DAY 1: Black In Tech
Thursday, April 28, 2022
9:00 - 10:00 AM: Registration and continental breakfast/Host
10:00 AM: DJ WhySham & Performance by Oompa
10:05 - 10:15 AM: Opening remarks from Sheena Collier
10:15 - 11:00 AM: Keynote (fireside chat) Building Thriving Tech Communities with Sherrell Dorsey, Founder & CEO at The Plug
11:00 - 11:05 AM: Overview of the day, closing remarks, DJ WhySham
11:15 AM - 12:20 PM: Breakout Session 1
From Coding to Code Switching: Being Black in Tech
- Pariss Athena (Founder and CEO of Black Tech Pipeline)
- Darryl Auguste (EVP, Global Analytics & Board Member of EverQuote)
- Pamela Rosario (Founder and CEO of Rocena)
- Eric Seburyamo (Chief Diversity Officer at Veeva Systems)
Equity At All Costs: The Social Impact of FinTech
- Damon Cox (Head Of Next Practice & Inclusive Growth at MassChallenge)
- Trevor Rozier-Byrd (Founder & CEO of Stackwell Capital, Inc.)
Made in Boston: Sparking Innovation with Black Tech Founders
- Malia Lazu (Founder & CEO of The Lazu Group)
- Helen Adeosun (Founder & CEO of CareAcademy)
- Brandale Randolph (Founder & CEO of The 1854 Cycling Company)
- Rahkeem Morris (CEO & Co-Founder of HourWork)
Green is The New Black: Earth-Friendly Employment + Entrepreneurship
- Kerry Bowie (Founder, President, and Executive Majira Project)
- Nicole Obi (President and CEO, Black Economic Council of Massachussetts (BECMA))
- Kevin McCaskill (Sr Administrator at Office of Secondary Schools, Boston Public Schools)
- Dana Rebeiro (Massachusetts Liaison Vineyard Wind)
12:20 - 1:20 PM: Lunch, headshots, networking
1:30 - 2:35 PM: Breakout Session 2
The Role of Gov’t: Politics & Policies that Attract Black Tech Talent
- Omari Aarons (Founder & Managing Partner at Aarons Group LLC)
- Segun Idowu (Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion of City of Boston)
- Nigel Jacob (Senior Fellow at The Burnes Center for Global Impact @ Northeastern University)
Demystifying Fundraising for Founders: How to Gain Access to Capital
- Delsa Guerrero-Castillo (Associate, Startup Banking at Silicon Valley Bank)
- Greg Shell (Managing Director, Double Impact at Bain Capital)
- Betty Francisco (CEO at Boston Impact Initiative Fund)
- Justin Mott (Founder & Managing Director of Indput Consulting)
Moving Beyond the Statements - How to Build Inclusive Company Cultures
- Tasha Kitty (CEO & President of Smart Startup HR)
- Stephanie Lajoie-Lubin (Head of DEI & Belonging at Drizly)
- Tarikh Campbell (Sr. Program Manager, Diversity & Inclusion at Microsoft)
- Kameelah Benjamin-Fuller (Chief Diversity Officer & CSR Leader at PTC)
2:45 - 3:50 PM: Breakout Session 3
The Future of Black Women in Healthcare and Life Sciences
- Nyambura Barrow (Health Economics Outcomes Research Consultant at Avalere Health)
- Alicia Whittington (Asst. Director of Engagement and Equity Research at Harvard University)
- Trinidad Grange-Kyner (Vice President of Technology Delivery at Point32Health)
- Erica Jackson (Associate General Counsel at Ginkgo Bioworks)
Diversity in Emerging Tech: Are There Black People in the Metaverse?
- TeLisa Daughtry (Founder & CTO of FLYX Enterprises / FlyTechnista)
- Brandon Tory (Founder at Formless)
- Ashley Armand (Assistant Director at Northeastern University)
For Us, By Us - Increasing Boston's Black Tech Founders
- Ed Gaskin (Executive Director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets)
- Daniel Acheampong (General Partner at Visible Hands)
- Julianne Zimmerman (Managing Director, GP of Reinventure Capital)
- Winston Henderson (Vice President, General Councel at Surface Logix, Inc.)
