Equity & Inclusion Congress

Third Annual Equity & Inclusion Congress
Our Featured Speakers

Kenya Rutland
Principal and Chief Enthusiasm Officer, KJR Consulting

Kenya is a passionate and trustworthy consultant who increases the confidence, motivation, and performance of others. He is a persuasive facilitative leader who uses his keen business acumen to build commitment and accountability among staff at all levels of any organization. Kenya has nearly 20 years of experience delivering results-oriented consulting and facilitation to a diverse client portfolio. He holds certifications in various learning and organizational development topics
and continues to supplement these through his commitment to lifelong learning. He is also an avid golfer and a die-hard fan of the Yankees, 49ers, and Lakers.

Erayna Sargent
Founder & Head
Anti- Burnout Champion
Hooky Wellness

Erayna Sargent (aka The Burnout Whisperer), is a speaker, mental wellness champion, and burnout relief expert. As founder and Chief Anti-Burnout Champion at Hooky Wellness®, she merged employee-centric design and mental wellness to develop their burnout relief experience, Navigating Burnout™. She has empowered thousands of professionals across clients including Google, Deloitte, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Moet Hennessy, and Indiana University.

Erayna has an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. She is an initiative member at the Global Wellness Institute and the founder and co-chair emeritus of BL2END, a Michigan-based non-profit for professionals of color. As a contributing writer at Well+Good, she provides perspective and practical tips for real-time workplace challenges. Erayna is a born & bred Detroiter, turned domestic nomad, currently residing in Charlotte with her husband and their 10-month-old son. On a Hooky Day you can find Erayna in the spa, a hammock, or binge watching Tiny Desk episodes.

Danisha Lomax
EVP/Head of Client Inclusivity & Impact
Digitas

As EVP/Head of Client Inclusivity & Impact for Digitas North America, Danisha Lomax takes pride in developing programs that focus on authenticity, cultural impact, and advocacy for women of color. In this position she works to further establish Digitas as a leader in the DE&I and CSR space and engage with clients to drive a thoughtful strategy to create more inclusive work in-market for their consumers. Danisha partners with client and capability leaders to influence and accelerate inclusion in client work across the intersections of marketing, content, creative, media, and measurement.

Prior to Digitas, Danisha held positions at Wells Fargo, eDriving and AKQA. With over a decade of experience in media, Danisha’s approach has won her multiple awards including Campaign US’ Media Planner of the Year (2021), Chief Marketer's Market like a Mother award (2021) and Cynopsis’ Top Women in Media (2020), among others. She is a sought-after thought leader and speaker. She's written industry articles related to Facebook's shift to stories, inclusivity in Instagram stories, Snapchat going premium, and year over year social trends in various high caliber trade and industry publications.

Monique E. Maubert, PhD
Associate Scientific Director
Synergy Medical Education/Communications
Healthcare Consultancy Group

Dr. Monique E. Maubert is a classically-trained academic scientist of 16 years who transitioned to the Scientific/Medical Communications industry in February 2020, and is currently employed as an Associate Scientific Director at Synergy Medical Education/Communications, part of the Healthcare Consultancy Group (HCG) network. Monique started practicing mindful meditation beginning in January 2016 and has been dedicated to daily meditation practice since. She has been leading the weekly OHGfit group meditation since October 2021, a tradition started by Dr. Shashirekha Mundhra.

Geraldine White
Chief Diversity Officer
Publicis Group

As Chief Diversity Officer of Publicis Groupe US, Geraldine White is tasked with leading Publicis Groupe’s DE&I work, with a focus on elevating talent experiences; improving systems, policies and practices to create more equity in our employee base; and continually enabling an inclusive environment for all identities and communities within the Publicis Groupe network.

With over 21 years of digital and traditional marketing and advertising experience spanning business consulting, client services and program management disciplines, Geraldine has successfully managed programs across a diverse portfolio of industries and brands. She has spent her career supporting cross-capability integration, productivity and overall profitability of the lines of business she’s overseen.

