Dreamgirls reunion celebrating the 35th anniversary. 

As a writer, Sheryl’s debut book Redefining Diva: Life Lessons from the Original Dreamgirl (Simon & Schuster) instantly became a national best-selling title, and gave readers a  personal look into her triumphs and tribulations over the years, navigating life with courage, wit, and strength. 

While working in front of the camera keeps Sheryl busy, she is also a passionate health  advocate and honored AIDS activist. Sheryl is the founding director of the DIVA (Divinely Inspired Victoriously Anointed) Foundation 501(C)3 which she created in memory of the many friends she  had lost to HIV/AIDS. She also created the critically acclaimed Divas Simply Singing!, an evening  of song and entertainment that is the longest consecutive running musical AIDS benefit in the  country. Sheryl was awarded the first Red Ribbon Award at the UN for her unique use of the arts  in HIV/AIDS activism, and was recently appointed as an AIDS Ambassador for Jamaica’s Ministry  of Health. 

Sheryl is a mother of two with a blended family of four, and loves every moment of  motherhood and marriage. She is happily married to State Senator Vincent Hughes of  Pennsylvania. 

Susan MacKenty Brady

CEO of Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

Susan is the Deloitte Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership at Simmons University and the first Chief Executive Officer of The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership.

Susan co-authored by Executive Chair of the Board of Deloitte US Janet Foutty and Simmons University President Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership (McGraw-Hill), debuted in April 2022 and landed on the best-seller list in the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today.  Featured on ABC’s Good Morning America, Susan is the author of Mastering Your Inner Critic and 7 Other High Hurdles to Advancement: How the Best Women Leaders Practice Self-Awareness to Change What Really Matters (McGraw-Hill, 2018), The 30-Second Guide to Coaching Your Inner Critic (Linkage, 2014), and co-author of Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership (McGraw-Hill, 2022).

Susan also serves as emeritus board member for Strong Women, Strong Girls and as a Strategic Advisor for the relationship technology company, Our.Love.

Susan resides in the Boston area and is the proud Mom of two awesome daughters and two rambunctious Portuguese Water Dogs.

Lt. Colonel Olga Custodio, USAF (Retired)

America’s First Latina Fighter Pilot & STEM Advocate

The first Latina to complete U.S. Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training and graduate in the top 5% of her class (of 48) with a fighter qualification to fly the T-38 as an instructor pilot, Olga E. Custodio points to three principles that have helped her become successful in a profession dominated by men: overcoming self-doubt, staying open to possibilities, and seeing herself as an equal.

The path to her dream, however, has not been a walk in the park. While studying at the University of Puerto Rico, she tried to participate in the university’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program but was denied the opportunity, as women were not allowed at that time.

But Olga never gave up hope, and she went on to fulfill her dream of becoming a commissioned military officer — and then some. A female military aviation pioneer, she served for 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. As a pilot instructor pilot, she received an Aviation Safety Award for superior airmanship for her handling of an engine failure in-flight emergency. After transitioning to the U.S. Air Force Reserves, Olga became the first American Airlines Latina commercial airline pilot and later upgraded to Captain. Besides the T-38, Olga flew the T-41, B-727, F-100, B-757, and B-767. She owns a Cessna T210L and has also flown several general aviation aircraft like the Stearman biplane, Cessna-172, Beechcraft-35 V-tail, Cirrus Vision Jet, and few others.

Today, Olga is retired with over 11,000 flight hours to her name. Now a speaker and community leader, she works with several nonprofit organizations, (Latino Pilots Association, Order of Daedalians, Ninety-Nines, and Women in Aviation, International) that advocate for inspiring and empowering students, especially those from underserved communities, to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace. As a STEM advocate, she has also volunteered her time as a speaker and role model at local schools, universities, corporations, and military base groups, encouraging young women and men to reach for their dreams. Olga is a mentor with the Women in Aviation International, Aviation Explorers, and the School of Aeronautics of the InterAmerican University in Puerto Rico to mention a few. In 2017, she was inducted into the San Antonio Aviation and Aerospace Hall of Fame. Olga recently co-authored in the Latinas in Aviation anthology and is included as one of the 30 inspiring Latinas/Latinos who have shaped the United States in Nuestra América, published by the Smithsonian Institution.

By pioneering many firsts during her career, Olga has shattered stereotypes and served as a powerful role model for aspiring to become a pilot. From breaking barriers and overcoming challenges as a woman in a male-dominated profession throughout her career, Olga has gained essential life insights and perspectives that she shares with everyone, especially women working to achieve their dreams.

Olga lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband of 47 years, Edwin — who is also her best friend, supporter, and advocate for everything she sponsors. They have two children, Marcia and Edwin II, and one grandson, Jedi.