3:50 - 4:00 PM: Break
4:00 - 4:05 PM: DJ/Host
4:05 - 4:45 PM: Roundtable with Boston's Tech and Life Sciences leaders
- KeyAnna Schmiedl (Global Head, Culture & Inclusion at Wayfair)
- Kenn Turner (President & CEO at Massachusetts Life Sciences Center)
- Jody Rose (President & Co0Founder at Hack.Diversity)
4:45 - 5:00 PM: Closing remarks
DAY 2: Navigate The City
Friday, April 29, 2022
9:00 - 10:00 AM: Registration and continental breakfast/Host
10:00 AM: Amanda Shea Performance
10:05 - 10:25 AM: Opening remarks
10:25 - 10:55 AM: Keynote: Black Boston Reimagined by Sheena Collier, Founder & CEO of Boston While Black
10:55 - 11:00 AM: Overview of the day, closing remarks, DJ
11:15 AM - 12:20 PM: Breakout Session 1
Homebound: Journey to Homeownership for Black Bostonians
- Hakim Harris (Scrum Master A-CSM, A-CSPO at John Hancock)
- Chrystal Kornegay (Executive Director of MassHousing)
- Denisha McDonald (President of Our Village Initiative and Build Black Wealth)
- State Rep Chynah Tyler (Massachusetts House of Representatives)
My Second Home: Growing New Roots For Black Boston Transplants
- Tameca Fowling (Environmental Health & Safety Administrator at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard)
- LaTrelle Pinkey-Chase (Cooperative Education Coordinator at Boston Public Schools
- Kristen L. Pope (Founder and CEO at Pope Productions Inc.)
- Jeraul Mackey (Founder at Jeraul Mackey Training and Development)
At The Intersection of Black + Queer in Boston
- Arielle Gray (Journalist and Arts Engagement Producer at WBUR)
- Curtis Santos (CEO & Founder, Boston Lesbigay Urban Foundation)
- Daunasia Yancey (Executive Director of Pay A Black Woman/The Rest Rails)
- Quincey Roberts (LGBTQ+ Liason/Education and Outreach manager for City of Boston)
12:20 - 1:20 PM: Lunch, headshots, networking
1:30 - 2:35 PM: Breakout Session 2
Black in the Past. Black in the Future: Boston's Neighborhoods
- Karilyn Crockett (Professor of Urban History, Public Planning and Policy, MIT)
- State Rep Liz Miranda (MA Statehouse - 5th Suffolk District at Commonwealth of Massachusetts)
- Kai Grant (Executive Director of Black Market Development)
Wealth-Building Strategies for Black Families
- Sabrina Correira (Vice President, Community Manager of Chase Bank)
- Jock Payten (Founder, Nubian Square Investment Advisors)
- Jenny Geffrard (Business Instructor & Advisor at Uptima Entrepreneur Cooperative)
Black Health and Wellness: Glowing + Growing
- Charmain Jackman (Founder & CEO of InnoPsych)
- Nieisha Deed (Founder of PureSpark)
- Karland Barrett (Founder & CEO of 3R Massage)
- Sidney Baptista (Founder of PIONEERS Run Crew & PYNRS Performance Streetwear)
A Changing City: Boston's Elected Leader's Role in Amplifying Black Culture
- Jeneé Osterheldt (Culture Writer at Boston Globe's: A Beautiful Resistance)
- Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune (Boston City Councilor At-Large)
- Councilor Tania Anderson (Boston City Councilor)
- Councilor Kendra Lara (Boston City Councilor)
- Councilor Brian Worrell (Boston City Councilor)
- Councilor Julia Meija (Boston City Councilor)
2:45 - 3:50 PM: Breakout Session 3
The Diaspora At Work: ERGs + Professional Groups
- Brandon Tilghman (President of Pan-Hellenic, Academic Appointments Advisor at Harvard)
- Devin Morris (Cofounder and Executive Director at The Teachers' Lounge)
- Dr. Ellana Stinson (Emergency Medicine Physician at New England Medical Association)
- Lori Witherspoon (Senior Manager at Wayfair) (Wayblack)
Pay Attention and Pay It Forward: Getting Involved In Your Neighborhood and City
- James Hills (Creator and Host at #JavawithJimmy)
- Cindy Diggs (Community and Cultural Engagement Manager at Massachusetts General Hospital)
- Brianna Millor (Chief of Community Engagement Cabinet, City of Boston)
- James Mackey (Founder at I Am A Revolutionary)
Boo'd Up in Boston: Finding Love in a Hopeful Place
- Bernadine Desanges (Founder of Know Your Truths. Speak Your Truths., LLC)
- Rev. Carrington Moore (Executive Director of Common Cathedral)
- Bridgette Lawson (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Procurement & Outreach Coordinator at In Order Business Development Solutions)
3:50 - 4:00 PM: Break
4:00 - 4:40 PM: Do It for the Culture: Elevating Boston's Black Social Spaces
- Danielle "Hot Sauce" Johnson (Founder & CEO at Spark FM Online)
- Catherine Morris (Founder & Executive Director at Boston Art and Music Soul Fest)
- Farrah Belizaire (Founder at LiteWork Events)
- Nia Grace (Owner/General Manager at Bar and Kitchen Hospitality, Inc.)
- Kurt Mclaughlin (Co-Founder & CEO at KP Media)
4:45 - 5:00 PM: Closing remarks