She has been quoted in Forbes, the Boston Globe, Adweek, Ad Age, and more; has been honored as a She Runs It Working Mother of the Year & Changing the Game honoree; and is on the jury of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Outside of the office, Geraldine is a devoted mom of four, a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Dress for Success, is central council delegate for the board of her local school district, and a member of her district’s diversity council.

Carol Watson
Chief Inclusion Officer
BCW Global

Carol Watson has global responsibility to embed Inclusion, Equity and Diversity holistically throughout the organization, using a proprietary BCW I.D.E.A. approach, to drive inclusive culture in the people, agency, and client work at BCW’s 4000 employees. Her accomplishments include award winning employee experiences like Destination Inclusion, intentionally inclusive client work, inclusive leadership, and talent management initiatives. Client engagements across industries include Bias Interrupter Design Workshops, I&D communications auditing, C-Suite training and advising, stakeholder strategy, crisis response and social impact strategies. Carol was previously a senior advisor and consultant to 200+ mid-large sized organizations at Diversity Best Practices. She is also a former media marketer and passionate about being culture curious and all things bass guitar.

Monique Nelson
Chair
UWG

Monique L. Nelson is Chair of UWG, the country’s longest-standing multicultural marketing agency.

Headquartered in Brooklyn, with offices in Detroit, Atlanta and Miami, UWG maintains a list of esteemed clients. Today, this list includes Ford Motor Company, The Home Depot, ProMedica, The Executive Leadership Council and LVMH. As one of the country’s leading multicultural agencies, UWG services its clients with General Market, Black, Hispanic, Asian and LGBT marketing and advertising, digital and traditional advertising, consumer insight, public relations, consumer healthcare communications, DE&I and cultural fluency consulting.

Ms. Nelson has expanded the agency’s client list and has led her team in the development of several award-winning campaigns that show the wide range of the agency’s expertise, as well as its ability to connect its clients with the growing and diverse cultures of today’s marketplace.

Today, her leadership extends beyond her C-suite at UWG. Ms. Nelson contributes to many organizations and charities. She sits on the Audacy Board of Directors (AUD), Advertising Week Global Board, AdWeek Diversity & Inclusion Council, The Brandeis Board of Trustees, The Eagle Academy Board, the New York Advisory Board for The Posse Foundation, of which she is an alumna and is a participant in the ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing.

Ms. Nelson has an MBA in international marketing and finance from Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul University and a Bachelor of Science degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University.

Marina Filipelli
Chief Executive Officer
Orci

As CEO, Marina drives both business strategy and day-to-day operations for multicultural initiatives at Orci, working closely with her team to deliver engaging, effective campaigns that help global brands like Honda, Acura, Dole, VCA, Anheuser Busch, Chevron and ExtraMile build meaningful relationships with diverse targets in the U.S. and Latin America. Everything she does boils down to creating “marketing that matters” to both consumers and brands.

With roots in Mexico and Argentina, Marina has been passionate about communicating with the Latine community since she first launched her career at Orci, ultimately returning after leading the multicultural division of Heat and client teams at Zubi Advertising and Conexión.

She serves on the National Advertising Review Board and is dedicated to supporting efforts related to diversity, inclusion, education and the arts, volunteering as a mentor and activist with P.S. Arts and various Los Angeles nonprofits.

Aaron Morrison
National Writer, Race & Ethnicity at The Associated Press

Aaron Morrison is an award-winning national writer for The Associated Press, where he reports extensively about race, civil rights, criminal justice reform and grassroots social movements. His work has also appeared in The Appeal, a nonprofit criminal justice news outlet covering the biggest drivers of mass incarceration; Mic, where he was a video correspondent and senior writer on issues of race and justice; and The Record newspaper, in Bergen County, New Jersey. Aaron also is an adjunct lecturer in the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.

