Black History Month

<p>Orlando Bowen was a linebacker in the CFL from 2000-04. He began his career with the Toronto Argonauts and ended it while playing for the Hamilton Tigercats. His career was sadly cut short after a severe concussion suffered at the hands of two corrupt police officers. </p><p>In 2004, while waiting to meet friends while in a parking lot, Orlando was approached by two undercover officers who accused him of dealing drugs. The officers then physically beat Bowen who suffered significant injuries to the head.

<p>Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” such as racism, sexism, classism and plain old stupidism, it is Risha's personal mission to expose the value of Diversity and Inclusion while shining a light on the economic impact it creates. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to growing a small business and tackling economic issues, every area of her life intersects diversity.</p><p>Risha Grant is an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion and bias expert.

<p>Through his love for chess, Maurice Ashley not only made history as the first African-American Chess Grandmaster in the annals of the game, but he has managed to translate this passion to others as a three-time national championship coach, author, ESPN commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor and inspirational speaker. </p><p>Maurice Ashley is one of a kind. A native of Jamaica who moved to New York at the age of twelve, he learn his craft in a secluded sanctuary of privilege.

<p>Ijeoma Oluo is a writer, speaker, and internet yeller. She is the author of the #1 <i>New York Times</i> Best Seller <i>So You Want to Talk About Race</i>, and most recently, <i>Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America</i>. </p><p>Her work on race has been featured in <i>The Guardian, The New York Times,</i> and <i>The Washington Post</i>, among many other publications. She was named to the 2021 <i>TIME </i>100 Next list and has twice been named to the <i>Root </i>100.

Janet M. Stovall has flourished in the highly competitive corporate Fortune 500 world. A long history of driving change and building culture in large, complex organizations has given her deep expertise around DEI practices and principles, especially in the area of communications. In fact, she broke barriers as one of the few Black C-level speechwriters in the Fortune 100.

A self-described diversity pragmatist, Stovall is best known for her TED talk challenging business to get serious about inclusion. Collectively, Stovall’s three TED presentations have nearly 3 million views.

<p>LaTosha is a contributor to <i>The New York Times</i> op-ed page and a Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund organization, LaTosha is dedicated to increasing the political power of Black people.</p><p>The Black Voters Matter Fund was credited with energizing and turning out voters in Alabama’s Black Belt and playing a decisive role in Doug Jones’ election to the U.S.

<p>Award-winning financial journalist, behavior expert and author, Stacey Tisdale, discusses the new realities of the post Covid-19 economy helping audiences navigate the financial and psychological challenges that so many are facing, due to factors such as job and income loss, loss of healthcare coverage, financial stress, and the gender and racial inequalities the virus is amplifying. </p><p>When she was a journalist with Wall Street Journal Television, Stacey became one of the first women—and the first African American—to report from the New York Stock Exchange.

<p>The subject of a major motion picture starring Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome, Anthony Robles shares his extraordinary, against-all-odds story of becoming a three-time NCAA champion wrestler, despite being born with one leg. </p><p>One of the most inspirational athletes in sports history and a true symbol of courage and perseverance, Anthony Robles was born with one leg and grew up to become an unstoppable phenomenon in NCAA wrestling, competing against able-bodied challengers, ultimately winning the NCAA Champion title, and inducted into the National Wrestling Hall

<p>Jade Simmons is a born storyteller, a classically trained pianist and a creator of transformational experiences designed to activate audiences into becoming the biggest, boldest version of themselves possible.

<p>Carla Harris is a Senior Client Advisor, Former Vice Chairman, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. The breadth of her industry experience enables her to move effortlessly from topics of technology, retail, or media sectors to healthcare, telecommunications, and transportation.</p><p>Ms. Harris began her career with Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions department in 1987. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Carla received from Harvard Business School an MBA, Second Year Honors and an AB in economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude.