Diversity-Driven Marketing Symposium

Henrietta Akpata

Henrietta Akpata boasts a distinguished career in product management, marketing, and growth leadership. Currently, she leverages her expertise as Senior Director of Product Growth & Offering Management at Medidata Solutions, a Dassault Systemes Company. Previously, she held executive positions at New England Fancy Food and Sprinklr Social, driving market expansion and go-to-market strategies. For 15 years, she honed her skills at IBM, leading product marketing initiatives for AI-powered solutions, cloud computing, and software offerings. Notably, she co-founded New England Fancy Food, demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen. Henrietta holds degrees from UCLA Anderson and USC Viterbi, and actively contributes to the community through her board position at Hudson Valley Credit Union.

DeSean Brown

Co-founder/Chief Relationship Officer, pocstock

Alycia Campbell

Kendra Clarke

Kendra Clarke is a marketer at heart and in practice. Her passion for marketing and communication stems from the desire to create meaningful connections with people through effective and impactful exchanges of ideas. Through her role as a Senior Content Strategist at Rutgers Business School, Kendra uses a combination of storytelling, persona development, creative thinking, and analytics to create content strategies designed to enhance the website user experience. She is a Rutgers Business School double alumna with a Bachelor’s in Marketing and an MBA in Marketing and Supply Chain Management.

Kendra has been a member of AMA since 2018. As a volunteer, she held various positions on the board including AVP of Communications, EVP of Operations and Strategy, and VP of DEI. In July 2020, Kendra became President of the AMA New Jersey Chapter and the first female Black President in its 76-year history. During her term, she created and implemented the chapter’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, enhanced the volunteer experience and engagement, and worked with her team to produce a chapter record of 40 events for the year. The AMA New Jersey Chapter was awarded the Leadership Special Merit award, which she credits to her fantastic team’s hard work and dedication.

As a volunteer with AMA, Kendra has helped chapter leaders across the country with starting DEI initiatives in their chapters and providing guidance during challenging situations. She was a member of the original DEI Taskforce and a Co-Chair of several committees on the PCC DEI Committee. Kendra is a leader inspired by helping others grow and succeed. For her, it is truly rewarding to be able to give back and help her community in whatever way she can.

A few fun facts about Kendra are that she loves solving mysteries and puzzles, has traveled to 11 different countries, and dances amateur salsa.

Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel

Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel is a cultural theorist and strategist, specializing in inclusivity within marketing, media and tech. Currently a senior insights lead at Reddit, Dr. Gabriel earned her doctorate in cultural studies from Duke University and consulted for the world’s top brands at agencies such as Wieden+Kennedy, McCann, Dentsu Creative, and others. A lifelong activist, she helps brands ignite cultural innovation and leverage the power of media for good. Her insights have been featured by the ANA, Advertising Week, WSJ, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. She is the author of Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy (Kogan Page; March 2024).

Ashlan Glazier-Anderson

Ashlan Glazier-Anderson is a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) and Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) with over 15 years of experience in the field. She has worked in a variety of industries, from advertising agencies to corporate America to nonprofit organizations. As the founder and CEO of AshbeanPDX Marketing, she thrives on helping clients solve problems and create unique strategies to best reach their target audience, drive revenue, and grow their businesses at scale. As an entrepreneur, she can help you build a strong marketing function, with the right systems to get more done with fewer resources.

Ashlan holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Communications from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing from Portland State University (PSU). She completed a Certificate in Nonprofit Program Evaluation with the PSU Nonprofit Institute.

Ashlan is an active volunteer and serves as a Professional Chapter Leadership Advisor for the American Marketing Association, Past President of AMA PDX, the American Marketing Association Portland chapter, and Board Secretary for the People’s Nonprofit Accelerator. Through these organizations, she continues to increase her knowledge, strengthen her leadership skills, and expand her network to better serve her clients.

In March 2020, she was recognized for her service to the community as a Portland Trail Blazers Hometown Hero by Director’s Mortgage. She was born in Hawaii, moved to Oregon at the age of 10 and recently relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada where she lives with her husband, Jon, and their fur babies Ahri (small mixed breed dog) and Leilani (former feral cat).