Danisha Lomax
EVP/Head of Client Inclusivity & Impact
Digitas

Kiesha McCorry
Director, Marketing Partnerships & Promotions
The Walt Disney Company

Kiesha McCorry is new to Disney and is the Director of Strategic Marketing Partnerships & Promotions for the Yellow Shoes Creative Group. In her current role, she leads a team to support Disney Parks, Experiences and Products to increase brand awareness, drive attendance and reach diverse audiences through Corporate Alliance partnerships and promotions.
Kiesha also created, launched, and currently hosts the Soul Sessions Podcast: Authentic Conversations with Black Cast in support of the Global Marketing & Sales BRAVE initiative to promote deeper understanding, increase allyship and educate cast on the Black Cast experience: as well as leading the recommendations for Bob Chapek in the Black Consumer Marketing Initiative for Consumer Products
In her previous role as Senior Manager for the Content Studio she supported Consumer Product Games & Products to increase brand affinity and product sales for Disney Princess, and Pixar Cars. Kiesha also led the effort in creating over 400 pieces of content for the APAC, EMEA and LATAM regional partners to promote Disney Princess and Pixar Cars globally.
Before joining Disney, Kiesha gained over fifteen years of branding and account management experience working for industry leaders, including global organizations as the VP of Marketing at Fremantle Media and Lionsgate Television. She has designed and developed creative campaigns for customers such as Time Warner Cable/Comcast, Cox, and the NFL. She has a track record of collaborating effectively with key customers, senior executives, and department heads.

Soon Mee Kim
Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer,
Omnicom Communications Consultancy Network

Soon Mee Kim is Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for the Omnicom Communications Consultancy Network, which includes the Omnicom Public Relations Group and the Omnicom Brand Consulting Group, within Omnicom Group, the worldwide leader in marketing communications. A dreamer and a doer, Soon Mee drives purposeful action. She is a proven leader and creative problem-solver with a passion for workplace culture, supporting the talent life cycle, and confronting systemic bias. Her forte is in uncovering and articulating the reasons why people should care about complex issues. Formally and informally, her favorite roles are that of mentor, coach and student.

Ericka Riggs
Chief Diversity, Equity,
& Inclusion Officer
Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group

Looking at the varied and vibrant career of Ericka Riggs, diversity executive, Board member, thought leader, pocstock's Top 50 Black Leader of 2022, and 2020 Nancy Hill Award winner, a pattern quickly emerges. This creative, strategic Chief DE&I Officer of Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group has been about not just advancement, but also enhancement.

Working in video promotions at Uptown Records and legendary MOTOWN, Ericka strengthened the people skills she developed as the daughter of a corporate executive whose career moved the family from Texas and Missouri to Maryland, New York and the D.C. area.

Parlaying creative experience, exposure to myriad communities and cultures and natural empathy, Ericka segued to multicultural ad agency UniWorld Group, (UWG), rising from Creative Coordinator to producer before leaving to augment her portfolio with a marketing degree from George Mason University and a position in development at Northern Virginia University.

In 2016, Ericka Riggs made an impressive return to New York as Foundation and Inclusion Director of The Advertising Club of New York. Under her guidance, the game-changing I’mPART Women’s Fellowship elevated the careers of BIPOC women managers into leadership roles. Her engagement initiatives, “Icons, Rockstars & Innovators,” “Women NOW: Master Class,” and “Culture Club” have been integral in helping to create a more inclusive advertising, marketing and media community.

Ericka proudly serves as a Board member & Mentor, OmniWomen NY; 100 Roses from Concrete; 4A’s DEI Steering Committee; #WeAllRise; Circle of Change; 2020 MOBE Symposium Advisory Committee.

Ericka has become a regular guest of industry podcasts, contributor to trade publications and panelist at notable events, (ie. AD Monster, The Female Quotient, Digiday, Mixed Company, ADWEEKNY, SXSW).

Riggs attended Howard University and is a graduate of George Mason University’s School of Management.

Thanks to our Partners

Third Annual Equity & Inclusion Congress​ Our Featured Speakers

Third Annual Equity & Inclusion Congress
Our Featured Speakers