Leadership (U)

<p>Sherrilyn Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and scholar. From 2013-2022, she served as the President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. She recently served as a Ford Foundation Fellow and as the Klinsky Visiting Professor for Leadership & Progress at Howard Law School.

<p>The former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and bestselling author of the memoir <i>Lessons from the Edge </i>shares insights on the region and the current crisis as well as experiences from her 33-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service.</p><p>Marie Yovanovitch served three times as U.S. Ambassador, most recently in Kyiv as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. Previously, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008) and the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011).

<p>Michelle Gielan has spent the past decade researching the link between happiness and success. She is the bestselling author of <i>Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change</i> and was named one of the Top 10 authors on resilience by the <i>Harvard Business Review</i>. </p><p>Michelle holds an advanced degree in Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Executive Producer of <i>The Happiness Advantage </i>on PBS and a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course.

<p>Shaquem Griffin, the first one-handed former NFL linebacker in history, played four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins before retiring in 2022.</p><p> Now a sought-after motivational speaker, he has inspired D1 Power 4 programs, pro teams, Fortune 500 companies, and more, around the world. He serves as an Advisor for a Venture Capitol, BIG12 Alumni Counsel Member, and startup advisor. Co-founder of Consumer Launch Pad and Y.O.U.

<p>Inclusive leadership expert Lee Jourdan explains why workplace diversity gives organizations a competitive advantage, and offers concrete solutions for leveraging it amid the changing landscape.</p><p>Though data shows more diverse companies outperform their less diverse competitors, DEI efforts face growing challenges—from rulings against affirmative action to the current administration’s rollback of DEI initiatives. So what does this mean for the future of DEI?

<p>C. Dixon Osburn is the Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, United States, a global NGO focused on strengthening democracy against the rising tide of extremism, hate and disinformation.

<p>Dr. Bernice Albertine King is the youngest daughter to the late civil rights leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was five years old when her father was assassinated in 1968. </p><p>King answered the call to ministry at the age of seventeen when she gave an address advocating against the South African apartheid to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. In 1985 and again in 1986, she was arrested with her siblings while protesting against apartheid.

<p>Gus Perna, the visionary leader and logistician who led the most rapid vaccine deployment effort in global history, shares his proven principles of leadership, teamwork, and strategic planning—as well as the surprising ways AI bolstered the operation’s success, and insights on how organizations can harness its power. </p><p>Before he was named to co-lead the U.S. government’s COVID-19 response in 2020 with Operation Warp Speed, General Gus Perna served as head of the U.S.

<p>After bringing home the gold and silver medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Laurie Hernandez went on to win the coveted mirror ball trophy on <em>Dancing with the Stars</em>, and to publish two books:<em> I Got This: To Gold</em> <em>and Beyond</em>, in 2017, and a picture book for children,<em> She’s Got This</em>, in 2018. Both were <em>New York Times </em>bestsellers.

<p>Captain Sandy is a leader, hero and businesswoman whose exceptional leadership style has helped her to break through every obstacle in her path – from the glass ceilings and near-fatal accidents on land to pirates and fires at sea!</p>