Looking to spark meaningful conversations around equity, inclusion, and belonging?
Explore our carefully curated lineup of the best diversity, equity, and inclusion speakers for 2025, individuals whose lived experiences and authentic stories inspire action and understanding. From corporate gatherings to educational programs, our speakers bring messages that are timely, relevant, and deeply resonant empowering audiences to embrace change and drive lasting impact.
Let’s introduce you to the voices shaping the future of inclusive leadership:
Brittany Floyd-Mayo
Title: The Trap Yoga Bae®, Wellness Expert
Britteny Floyd-Mayo, affectionately known as “Yoga Bae”, is the mastermind behind one of the most diverse and inclusive wellness spaces across the globe. In her untouchable lane, she’s curated an innovative yoga experience designed to affirm lifestyles of wellness and total self-care.
Britteny Floyd-Mayo, affectionately known as “Yoga Bae”, is the mastermind behind one of the most diverse and inclusive wellness spaces across the globe. In her untouchable lane, she’s curated an innovative yoga experience designed to affirm lifestyles of wellness and total self-care. Mentioned in Forbes as one of the top 8 Black Wellness experts to have on your radar, and recently appearing in Issa Rae’s HBO Max show “Sweet Life,” Britteny Floyd-Mayo known as Trap Yoga Bae® is bridging the gap between self-care and cultural relevance. Trap Yoga Bae® introduces those who feel ostracized from the typical Yogi experience to the idea that self-care looks like “YOU.” Britteny attended Dillard University and Holy Names University, where she studied Positive Psychology and Social Behavioral Studies.
Brian Brackeen
Title: General Partner, Lightship Capital
Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati-based VC firm dedicated to backing underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Midwest. Brian lectures extensively around the world on entrepreneurship, code, the digital economy, AI and machine learning — and participates in mentorship programs for organizations like Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code and The School District of Miami.
Brian Brackeen is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, the Cincinnati-based firm investing in the most remarkable innovators and ecosystems across the nation. Brian is also a thought leader on the uses of Artificial Intelligence, having founded and led a globally recognized provider of face recognition technologies. His leadership saw the company positioned alongside tech giants like Microsoft and Face++ as one of the industry’s foremost providers, with operations in the US and Asia.
Candice Matthews Brackeen
Title: Founder & CEO, Lightship Foundation, Entrepreneurial Visionary, Advocate for Diversity in Tech and Innovation
Candice Matthews is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, where she finds and funds high growth, minority-led companies operating in underserved ecosystems throughout the Midwest. She is also Founder & CEO at Lightship Foundation, the inclusion-focused entrepreneur enrichment program guiding minority founders with instruction in product development, brand building, leveraging artificial intelligence for business and fundraising.
Candice Matthews is a General Partner at Lightship Capital, where she finds and funds high growth, minority-led companies operating in underserved ecosystems throughout the Midwest. Launched in 2020, Lightship Capital is raising a $50MM for investment into underrepresented founders operating in the CPG, E-Commerce, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, and Healthcare spaces. Candice is also the Founder and CEO at Lightship Foundation, the inclusion-focused entrepreneur enrichment program guiding minority founders with instruction in product development, brand building, leveraging artificial intelligence for business and fundraising. Candice lends her strategic vision to Lightship’s founder centric programming and events including Lightship Accelerator, Lightship Bootcamp and Black Tech Week. Her commitment to advancement and inclusion has most recently been recognized by organizations such as the Cincinnati Bengals (2022 Inspire Change Changemaker Award) and Doritos and Pepsi Co.
Aniyia Williams
Title : Creator, Inventor, Tech Changemaker
Aniyia Williams is a systempreneur, creator, inventor, tech changemaker, and investor. She is a principal on the Responsible Technology team at Omidyar Network, and works to help the tech world live up to its promise of changing lives for the better. She served as Executive Director of Black & Brown Founders, co-founder of Zebras Unite, and founded and led the fashion tech company, Tinsel.
