Ivory Toldson
Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is the chief of research for concentric educational solutions, a professor of counseling psychology at Howard University, and the editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education. He also serves as the executive editor of the Journal of Policy Analysis and Research, published by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. He has authored over 100 scholarly works, including 4 books. Dr. Toldson’s media appearances on MSNBC, CNN, and NPR highlight his commitment to public discourse. He wrote the Brill bestseller, “No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People.” Dr. Toldson was named one of the nation’s top 200 most influential education scholars by Education Week’s Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. Previously, he served as the director of education for the NAACP and has been the principal investigator for more than 20 NSF grants totaling over $11 million. The Washington Post described him as a leader “who could conceivably navigate the path to the White House,” Newsweek Magazine listed him among “30 leaders in the fight for Black men,” and Diverse: Issues In Higher Education called him the “Problem Solver.” His research and commentary have also been featured in CNN.com, The New York Times, The National Journal, Essence Magazine, US News and World Report, The Grio, and Ebony Magazine. Dr. Toldson also served as the president of the QEM Network and was appointed by President Barack Obama as the executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. He is active on social media, providing public commentary, and has given over 200 research presentations in 41 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and internationally in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Scotland, South Africa, France, and Spain. He is an art collector and has over 100 unique works of art in the home he shares with his wife, Marshella, and their two children in Washington, DC.
Emily Hawkins is a communications and marketing maven with nearly 20 years of experience within retail, fashion, entertainment, nonprofit, DEI, and social responsibility arenas. Emily has led strategic external communications and community relations for companies like Alvin Ailey, Amazon, Corcoran Group, Google, and Macy’s. In 2022, Hawkins founded The Black Tech Collective, an organization that creates supported spaces for Black techies to gather, commune, and elevate.
Emily Hawkins
Nzinga “Zing” Shaw is the President & CEO of Attack the Glass LLC (ATG), a dynamic organization founded in 2019 with a bold mission to amplify dimensions of diversity across every facet of the human experience. As a seasoned C-suite executive, Zing brings extensive hands-on experience and knowledge spanning DEI, human capital management, change and crisis management, marketing, community engagement and more.
With a background in pioneering DEI strategy in publicly traded and privately held organizations, including as the first Chief DEI Officer at four blue-chip organizations: Starbucks, Marsh McLennan, Edelman, and the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks, Zing is known for launching groundbreaking initiatives such as the MOSAIC (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusion Conversations) symposium and spearheading efforts to celebrate the underserved communities in professional sports, including LGBTQIA+ and Differently Abled.
In addition to her role at ATG, Zing serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Tennessee and Fisk University. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple “40 Under 40” accolades by PR Week, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia Trend Magazine, The Network Journal, and Sports Business Journal, and holds positions on several prominent boards, including the YMCA of Metro Atlanta and Rising Media Stars while serving the Board of Trustees at Bennett College. Zing is a member of The Links, Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Zing holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, and she is a proud recipient of two Honorary Doctorate degrees in Humane Letters from LeMoyne Owen College and Morris Brown College, respectively. When she’s not driving change in the corporate world, Zing enjoys interior design, international travel, and spending time with her husband Keith and three children, Lacy, Hudson, and Trey.
Nzinga Shaw
Aisha Alexander-Young is a context creator, systems disruptor, philanthropic advisor, and Black wealth organizer whose career is focused on the intersection of race, place, & opportunity. She has worked tirelessly and intentionally behind the scenes as one of the leading philanthropic voices and strategists focused on Black liberation. Through her philanthropic leadership and advising, Aisha is responsible for raising over $150 million for Black-led movements.
