Day 2 is Career & Professional Development + Tech Day, featuring exclusive career-boosting workshops for professionals. Also on tap is our annual TechConnect & Demo Day event, which offers attendees access to leading tech pros and content creators discussing the latest tech tools, strategies, and applications.
Emcee: Shannon LaNier, Cheddar News Anchor & Fatherhood Influencer
Invocation: Pastor Juanita C. Rasmus and Dr. Rudy Rasmus, Founders the Bread of Life, Inc.
Sponsor Remarks:
Ray Dempsey, Jr., Group Chief Diversity Officer, Barclays
Mark A. Crawford, Senior Vice President, Legal People & Culture and Senior Vice President, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, BP
Grady Crosby, Vice President, Chief Sustainability and Impact Officer, Enterprise Sustainability and Impact (ESI)
Chanelle Hardy, Head of Civil Rights for Google
Tellis Bethel, Group Vice President and Chief Social Innovation Officer for Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Chief Diversity Officer for Toyota Motor North America
Living Legend Awardees:
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, United States House of Representatives, 18th Congressional District of Texas
Reverend Al Sharpton, Founder & President; National Action Network, MSNBC Talk Show Host PoliticsNationPresident’s Award:
President’s Awardees:
Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of Houston
Congressman Al Green, United States House of Representatives, 9th Congressional District of Texas
Rodney Ellis, Harris County (TX) Commissioner, from Precinct 1 and Senior Advisor, Dentons US LLP
President’s Awardees for Arts & Entertainment:
Will Packer, Record-Breaking Emmy Nominated Producer, Founder & CEO, Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media
McGannon Awardee:
C.D. Glin, President of the PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Philanthropy, Pepsico
Retiring Affiliate CEOs:
Henry Thomas, III, President and CEO, Urban League of Springfield, (MA) - 1974 - 2023
Diane Robinson, Greater Stark County Urban League, Inc. - 2018 - 2023
Steven Belton, President and CEO, Urban League of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 2015-2022
Ray King, Urban League of San Diego County, San Diego, CA -- 2007-2023
Diane Robinson, Greater Stark County Urban League, Inc., Canton, OH - 2018-2023
Muhammed Umar, Urban League of Hudson County, Jersey City, NJ - 2016-2023
2024 Conference Promo
Shannon LaNier is a television news anchor with the nationally syndicated network Cheddar News....Read more
Pastor Juanita Rasmus and Dr. Rudy Rasmus are authors, spiritual guides and humanitarians with a...Read more
Ray Dempsey Jr. joined Barclays in 2021 as the group chief diversity officer. In this role, he...Read more
Marc H. Morial is President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation's largest historic...Read more
For Northwestern Mutual, Grady Crosby develops strategies, drives execution, and reports on...Read more
Mark has practiced labor and employment law exclusively for more than 25 years, starting his...Read more
Rodney Ellis was born and raised in Houston’s Sunnyside neighborhood, the proud son of a yardman...Read more
Will Packer is one of Hollywood’s most influential record-breaking filmmakers. He has produced...Read more
Chanelle Hardy is a social justice, tech policy and civil rights expert. As head of Civil Rights...Read more
Tellis Bethel oversees TMNA’s strategic partnerships, philanthropic efforts, and diversity and...Read more