Erika H. James

Dean, Wharton School

Erika H. James became the dean of the Wharton School on July 1, 2020. Trained as an organizational psychologist, James is an expert on crisis leadership, workplace diversity and management strategy. Prior to her appointment at Wharton, James was the John H. Harland Dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School from 2014 to 2020. An award-winning educator, accomplished consultant, and researcher, she is the first woman and first person of color to be appointed dean in Wharton’s 141-year history. As such she has paved the way for women in leadership both in education and corporate America.

James has been instrumental in developing course material in crisis leadership and women’s leadership and in leading programs for executive audiences in these areas. She earned her B.A from Pomona College and her PhD from the University of Michigan. James serves on the boards of Morgan Stanley, Momentive and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is coauthor, with Lynn Perry Wooten, of The Prepared Leader: Emerge from Any Crisis More Resilient Than Before.

Kerry Seitz

Vice President, Women’s Leadership, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

Kerry Seitz heads the development of Women’s Leadership programming at Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. She brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to produce innovative, research-based learning journeys that foster gender parity in organizational leadership worldwide. As a member of the Institute’s leadership team, Kerry is deeply committed to establishing the Institute as a global authority on the intersection of leadership, equity, and inclusion. A Certified Career Coach, Kerry began her work in leadership development as Principal of her own coaching business where she worked predominantly with women relaunching and redefining their career journey.

Outside of work, Kerry enjoys running, yoga, and spending time with her husband, three sons, and (female!) Labrador Retriever.

Dia Simms

CEO of Lobos 1707 & Former President of Combs Enterprises

An award-winning, entrepreneurial business leader, Dia Simms is the CEO of Lobos 1707 and was previously the first president of Combs Enterprises, the company created by mogul and music legend Sean “Diddy” Combs, who Forbes called, “Hip Hop’s first billionaire.” Legendary for her expertise in leading brand strategy and launching brands, she is a dynamic keynote with an inspiring story and valuable insights on business, leadership, and succeeding in a man’s world to become one of America’s few female and African American CEOs.

As a leader blazing new trails in the world’s most promising and innovative industries, Simms brings a track record of driving sales, maximizing revenues and leading high performance teams. She earned her reputation at Combs Enterprises, where she began working as Sean “Diddy” Combs’ executive assistant in 2005 and grew with the company, building multiple brands and businesses. Credited for turning Bad Boy Records into Combs Enterprises, Simms achieved success overseeing the portfolio of brands under the Combs empire which includes spirits, fashion, fragrance, and the Capital Prep schools. She also oversaw their award-winning in-house ad agency. One of her most notable achievements was transforming the previously unprofitable CÎROC ultra-premium vodka into a $2 billion retail value brand, selling over 16 million cases
worldwide.

Ms. Simms’ many honors include: Ad Age Women to Watch, Billboard’s Most Powerful Executives in Music, Ebony Power 100, Maverick of the Year and the Diageo Global Marketing Brilliance Award. An active philanthropist and volunteer, she currently serves on the boards of Capital Preparatory Charter Schools and THREAD. She received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Morgan State University, and a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Bringing leadership in multiple industries, insightful perceptions and a captivating life story, Ms. Simms is a creative force that inspires and engages. Her dynamic presentations leave audiences motivated, informed and ready to take their work or life to the next level. She
currently speaks nationally on a variety of topics including women’s empowerment, brand building, negotiating, marketing in a new America and diversity & inclusion.

Elisa van Dam

Vice President, Allyship & Inclusion, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

Elisa van Dam brings a wealth of experience in gender equity and inclusion to her role as head of the Allyship and Inclusion practice area. Elisa works with organizations and individual leaders to increase their understanding and practice of inclusive leadership behaviors. In collaboration with other Institute Fellows, she creates and delivers research-based content and programming, based on our proprietary framework that demystifies the Work of the Inclusive Leader™.

She recently published The Inclusive Leader’s Playbook: The Work of the Inclusive Leader with co-author Susan MacKenty Brady.

Elisa also maintains a private coaching practice, working with women on how to successfully navigate maternity leave.

Elisa lives in the Boston area with her choreographer husband, their young adult son, and a willful rescue cat.

Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten

President, Simmons University

Dr. Wooten is the ninth president of Simmons University and the first African American to lead the university. A seasoned academic and an expert on organizational development and transformation, Lynn specializes in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership – organizational behavior that reveals and nurtures the highest level of human potential. Lynn is an innovative leader, presenter, and prolific author whose research has informed her work in the classroom and as an administrator. With leadership at the core of her work, Dr. Wooten’s research has ranged from an NIH-funded investigation of how leadership can positively alleviate health disparities to leading in a crisis and managing workforce diversity. She is co-author of the Wall Street Journal best-selling book Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership and a co-author on her latest book The Prepared Leader.  She has also authored two previous books, Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion (2016) and Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Before, During, and After a Crisis (2010). Sharing her work at nearly 60 symposia and conferences, she also is the author of nearly 30 journal articles and more than 15 book chapters, as well as managerial monographs and numerous teaching cases.

