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2021 Speakers

Special Guest Speakers

Payal Sahni Becher

Payal Sahni Becher

PAYAL SAHNI BECHER is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Pfizer. She is responsible for Pfizer’s global talent strategy, diversity, and inclusion, total rewards, and colleague ...
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Antoinette Brock

Antoinette Brock

ANTOINETTE BROCK is VP of corporate analytics and global transparency reporting at BMS. In this role, she oversees enterprise-wide HR analytics, including corporate diversity and inclusion analytics initiatives, ...
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Celeste Headlee

Master of Ceremonies, Celeste Headlee

CELESTE HEADLEE is a journalist, professional speaker, and author of the books We Need To Talk, Do Nothing, and Speaking of Race. Her TEDx Talk, 10 Ways to Have a Better ...
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Amna Nawaz

AMNA NAWAZ joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018, and currently serves as chief correspondent. Prior to joining the NewsHour, Nawaz was an anchor and correspondent at ABC News, and before that, she served as a foreign ...
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Mellita Neely

MELLITA NEELY is director, Medicare product development and management, at Independence Blue Cross. She has more than 15 years of diverse industry experience, including consumer finance and healthcare. Time and ...
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Aminatou Sow

AMINATOU SOW is a writer, cultural critic, and entrepreneur. She is renowned as co-host of the hit podcast Call Your Girlfriend, which tackles the intricacies of feminism, pop culture and the latest in politics. A ...
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Shawn Dawson Troutt

Shawn Dawson Troutt

SHAWN DAWSON TROUTT is the vice president of licensing strategy at Cisco Systems, Inc. In this role, Troutt and team enable Cisco’s software and subscription business by developing licensing strategies, standards, ...
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Laysha Ward

Moderator | EVP, Chief External Engagement Officer, Target ...
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Jenna Wortham

JENNA WORTHAM (she/they) is a journalist, author, and cultural figure whose work has appeared everywhere from the New York Times, to Vogue, to WIRED, to The Economic Times. Wortham is currently a staff writer for ...
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Keynotes

Brené Brown

DR. BRENÉ BROWN is a research professor at the University of Houston where she ...
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Glenn Close

GLENN CLOSE is an eight-time Academy Award-nominated actress and multiple Golden ...
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Laverne Cox

LAVERNE COX is a four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer, and a ...
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Special Guest Speakers

Payal Sahni Becher

Payal Sahni Becher

PAYAL SAHNI BECHER is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at ...
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Antoinette Brock

Antoinette Brock

ANTOINETTE BROCK is VP of corporate analytics and global transparency reporting at ...
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Celeste Headlee

Master of Ceremonies, Celeste Headlee

CELESTE HEADLEE is a journalist, professional speaker, and author of the ...
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Amna Nawaz

AMNA NAWAZ joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018, and currently serves as chief ...
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Mellita Neely

MELLITA NEELY is director, Medicare product development and management, at ...
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Aminatou Sow

AMINATOU SOW is a writer, cultural critic, and entrepreneur. She is renowned as ...
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Shawn Dawson Troutt

Shawn Dawson Troutt

SHAWN DAWSON TROUTT is the vice president of licensing strategy at Cisco Systems, ...
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Laysha Ward

Moderator | EVP, Chief External Engagement Officer, Target ...
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Jenna Wortham

JENNA WORTHAM (she/they) is a journalist, author, and cultural figure whose work has ...
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Speakers

Jenice Armstrong

Jenice Armstrong

JENICE ARMSTRONG is a newspaper metro columnist with more than twenty-five years of ...
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Rachana Bhide

RACHANA BHIDE is a 22-year leadership psychologist and broadcaster, formerly ...
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Simone Biles

SIMONE BILES is known as one of the greatest gymnasts of all-time. The first woman to ...
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Susan Cain

Susan Cain

SUSAN CAIN is the author of the best-sellers Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of ...
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Dolly Chugh

