Advancing Diversity Week: More than 80 Media & Ad Community Leaders Focus on Advancing Diverse Talent Retention September 20-23

WHAT:

You are invited to attend the inaugural Advancing Diversity Week, a multi-day gathering bringing together the media, advertising, marketing and entertainment community in a shared commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. It is curated to surface unapologetic conversations in service to truth, meaning and a new way forward for our industry.

Advancing Diversity Week's series of keynote addresses and provocative panel discussions hosted by MediaVillage.com, AdvancingDiversity.org and The Female Quotient (The FQ) features: D-E-I + Belonging! on Monday, September 20; Belonging + Retention on Tuesday, September 21; and Multicultural + Meaning on Wednesday, September 22. For complete agenda of 80 plus Advancing Diversity Week speakers, go to https://week.advancingdiversity.org/. 

On Thursday, September 23 from noon to 2:00pm EDT, Advertising & Media Gen Z Town Hall brings together the 4^th Advancing Diversity Hall of Honors inductees and those in the early stages of their career in conversation about the future of the workplace: register here to secure your place via Zoom.

WHEN:

Belonging + Retention

Day Two Theme

Tuesday, September 21

11:00AM to 3:00PM (all times Eastern)

WHO:              

11:00-11:05AM

Opening Remarks

Phil McKenzie, Executive Director, AdvancingDiversity.org; Erika Sanchez, Experience Team, The Female Quotient

11:05-11:15AM

Advancing Media & Advertising Community Engagement with HBCUs 

David Marshall, Professor and Chair, Strategic Communication, Morgan State University; Phil McKenzie, Executive Director, AdvancingDiversity.org

11:15-11:45AM             

Spotlight on Leaders Effectively Using their Influence to Champion Inclusivity

Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient; Aline Santos, Chief Brand Officer and Chief Equity Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Unilever; Domonique Worship, VP, Diversity & Inclusion, NBA; Chinwe Esimai, Managing Director, Chief Anti-Bribery & Corruption Officer, Citigroup Inc.; Marcien Jenckes, President, Advertising, Comcast Cable

11:45-12:15PM             

Belonging and the Employee Experience

Sade Muhammad, VP, Representation and Inclusion, Forbes; Whitney Maddox, Inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, NPR; Chequan Lewis, Chief Equity Officer, Pizza Hut U.S.; Tsedale M. Melaku, Sociologist and Author, You Don't Look Like a Lawyer; Mary Watson, VP, Culture and People Experience, Mediabrands Worldwide; DK Bartley, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Moody's Corporation

12:15-12:25PM

Fostering Support Systems for Veterans and Military Families

Jack Myers, Founder, MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity.org; Michael Haynie, Vice Chancellor, Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, Syracuse University

12:25-12:55PM

Career Opportunities in Media and Advertising

Mizell Stewart, VP, News Performance, Talent & Partnerships, Gannett, USA TODAY NETWORK; Brian Vaught, EVP, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, Publicis Media; Ci Ci Holloway, Chief People and Diversity Officer, Intersection; LaToya Johnson, Director, Inclusion, Diversity & Equity, Gannett, USA TODAY NETWORK; Michele Laven, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity Officer, iHeartMedia; Laurel Rossi, Co-Founder and Executive Chair, Creative Spirit US

12:55-1:25PM               

Shattering the Rules to Embrace Diversity

Jacqueline Cutler, Columnist, Behind the Scenes in Hollywood, MediaVillage; Nikki Love, VP, Development & Production, ALLBLK, AMC Networks; Lorna Osunsanmi, Producer, Writer, CW's All-American; Valerie Graves, Author, Pressure Makes Diamonds: Becoming the Woman I Pretended to Be, Public Speaker and Creative Consultant; Belinda Smith, CEO Americas, m/SIX; Brian Owens, SVP, Commerce Strategy, VMLY&R COMMERCE

1:25-1:55PM                 

Does Media Drive Culture or Does Culture Drive Media?

Juan Ayala, Columnist and Podcast Host, MediaVillage; Ramtin Arablouei, host of NPR's Throughline podcast; Manni L. Perez, Actress; Cassandra James, Actress, General Hospital; Joon Lee, Staff Writer, ESPN Inc.; Gabriela Bañuelos (0hgaby), Content Creator, Host, Actor, Univision Creator Network

1:55-2:05PM                 

Industry Perspectives: A Conversation with Disney's Rita Ferro

Jack Myers, Founder, MediaVillage and AdvancingDiversity.org; Rita Ferro, President, Disney Advertising Sales, The Walt Disney Company

2:05-2:45PM

The New Generation of Influential Leaders in Content Share their Vision

Jacqueline Cutler, Columnist, Behind the Scenes in Hollywood, MediaVillage;
Toni Judkins, SVP, Programming and Development, Mahogany, Crown Media Family Network; Sapna Vyas, Sr. Director, Original Movies, Lifetime; Dana Theodoratos, SVP Talent and Casting, The CW; Tim McNeal, SVP, Creative Talent and Inclusion, Disney Television Studios

2:45-2:55PM                 

HBCU Career MeetUp Bus Tour

Phil McKenzie, Executive Director, AdvancingDiversity.org; Steve Pacheco, President and CEO, American Advertising Federation (AAF)

2:55-3:00PM

Closing Remarks

Phil McKenzie, Executive Director, AdvancingDiversity.org