Farzana Nayani is a recognized Diversity, Equity & Inclusion specialist and established Intercultural practitioner. She has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, public agencies, higher education institutions, and non-profit organizations as a consultant and trainer on diversity and inclusion, intercultural communication, supplier diversity, and employee engagement. Farzana’s advisory work with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), small business advocacy, and entrepreneurship has taken her to engagements across North America, from the White House to Silicon Valley.

 

Farzana’s expertise has been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, DiversityInc, NPR, and the LA Times. She is based in Los Angeles, CA with a global upbringing including ties to South and Southeast Asia, and Canada, and is a published author on organizational training and culture, and an executive coach. Farzana is a frequently requested speaker on D&I, race, unconscious bias, leadership, culture, and identity.

Michon Ellis is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at LimeGreen Moroch, LLC.

Established in 2004, LimeGreen Moroch is a cross-cultural marketing agency and

certified Minority Business Enterprise based in Chicago. The agency also has outposts in

Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York City. Notable clients include Bacardi USA, McDonalds, Johnson and Johnson, United States Tennis Association and Universal Beauty.

LimeGreen Moroch is part of Moroch Holdings Inc., a privately-owned family of

integrated marketing and communications companies.

A 25-year veteran, Michon is responsible for client partnerships, agency profitability and overall organizational growth and culture.

He launched LimeGreen Moroch after spending nearly 15 years in the marketing communications industry . . . this included serving as Director of Global Marketing Communications for the McDonald’s Corporation.

Prior to his eight-year tenure with McDonald’s, Michon held executive positions at many

levels for some of the nation’s leading marketing communications agencies that included

Edelman, Porter Novelli and Ketchum Communications. While on the agency side, he

developed strategies and directed the execution of numerous national marketing

communications programs and public relations campaigns for a diverse roster of clients

ranging from health care, consumer goods, philanthropy and quick service restaurants.

Among these were: State Farm, Schering-Plough, Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods,

Inc., Ronald McDonald House Charities, Wendy’s International and McDonald’s Corporation.

Michon is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition from leading industry organizations such as the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), Telly, Aegis, MarComm and Event Marketer Magazine. He was named “Advertising Executive Of The Year” by Target Market News as well as “Entrepreneur Of The Year” by the National Black Public Relations Society.

Michon is involved with a number of national non-profit organizations including the Economic Club of Chicago, United States Tennis Association, The Posse Foundation, National Association of Asian-American Professionals and 100 Black Men.

A former Division I football player, Michon graduated from Miami University in Oxford,

Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in English Journalism.

Cid Wilson was named President & Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) in July 2014. Wilson brings more than 20 years of corporate finance and Wall Street equity research experience. He manages a staff of talented and dedicated professionals and works closely with corporate board members, Hispanic organizations, and corporate partners around the country, to increase the representation of Hispanics at all levels in Corporate America. Additionally, Wilson directs programs and initiatives aimed at encouraging Fortune 500 companies to include Hispanics in the areas of employment, procurement, philanthropy, and governance.
As the public face of the organization, Wilson promotes HACR through speaking engagements, traditional media sources, and outreach to organizations and employee resource groups who share HACR’s mission. His ease in communicating within the C-level suite of major U.S. corporations presents a unique advantage in creating new partnerships, as well as strengthening relationships with existing corporate members.
Wilson has been featured and quoted in numerous publications and by news media, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, and Bloomberg TV. In February 2004, he was on the cover of Black Enterprise Magazine; in March 2017, he was featured in MONEY Magazine; and most recently, he shared the cover of LATINO Magazine with the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Company, Mary Barra.
In September 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Wilson to the National Museum of the American Latino Study Commission that proposed to the President and Congress construction of a new Smithsonian Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He was named board chair of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino in 2012 and continues to lead advocacy efforts aimed at sustaining Congressional support for the museum’s completion.
Graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in economics, Wilson launched his career in 1993 and was steadily promoted from the mailroom to the executive suite, earning national recognition as the #1 Specialty Retail Analyst by Forbes in 2006. His leadership in the corporate sector also included previous service on the Ethnic Advisory Board for PepsiCo, Inc., and the Consumer Advisory Board for Verizon Communications.

Donna Dozier Gordon is director of Diversity & Inclusion for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). In this capacity, she leads the USTA’s Supplier Diversity initiative as well as the Strategic Partnerships and the Human Assets elements of its Diversity & Inclusion strategy.

