9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. ET

Applied DEI Philosophy

Luke-Matthew Iveson, Director, DEI Centre of Excellence at Forty1
Luke-Matthew Iveson will be sharing an introduction to their 'Applied DEI' philosophy, a method to ensure the successful application of DEI principles in the workplace, turning commitments into action. They will explain the key ingredients required to implement ‘Applied DEI’, providing practical examples and insights, specifically tailored around DEI internal communications.

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ET

AI and Its Impact on DEI Communications

Kim Clark, Owner Kim Cark Communications Inc.
Kim Clark (she/her), DEI communications speaker and consultant will showcase examples from some of the Generative AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and talk about ways we can use them to enhance our work....and how Generative AI is the reflection of the current state of performative communications and what we can do about it. 

Takeaways:

• Introduction to generative AI tools and capabilities
• The secret sauce to making generative AI a new member of your communications team
• Examples of ChatGPT results on DEI communication samples 
• Words and actions of caution in generative AI

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET

Keynote Presentation - How Cultural Intelligence Can Drive Inclusive Brand Impact and Growth

Lili Gil Valletta, CEO and Co-founder, Culture+ Group
As corporations continue to dial up their DEI efforts, how can brands adopt an inclusive approach to customer understanding, creativity, and growth in today's fast-changing market? This session explores a practical framework of Cultural Intelligence®️ that can empower brands with integrated inclusivity to deliver societal impact and business growth.

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET

Program to be announced

Julia Lecounte-Grayson, Brand Strategy and Marketing Manager, Moffitt Cancer Center

Presentation details to be announced.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Planning Your Inclusive Communications Strategies

A one-hour panel discussion on strategies for making your organization's communications more inclusive.

Panelists:

• Lilly Cortes Wyatt, Founder & Principal, Sociopr
• Claire Riggs, Managing Partner Riggs Creative Group
• Steve Jones, Founder & CEO, Pocstock
• Adena White, Founder and Chief Storyteller, Blackbelt Media

Host: Rick Alcantara

Luke-Matthew Iveson

Luke-Matthew Iveson (they/them) is the Director of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Centre of Excellence at Forty1, an employee engagement agency. They harness the power of diversity, equity and inclusion to create better employee experiences, working with clients to turn DEI commitments into action.

Their experience includes DEI communication campaigns, engagement programmes, leadership and employee development, global strategy development and activation. Luke-Matthew works with clients across various industries, including Capgemini, Nissan, AstraZeneca and GSK.

Prior to joining, Luke was an Associate Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, delivering lectures on queer and gender studies, alongside their further studies.

Kim Clark

Kim Clark has focused her career on messaging, audiences and how communications shape people's experiences. Her career spans documentary filmmaking, agency partnerships with the Discovery Channel, and leading global internal communication teams at KLA, PayPal, GoDaddy and GitHub. She is known for her ability to facilitate sensitive and yet urgent conversations to make meaningful progress in creating inclusive workplaces. She speaks at conferences, runs custom workshops and consults with companies on all things diversity, equity and inclusion communications related. She lives in California with her two cats, two kids, and one girlfriend.  

Lili Gil Valletta

Julia LeCounte-Grayson

Steve Jones

Steve is the Founder & CEO of pocstock, a global diversity stock media company that unapologetically focuses on positive images of people of color.  Steve is a serial entrepreneur who has spent over 20 years leading marketing and technology companies to solve everyday problems.

Prior to founding pocstock, Steve founded an award-winning digital agency recognized for creating innovative digital creative, marketing, and technologies for hundreds of companies including Colgate Palmolive, Cartoon Network, NBC Universal, 9/11 Memorial, NYU, Rutgers University, Pfizer, Whole Foods, Pepsico Frito Lay, Port Authority of NY & NJ, and more.

Steve started his first entrepreneurial venture at the age of 16 and since has owned an independent record label, recording studio, social network, and a video game company.  He also gained valuable corporate experience working at large companies like Chase Manhattan Bank, Cardinal Health, Barnes & Noble, and Morgan Stanley.

Steve was born in Barbados, raised in Brooklyn, NY and now resides in NJ with his lovely wife Marie, five beautiful children, organic vegetable garden, and his Xbox One.

Claire Riggs

A driven and accomplished professional, Claire has more than 25 years of experience in developing, implementing and managing strategic communications, as well as relationship and reputation management, in corporate, regional and independent site settings. She has specialized talent in internal and external communications, crisis management, government affairs, media relations, brand development and marketing strategies.

Claire hold a Master's degree in Public Relations and her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a graduate of Leadership New Jersey.

