Annual Virtual Event

Patina Miller stars as ‘Raquel Thomas’ in the STARZ Original series “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” which just completed its third season, is in production on its fourth, and recently received early renewal for its fifth. She is part of the guest cast voicing the character Sera in Prime Video’s adult animated musical comedy “Hazbin Hotel” which premiered in January 2024. In 2022, Patina made her highly anticipated Broadway return in the critically acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1987 musical, Into The Woods. Patina received rave reviews starring as the Witch, a role she played during a Hollywood Bowl production of the musical in 2019. This marked the first time in 8 years that she graced the Broadway stage since she won a Tony Award for “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical” in 2013. Miller also won a Grammy Award in the “Best Musical Theater Album” category for her work on the cast recording of Into the Woods and was nominated for the “Distinguished Performance Award” for the 89th Annual Drama League Awards.

She previously starred as press coordinator Daisy Grant in the CBS hit drama series “Madam Secretary,” starring Tea Leoni, Bebe Neuwirth and Tim Daly. She also starred as Charlotte Jenkins on the PBS Civil War-era drama “Mercy Street,” alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Josh Radnor. The show marked PBS' first original drama in more than a decade. Additionally, Miller served as the narrator in Jim Henson’s animated children’s series “Word Party.” In 2021, Miller starred in The Many Saints of Newark, the feature film prequel to David Chase’s award-winning series “The Sopranos.” She made her feature film debut as Commander Paylor in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The first part of the famous trilogy’s finale was released in November 2014. Miller then reprised her role in the final installment of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, which was released in November 2015.

Miller starred as the Leading Player in the Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz’s famous 1972 musical “Pippin,” directed by Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus and co-starring Matthew James Thomas, Andrea Martin and Terrance Mann. “Pippin” received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical at the 67th Annual Tony Awards. Miller successfully put a contemporary twist on a role originated by award-winning actor Ben Vereen, and mastered the Fosse movements that the show relies so heavily on. Miller earned a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, as well as a Broadway.com Audience Choice Award. She was also a Drama League Award honoree and Fred and Adele Astaire Award nominee. She previously performed the role of Leading Player in the American Repertory Theater production of "Pippin" from December 2012 to January 2013.

Miller made her Broadway debut in the 2011 Broadway season as the gutsy nightclub-singer-turned-nun Deloris Van Cartier in the stage adaptation of “Sister Act,” which earned her first Tony nomination as well as a Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations for her performance. She was also a Theatre World Award winner.

Additionally, Miller starred in multiple Off-Broadway productions, including "Ragtime" at Avery Fisher Hall, City Center Encores! production of Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s “Lost in the Stars,” and the Manhattan Theatre Club’s “Romantic Poetry.” Miller also appeared in the Public Theater’s pre-Broadway revival of “Hair" during its 2008 run at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, also under the direction of Diane Paulus. Her regional theatre credits include "First You Dream," a Kander and Ebb revue at the Kennedy Center, "Sister Act" at the Alliance Theatre and Pasadena Playhouse, and the Philadelphia Theater Company production of "Being Alive." She has participated in workshops for "Book of Mormon," “Nightingale," and "American Idiot." Prior to her numerous theater credits, Miller appeared in the renowned daytime soap opera "All My Children."

Miller performed her first solo concert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during its 2013-2014 theatrical season. She then made her New York City debut in February 2014 as part of Lincoln Center Theater’s “American Songbook” series, which subsequently aired on PBS.

Miller received a degree in musical theater from Carnegie Mellon University. She currently resides in New York City.

Symone Sanders-Townsend is an author, seasoned political strategist and co-host of “The Weekend” on MSNBC.

Symone rose to prominence in 2016 as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s then-presidential campaign. At 25, she became the youngest presidential press secretary on record and was named to Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election. At 29, she published her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America and served as a senior advisor for President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. At 31, Symone was appointed as a senior member of the Biden-Harris administration serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris.

A communicator with a passion for problem solving and social justice, Symone served as the national chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee and a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice before joining Senator Sanders’s campaign. There, she worked to raise the profile of young voices in the fight for juvenile justice reform and brought millennial perspectives to policy conversations. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration, Symone owned her own consulting firm where she helped clients find sound solutions to tough political and social problems.

Symone is a former political commentator for CNN and resident fellow of both Harvard's Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School and the University of Southern California's Center for the Political Future.

She is a native of North Omaha, Nebraska and currently resides in Washington D.C. with her husband, Shawn.

Creating an algorithm for the stock market to win Goldman Sachs Portfolio Challenge, selling her first marketing plan to Prudential, becoming a founding employee of FINRA, authoring the first ever African American Financial Experience study, inventing the top financial literacy product in the world, and being named the “Next Steve Jobs” by Forbes – all by age 30, Angel Rich has earned the title Wealth Pioneer.