Brittany S. Hale

Brittany S. Hale transcends the conventional role of a founder and CEO; she stands as a visionary, catalyst for transformative change, and beacon of inspiration for leaders across diverse industries. With a background in litigation, politics, and risk management, Brittany has paved her way to founding BND Consulting Group—an embodiment of her passion and unparalleled expertise.

At BND Consulting Group, Brittany empowers senior leaders with the tools to harness values to ignite better decision-making and turn purpose into profit in today’s dynamically evolving landscape. As a trusted guide, she enables leaders to navigate intricate organizational transitions by operationalizing aspirational values. Her impact spans enterprise, government institutions, and startups alike. She has been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Essence, TechCrunch, and Fast Company for her insights into entrepreneurship and leadership.

In her capacity as CEO, Brittany has crafted impactful organizational culture strategies for numerous entities. Her strategic insights led to a 21% increase in employee retention and savings of an additional $400,000 through astute operational advisement. As Interim CEO of an entrepreneurial-focused nonprofit, Brittany achieved impressive milestones, increasing donor contributions by 16%, reducing attrition from 27% to 0% in just 14 months, and boosting research-based revenue by a substantial 41%. In Fall 2022, Brittany shared her expertise by lecturing on managing human behaviors in organizations at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies.

Reggie Hicks

Kanetra Hights

Kanetra Michalle Hights, also known as Kiki, is the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for C.H. Guenther & Son. She has spent over 13 years in the field of implementing DEI programs in organizations with over 10,000 employees and is an advocate to driving success, engaging employees, ensuring that inclusion and equity are implemented in every part of the business, and creating a profitable diversity return on investment. During this time Kanetra also spent years dedicating her career to non-profits such as the National Diversity Council and Goodwill Central Texas to further increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion for underrepresented groups and creating movements for change in the community.

Currently at C.H. Guenther & Son, Kanetra oversees the DEI department including all DEI training, Employee Resource Groups, Leadership Team Advising, all International location DEI initiatives, and the Supplier Diversity Program.

Kanetra has an extensive Learning & Development background. She is a certified DDI facilitator, Diversity Professional, Diversity Facilitator with several organizations such as Korn Ferry and SDMS 360, and an Instructional Designer with courses such as Generational Differences, Leadership Skills for new and emerging leaders, and Leading Diverse Teams. Kanetra also specializes in facilitating diversity related movie and television discussion groups. Kanetra received a Double Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Dramatic Media from Texas Lutheran University, then returned and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and is a certified teacher for 8th – 12th grade for Speech, Debate and Theatre.

Kanetra lives in San Antonio and in her spare time enjoys travelling with friends and family, going on random road trips, reading, writing, and watching football.

Steve Jones

Founder/CEO, pocstock

Karen McFarlane

Karen McFarlane, the founder of Kaye Media, is a seasoned chief marketing officer with over 25 years of experience. Her expertise in shaping compelling brand narratives and strategies has guided businesses toward transformative growth and market clarity. Her work spans the technology, artificial intelligence, professional services, ecommerce, education, and entertainment industries — from startups to nonprofits to Fortune 1000 companies.

Karen’s role extends beyond her fractional marketing company, as evidenced by her impactful tenure as President of the New York chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), where she earned eight Chapter Excellence Awards and now champions equity as the Chair of DEI Innovation. Additionally, Karen serves on the Board of the Hudson Valley Credit Union, New York’s fifth-largest credit union. Her influence is also felt nationally as the President-Elect and DEI Co-Chair for the AMA’s Professional Chapters Council and through her work with Momentum and Value for People of Color, where she champions equitable opportunities for young people of color.

Recognized as a thought leader, Karen frequently speaks on inclusive marketing and conflict resolution, and her contributions to the field have earned her recognition as one of the most notable figures in marketing and PR by Crain’s Business. Karen’s commitment to advancing racial and gender equity in Corporate America is evident through her passion project, Colossal Work, underscoring her dedication to driving meaningful and sustainable change.