She currently serves as Managing Partner at Riggs Creative Group and teaches Advertising and Public Relations courses at Rowan University's Ric Edelman College of Communication and Creative Arts. She also serves on the Board of the United Way of Gloucester County and Women Empowered International.

Lilly Cortes Wyatt

Lilly is the founder of SociosPR, a Latina-owned, full-service multicultural creative communications company with a deep fluency in the nuances of cultural competence. Lilly and her team work with diverse communities for private enterprises and public agencies.

Lilly has extensive experience in media, having worked in journalism, marketing communications, and public relations for both general and multicultural audiences. She spent nearly 20 years in news broadcasting as Executive Producer, Host, Producer, and Assignment Editor for NBC Universal, ABC, Univision, and Telemundo affiliates in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento regions. Her bilingual skills in Spanish and English were instrumental in connecting important sources to community members for creating powerful feature stories. Lilly firmly believes teamwork is essential in providing strategic integrated communication plans that utilize existing media relations and establish new contacts to secure high-level placements in print, broadcast, and online media. 

Adena White

Adena J. White is an accredited public relations professional and social-impact storyteller with more than 15 years of experience leading communications efforts for place-based nonprofit organizations. In 2017, she founded Blackbelt Media to tell the stories of changemakers working to make the South a better place for all. Blackbelt Media produces the Blackbelt Voices podcast, which tells stories from and about Black folks down South that honor Black history, celebrate Black Southern culture, and shape the future of the region.

Adena obtained a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and journalism with an emphasis in public relations from Arkansas Tech University and was inducted into ATU's Hall of Distinction in 2021 as an Outstanding Young Alumna. She completed a master’s degree in applied communication studies from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and, in 2022, received the department’s “Alumni Making a Difference Award.” She was selected as a 2023 Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honoree.

Adena achieved her Accreditation in Public Relations through the Public Relations Society of America and earned a Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling from Georgetown University. She is a highly requested speaker on storytelling and has presented at industry and association conferences, including PRSA ICON, the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the Kentucky Travel Industry Association, and the Mid-America Cable Telecommunications Association’s Mid-America Cable Show.

Programming
Daniel Paulling

Daniel Paulling is the Director of Communications and Publications at U.S. Masters Swimming, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of SWIMMER magazine. He develops and executes USMS’s internal and external communications and email marketing campaigns, and leads the organization’s content marketing strategy. He’s also a nationally-ranked swimmer in multiple events.

Prior to joining USMS, he covered Major League Baseball, the NFL, and Southeastern Conference athletics for a number of newspapers and websites across the country, including The Kansas City Star, MLB.com, and USA Today. His work has been published by The New York Times and ESPN. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Rollins College.

In his spare time, Daniel enjoys reading and spending time with his dogs Baxter and Izzy.

Diane Streleckis has dedicated her 30+-year career to understanding what people need from communications and then crafting content that fulfills those needs.

Diane has created almost every form of content. Social media, videos, podcasts, blogs, news articles, sales and proposal materials, emails, presentations, and even full-blown white papers are all in her repertoire. She’s developed communication strategies for internal and external audiences in business-to-business and business-to-consumer communities, as well as the general public.

Much of Diane’s experience is in the financial services industry, for organizations including American Century Investments, KPMG, and Vanguard. She’s also worked in a number of other industries, such as public affairs, advertising, and software.

To get even better at creating connections through content, Diane is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Strategic and Digital Communications at Drexel University.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Roy Woods

Roy Woods Jr. is the Director of Communications for Springpoint, a nationally recognized senior living provider serving older adults and their families in the Mid-Atlantic region. Roy is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing communications to inform and engage internal audiences including employees, residents, members, and clients as well as external audiences including prospects, families, and industry peers. He has over 16 years of communications experience in the public and non-profit sector.  Previously, he was a Senior Communications Technician with the Office of Information Technology for the State of New Jersey. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Thomas Edison State University, and a Master of Communications and Media from Rutgers University.

Accreditation/Certification
Rashi Iyer

As senior vice president, corporate communications, at Radian, Rashi is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the company’s corporate and business public relations including online print and social media channels; corporate and business brand experience; corporate philanthropy/social impact; corporate reputation and crisis management; event marketing; corporate and business creative services and executive/strategic employee communications strategies and programs.

Rashi holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communications, Journalism and Media Studies, and prior to joining Radian worked in various capacities in academia, government and corporate in communications roles of increasing and varied responsibility. She holds several post graduate certificates in both internal and external communications and is a current holder of the IABC’s Communications Management Professional (CMP) certification.