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Chase Consumer Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Thasunda Brown Duckett is the Chief Executive Officer of Chase Consumer Banking and is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Duckett oversees a banking network with more than $800 billion in deposits, 4,700 branches, 16,000 ATMs and 42,000 employees serving more than 25 million households nationwide.
She is the executive sponsor of JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways program, aimed at helping Black Americans close historical achievement gaps in wealth creation, educational outcomes and career success. She is also a member of the steering committee for JPMorgan Chase’s Women on the Move initiative to advance women in their careers and in business, and the executive sponsor of the firm’s The Fellowship Initiative, which offers young men of color academic and social support to help them achieve personal and professional success. Duckett has been recognized widely as a leading executive in the finance industry. In 2020, she was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business, and American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking. Previously, Duckett was the CEO of Chase Auto Finance, and prior to that served as National Retail Sales Executive for Chase Mortgage Banking.
Duckett sits on the Board of Directors of NIKE, Inc., as well as the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Jack and Jill of America, Inc, and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Hankamer School of Business. In addition, she sits on the board of the Children’s Learning Center of Fairfield County, CT. Duckett lives in Connecticut with her husband and four children.
BAE Systems, Inc.
Dana Rixter is a thoughtful, strategic and compassionate leader who consistently leads with both head and heart. Uniquely adept at building trust and bridges across difference, Dana is well-known for successfully designing, implementing and leading large-scale diversity, equity, inclusion and culture change efforts.
Referred to as the “Resident expert in belonging,” Dana currently serves as the Director of D&I Culture and Retention at BAE Systems, Inc. Curious, compassionate, and deeply committed to anti-racism and uplifting others, Dana co-created and led CARE (Colleagues Advancing Racial Equity) — a multi-dimensional, award-winning effort to drive systemic change and racial equity across an organization of over 30,000 employees.
A highly revered thought leader and speaker, Dana holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Boston University, a Global Leadership Professional designation from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and serves on multiple advisory boards. Dana lives in Fairfax, VA with her husband and two exceptionally wonderful (and exhausting) young sons.
Dolvett Quince is a New York Times Bestselling Author, International Keynote Speaker, Celebrity Fitness Trainer and Personal Development Expert with 20+ years of experience educating and equipping people to turn potential into strength and influence. With expertise in developing self-love, healthy wealth and fitness, he has coached people from all walks of life, and is most recognized for his seven seasons as a trainer on NBC’s longtime hit television show, “The Biggest Loser.”
Today, through books, keynotes and guest appearances, Dolvett is helping hundreds of thousands of people overcome self-doubt by giving them a clear vision, growth mindset and practical system on finding their best path forward. His mission is personal, as his own narrative threads through the story of overcoming challenges, finding forgiveness and building mental and physical strength.
The seeds of his backstory started with an abusive family environment in the projects of Connecticut where fear dominated much of his childhood until one day, when God’s whisper became louder than man’s words, he found the courage to look fear in the face—starting with his father—and forgive. It started Dolvett on a self-development path towards emotional healing, empowerment and leveraging natural gifts, and inspired a mission to help others do the same.
Dolvett’s first book, “The 3-1-2-1 Diet: Eat and Cheat Your Way to Weight Loss” became an instant New York Times bestseller, introducing an unconventional approach and innovative 21-day program to reduce fat while gaining muscle. His second book, “Work Out the Doubt,” slated for Winter Quarter 2019, will guide readers on a journey to improve their health in all aspects of life, from mental and physical, to social and spiritual.
An internationally respected charismatic speaker and thought leader, Dolvett engages diverse audiences through conference keynotes and online masterclasses at every place from hotel chains, business training workshops and industry leaderships events, to mega churches, universities and women empowerment seminars. He speaks on the topics of personal identity, business development, fitness science, emotional intelligence and overcoming self-doubt, and is a guest contributor on nationally syndicated news shows, including CNN.
Fearless Won
Dr. Robin Smith, “Trauma Surgeon for the Heart and Soul”, is a licensed Psychologist and ordained minister with a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, who has worked with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies to offer conflict management, diversity and inclusion training, and performance coaching. An experienced media and television personality, she is author of the New York Times #1 best-selling *Lies at the Altar: The Truth About Great Marriages, translated in 14 languages, and has also written the soulful memoir, *Hungry: The Truth About Being Full* and the book *Inspirational Vitamins: A Guide to Personal Empowerment*.