Aniyia Williams is a systempreneur, creator, inventor, tech changemaker, and investor. She is a principal on the Responsible Technology team at Omidyar Network, and works to help the tech world live up to its promise of changing lives for the better. Prior to joining Omidyar Network, Aniyia founded Black & Brown Founders, a nonprofit which helps Black and Latinx entrepreneurs launch tech businesses. She continues to serve as the organization’s board chair. Aniyia is also co-founder of Zebras Unite, an entrepreneur-led movement focused on creating a more ethical and sustainable startup ecosystem through capital, culture, and community; convener of the Black Innovation Alliance, an ecosystem of organizations that support, fund, and sustain Black innovators; and co-founder of the Firefly Alliance, a community that equips women with collaborative leadership skills to move beyond racism and sexism.
Dr. Claire Green-Forde
Title: CEO & Founder of Dr. Claire SPEAKS! LLC | Intersectional Mental Health & Social Justice Practitioner | Humanist
Dr. Claire J. Green-Forde is an unapologetic humanist and intersectional mental health and racial & social justice thought leader, speaker, practitioner, and advocate. Health equity is at the core of her work, and she is a strong advocate for “Elevating Equity and Leading with Empathy and Authenticity”. With almost two decades in organizational leadership, health equity, social impact, and mental health, Dr. Claire is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Claire SPEAKS, LLC, an advisory and speaking consultancy dedicated to dismantling systemic inequities in healthcare and healthcare education, advancing racial and social justice, and fostering organizational wellness. Dr. Claire is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker whose work and interests focus on the intersection of behavioral health, criminal justice, social disparities, leadership, and human development.
Yiselle Santos Rivera
Title : Principal | Global Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Originally from San Juan, PR, Yiselle Santos Rivera is a Principal and Global Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at HKS. Yiselle is an activist architect who works to dismantle barriers and amplify underrepresented voices in the design industry. As a designer, she builds inclusive spaces that build belonging, and is a trusted advisor to clients and firm leaders in their journeys to build more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations. As an AIA committee member, Mrs. Santos Rivera led the creation of the Ethnically Diverse Additional Considerations section of AIA’s Alternative Care Site Preparedness Assessment Tool V2.0 and contributed to the development of AIA’s Equitable Development Frameworks.
Yiselle is a storyteller, a “Latinas in Architecture” and “Out in Architecture” author, LA.IDEADC committee co-founder, AIA Diversity Recognition Program award-winning WIELD event founder, 2020 AIA National Board member, and 2021-22 NOMA Research & Development Chair.
Tonia Morris
Title: Generational Diversity Consultant | ERG & Multi-Generation Keynote Speaker & Trainer
Tonia Morris, your Generational Connector, and Founder of Tonia Morris Speaks, provides ERG leaders with solutions that cultivate an inclusive workplace. She is a sought-after ERG speaker who focuses on areas that matter most to employees: Multi- Generations, Women’s Equality, and Race.
Tonia’s passion for understanding the different dynamics of people led her on a quest to solve workplace issues within organizations. With a DEI background, she understands the importance of an inclusive workplace. She works with leaders on the formation of ERG, Allyship and facilitation of Brave Conversations around embracing differences. Tonia provides keynote speeches, lunch-and-learns, and workshops for organizations, conferences and associations across the globe. She has partnered with organizations such as Chick-fil-A, Oracle, Guardian and PNC, just to name a few. Tonia is a graduate of the University of South Florida, and is an active member of National Speakers Association (NSA), certified coach with Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) with National Diversity Council
Kevin Walters
Title: DEI Leader | Neurodivergent | Author
Kevin Walters is the Senior Director of Diversity and Inclusion at SilkRoad Technology and the Founder of Top DEI Consulting. He previously held DE&I roles in learning and development in a change agent role at Amazon.
Kevin has over 20 years of global talent acquisition management expertise in the retail, consumer, software, financial services, and technology industry.
Kristin Austin
Title: Neurodiversity Navigator | Inclusion Instigator | DEI in Tech
Dr. Austin serves as Director of I.D.E.As. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) at Rewriting the Code, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to retaining college women in technology majors to disrupt and dismantle racial and gender inequality in the technology sector. Dr. Austin holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership & Administration, a Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and a Bachelor’s degree (her favorite degree) in Social Work.
