Business (Behavioral)

Jason R Thompson is a successful author, speaker, and experienced diversity officer that has developed and led award-winning diversity programs in multiple industries including the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Jason is known for his practical and outcome-based approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Jason’s book, Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance, is a handbook for HR executives, CEOs and DE&I professionals that provides Jason’s clear blueprint and tools for a successful DE&I program.  Jason is the co-founder of CAPE Inclusion, a minority-owned DE&I software solutions company.

Sherika Ekpo brings 20 years of strategic leadership, human capital, talent management and professional development experience to the interim Chief People Officer role at Anaplan, where she leads the company’s global culture, people, and communications teams. She is focused on building an innovative employee experience and culture of belonging that empowers people to contribute their best selves at work. Sherika joined Anaplan as the company’s first Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. Previously, she was the Global Diversity & Inclusion Lead for the Research and Artificial Intelligence teams at Google. She received her MBA from the University of Maryland and her bachelor’s degree from Howard University.

Lex Gillette is a Paralympic athlete. Competing primarily in the long jump, Lex has five Paralympic medals, four world champion titles, and holds the current world record. He’s the only totally blind athlete to eclipse the 22-foot barrier.  Lex is a sought-after inspirational keynote speaker who empowers his audiences to gaze beyond the horizon and see more than what is in front of their eyes. In his presentation,  “Remove the blindfold", we will explore the idea of “blindfolds,” how they appear in our lives and amongst our teams, and what we can do to remove them to see the world with more clarity and truth.

Hana is the founder of Gen Z Planet ─ a research and advisory firm. She helps business leaders to prepare for the next generation of employees and consumers. In this role, Hana combines her passion for insights with her commitment to support the integration of the next generation into society. As an award-winning management consultant who was named as one of the “Top 25 Consultants” by Consulting Magazine, Hana is a sought-after speaker and business commentator and is the author of the book Gen Z 360: Preparing for the Inevitable Change in Culture, Work, and Commerce.

Dr. Mira Brancu helps executives and their teams lead well today and better navigate tomorrow. Her organization development consulting firm, Brancu & Associates was awarded the 2021 Corporate Philanthropy Award for their contributions supporting under-served women professionally and economically. Dr. Brancu brings two decades of experience in healthcare and academia, including an award-winning leadership career at the US Department of Veterans Affairs and a faculty appointment at Duke University. Dr. Brancu is also a contributor for Psychology Today and Thrive Global and author of Millennials Guide to Workplace Politics.

Ashley T. Brundage is the President and CEO of Empowering Differences. While seeking employment at PNC Bank in the United States, she identified openly during the interview process as a woman of transgender experiance and subsequently was hired after facing years of harassment, discrimination, and homelessness. These factors led her to start her second career as a means of survival while doing research on empowerment & differences. She took a role in the bank as a part time teller and then rose to national Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion in less than 5 years. She captured her research as a 4-Step process of empowerment to cultivate change in her new book and online leadership course. Ashley credits her success to those closest to her for providing actionable allyship including her 2 teenage sons, Bryce and Blake. She also volunteers her time serving numerous nonprofit organizations including serving as the vice chair for the national board of directors for GLAAD who works to accelerate acceptance across all forms of media for the LGBTQ+ community.

Daniel works with companies, conference planners, learning and development leaders, school districts, and nonprofit boards - all in a pursuit to help them grow their leadership impact and make the spaces they influence more inclusive and innovative. His work is nestled at the intersection of employee thriving, organizational culture, and diversity & inclusion. A committed “space creator,” Daniel seeks to position learning and growth as an invitation into our better selves rather than as an indictment about our failings. He is human-centered and growth-focused, building trust and psychological safety as he engages in tough conversations and challenging work.

Louis Orslene is the Director of the Employer and Workplace Policy Team, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), U.S. DOL. Prior to joining ODEP, Louis served as a Disability Policy Advisor supporting the Department of Defense Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. He also co-directed the Department of Labor’s Job Accommodation Network (JAN). Louis graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with Master's degrees in Public and International Affairs and Social Work. He also holds certifications in Disability Management and Managing Public and Non-Profit Organizations. He holds an undergraduate degree in Human Resource Management.

After years of what his parents called “the diagnosis of the month club,” Dylan was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism at the age of eight. Life has been a minefield of obstacles for Dylan. When he was little, he struggled with learning the rules and following directions that did not make sense to him. As he got older, he was challenged, especially socially, by a world that seemed extremely confusing to him, with a disability that to most was invisible. Even today, Dylan works hard to figure out what he needs to do in order to get through each day as a 27-year-old adult with autism in our fast-paced and often unforgiving society.

Dylan graduated from Sedgefield High School in 2010 and is currently pursuing his goal of making it in the entertainment industry. He has a YouTube channel under his stage name “Real Dielawn” where viewers are treated on a daily basis to a look inside his one-of-a-kind mind. Dylan has also been a regular on SiriusXM’s “Dirty Pop Live” hosted by Lance Bass, heard formerly on OutQ Channel 106 and RadioAndy Channel 102. He has hosted his own radio show, “Ridin with Dielawn” which aired Saturday nights in Portland, Maine on WLOB 100.5-FM and via his podcast.

Dylan has been enjoying his experiences speaking about his life and the book he wrote with his father.  His presentations to thousands of people from coast to coast have been overwhelmingly well-received. He hopes his work helping his father write Chasing the Rabbit: A Dad’s Life Raising a Son on the Autism Spectrum and his new book, Bad Choices Make Good Stories: My Life with Autism, will help families as they navigate through the difficulties of living life on the spectrum.  He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Shirley Davis, CSP, President of SDS Global Enterprises, a global workforce solutions firm, is an award-winning Human Resources expert, with over 30 years of business experience in a variety of senior executive roles for several Fortune 100 companies, as well as her last role of Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion for the Society for Human Resource Management. She’s also a best-selling author of 5 books, serves on the National Speakers Association and the NSA Foundation Boards, and the Make A Wish Foundation Board. She is a popular facilitator for eight LinkedIn Learning leadership courses.