Dolly Chugh

DOLLY CHUGH is an award-winning professor at the New York University Stern School of ...
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Michelle Gielan

MICHELLE GIELAN has spent the past decade researching the link between happiness and ...
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Linda A. Hill

LINDA A. HILL is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at the ...
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Alexandra Levit

ALEXANDRA LEVIT is a business and workplace author, speaker and consultant. Her goal ...
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Nora McInerny

NORA McINERNY is a writer whose pieces have appeared in the New York Times, TIME ...
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Cecilia Muñoz

CECILIA MUÑOZ is a national leader in public policy and public interest technology ...
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Erica Williams Simon

Speaker | Career Progression: Getting From Here to There ...
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Simon Sinek

SIMON SINEK is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability ...
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Jessamyn Stanley

JESSAMYN STANLEY is an internationally acclaimed voice in wellness, highly sought ...
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Session Hosts

Lorraine Bernotsky

Dr. R. Lorraine (Laurie) Bernotsky

DR. R. LORRAINE (LAURIE) BERNOTSKY is executive vice president and provost at West ...
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Gina Clark

Gina Clark

GINA CLARK is the executive vice president and chief communications & ...
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Angela Conti

Angela Conti

ANGELA CONTI is SVP and head of consumer payments at TD Bank. She leads the ...
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Lea Knight

Lea Knight

LEA KNIGHT is the VP of finance for the Janssen Supply Chain at Johnson & ...
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Kate Lemire

Karen Lemire

KAREN LEMIRE is chief of staff for Cisco’s global software and services sales ...
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Kristie Pappal

KRISTIE PAPPAL joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007, and currently serves as the ...
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Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD

JOYCE E. A. RUSSELL, PhD, is The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova ...
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Damaris Schneider

Damaris Schneider

DAMARIS SCHNEIDER is a managing director at State Street’s transformation ...
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Executive Spotlights

Payal Sahni Becher

Payal Sahni Becher

PAYAL SAHNI BECHER is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at ...
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Michelle Calope

MICHELLE CALOPE is the VP, US cardiovascular for Bristol Myers Squibb. Calope started ...
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Kortney Cruz

Kortney Cruz

KORTNEY CRUZ is VP of sales and marketing for Medicare at Independence Blue Cross. ...
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Karen Etzkorn

KAREN ETZKORN is the chief information officer of Qurate Retail GroupSM, leading ...
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Loren Hudson

Loren Hudson

LOREN HUDSON is SVP and chief diversity officer for Comcast Cable. In this role, ...
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Daniela Mardarovici

Daniela Mardarovici

DANIELA MARDAROVICI co-leads the firm’s US Multisector Fixed Income efforts for ...
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Anna Rodriguez

Anna Rodriguez

ANNA RODRIGUEZ, MSN, MHS, RN, OCN, NEA-BC is the chief nursing officer and VP of ...
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Sindhu Srinivas

Sindhu Srinivas

DR. SINDU SRINIVAS is a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and the director of ...
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Funmi Williamson

Host | How to Advocate for Yourself and Others…Without Risking your Career ...
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Learning Burst & Break Speakers

Dr. Aronté Bennett

DR. ARONTÉ BENNETT is an associate professor of marketing and the assistant ...
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Dr. Lauren D'Innocenzo

DR. LAUREN D’INNOCENZO  is an associate professor of organizational behavior and ...
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Colleen Eichman

Colleen Eichman

COLLEEN EICHMAN is a senior manager with Janssen’s commercial and leadership ...
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Nikki Pumphrey

Nikki Pumphrey

NIKKI PUMPHREY is the managing director of Per Scholas’s Philadelphia Campus. She ...
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Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD

JOYCE E. A. RUSSELL, PhD, is The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova ...
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Allyson Saccomandi

Allyson Saccomandi

ALLYSON SACCOMANDI, M.Ed. is the director of leadership and organizational ...
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Dana Yamate

Dana Yamate

DANA YAMATE LeGRAND is the director of market research and intelligence at ...
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