As a former Global Market Research Analyst for Prudential Financial, Rich conducted over 70 financial behavior studies including President Obama’s Veterans Initiative to help design the plan to bring the troops home and Problem Resolution Study where she saved the company $6 billion. Rich left with a mission to provide equal access to financial literacy to everyone, everywhere through financial education technology.

Releasing the first financial literacy mobile game on the market, CreditStacker. CreditStacker exceeded 200,000 downloads in 60 countries within two weeks and climbed to #1 education app in 14 countries and top 5 in 40 countries. The app was named the best financial literacy product in the country by The White House, Department of Education, and JP Morgan Chase.

Rich is also the author of the bestseller History of the Black Dollar, Black Woman Politics, and WealthyLife Financial Literacy Textbook. She has been awarded Hamptonian of the Year, HBCU 30 Under 30, Hampton 40 Under 40, and Google Top 30 Black Female Founders.

The United Nations named her one of the Top 5 Most Influential People in the African Diaspora and the following year she was honored as a historic figure by the Sandy Spring Slave Museum. Rich is former Vice Chair of the DC Financial Literacy Council, co-authoring Fiscally Fit and the financial literacy recommendations.

Rich is a graduate of the HillVets Lead program and founder of #BlackTechMatters PAC. She is the co-creator of MIT Hacking Racism Challenge producing the largest Black hackathon in the country and connecting IVY League schools with HBCUs.

Angel Rich-Jones is the founder of CreditRich, the first Black woman owned neo-bank and first Black company to have an institutional partner with a credit bureau. In partnership with VISA to deliver debit and credit cards, CreditRich’s valuation was announced to exceed $1.5 billion.

Expanding her passion for golf Rich co-founded 4tee Acres, a signature HBCU program in partnership with PGA Reach, to drive for diversity.

Leah McGowen-Hare is Senior Vice President of the Trailblazer Community at Salesforce where she creates access, enablement, and support for the 15 million developers, admins, architects, and data analysts succeeding in the Salesforce Ecosystem. Leah is dedicated to empowering others to launch their careers in technology by making technology accessible to all. She has a Master of Science in Education and Technology and over 25 years of experience, having served in various technical and leadership roles including consultant, software developer, curriculum developer, technical trainer, and most recently as a technology executive. In her current role, she leads global community strategy, enablement, and operations alignment developing impactful programs that fuel innovation and trust within the community and the industry.

As a dynamic Master Technical Trainer at Salesforce, Leah is one of the driving forces behind the "Be a Multiplier" program, which inspires individuals to skill up for the jobs of today and tomorrow through Trailhead, Salesforce's free online learning platform. She also served as the host for the award-winning series "Leading Through Change'' and co-produced the Trailblazer Series on Salesforce+, Salesforce's streaming platform. She is a celebrated keynote speaker on topics such as leading edge technologies, building lasting communities, Salesforce enablement, and driving representation by empowering the future technologists. Her commitment to accessible education is further demonstrated through her involvement with organizations such as The Hidden Genius Project, Girls Who Code, and Salesforce's Trailhead Military, where she works to demystify technology and create access to youth, communities of color, and veterans.

An Emmy Award winning journalist, Jemele Hill is the Co-founder of Lodge Freeway Media and a contributing writer for The Atlantic.

On October 25, 2022, Henry Holt and Company published Hill’s memoir, UPHILL: A Memoir. In this character-rich, unapologetically provocative memoir, Hill reveals her tumultuous childhood, complicated family dynamics, and her life-saving journey into journalism.

In April of 2019, Hill debuted Jemele Hill is Unbothered on Spotify. The two-time Webby award-winning podcast features in-depth, thought-provoking conversation with some of the biggest newsmakers across entertainment, culture, music and politics. Hill also explores topical and controversial issues with humorous, candid commentary. In 2022, Jemele Hill is Unbothered, won two NAACP Awards for Outstanding Podcast in the Arts and Entertainment and Society and Culture categories. Previous Unbothered guests include, Vice President Kamala Harris, Ava DuVernay, Common, Ice Cube, Spike Lee, Gabrielle Union, Chelsea Clinton, Dan Rather, Stephen Colbert, Issa Rae, Taraji P. Henson, and Soledad O’Brien.

Unbothered was not Hill’s only contribution in the podcast arena. On April 15, 2020, Hill along with Van Lathan launched the podcast, The Wire: Way Down in the Hole. The podcast breaks down every episode on the HBO classic series. The hosts recap each show, break down signature moments, scenes, and characters.

In addition to breaking new ground as a podcaster, Hill also continued her celebrated television broadcasting career. In 2020, Hill and her longtime friend, former ESPN anchor Cari Champion, launched a weekly, late-night show on Vice Network called Cari & Jemele: Won’t Stick to Sports. The show covered politics, sports, news, current events, and pop culture.

Hill is also stretching her muscles behind the camera. She is executive producer of former NFL quarterback and civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick’s documentary, which will air on ESPN and is directed by legendary filmmaker Spike Lee. She also is currently developing a comedy series with acclaimed actress Gabrielle Union.

