Conference Speakers

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Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia House Minority Leader

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Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor

marc_1 (1)

Marc Morial

National Urban League, President & CEO

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Symone Sanders Townsend

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend

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Fawn Weaver

Founder & CEO

Check back for new speaker announcements all spring and summer!

Conference Speakers

abrams_staceyhwaofficial (1)

Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia House Minority Leader

high_resolution_headshot__copy (1)

Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor

marc_1 (1)

Marc Morial

National Urban League, President & CEO

sanders_symone-official-142022 (1)

Symone Sanders Townsend

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend

weaver_fawn-official-4122023 (1)

Fawn Weaver

Founder & CEO

Check back for new speaker announcements all spring and summer!

Conference Speakers

Marc Morial

National Urban League, President & CEO

Fawn Weaver

Founder & CEO

Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor

Symone Sanders Townsend

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend

Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia House Minority Leader

Conference Speaker

marc_1 (1)

Marc Morial

National Urban League, President & CEO

weaver_fawn-official-4122023 (1)

Fawn Weaver

Founder & CEO

high_resolution_headshot__copy (1)

Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor

sanders_symone-official-142022 (1)

Symone Sanders Townsend

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend

abrams_staceyhwaofficial (1)

Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia House Minority Leader

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Stacey Abrams

Former Georgia House Minority Leader

Political leader, business owner, and bestselling author Stacey Abrams is heralded for her candid insights on politics, leadership, entrepreneurship, social justice, and being a true force for change.

A tax attorney by training, Abrams served eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Minority Leader, and became the Democratic nominee for governor in 2018 and 2022. She has launched multiple nonprofit organizations devoted to democracy protection, national and local voter engagement, tackling social issues, and building a more equitable future in the South.

Carla Harris

Senior Client Advisor

Carla is a Wall Street veteran, with over 35 years experience, now serving as Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley having finished active tour of duty as Vice Chairman.

She was appointed by President Barak Obama in 2013 to Chair the National Womens’ Business Council.

She is an award winning podcaster with 12 Marcon Awards, 2 Webby Awards, and 2 Anthem Awards under her built for the podcast Access and Opportunity.

She is an acclaimed motivational speaker having been named a couple of weeks ago as one of the top 50 speakers in the World by Real Leaders and one of the Top 40 female speakers in the World in 2020.

Gospel recording artist w/4 commercially released CDs, 5 sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and 2 at the Apollo Theatre;

She is an author of 3 books.

Graduate, Harvard Business School, 2nd Year Honors, Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude;

Marc Morial

President & CEO

Marc Morial, one of the few national leaders to possess “street smarts,” and “boardroom savvy,” is the transformative President and CEO of the National Urban League, the nation’s largest historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization.

He served as the highly successful and popular Mayor of New Orleans as well as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Marc previously was a Louisiana State Senator and was a lawyer in New Orleans with an active, high-profile practice.

He is a leading voice on the national stage in the battle for jobs, education, housing, health, voting rights, equity, and entrepreneurship.

Marc is a published author; his leadership book, Gumbo Coalition: 10 Leadership Lessons That Help You Inspire, United, and Achieve has been widely acclaimed, and his column entitled To Be Equal, reaches hundreds of thousands.

He is the host of the weekly syndicated television show, America’s Black Forum.

Symone Sanders Townsend

Co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend

Symone Sanders Townsend is an author and seasoned political strategist.

Sanders Townsend 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, Sanders Townsend 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, Sanders Townsend 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, Sanders Townsend was principal of the 360 Group where she helped clients find sound solutions to tough political and social problems.

Sanders Townsend 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.

Fawn Weaver

Founder & CEO, Grant Sydney, Inc. (owner, Uncle Nearest) |
Endeavor Board Member | YPO Member | New York Times
Bestselling Author | USA Today Bestselling Author | TED Speaker |Doting Wife of Keith Weaver (Since 2003)

Fawn Weaver, an entrepreneurial powerhouse, is the visionary CEO and founder of Grant Sidney, Inc. She’s a New York Times bestselling author and sought-after guest on prominent global shows, including FOX Business, CNBC, Good Morning America, and CBS This Morning. She is a regular contributor for Inc. Magazine and has been featured in hundreds of publications. Founding and propelling the success of Uncle Nearest, Inc, the fastest-growing American whiskey in history, has earned over 850 awards and is the top-selling African American-founded spirit of all time.

Beyond business, her legacy radiates through the Nearest Green Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on African American heritage and community upliftment. Weaver’s education, including an undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama, and her Corporate Director certification from Harvard Business School, underscore her multifaceted expertise.

Weaver’s journey, marked by milestones, continues to redefine success, uplift communities, and shape industries for a brighter future.