2024 Speakers

Tricia Hersey has over 20 years of experience as a multidisciplinary artist, writer, theologian and community organizer. She is a Chicago native who has called Atlanta home for 14 years. Tricia is the founder of The Nap Ministry, the originator of the ‘rest as resistance’ and ‘rest as reparations’ frameworks, and creates sacred spaces where the liberatory, restorative, and disruptive power of rest can take hold. Her work is seeded within the soils of Black radical thought, somatics, Afrofuturism, womanism, and […]

Ovetta Sampson is a tech industry professional who strives to amplify the beauty of humanity with design while avoiding practices that exploit its fragility. She has worked in multiple industries designing with various technologies including machine learning and artificial intelligence, IoT and AR/VR. Named one of the Top 15 People in Enterprise Artificial Intelligence by Business Insider in 2023, Ovetta has been designing and creating enterprise software solutions for companies all over the globe for more than a decade. She […]

With a profound dedication to the human experience in the workplace, Ida Pierce believes in the power of safety, well-being and belonging at work, how it shapes our creativity, productivity, resilience and pride we take in our achievements. Combining adaptability with a relentless focus on delivering results, Ida is a multidisciplinary thinker who excels in the art of transforming relationships, streamlining processes, and driving impactful change. She has a wealth of expertise in business systems analysis, process optimization, experience design […]

Dr. Khalia M. Braswell is an award-winning technologist whose personal mission is to make social change using technology. Dr. Braswell graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with an M.S. in Information Technology with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction. Dr. Braswell was a Presidential Future Faculty Fellow at Temple University, where she obtained her Ph.D. in Education with a focus on Science, Math, and Education Technology. Her […]

Mel Douglas is a yoga instructor, content creator, and the founder of the Black Women’s Yoga Collective. Originally from Brooklyn, NY she currently resides in LA where she cultivates community-centered wellness offerings for underserved communities. Mel believe that everyone deserves access to wellness and that healing is a radical act. With 450+ hours of training, she aims to use her passion for yoga to support her community in reaching for well-being.

Dr. Jeremy A. Magruder Waisome is the Thomas O. Hunter Rising Star Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University of Florida (UF). Dr. Waisome leads the PRISEM Lab where her research focuses on broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computing (STEM+C). Her primary research interest involves understanding how mentoring impacts student trajectories and self-efficacy in STEM+C. Her current work is generously supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. She […]

Dr. Njema Frazier is a member of the US Senior Executive Service (SES) and currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Washington, District of Columbia. Residing in the Immediate Office of the Undersecretary for Nuclear Security at the US Department of Energy, Dr. Frazier’s portfolio includes industry, academy, and interagency partnerships and engagements, as well as independent assessments of the sustainment and expansion needs for NNSA in support of the […]

Geena Williams, an entrepreneur, and staunch advocate for Black self-care, is the visionary force behind Black Self-Care Talk. Establishing this transformative platform in 2018, Geena dedicated herself to empowering Black individuals and communities through the power of self-care. With a steadfast commitment to nurturing well-being, she champions authentic expression and fosters a culture of community support. Through an array of resources and engaging conversations, Geena’s platform serves as a dynamic hub for self-reflection and holistic wellness development. It’s a sanctuary […]

Melissa S. Jackson [or MJ] is a senior digital operations leader and systems builder who has successfully led product & digital transformation projects for teams across the US, South America, South Korea & The Middle East. She has led product innovation teams in machine learning, cloud, and digital transformation. Her focus now is helping social innovation teams build effective systems for distributed collaboration through digital literacy coaching & development.

Dr. Jamika D. Burge is an authority on research and programming that investigates the intersectionality of Black women and girls in computing, which led her to co-found blackcomputeHER.org (pronounced ‘black computer’), an organization dedicated to supporting computational thinking, design thinking, and workforce development for Black women and girls in computing+tech. She has served as CEO and Board President since 2022, and under her leadership, blackcomputeHER has raised almost $2MM (in 2 years) in capital for delivering impact through blackcomputeHER programming. […]

Dr. Yolanda A. Rankin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Emory University. A recipient of the NSF Early Career Award, Dr. Rankin’s research interests include applying Black feminist epistemologies as critical frameworks for designing technology with marginalized populations and developing intersectional methods for broadening participation in K-16 computing education. In addition, Dr. Rankin is a McKnight Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, having published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, including journal articles and conference papers […]

Dr. Cynthia Winston-Proctor, an accomplished narrative personality psychologist, is Professor of Psychology and P.I. of the Identity & Success Research Lab at Howard University (HU). Her interdisciplinary research and practice leverage her expertise in psychological science to design novel solutions across multiple sectors (e.g. industry, government, academia) that address: (1) leadership development; (2) narrative identity; (3) organizational transformation; (4) executive coaching; (5) healthy living; (6) broadening participation; (7) machine learning.  Her previous appointments include (1) Associate Director of the HU […]

Alana Ward Robinson is an entrepreneur with significant experience increasing value in organizations with breakthrough solutions to support new and changing operating business models. In her corporate career, she has built successful business-aligned, high-performing tech organizations within publicly traded companies. She is recognized for her expertise in influencing and gaining consensus for strategic enterprise Technology Investments and IT Governance by obtaining buy-in from peer leadership on mutual success metrics and/or minimizing silos to streamline workflow. Ms. Robinson founded Robinson Group […]