Lynn has also maintained a robust clinical practice, providing leadership development, education, and training for a wide variety of companies and institutions, from the Kellogg Foundation to Harvard University’s Kennedy School to Google.

Lynn grew up in Philadelphia. She is married to David Wooten, a chaired marketing professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. They have two children, Justin and Jada.

Saidah Grayson Dill

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Cisco

Saidah Grayson Dill is responsible for Global Employment Law and leads a team of compliance and investigation professionals at Cisco. Cisco is a global company with over 80,000 employees and operations in over 100 countries that designs and sells networking, voice, collaboration and communication technology services and solutions.  

At Cisco, she provides advice on a myriad of employment law and employee relations issues, including acquisition integration, litigation, compliance, investigations, and inclusion & diversity. In this role she is the lead legal partner for Cisco’s People, Policy and Purpose team which includes People and Communities (HR) and Social Impact teams. She helps ensure that Cisco’s people policies and decisions are legally sound and aligned with the company’s culture. She regularly speaks at conferences on the topic of the intersections between law, culture and business. Saidah is a member of the Chief Legal Officer’s senior staff and provides counsel to Cisco’s Chief People, Policy & Purpose and People Officers.

Prior to joining Cisco, Saidah worked for two international law firms, Skadden and Paul Hastings, litigating on behalf of and providing advice and counsel to employers in a variety of industries.  

She received an A.B. in Public Policy from Stanford University and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She’s proud to have received recognition from organizations including The Network Journal, The San Jose Silicon Valley Business Journal/San Francisco Business Times and the Golden Gate Silicon Valley YWCA, for her influence in business, diversity and the law. She is a founding member of Chief SF Bay Area and a member of the Silicon Valley chapter of the American Leadership Forum (Class XLI). She has previously served as the president of the Palo Alto chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and co-president of the Stanford National Black Alumni Association.

Kavitha Imani

Vice President, IT, Dell Technologies

Kavitha Imani leads the Voice and Contact Center Services, Database Engineering Reliability Engineering Organization in Dell Digital. In this role, Kavitha is focused on delivering best-in-class stakeholder experience. Kavitha is keen on delivering robust and effective engineering and operational processes in line with industry best practices and transformation of the organization to enhance agility, performance and availability. 

Kavitha has 24+ years of experience in Information Technology and 20+ years of leadership experience leading software development engineering teams across several business units including Services, Channel Solutions and Dell Financial Services. She also led the middleware, quality engineering and IT Operations organizations. She has expertise across the entire software development lifecycle and several products in the technology stack. 

Kavitha believes transformation and innovation is fundamental to building a highly productive and efficient organization and makes it an instrumental focus for all organizations she is a part of. She loves to connect with and work closely with people to deliver results. You can expect complete transparency and a lively work environment when working with Kavitha. 

Kavitha has a master’s in computer science from University of Oklahoma. She lives in Austin, is married and has a 10-year-old daughter who keeps her on her toes. She loves to travel and is always planning for the next adventure with her family. She enjoys dancing and likes to stay fit through intense daily workouts with Camp Gladiator.

Jen Petersen

Vice President, Human Resources, Air Power, Raytheon Technologies

Jennifer Petersen is the vice president of Human Resources for the Air Power strategic business unit of Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business. In this role she is responsible for leading human resources strategies, including talent recruitment, retention, and development.

Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hyper sonics and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.

In her current role — and throughout her career – Petersen has led HR teams within
organizations experiencing large-scale transformation and change. She served as vice
president of Human Resources for the corporate team at Raytheon Technologies
immediately following one of the largest mergers in aerospace and defense history.
Prior to joining Raytheon in 2016, Petersen served as senior vice president and Human Resources executive at Bank of America. In this role she led Human Resources for organizations, including Technology, Operations, Marketing and Communications, and provided HR leadership during complex mergers and restructuring. She’s previously held positions managing Human Resources at Nortel Networks and Randstad Corporations.

Petersen earned a Master of Business Administration from Simmons University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of New Hampshire.
She is a mother to three children and is an active volunteer in her community.

Ann Stanberry

Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance

Ann Stanberry is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Liberty Mutual Insurance. In her role, she is responsible for helping the organization understand trends and disruption, set the overall strategy, drive cross-business unit engagement, execute key strategic priorities across the enterprise, and innovate new products and services that position Liberty for success in the future. She oversees teams including Liberty Mutual’s internal consulting organization, the Liberty Mutual Group Alignment team, Liberty Mutual’s Strategic Venture fund, and Solaria Labs, the enterprise innovation incubator. 

