Race, Identity, and Belonging at Work:
A Virtual Summit

Roquel is a policy and strategy leader who focuses on increasing educational opportunities and postsecondary outcomes for people in and from marginalized communities, as well as racial equity advocacy and policy change.

One week after his 19th birthday, Kahlil Greene was elected the first Black student body president in Yale’s 318-year history. Now, he is an online history and politics educator with almost 500,000 followers across his TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn platforms. This summer, the New York Times profiled Kahlil in their article entitled, “the Yale student who makes and teaches Black History”!

Aqdas Khan is originally from Kolkata, India. He is now a Junior studying Behavioral Psychology and Statistics at Western Michigan University as well as a part of the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network and YES Project consultant. He is a direct support professional at the Center for Disability Services on his campus. In his spare time, he enjoys music, movies, TV shows, traveling, hiking, badminton, bowling, the beach, fashion.

Maya James is an artist, writer, creator and activist based in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area. Her works center around feminism, anti-racism, socialism and her experience as a cross-cultural black American from a racially hostile town in Northern Michigan. As a young freelance journalist, James’ works were featured in the New York Times Race/Related, USA Today College, and YR Media. As an artist, James’ works exhibited during Artprize 2018 at the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives (which won best juried venue) and 2021 at the Fountain Street Church and a sponsored mural in Calder Plaza, the Dennos Museum, the Black Arts and Cultural Center and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

Desmond Cain recently graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Government, and now works for BTS Consulting in Chicago.

Simon Rogers studies Computer Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During his studies, Simon worked at AT&T as a Technical Sales Consultant. Simon is now the West Tennessee Community Organizer for the Equity Alliance and a part time videographer. Simon will be graduating in the Fall of 2022 with a dual Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business Administration

Alondra Jordan has been Dual Enrolled throughout highschool and is going graduate with her associates degree in Criminal Justice. She is a part of the Yes Program and Central Georgia Technical College program. She has a passion for helping others. She plans to change the world by giving a voice to those who have been denied justice .

Laura is Senior Director, Thought Leadership & Content and leads strategic initiatives for Grads of Life, with a focus on building and supporting a movement of employers who are committed to inclusive human capital practices. She has led strategic projects at Year Up for the past six years, and oversaw the launch of Year Up’s first employer-based model in partnership with multinational toymaker, Hasbro. Prior to Year Up, she led international expansion projects for global NGO, Ashoka, based in Singapore. She holds a BA in International Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from The University of Oxford’s Said Business School.

Dr. Marshaun R. Hymon is an educator, consultant and diversity leader currently serving as Director, Learning & Advisory Services at Grads of Life. In this role he works to develop leaders and organizations to create environments that cultivate maximum employee impact.

Prior to joining the Grads of Life team, Dr. Hymon served as a program leader at Year Up. In a variety of roles, he oversaw program quality and delivery, professional coaching, and cultivated relationships with higher education partners. He is an Assistant Professor and teaches college, career and employment readiness courses. Dr. Hymon has worked in several capacities within the higher education and non-profit sector and began his career as a K-12 public school educator.

Dr. Hymon earned a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Florida State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida. He earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests are race in America, identity development and the advancement of young Black men in schools.

Kenya Dunn is a former corporate executive. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of PFW Consulting. Kenya helps individuals and clients navigate the complexities of equity-centered leadership. She believes that equity and inclusion are necessary functions of business and society.

David is the Senior Director of the UPMC Center for Engagement and Inclusion. David provides overarching strategic planning, initiative development, and execution oversight to advance diversity and inclusion at UPMC. David’s primary efforts center around enhancing the diversity and cultural competency skill set of our workforce, ensuring culturally and linguistically competent care, enriching the health status of the communities we serve, and growing our diverse patient and health plan member market share through consumer engagement. David is responsible for providing leadership and coordination of diversity and inclusion efforts to ensure alignment and cohesion of shared goals and outcomes.

Elijah Emmanuel Lewis
24-Year-Old
Currently a Senior at Western Michigan University studying Secondary Education (Teaching) English. Love public speaking and giving back to the community in which I live in. I have spoken at other middle schools and high schools for various reasons (spoken word, teen leadership skills, motivational etc.). I love volunteering at places like RAWK (Read and Write Kalamazoo) and Big Brother Big Sister.

Artist, audio engineer, entrepreneur, and young professional, Vincent Folkes is a creator of stories, rhythm and music, aiming to use his words to reveal truth and inspire.