Under Dozier Gordon’s leadership, USTA launched a series of supplier diversity showcase events to facilitate diverse supplier relationships and underscore the association’s commitment to grow its spend with diverse suppliers. She is also responsible for the launch of a Leadership Development Institute to support the career advancement and development of the leaders of USTA’s seven BRG’s and expanding the company’s D&I internship program to include a graduate student component.

Prior to joining the USTA, Dozier Gordon worked with Darden Restaurants where she held several positions of increasing responsibility. Among them, she established and managed Darden’s Supplier Diversity effort, led its purchasing liaison function, rolled out diversity training to the company’s more than 1,700 general managers and was also responsible for administration of the company’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified headquarter facility.

She has also worked in the areas of diversity management, public and community relations for the Hotel Division of Cendant Corporation (now Wyndham Worldwide), Burson-Marsteller, The Rowland Company and the New York City Office of the Mayor.

Dozier Gordon earned her B.A. degree from Cornell University, her M.P.A. from the Wagner School at New York University and an M.B.A. from the Crummer Business School at Rollins College.

Fabian De Rozario is a business and community leader who has led, coached, and trained thousands of people globally. Fabian is a thought-leader and an energizing speaker in the topics of leadership, engagement, diversity and inclusion, delivering more than 100 workshops and seminars each year worldwide.
Fabian started his consulting & training practice GlobalConnect LLC in 2005 and is also an on-call consultant and senior faculty at Korn Ferry, a global organizational consultancy. He has worked with more than 150 corporations, mostly Fortune 500 companies. He is a subject expert of diversity & inclusion, talent engagement, unconscious bias, cultural agility, and leadership. Fabian previously served as National President & CEO of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) and currently serves on its National Board of Directors. He previously served in student services leadership, faculty, and corporate trainer roles at Northern Illinois University and at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (as Director of the Donaghey Student Center). From 1998 to 2006, Fabian was the Director of U.S. University Relations and the Director of Global Operations at the Golden Key International Honour Society headquartered in Atlanta. His acknowledgements include the Outstanding Asian American Leader Award from the U.S. Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce – Southeast Region, the President’s Award from the Georgia Society of Association Executives, and the 2011 Class of Leadership Atlanta.
Fabian’s 30 years of professional and volunteer experiences have equipped him to now coach and train people across the globe, allowing him to pursue his deep passion, which is developing people.

Jason is currently the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Techstars. Jason was hired in April of 2018 to lead the development of a D&I program within the Techstars’ network of experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporate partners.

A 25-year veteran in the area of diversity and inclusion programs in sports, health care, and education. Thompson developed the initial diversity and inclusion program for the United States Olympic Committee. In that role, Jason created the D&I scored cards to measure diversity within the US Olympic movement. Under his leadership, the USOC became the first large sports organization in the US to release its diversity data.

The diversity and inclusion programs developed by Jason have won several awards at the local and international level. Most recently the D&I Scorecard developed by Jason received the top honor in the 2016 International Innovations in Diversity Awards program from the Profiles in Diversity Journal. Jason was also recognized as a 2017 and 2018 Diversity Leader by the Profiles in Diversity Journal . In 2015, the USOC D&I department received the Diversity Champion Award for Excellence from the Colorado SHRM.

Jason has served on local, regional and national committees for multiple organizations, including the Diversity and Inclusion Sports Consortium (DISC), Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, Oklahoma Diversity Officers and Practitioners Consortium, United States Commission on Civil Rights, Advisory Board and the Center for African-American Health.
Thompson earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Wyoming and has completed executive training programs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School and Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management executive training program.

Jessica is Vice President, Community Development, Culture & Growth at the National Hockey League, and she is also the Executive Director of the NHL Foundation. In this role she participates in the design and execution of the League’s strategic corporate social responsibility goals, initiatives, policies and programs in the areas of importance to the League, the NHL Clubs, the NHL’s business partners and the hockey community generally, with a particular focus on ensuring the initiatives are properly aligned with the League’s overall objectives and strategy. The focus of her work is to change the global conversation about hockey, making it the acknowledged standard for sports experiences that are inclusive, accessible, enjoyable and community-friendly. In her philanthropic role, she works to increase access and reduce barriers to the game of hockey, considering the life skills and positive values learned through the sport.
Prior to this position, she was Vice President & Deputy General Counsel for the NHL. She was a member of the collective bargaining team for the 2012 NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, which involved crafting the League’s labor strategy, negotiating with the NHLPA, drafting the Agreement, and analyzing the impact of proposed changes.
Prior to working for the NHL, Jessica was an Associate in the Labor & Employment Department at Proskauer Rose LLP. At Proskauer, she represented employers in collective bargaining, mediations, arbitrations and litigations. While at Proskauer, she also handled pro bono matters, mostly relating to domestic violence, sexual assault and military service.