Hill’s 20-plus year journalism career has included stops at the biggest sports media network and several reputable newspapers. She originally joined ESPN in 2006 as a national columnist for espn.com. Her profile gradually rose as she began to make appearances on television, including SportsCenter, First Take, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters and Outside the Lines. She also spent a season as a sideline reporter for ESPN college football games.

Her foray into daily television began in 2013, when her and co-host Michael Smith began the daily, sports discussion show, His & Hers, which sprang from their popular podcast of the same name. In February 2017, Hill and Smith co-anchored the 6 p.m., SportsCenter, which debuted as a more personality-driven approach to the traditional SportsCenter. After her stint as SportsCenter host, Hill was a senior columnist for The Undefeated, ESPN’s sub-site that focuses on the intersection of sports, race, culture and politics. She eventually left ESPN in September 2018 and then a month later, she began writing about those same intersections for the highly-acclaimed socio-political magazine, The Atlantic.

Before joining ESPN, Hill was a sports columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 2005–06 – the lone African American female sports columnist at a daily newspaper in North America. From 1999-2005, she served as a sportswriter with the Detroit Free Press covering Michigan State football and basketball. Hill began her professional career in 1997 as a general assignment sportswriter for the Raleigh News & Observer.

In August 2018, the National Association of Black Journalist awarded Hill with Journalist of the Year Award. In July 2016, Hill participated in Emmy Award winning The President and the People: A National Conversation – a one-hour town hall with President Barack Obama on race relations, justice, policing and equality.

A native of Detroit, Hill graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a degree in journalism. In November of 2019, Hill married Ian Wallace.

Armed with a license in cosmetology and a few small acting roles, Malinda Williams left her home state of New Jersey and ambitiously set her sights on Hollywood. Branded one of the entertainment industry's most well respected actresses, Malinda is known for having a career spanning more than 40 years.

Twice nominated for an NAACP Image Award for "outstanding actress in a drama series", the determined young beauty made a name for herself, grabbing lead roles in films such as “The Wood “(MTV/Paramount), “High School High” “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate” and the television series SoulFood.

Malinda Williams has also embraced lifelong learning to create numerous roles and opportunities for herself outside of entertainment. In 2019, she launched She’s Got A Habit, empowering women to achieve wellness and economic security through entrepreneurship.

Rather than rely solely on outside contractors and vendors, Malinda taught herself to code (HTML, CSS, Javascript, etc.) and built multiple e-commerce platforms from the ground up-- She used the platforms to launch her first book, The Game of Life & How To Slay It and the wildly popular Words that Work, Self-empowerment Affirmation Card Deck.

Intent on serving her supportive community, Malinda recently founded The Arise and Shine Foundation,Inc a (501(c)(3) non-profit organization that helps fulfill Malinda's vision to be a conduit of information, inspiration, and empowerment to underserved, underrepresented women.

The E.S.T.E.A.M. Project (an acronym for Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) will launch it’s first HBCU Coding Bootcamp and Scholarship Program, bringing together a cohort of young women from multiple HBCU’s. The program will underscore, among other things the importance of tech skills no matter the field of endeavor and demonstrate how technology training and cultivating soft skills can empower.

AUTHOR:
The Game of Life And How To Slay It! - 2022
Words That Work: Self Empowerment Affirmation Card Deck - 2022

Arian Simone is an accomplished entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, best-selling author, and highly sought-after international speaker. She is widely recognized as a trailblazer in her industry, making significant contributions and empowering others along the way.

Arian is the Founding Partner and CEO of the Fearless Fund, a groundbreaking venture capital fund that is the first Venture Capital Fund built for WOC by WOC with a focus on investing in pre-seed, seed level, and series A financing which includes institutional investors such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Mastercard, Ally Bank, and more. With an MBA from Florida A&M University, Arian has demonstrated her expertise and acumen in strategic business management. She established a highly successful public relations and marketing firm, boasting an impressive portfolio of billion-dollar corporate clients including Sony Pictures, Walt Disney, Universal, and other renowned Hollywood studios. Recognized for her exceptional ability to guide strategic growth and increase company value, Arian's remarkable resilience and achievements led to her appointment to the Board of Directors for the esteemed Steve Madden Company. Her invaluable insights also extend to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, where she actively serves on the board, as well as advisory roles for Amazon and Mastercard. Beyond her professional endeavors, Arian has embraced a regal role as the Queen of Dawa Grand Bereby in Côte D'Ivoire. In this capacity, she collaborates closely with Ivorian government officials to improve the welfare and uplift the lives of the people in her region.

Arian's impact and influence have garnered widespread recognition, with Entrepreneur Magazine naming her as one of the "100 Women of Impact." Her unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for women of color and her exceptional achievements in various fields truly set her apart as a dynamic and inspiring leader.