Aisha currently serves as the Managing Director for Frontline Solutions, the premier management consulting firm sought internationally by institutions seeking to advance equity, justice, and liberation. Prior, she was the founding CEO for Giving Gap, the sole giving platform focused on cataloging and catalyzing Black-founded and led nonprofits, and was the Vice President for Strategy and Equity for Meyer Foundation, where she ideated and led the Fund for Black Change, a $25 million commitment to movement organizations in the DC Metropolitan Area. As a consultant, Aisha has worked with some of the most pivotal social change foundations, nonprofits, and movement organizations, including Dream Defenders, which she has worked with since their inception in the wake of the murder of Trayvon Martin. When asked about her impact on their work, Dream Defenders’ founder Phillip Agenw said, “Aisha completely turned our organization and work around. I know that the Dream Defenders would not exist without her. She brings creativity, thoroughness, and love to all of us, and we are stronger and still here because of it.”.
Aisha has served on a number of boards and currently serves as Governance Chair on the board of the Association for Black Foundation Executives (ABFE). Aisha is a native of Charlotte, North Carolina where she managed the campaign for the city’s first Black woman elected mayor, Viola Alexander-Lyles. She currently resides in D.C. with her husband and two daughters.
Aisha Alexander-Young
Shavonne Holman is an accomplished Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychologist who has dedicated the majority of her career to enhancing selection processes within organizations, particularly for people of color (POCs). She currently holds the esteemed position of Deputy Director of Talent Management at the United States Digital Service (USDS) within the White House. Before her current role, Shavonne served as the Recruitment & Assessment Manager at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, where she led strategic initiatives to improve hiring and selection practices within the agency.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Shavonne now resides in the DC metro area. She began her educational journey at Howard University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, and later pursued an advanced degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Shavonne is also the co-founder of Blacks in I/O Psychology (BIOP), a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to fostering professional networking and learning opportunities for Black industrial-organizational psychologists, practitioners, students, and allies. Under her leadership, BIOP hosts an annual conference and gala that brings together students, academics, and practitioners to address challenges, share experiences, and celebrate the contributions of Black psychologists. Additionally, Shavonne has been instrumental in establishing mentorship programs and scholarship initiatives through BIOP. To date, the organization has awarded over $30,000 in scholarships to support the academic and professional development of aspiring Black I-O psychologists. Her unwavering commitment to mentorship and education has made a significant impact on the I-O psychology community, and she continues to inspire and uplift the next generation of leaders in the field.
Shavonne Holman
Macy Cheeks, M.S., SHRM-CP is an I/O Psychology practitioner specializing in data analytics, pay equity, and federal compliance. Currently a Manager of Enterprise Solutions at DCI Consulting, Macy brings expertise from roles at USPS and Lockheed Martin.
As a co-founder of the membership based non-profit, Blacks in I/O Psychology, she is passionate about promoting representation in the I/O field. Macy holds a Master’s in I/O Psychology from Emporia State University and is recognized for her award-winning research published by the APA.
Named one of Alexandria’s top 40 under 40 professionals in 2022, Macy is known for her contributions to the business and local community across various industries. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the DC metro area’s bustling culinary scene.
Macy Cheeks
Based in Washington DC, Gloria Nauden is a dynamic results-driven executive who leads with imagination, instinct, and impact. Equipped with deep cross-sector experience, multi-level partnerships and veteran insights, she has contributed to the growth of some of America’s most influential public, private and philanthropic organizations.
Gloria was recently appointed the interim CEO of Philanthropy DMV, a trade association of Greater Washington regional area of grantmakers in public, private and philanthropic sectors. Members represent a cross-section of philanthropy, including family foundations, corporate giving, public charities and government grant making agencies.
Gloria also maintains her own grassroots economic empowerment nonprofit, DC Community Development Consortium Institute (DCCDC), inspired by her service in the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) banking industry as VP of Marketing & Corporate Communications at City First Bank, publicly trading as Broadway Financial (NASDAQ: BYFC). City First is the largest Black-led CDFI minority depository institution in the nation with over $1.5B in assets under management. Gloria developed and elevated its distinct brand position and worked to establish City First as the first Certified B Corp bank in the U.S.