Jessica graduated from Fordham University School of Law where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Fordham Sports Law Forum and an Associate Editor of the Urban Law Journal. She graduated from the University of Michigan, School of Kinesiology with an undergraduate degree in Sports Management and Communications with distinction. During her years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she worked as the Assistant Manager for the Men’s Ice Hockey team and the Men’s Football team through the Sports Information Department. In 2009 the University of Michigan, School of Kinesiology awarded her the Early Career Achievement Award, and in 2015 she delivered the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology Commencement Address.

Jessica has lectured on corporate social responsibility, social impact, youth sports, diversity & inclusion, labor law, collective bargaining in sports, immigration law in sports, sports arbitration and breaking into the sports industry. Jessica remains active with the University of Michigan having served on the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology Alumni Board, and currently serving on the Board of Advisors of the Michigan Sports Business Conference and on the UM Sport Management Advisory Board. In 2012, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Sports Lawyers Association. In 2014 she was selected to receive the Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award. In 2015 she was presented with the Burke Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Board of Directors of the Burke Medical Research Institute and Burke Rehabilitation Hospital for her commitment to helping people with brain injuries.

Outside of her professional pursuits Jessica is an avid runner and has completed several marathons, half marathons and Tough Mudders. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and now resides in Westchester with her two sons who are both playing hockey, soccer and baseball.

Diversity & Inclusion Consultant and Co-Founder Diversity & Inclusion Consortium,
Former Director & Leader of Hallmark’s Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Department

Michael is the principal owner of NE&E consulting and travels the country as a consultant, executive coach, speaker, panelist and advisor on D&I topics impacting business and workforce imperatives. As the former corporate leader of Hallmark’s D&I department, he was responsible for Hallmark’s D&I’s strategies and objectives, their internal and external collaborations, partnerships and compliance. He was responsible for the execution of the D&I’s priorities regarding, workforce, workplace, marketplace and community. Michael was also responsible for the company’s seven Employee Resource Groups, (ERG’s).

He is also the co-founder of the Diversity & Inclusion Consortium, a national organization of over 265 D&I practitioners and advocates. The Consortium was created when he saw a need for collaborative thought and sharing. The main objective of the Consortium is to share best practice and to provide each other insights and support regarding D&I opportunities and challenges.

Michael is a frequent lecturer on university campuses advancing student knowledge and appreciation for D&I not only for their college experience but in preparation for their professional career. He will assume the role of adjunct professor teaching a course in diversity, inclusion and equity at Kansas Univerisity the Spring semester 2020

He currently serves on 12 national, regional and local boards and councils

Michael is skilled in the areas of executive coaching, assessment & consulting, speaking & presentations, building critical relations, innovation and resourcing, business collaboration, employee relations, diverse and cultural understandings, compliance metrics and program management

Jane Hyun is the author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, co-author of FLEX, and Founder and President of Hyun & Associates. She is an executive coach and leadership strategist to Fortune 500 companies, schools, and professional associations. Prior to starting her consulting firm, she was a Vice President of HR at JP Morgan and Director of Recruiting at Deloitte &Touche and Resources Global. Her programs (Bamboo Ceiling Series/The Art of Cultural Fluency) have received international acclaim from Fortune 500 companies who seek to leverage the cultural capital of their talent pool to win in today’s global marketplace. She has advised senior management teams and diversity councils on the importance of leading effective multicultural teams.

Hyun is continually sought after for her expertise in the area of talent management of women and multicultural professionals. Her clients range from small companies to large multinationals in financial services, consumer products, consulting/professional services, technology, retail, nonprofit, and schools who seek to adopt next-generation leadership practices.

Her work has received international recognition and Hyun appears regularly on CNN, CNBC, National Public Radio, and Marketwatch, as well as in Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Chief Executive, and other media. A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in economics/international studies, she serves on the Women’s Alumnae Council, is an advisor to the Toigo Foundation, and is an advisor to the Hidden Brain Drain Taskforce, the organization which authored recent Harvard Business Review studies, “Off-Ramps/On-Ramps,” “Sin Fronteras,” “Female Talent in Emerging Markets,” and “The Sponsor Effect.”