Ty'ya Givens Pettis

Stephanie Robertson

Stephanie Robertson is the Assistant Dean for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. She received her BA in German Language and Literature and International Comparative Studies from Duke University and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center. In 2009, Stephanie began her career in higher education and worked predominantly in admissions and graduate recruitment for business and law school. In her current role, she partners with students, staff and faculty across campus strategizing ways to create more inclusive and equitable communities within Duke University with a focus on the business school. She is dedicated to empowering individuals to be their authentic selves and active allies who support, protect and celebrate others’ identities. She is also a dedicated mental health advocate and believes that mental health is an integral part of the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation. Her ultimate goal is to destigmatize mental health challenges and give people the tools needed to effectively and safely support their peers and colleagues.

Andrea Smith

Vanessa Torres

Destine Tucker

Miguel Valentin

Miguel Valentin is an accomplished nonprofit leader with a strong commitment to community transformation and equitable access to opportunities for underserved populations. In his role as the Executive Director at MVP – Momentum and Value for People of Color, Miguel oversees the Fellowship Program and the Talent Pipeline Program, focusing on predominantly college-aged young people of color who are first-generation college students and come from low-income backgrounds. His responsibilities encompass fundraising, setting vision, and creating partnerships with corporations and nonprofits. Miguel has facilitated professional workshops, overseen mentoring initiatives, and connected students to paid internship opportunities. With a deep commitment to driving positive change, he is passionate about creating an environment where individuals can excel, grow, and thrive, with a dedication to community well-being and a data-driven approach that enables him to lead impactful initiatives. Miguel invites you to visit mvpoc.org to learn more about MVP and explore the ways they are shaping the future of young talents.

Kevin Williams

Kevin Williams is the CEO and Co-Founder of TekConnX, and Chairman of the Board for the National Minority Emerging & Innovative Technologies Consortium (NMEITC).

Tekconnx, is an award-winning Service-Disabled Veteran owned business that specializes in innovative and emerging SMART cities technology solutions design. Their solutions include his patented Smart Waste Management, AV Multi-Media Command and Control, Video Wall, Digital Signage, Patented Security, Gunshot Chemical & Threat Detection Solutions! 

Tekconnx designs & Integrates solutions using its patented sensor-based technologies and Artificial Intelligence and has won many awards including 2021 & 2015 Supplier of the Year, DMV Top 100 MBE in 2016 and 2017. TekConnX offices are currently located in Northern VA and Richmond VA.

The NMEITC is an organization of Best-in-Class Minority owned businesses specializing in Emerging and Innovative Technology solutions such as big data, analytics, artificial intelligence, cloud-based architecture, cyber security, augmented reality, partnering with HBCUs and universities to deliver research and development, small business innovative research and design, and special projects to support the war fighter, federal government agencies, and various other corporate and nonprofit entities.

Kevin is a seasoned executive, Strategic Advisor, Moderator & Keynote Speaker with over 35 years of leadership experience in the federal, and commercial markets, and most known for driving organizations and leadership teams to high performance in federal and commercial management, marketing, business development, sales, and operations with highly successful strategic alliance building, recruiting, channel strategies, proposal development, strategic client relationship building, customer, and employee care.

As a thought leader, strategic thinker and mentor his work has proven to continually exceed expectations in his ability to lead for profit and nonprofit organizations, to create success and wins for all stakeholders with a strong track record of developing and delivering multiple programs with corporations and clients.

Kevin currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council and is the Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee immediate past Chair. He also serves as the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) National MBEIC Treasurer. He is also the Chairman of the Board for Project Mend a House in Virginia serving the needs of veterans and senior citizens, on the Boards of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes of Virginia, Blacks In Technology (Richmond Chapter) a Titan for AFRICAN AMERICAN CEO Roundtable and the Black Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame.

Kevin’s past Board appointments include, (CASA) Court Appointed Special Advocates, Ronald McDonald House Charities, International Facilities Management Assn, Building & Office Management Assn, and the Northern Virginia Black Chamber of Commerce.

Kevin resides in Chesterfield VA, is married to his beautiful bride Meschelle of 40 years, has 3 adult daughters, Charri, Lyndzee, and Sharron, 13 grandchildren, and a host of foster sons, loves God, music, guitars, good food and cooking.