Crystal T Robinson Rouse is a proud wife, mother, community advocate, organizer and leader hailing from Charleston, SC. She currently serves as the Director of Collective Action Networks for Tri-County Cradle to Career and holds numerous leadership positions in community groups and organizations. She is also a student at the University of South Carolina-Columbia where she is pursuing her doctorate in Teaching and Learning with an emphasis on anti-racism teaching and culturally relevant and sustaining curriculum and pedagogy

Deshaun Rice previously studied music and film at Georgetown University. He began his journey with America’s Promise as an intern focused on youth employment initiatives, and is now a full-time Associate on the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships team. He works closely with the YES Project, where he has helped guide community investment and engagement efforts, and has written on various employment-related topics—most recently in a piece for Forbes.com focused on class dynamics in the workplace. He is the father of one 4-year-old son and the oldest of 8 kids. In his spare time, he enjoys listening to and making music.

Phela Townsend is a scholar-activist committed to advancing racial, social, and economic justice. She has written several articles and reports on technology’s impacts on workers and on labor and employment systems. Her most recent work has explored topics such as why we must empower our most proximate, impacted communities to create lasting policy change – including young people. Phela is currently a PhD Candidate at the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations, working on her dissertation on Black worker centers. Her other research touches several areas, including race, class, and gender; economic inequality; and newer models of worker voice and organizing.

A lifelong educator of 30 years in rural South Texas, dedicated to enhancing the opportunities for success for rural students. Mike is happily married to Judi Gonzalez, with 3 kids Daniele (Gonzalez) Barnes, Kristen Gonzalez , and Jordan Gonzalez

Suzanne serves as the Vice President – Compliance & Chief Accessibility Officer of AT&T, where she leads a team of professionals responsible for providing compliance services across the AT&T enterprise. As AT&T’s Chief Accessibility Officer, she is responsible for advocating accessibility inclusion in products, services and employee resources, as well as accessibility advocacy internally and externally. Her team provides accessible design tools and accessibility expertise to product development and customer interaction teams throughout the company.

Caroline Mailloux is a purpose-driven intrapreneur, equitable organization designer, disability activist, and DEIB strategist and practitioner. She is a proudly disabled professional and is proud to serve as the founding head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Sarepta Therapeutic, a biotech serving the rare disease community.

Carinne Wheedan is the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at America’s Promise Alliance, where she oversees the organization’s work on youth employment and youth engagement. She previously served as the organization’s Director of Content and Lead Writer, where she was responsible for messaging and storytelling efforts to galvanize action to support young people. Carinne started her career as a teacher, and over the past decade has continued to work in research, practice, and policy settings to change and improve systems that affect America’s youth and families. Carinne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School at The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Marshaun R. Hymon is an educator, consultant and diversity leader currently serving as Director, Learning & Advisory Services at Grads of Life. In this role he works to develop leaders and organizations to create environments that cultivate maximum employee impact.

Prior to joining the Grads of Life team, Dr. Hymon served as a program leader at Year Up. In a variety of roles, he oversaw program quality and delivery, professional coaching, and cultivated relationships with higher education partners. He is an Assistant Professor and teaches college, career and employment readiness courses. Dr. Hymon has worked in several capacities within the higher education and non-profit sector and began his career as a K-12 public school educator.

Dr. Hymon earned a Bachelor of Music in Choral Music Education from Florida State University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida. He earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research interests are race in America, identity development and the advancement of young Black men in schools.

Jahari Shelton is an award-winning visionary consultant, writer, and speaker. His work lies at the intersection of design, strategy, culture, and healing towards realizing equity and justice in the world. Outside of this work, he also serves on the Board of Directors at America’s Promise Alliance, a field-building connector dedicated to creating the conditions for all children to learn and thrive. Over the past five years, Jahari participated in numerous education efforts with roles at Transcend Education, the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition, Statesman College Prep Academy for Boys, and Relay Graduate School of Education. He served as a Youth Commissioner on the Aspen Institute National Commission for Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, co-creating a roadmap for a future where every child receives comprehensive support for success in the least restrictive environments possible.

Nadia has worked at her local community for over 8 years. She is currently working as the DEI coordinator at CIS National Office. Nadia is passionate about embracing diversity and inclusivity, where individuals have a safe space to use their creativity and serve others purposefully.

Chekemma is an energetic thought-leader focused on promoting equity and dismantling poverty for youth and young adults. As President and CEO of PYN, she draws on her personal and professional experience in research, social work, and systems change. Her leadership and work have helped to create over 225,000 education and employment opportunities for young people.

Suzanne serves as the Vice President – Compliance & Chief Accessibility Officer of AT&T, where she leads a team of professionals responsible for providing compliance services across the AT&T enterprise. As AT&T’s Chief Accessibility Officer, she is responsible for advocating accessibility inclusion in products, services and employee resources, as well as accessibility advocacy internally and externally. Her team provides accessible design tools and accessibility expertise to product development and customer interaction teams throughout the company.