Gloria began her career at Black Entertainment Television (NYSE: BET Holdings) during its historic startup years, serving as the marketing director in the Office of the Chairman, Strategic Business Development Group, charged with launching key growth initiatives BET.com, and BET Soundstage. Prior to that she was the Corporate Affairs liaison for the co-founder while working her way up from being the executive assistant to the President.
Her passion for civic and community engagement drove her to public service as an appointee in District of Columbia government, leading the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Gloria was able to help raise the profile of Washington as a multi-cultural arts epicenter, while advancing the mission of the $14MM grant making agency, implementing DEI strategies that expanded funding access to the arts by 77%; and is responsible for creating Art all Night and Art202, which has circulated millions of dollars in DC.
Gloria is a proud mother of two daughters. She participates in her community as a member of Leadership Greater Washington, a founding member of 100 Black Women of DC’s chapter, and member of Women of Color in Community Development. She also volunteers as a grant reviewer at the Catalogue for Philanthropy, as well as The Greater Washington Community Foundation; and serves on the boards of Viva Dance School, Capitalbop.com and Words, Beats & Life.
Gloria Nauden
Cameron Trimble has over 17 years of experience crafting communication and digital engagement strategies across a diverse array of sectors. He’s held pivotal roles in Fortune 500 companies, the White House, US Congress, and various industries including entertainment and healthcare. Currently, he serves as a partner at Spero Studio, a minority-owned integrated communications firm in DC, and as Founder of Hip Politics, an organization empowering the political voice of the Hip-Hop generation.
In the political arena, Cameron’s impact is profound. He served as President Biden’s White House Director of Digital Engagement, pioneering innovative approaches to digital content dissemination. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Cameron played a lead role in getting out the Black vote for Joe Biden’s campaign serving as the National Director of African American Paid Media for the Biden For President campaign. He led a record investment African American outreach and advertising program that resulted in record Black voter turnout around the country.
Cameron is the host of The Hip-Politics Podcast, facilitating conversations at the nexus of politics and music. He also served as Executive Vice President at Precision Strategies, launching the firm’s multicultural engagement department and handling communications for a spectrum of clients from sports entities to healthcare organizations.
Cameron’s career includes senior roles in Congress, including getting his start in 2009 as the digital media director for the late great Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johsnon of Texas. He started his Capitol Hill career as a fellow on the Committee on Science Space and Technology. He has been committed to advocacy for diversity and inclusion, exemplified by co-founding Men of Color in Communications. A proud Howard University alumnus hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Cameron Trimble continues to shape the landscape of communication and political engagement.
Cameron Trimble
Jennifer Snowden-McKay is a pioneering force in the cannabis industry as the first Black woman to own and operate a cannabis distribution technology platform. As founder and CEO of High Road, she has grown the VC-backed company into the largest cannabis delivery service operating across seven states and growing. A creative problem-solver, she has forged groundbreaking partnerships with entertainment and hospitality giants like Live Nation, Soho House, and Broccoli City Festival, bridging cannabis with mainstream industries.
Snowden-McKay’s innovative leadership has earned her recognition as a finalist in Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition Prize (2023) and membership in the Project W Tech Equity Hub (2024). Her commitment to diversity is further exemplified by her participation in the i2 Accelerator Program for minorities in cannabis.
A sought-after expert, Snowden-McKay advises governmental bodies on cannabis legislation and regulation, emphasizing equity and inclusion. With over eight years of experience in cannabis indstury, Snowden-McKay has successfully navigated complex regulations to build a scalable, compliant platform. Her mission extends beyond business success, focusing on reimagining legal cannabis access while ensuring marginalized communities have a voice in the industry’s development.
Snowden-McKay holds a BA in Business Administration from Florida A&M University, an MA in Community Planning from the University of Maryland College Park, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Her work is reshaping the cannabis industry landscape, making her a standout figure in both business and social equity realms.
Jennifer Snowden-McKay