Dr. Kristin Austin (she/her) is a lover of learning and unlearning. Dr. Austin’s goal is to catalyze individuals and structures to question, “Who is at the table? Who is missing from the table? For whom was the table built? and, who is unaware the table exists?” She has pursued answers to these questions via 20+ years of administrative and faculty higher education roles domestically and internationally, as well as by leading organizations and teams through equity, inclusion, and belonging-oriented education.
Jessica Osrow
Title: DEI & Org Development Consultant | ERG Expert | Invisible Disabilities Speaker
Jessica’s goal is to create fundamental change in People Operations. As Co-Founder of The Rise Journey, she works with growth stage companies designing and implementing strategies to build cohesive teams while developing a sustainable organizational culture. Jes puts theoretical People Ops ideas into scalable best practices and empowers organizational culture to be inclusive, diverse, and promote equity for all employees.
Jessica is focused on hands-on engagement, real world experiences, and communicating successes and struggles in personal and professional realms. Her talks and workshops are engaging, transparent, and relatable, with action-oriented takeaways. Key focus areas:
• Employee engagement and people strategy
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility
• (DEIBA) development in the Workplace
• How to use data to show tangible DEIBA change
• Employee Resource Group Lead Compensation
• Invisible Disabilities and employment Women in tech & entrepreneurship Talent development & E-Workbook education
Jeff Marshall
Title: Chief Diversity Officer | Advertising & Marketing Expert
As a 23-year advertising and marketing veteran, Jeff Marshall leads UM Worldwide’s Diversity, Equity and Belonging (DEB) efforts as the agency’s Chief Diversity Officer. In this role, he develops and leads UM’s diversity strategy, directs a DEB Council of over 90 members, and acts as the accountability partner to agency leaders as they push towards the future. He recently spearheaded the launch of Breaking Media, a free media certificate program in partnership with Vox Media and the AAF to educate BIPOC college students on the media and advertising business while also facilitating their entry into the industry.
Prior to assuming the mantle on all things diversity, Jeff was a VP and Group Partner on UM’s Coca-Cola account. In previous agency stints, Jeff provided advertising expertise for a host of brands ranging from Anheuser-Busch to Las Vegas Hilton Hotel/Casino to Blue Cross Blue Shield of America. Named a 2022 Adweek Media All-Star and a 2022 AdColor DEI Executive of the Year Nominee, Marshall is a well-recognized and highly coveted DEI expert.
Sharon Hurley Hall
Title: Author | Founder, Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter
Sharon Hurley Hall is an educator and anti-racism activist. She is a co-founder of Mission Equality, committed to building the company on a foundation of equality, anti-racism and humanity. A former journalist and writer, Sharon is also the author of I’m Tired of Racism: True Stories of Existing While Black, and the Founder and Curator-in-Chief of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter, where she’s on a mission to fight racism one article at a time.
Gail Miller
Title: Unconscious Bias & Staffing Expert | Keynote Speaker | Author
Inspirational. Motivational. And 100%, totally real. CEO Gail Tolstoi-Miller is a Jersey girl turned award-winning career coach, staffing & business strategist, national speaker, and author. Whether she’s advising executives on their broken hiring processes or setting job candidates straight about their blind spots, Gail doesn’t pull any punches. With over 20 years of industry experience with fortune 500 companies & start-ups and over 15,000 job placements, her insider perspective will shock and surprise you.
Gail’s companies include Consultnetworx, which trains companies on hiring best practices, diversity & inclusion, bias, corporate culture and recruitment strategies; and Career network, which provides coaching solutions to candidates and entrepreneurs. Also, Gail has an online Udemy course on Unconscious Bias and a weekly podcast called A No BS Life. Gail speaks globally at conventions, organizations, universities, associations and other venues.
Hady Mendez
Title: DEI Evangelist | Public Speaker | Latina in Tech
With a diverse career spanning over 25 years, Hady has served as Head of Equality, held multiple customer-facing roles in high tech and financial services, served as a leader across various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), volunteered as an international champion for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, and served as Community School Director at an elementary school in the South Bronx.
With over 25 years of experience in tech, finance and the non-profit space, Hady talks about the power of adapting to new roles + shares some of the lessons she’s learned along her career path. Her goal is to inspire and encourage others to step into their power and go after the success they want and deserve.