Prior to this, Ann held the position of Vice President, Strategy and Planning for Liberty Mutual’s Global Retail Markets (GRM) business. In this role she managed a global organization accountable for setting global, regional and market strategies; monitoring competitive dynamics and disruptive trends; optimizing GRM’s portfolio and strategic deployment of capital; assessing and delivering on GRM’s acquisition and divestiture opportunities; driving the annual planning process; reporting financial results; and running the strategic venture fund.

Before joining Liberty Mutual in 2015, Ann spent over 10 years working as a management consultant at A.T. Kearney in the financial services space and with General Electric Financial as part of their Leadership Development Program and Internal Audit team.

A member of the WE@Liberty employee resource group, Ann serves as National Committee Co-Lead of its Culture and Experience group, which focuses on creating a supportive, engaging and empowering culture that enables women to be an integral part of Liberty Mutual’s success. Externally, she is on the board of Visible Hands, a company that supports underrepresented founders by providing the initial capital, education and network necessary to launch their startups; and Nurtury, a nonprofit organization that gives Boston’s youngest children in need the opportunity to reach their full potential by investing in school readiness, promoting healthy development and strengthening families. 

Ann earned her B.S. and M.B.A. from Duke University.

Joanne Stephane

Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and Executive Director, DEI Institute

For over 25 years, Joanne has worked with C-suite executives to define, design, and operationalize their workforce experience vision. She helps clients transform their Talent and HR organizations, from strategy through implementation and beyond, to achieve sustainable results. 

Joanne is eminent on the evolving role of HR, and of the CHRO, in shaping the way enterprises compete for & access talent, curate workforce experiences, and impact the communities where they operate. She brings this perspective in examining how organizations can and should drive towards racial equity. 

Joanne co-authored “The Equity Imperative: The need for business to take Bold Action Now,” is the CDEIO for the Human Capital practice, and is the Executive Director of Deloitte’s DEI Institute™, focused on data-driven research, challenging orthodoxies, and recommending impactful actions to help business and community leaders lead inclusive change. 

Joanne serves clients in the Consumer Products, Healthcare, and Life Sciences sectors.

Joyce Kulhawik

Emmy Award-Winning Journalist

Joyce Kulhawik, best known as the Emmy Award-winning Arts & Entertainment Critic for CBS-Boston (WBZ-TV 1981-2008), has covered local and national events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood and has co-hosted nationally-syndicated movie-review programs with Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin. As the first arts reporter/critic in the U.S. to appear every weeknight as part of a local TV news team, Kulhawik gave journalistic stature to arts reporting and greatly enhanced her station’s commitment to community service. She is currently President of The Boston Theater Critics Association and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics. Find her reviews online at JoycesChoices.com.

A 3x cancer survivor, Kulhawik testified before Congress on the 20th anniversary of The National Cancer Act and helped launch the American Cancer Society’s first HOPE LODGE in Boston, which provides free lodging for cancer patients. The ACS honored Kulhawik with its National Bronze Medal for her work. In 2010 Kulhawik received the New England Emmys Governor’s Award for her distinguished career, which includes Emmys for the WBZ series/campaign “You Gotta Have Arts!” and team coverage of the World Trade Center attacks, being among the first on the scene. The recipient of countless awards for her career and advocacy, Kulhawik has an endowed scholarship in her name at the Berklee College of Music, and is not only a graduate of Simmons College class of ’74 but also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Communications from her alma mater.

Kristen Palson

COO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership & Executive Producer, Simmons Leadership Conference

Kristen Palson is the COO of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and the Executive Producer of the Simmons Leadership Conference. She brings an innovative mind-set and fresh perspective leading with strategic, operational vision to ensure success. As a member of the Institute’s leadership team, Kristen offers a unique talent for scalable, creative solutions that mobilize resources and achieve breakthrough results. She shares a passion for this work as an authentic executive leader with expertise in cultivating individuals and teams to achieve their full potential while fostering a culture of allyship and inclusion.

Kristen brings over 15 years of experience in strategic development, operational planning, and high-performance talent management to the Institute’s Senior Leadership team.  Kristen also serves as the Institute’s lead of Marketing and Product Development where she helps clients across a wide range of industries and fields create customized experiences and learning journeys that meet their unique organizational goals. She is an expert in the creation of state-of-the-art programming in a choice of modalities: in-person, on-site, online – or blend of all three. She is passionate about learner-centered content delivery with actionable outcomes, appropriate assessments, and accessibility. Her unique background in theater infuses the design and delivery of every program with a high degree of creativity, energy, and hands-on engagement.

Kristen loves the stage and is especially passionate about children’s theater and all the incredible lifelong lessons that can be taught through the arts. She resides in the Boston area and is a proud single mother by choice raising her incredible daughter with the help of her amazing village of family and friends.