Dr. Robin has worked as a national and local television correspondent and appeared numerous times on news and entertainment television and radio programs. Her contributions include appearances on Super Soul Sunday, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Anderson Cooper, CNN, MSNBC, NBC/The Today Show, ABC News/Good Morning America, CBS/The Early Show, The Fox News Channel, The Steve Harvey Show, The Queen Latifah Show and many other news and talk show formats. Dr. Robin also hosted a five-day a week call-in program on Oprah Radio/Sirius XM for 3 years where listeners got their daily dose of Inspiration, Information and Empowerment for Fearless Living.
Dr. Robin is known for her inspiring passionate messages, whether delivering a keynote speech, moderating a panel, leading a workshop, or appearing on television, social media or radio.
Dr. Robin’s commitment is to All Things Fearless, and her mission is to help change the world – One life, One family, One community at a time – To Wake Up, Show Up, Grow Up, Rise Up, and to live Fear-Less!
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Think of Melissa Dawn Simkins not as merely a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 C-Suite executives and prominent influencers, but a visionary personal brand leadership pioneer on a mission to reinvent the way we learn, live and lead.
Melissa is CEO of Velvet Suite, a leadership innovation consultancy advancing the future of profit through people. For nearly two decades, Velvet Suite has provided consultation to renowned brands including: Procter & Gamble, Boston Scientific Corporation, Kraft, The National Basketball Association, Lincoln Financial Group and more. She is Founder of The Brand Leadership Institute (BLI), a 24-week e-learning technology platform addressing leadership gaps within Fortune 500 high-potential women with proven results. She hosts the annual She-Suite Summit, a national experience for influential leaders.
Affectionately known as “The First Lady of Personal Branding,” Melissa has been the brains behind some of the world’s most beloved brands. Throughout her career, she has helped launch Swiffer, developed the first multicultural marketing plan for Victoria’s Secret and launched the NFL Player Brand University, the first professional athlete brand leadership program in all of professional sports. She has also worked one-on-one with well-known celebrities such as Shania Twain, Mary J. Blige, Common, Hill Harper, Carmelo Anthony and more.
Today, her understanding of personal brand strategy and leadership innovation make her a highly-sought after keynote speaker. Melissa is a former contributor to Inc.com and CNN and frequent guest on the news and business media including HLN, MSNBC, Essence and more. She is author of the book, Brand Me. Make Your Mark: The Ultimate Playbook for Personal Branding.
Melissa is grounded by her faith, love for her best friend and purpose partner husband, Will and children and the opportunity to live in purpose each day.
“My greatest joy is the hundreds of women I’ve been fortunate to support on their journey toward leading a significant life and a successful career.”
Kim Dolan Leto is the author of the best-selling Christian fitness book, 10 Steps to Your Faith Inspired Transformation, F.I.T., a faith-filled inspirational speaker, creator of the Faith Inspired Transformation, F.I.T. DVD workout series, and the host of the Strong. Confident. His. Podcast.
Kim holds a BSBA from the University of Arizona. She is a Dale Carnegie trained speaker, and has certifications as a Fitness Instructor and Specialist in Fitness Nutrition.
She is an ESPN Fitness America Champion and proudly represented America as the only American in the top five for Fox Sports Ms. Fitness World.
Kim’s work has been featured on the 700 Club, TBN, CBN, FOX, Babbie’s House, ESPN and ABC and published in Relevant, Oxygen, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Fitness, Success, Faith and Fitness Magazine, Train and many other health, fitness and Christian publications. She was the longstanding Faith and Fitness expert for HIS Radio.
Undergoing her own body and life transformation, Kim knows first hand the importance of doing food, fitness and confidence through Christ.
With 20 years in the fitness industry and a lifetime of Jesus working in her, she’s dedicated her life to teaching women to get fit and find confidence– His way.
Kim’s mission is to equip women through Word-based strategies, daily action steps, and the tools they need to achieve a Faith Inspired Transformation in their health and live Strong. Confident. His.
Peloton
Letena Lindsay is Vice President of Global Communications at Peloton. In this role, she oversees internal communications, corporate and product communications, and Peloton’s Canadian press. Prior, Lindsay was the founder and CEO of L2 Public Relations, a communications consultancy focusing on strategy development, media relations, brand launches and repositioning. Her clients included O, The Oprah Magazine, Essence, TIME magazine books’ division, Money magazine and the L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Awards.
Previously, Lindsay served as Vice President of Corporate Communications for Bauer Publishing, where she oversaw the press and re-positioning efforts for nine magazines. Her prior positions include PR Director at Hearst Magazines, where she headed press efforts for nine of the company’s 19 titles, including Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Redbook and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as PR Manager at Essence Communications. She has also held media relations positions in Chicago at Fleishman-Hillard and R.J. Dale Advertising & Public Relations. Lindsay graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia Journalism School.
