Diversity & Inclusion (U)

<p>Tina Tchen shares hope, ideas and strategies that inspire others to recognize the power of diverse teams and keep equality on the forefront of the global agenda.</p><p>Now the Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Policy Officer for the Obama Foundation, Tina Tchen served previously as Chief of Staff to the First Lady, Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and Executive Director of the Council on Women and Girls. She led the first-ever White House Summit on Working Families as well as the first-ever United State of Women Summit.

<p>Retired Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva shares his powerful story of coming out as a gay man in the armed forces as well as his ardent advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.</p><p>The first American soldier injured in the Iraq War, Eric was hailed as an American hero. While he lost his leg in combat, his spirit remained stronger than ever — upon retirement, Eric came out as gay.

<p>Filmmaker and Human rights activist, Barbara Martinez Jitner, is the inspiration for the Jennifer Lopez film <i>Bordertown</i>. Martinez Jitner posed as a worker in a factory on the Mexican border in order to uncover a dark world of grueling poverty and sexual abuse that has led to over 400 women being murdered in the border town of Juarez, Mexico.

Keith Boykin is a national political commentator, TV and film producer, New York Times best-selling author, and a former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. His latest books are Race Against Time: The Politics of a Darkening America (2021), Quitting: Why I Left My Job to Live a Life of Freedom (2022) and Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race? (2024).

<p>Celebrated for her compelling storytelling and in-depth reporting, Soledad O’Brien shares with audiences her thought-provoking insights on media, race, class, and socioeconomic issues—and how the power of our stories can drive change. </p><p>Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning documentarian, journalist, speaker, author, philanthropist, and founder of Soledad O’Brien Productions, a media production company dedicated to telling empowering and authentic stories on a range of social issues.

<p>Jeff is a teller of stories, developer of messages, and architect of social solutions who’s as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind the scenes developing strategy and messages for his clients. </p>

<p>Iconic activist Angela Davis has made it her mission to share her life story and challenge her audiences to join the struggle for racial, economic, and gender justice. </p><p>Angela has been deeply involved in some of the major social movements over the last 50 years. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala., by parents who were active community organizers. As a teenager, she marched and picketed against racial segregation. Angela went on earn a doctorate in philosophy.

<p>Bob Zellner brings to life the victories, struggles and heartbreaks of the Civil Rights era in a way that empowers and instructs audiences and the modern-day movement. </p><p>Bob is one of the most influential leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, from the 1960s to today. The son and grandson of Ku Klux Klan members, he risked his life – and nearly lost it – many times in the fight to achieve The Second Emancipation.

Michelle Alexander’s acclaimed best-seller, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness released a special 10th anniversary edition in January 2020.

<p>Chosen by Oprah's O Magazine as one of 20 women on the first "O Power List," Mayda del Valle has been described by the Chicago Sun-Times as having, "a way with words." Indeed, the powerhouse performance poet does.</p>