Velvet Suite Financial LLC
William A. Simkins III is a trusted wealth advisor and President of Velvet Suite Financial LLC. Simkins has over 20 years of proven performance in comprehensive financial services including retirement, business planning, life insurance and employee benefits. His practice uniquely serves high net worth individuals as well as small to midsized businesses with a concentration in qualified and non-qualified retirement plans.
Simkins career in comprehensive insurance and investment planning began at Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in 2001. Simkins found early success in his financial service practice and was recognized as the top in his class for client acquisition. He went on to obtain his Certified Financial Planner Certificate from Virginia Commonwealth University. Soon after, Simkins transitioned to Mass Mutual Financial Group where he achieved the Blue Chip Council (top five percent of Mass Mutual representatives) and Top of the Council as well as received the highest industry award in insurance and financial services through the Million Dollar Round Table
Simkins has spoken at numerous industry and agency meetings on the inclusion of protection and qualified planning into agency practices. He is a member of the greater Washington National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He has also served as the board of Education Chair for the Capital Region National African American Insurance Association.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Morehouse College in 1995. As a student-athlete and scholar, Simkins discovered his passion for his career and earned his life and health insurance license his junior year in college.
William is married to Melissa Dawn Simkins and has four sons Kingston, Kevin, Shunn and Amari. William coaches youth and high school basketball and is a member of Grace Covenant Church in Chantilly, Virginia.
LMI
Karen Britton, former White House chief information officer (CIO) and special assistant to President Barack Obama, leads strategy development and execution of LMI’s corporate communications with a focus on its digital presence. She oversees a team responsible for online platforms, marketing and branding, external relations, and corporate citizenship.
Previously serving as LMI’s vice president of digital services, Karen directed the delivery of enterprise-wide IT solutions to federal customers. Before joining LMI, she served as chief operating officer of woman-owned IT solutions provider e‑Management and helped expand its federal market practice.
Karen joined the Office of Administration, Executive Office of the President, as deputy CIO in July 2009; she served as special assistant to the president and CIO from December 2012 to December 2014. During her White House tenure, she spearheaded innovative ways to deliver the president’s message to the American people. She also supported his cybersecurity agenda, protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of unclassified information systems.
Beginning her career as a general engineer with the Submarine Maintenance Engineering, Planning, and Procurement Activity at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Karen subsequently joined the Naval Sea Systems Command Headquarters. She held positions of increasing responsibility, culminating as deputy command information officer directing command-wide IT planning, policy, and budget. She left the Department of the Navy in 2007 to support capital planning implementation and enterprise architecture plan development for the Department of Energy.
Karen received her bachelor’s in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her master’s in management from the Florida Institute of Technology. She is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College and the Excellence in Government Fellows Program. Karen has received distinguished honors, including the Partnership for Public Service Leadership in Action Awards, the National Women of Color in Technology Awards, and the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
Lucy spent close to 10 years on the trading floor at two US investment banks but made the difficult decision back in 2020 to take a leap into the unknown and start over again. Having secretly struggled with the pressures of juggling corporate life with a drive to find purpose, she spent a lot of time on my commutes diving into the world of self development, eastern philosophy and psychology in an effort to better manage her mind & find some sense of purpose.
This journey led Lucy to qualify as a yoga teacher back in 2019 whilst still working in finance and then subsequently as a Reiki practitioner, Breathwork facilitator, Ayurvedic consultant & coach. She is now working as a coach, helping people transform their thinking, and in turn their lives, through deep guided self-reflection blended with bodywork, yoga & breath.
Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
Ruth Williams-Brinkley is president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc. In this role, Williams-Brinkley oversees all of Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery and health plan operations in Washington, D.C., and suburban Maryland, Baltimore, and Northern Virginia. The Mid-Atlantic States Region operates 34 medical office buildings and has 773,547 members.
Williams-Brinkley reports to the group president for markets outside California, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals. Williams-Brinkley joined Kaiser Permanente in November 2017, serving as president of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of the Northwest. She oversaw all of Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery and health plan operations in Oregon and markets in Vancouver and Longview/Kelso, Washington.
Prior to that she served as CEO of KentuckyOne Health, Kentucky’s largest integrated health system. KentuckyOne was a division of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems. Prior to her tenure with KentuckyOne, Williams-Brinkley served as president and CEO of Carondelet Health Network in Tucson, Arizona, and as president and CEO of Memorial Healthcare System in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Williams-Brinkley has often appeared on Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women in Healthcare and Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare, and was named one of Becker’s Most Admired CEOs. She holds bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees from De Paul University, and an honorary doctoral degree from Spaulding University in Louisville, Kentucky.
Under Armour
Tchernavia Rocker has been Chief Administrative Officer since June 2020. Prior to that she served as Chief People and Culture Officer from February 2019 to June 2020. She is responsible for executing Under Armour’s people and culture strategy, as well as overseeing its global Payroll operations.
Since joining Under Armour, Rocker has enhanced and accelerated the Brand’s efforts to continue supporting a diverse workforce of top talent, including the creation of development programs focused on underrepresented groups, launching the Company’s first-ever Global Diversity Council and elevating the role of Under Armour’s nine Teammate Resource Groups to drive strategic impact across the business in the areas of culture, career development, community outreach and commerce. Additionally, she has been a champion for establishing Under Armour’s values-based culture, which has guided product development initiatives such as the UA Pride Collection that pays homage to the LGTBQ+ community.
Prior to joining our Company, she served more than 18 years in Human Resources leadership roles at Harley-Davidson, Inc., most recently as Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer from June 2016 through January 2019, as General Manager, Human Resources from January 2012 through May 2016, and in various other Human Resources leadership positions since joining the company in 2000. Prior to that, she served in various HR and operations roles at Goodyear Dunlop North America Tire Inc.
BSCI
Desiree Ralls-Morrison is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boston Scientific Corporation. She provides global legal leadership across all of the businesses, regions and functions, and oversees the global compliance function. She also advises the Board of Directors and CEO.
Before joining Boston Scientific, Desiree was SVP, GC and Corporate Secretary, and head of the global litigation, government affairs and public policy organizations, for Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Inc. Prior to that, she spent nine years at Johnson & Johnson, most recently as General Counsel for the consumer group, and previously progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, including Senior Counsel, Assistant General Counsel, and Vice President of law for the women’s health, nutritionals and over the counter businesses. Earlier in her career, Desiree was a senior attorney and assistant counsel at Merck & Co, Inc., and held litigation roles at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Shipman & Goodwin LLP.
Desiree serves on the Boards of Directors for DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. and The Partnership, Inc. She is a Founding Member of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund in Massachusetts. Desiree was named one of the most powerful women in corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2019 and one on the top innovative General Counsels around the world by the Financial Times in 2020.
Desiree earned her BA in economics and political science from Wesleyan University and her JD from Harvard Law School.
Rajiv Satyal is a Los Angeles-based comedian/host. He’s been featured by Amazon, Netflix, NPR, GQ, The New York Times, The LA Times, WSJ, and Ad Age. Rajiv has shared a stage with everyone from Dave Chappelle to Jerry Seinfeld. His videos have over 50 million online views. This University of Cincinnati engineer and former P&G marketer has done standup at more than 100 colleges. Rajiv has spoken to audiences from Fortune 500 companies to NFL players on humor, innovation, inclusion, and personal branding. His corporate clients include P&G (14 times), GE (8 times), Google, General Mills, Quaker, Toyota, Cisco and more. He runs a consulting business called the Standpoint Agency, which helps marketers generate insights for their brands. Rajiv gave a TEDx Talk, “The Jester Is King.” Satyal has acted in national commercials and in TV shows. His writings have made the front page of Medium and received hundreds of thousands of views on Quora. Satyal ran a Kickstarter — which was 100% funded in one day and exceeded 2x its goal ($56K total) in one month — the purpose of which was launching his own talk show. Satyal has interviewed many notable figures, including Hasan Minhaj (Satyal’s old roommate), Seth Godin, and Deepak Chopra. Satyal is the only person ever to perform standup comedy on all 7 continents.
Speaker, Author, Mental Health Expert
Dr. Julie Lopez, an award winning clinician and entrepreneur, is the founder of Viva Partnership, the leader in DC’s brain and body based therapeutic scene. After her beginnings as a systems engineer, she transitioned to focus on the most complicated system of all, the human system.
Through her mastery of human change, she delights in empowering leaders to optimize their own performance as a conduit for inspiring and improving their organizations. Her book Live Empowered! illuminates the invisible aspects of human performance that lead to maximum productivity and happiness results. Over the years, Dr. Julie has been cited as a trauma and addictions expert and has been featured by the Associated Press, Fox News, Telemundo, and a host of other print and broadcast publications. She also served as adjunct faculty for the Catholic University of America in their graduate program for nearly a decade. Her clinical specialty is working with implicit memory (hidden, cellular memories) by utilizing advanced brain-based therapies, including EMDR, Brainspotting, and Neurofeedback.
Due to her thorough understanding of how the body adapts and survives the stumbling blocks of life, Dr. Julie speaks and works with individuals and teams in a way that’s both effective and relatable. By leveraging brain science, Dr. Julie loves to illuminate hidden pathways to increased excellence, empowering her audiences talk by talk.
Dr. Julie’s relatable style and engaging stage presence, make her a sought after speaker and trainer. Committed to giving back to her community, she has been mentoring and coaching budding entrepreneurs for over 20-years. Dr. Julie is the principal architect of the free online mental health repository, The Resilient Brain Project, aimed at empowering users while reducing the stigma and isolation that often surrounds those that struggle with their mental health.
AstraZeneca
Associate Director, Executive Engagement & Stakeholder Relations, AstraZeneca
Author: Pain to Purpose: My Journey to Redemption
Sidoney is Head of Employee Engagement for the Gaithersburg site. Charged with working with the Gaithersburg Site Leadership team to develop and execute effective engagement strategies and drive inclusion and diversity priorities to the approximately 4,000 employees on the campus.
Sidoney is a senior communications and engagement advisor to C-suite leaders in the life sciences, consulting and media industries. She is an award-winning communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience in public relations, journalism, corporate affairs and executive engagement in various industries. Sidoney is a strong project leader with consulting and writing experience in national and global environments.
Sidoney is an esteemed member of the Healthcare Business Women’s Association where she currently serves as the President of the Montgomery Corridor Chapter. In addition, she is a member of the Association for Women in Science National Governing Board. Sidoney is the recipient of several awards and recognition including the AstraZeneca CEO Award and the MedImmune Global Excellence Award in 2017 for a program she designed, planned and executed to address diversity and inclusion in the organization.
Sidoney has a passion for people and she spends a lot of her time mentoring young professional women, especially helping women of color, navigate the corporate world. Sidoney lives in Maryland with her husband, two sons and mom. She enjoys playing scrabble, working out and selfcare. Sidoney is an avid reader and has written several published articles. She published her first novel Pain to Purpose: My Journey to Redemption in January 2021.
Sidoney holds a Certificate in Leadership Development from University of Maryland University College; 2020 graduate of The Brand Leadership Institute; a Master of Mass Communications degree in Journalism from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Elizabethtown College.
Jessica L. Myrice came to Boston Scientific, WATCHMAN in May of 2015. She worked in the Cardiac Cath Lab for several years in both Interventional Cardiology and Electrophysiology as a scrub technician. Jessica earned her A.S. Degree in Radiography from Polk State College. She also earned her certification and registration through the ARRT as a Registered Radiologic Technologist RT(R) and Cardiac Interventional (CI) Technologist. Jessica is also certified through Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI), as a Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist. She earned her bachelors in Health Care Management from Ottawa University. Jessica is the RCA, Regional Clinical Advisor for the Southern Tide in Florida.
Jessica was a graduate of the Class of 2019 Brand Leadership Institute. Her purpose is being a passionate energetic teacher coach who uses strong clinical acumen to drive the best possible patient outcomes. Solidify professional and personal relationships while transforming the lives of her peers and friends with relatable and real positive life experiences.
Jessica lives North of Tampa Florida in Dade City, population less than 7000 with her significant other Orlando and she has two children, her daughter Sadie Anne (26) is a Registered Nurse and her son Hayes (23) is an Electrical Lineman.
In her free time, she enjoys sitting by the pool with Daisy Mae her five-year-old yellow lab, her YaYa’s (7 high school BFFS) and family!
Trinity Health
AstraZeneca
Pennsylvania State University
Velvet Suite Inc.
Amy is Velvet Suite’s Director, Operations and Value Creation and is responsible for process alignment across the organization and building a strategic operations model to support the expansion of our product portfolio.
Amy is an operations management strategist with over 25 years of experience streamlining operations to fuel growth at organizations. She is a career problem solver and results-driven leader. Before joining Velvet Suite and The She-Suite Team, Amy worked with entrepreneurs, and as an entrepreneur herself, repositioned small companies for increased profitability through process efficiency.
Prior to that, Amy spent 8 years at CEB (now Gartner) as a Senior Director in the Finance & Operations Practice where she advised C-Suite executives in audit and risk management, operations, supply chain and quality management. Earlier in her career Amy worked for Shell Oil in various roles from account management and distribution operations to strategy and portfolio management.
Amy holds an M.B.A from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a B.S. in Logistics and Operations from Penn State University.
Optional: Amy loves sports and being outdoors, reading and volunteering in her community. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and three kids.
Velvet Suite Inc.