Dr. Kevin James
Title: TEDx Speaker | President of Morris Brown College | 2023 HBCU College President of the Year
Dr. Kevin James is the 19th President of Morris Brown College, a historical Black college in Atlanta, Georgia. Under his leadership, the college regained accreditation after a nearly twenty-year hiatus, becoming the first HBCU to achieve such a feat. Driven by a commitment to Morris Brown’s legacy, he initiated the #TheHardReset campaign, successfully restoring the institution to compliance and recognition by the Department of Education.
With a career spanning over 23 years as an educator, administrator, executive business leader, and motivational speaker, Dr. James brings a wealth of experience to his role as the Chief Executive Officer of the college. He has been responsible for stabilizing finances, expanding academic offerings, increasing fundraising, and achieving record-breaking enrollment in the past two decades. Under Dr. James’ leadership, the institution secured full accreditation from the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) on April 26, 2022, enabling the college to regain access to federal financial aid programs and Title IV funding.
Cynthia Owyoung
Title: People & Culture VP | Chief Diversity Officer | Author | Speaker
Cynthia Owyoung is the author of “All Are Welcome: How to Build a Real Workplace Culture of Inclusion that Delivers Results,” a playbook for driving progress in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) inside organizations. She has established and led DEIB initiatives for 20 years as an executive at organizations across tech, media and financial services, including Robinhood, Charles Schwab and Yahoo!. In addition, Cynthia founded Breaking Glass Forums, a boutique agency developing strategies to accelerate diverse leadership and inclusive organizations. Entrepreneur Magazine recognized Cynthia on their 100 Women of Impact list in 2021.
Prior to her work in human resources, Cynthia built a decade-long career as a Brand Strategist for leading global brands and advertising agencies, developing campaigns for Microsoft, Levi Strauss, and Apple.
Alicia Richardson
Title: DEI Consultant and Trainer | Keynote Speaker | Podcaster
Alicia is someone who isn’t afraid to challenge, make unconventional changes and speak up when everyone else is silent, as an intersectional woman she’s relatable, transparent and self-aware.
Alicia Richardson is the Founder of Black Create Connect, a Podcast host, an Advisory Board Member for start-ups, DEI trainer and a Lead Diversity Equity & Inclusion Consultant. Alicia has over 6 years of experience in creating and executing diverse hiring strategies across the Creative, Tech, and Marketing industries. She has led successful diverse & inclusive employer brand talent acquisition and retention strategies. Some of the companies she’s worked with include Analog Folk, ASOS, DEPOP, Salesforce, House 337, Wunderman Thompson, Access VFX, Four Communications, Media Cause and more.
Dr. Rassheedah Watts
Title: Chief Diversity Strategist| Author | Distinguished U.S. Speaker Program Delegate
Dr. Rassheedah is an award-winning diversity strategist, inclusive leadership expert, educator and author of How To Be An Ally & Create Inclusion Using The A.C.A. Pillars. A distinguished delegate of the United States Speaker Program, she’s traveled internationally, sharing her expertise with global audiences.
Dr. Rassheedah’s leadership expertise and extensive work experience in both private and public sectors have enabled her to create requisite systems that support healthy group synergy within the sphere of diversity, equity and inclusion. Her transformational results are the outcome of putting her passion into action. The commonality she’s observed is everyone’s ability to thrive when they feel valued, seen and heard.
Curtis Ray Hill
Title: President of Culture Of Belonging Global | Speaker | Author
In today’s world? DEI&B should no longer be components in cultivating fair, safe, and effective business environments – they are a must. That’s where diversity strategist, educator, author, speaker, and trainer Curtis Hill comes in. Curtis brings audiences an empowering message of awareness, culture, resilience, and a potent mix of savvy business skills honed from a lifetime of raw and well-crafted experiences.
Growing up in Chicago, Curtis quickly drifted into a life of violence and crime and quickly rose to become one of the city’s most recognizable and notorious gang members. But, while dealing drugs earned him a six-figure per month bankroll, it cost him everything when he witnessed the cold-blooded murder of his best friend and came face-to-face with the immense suffering it caused in his community Consequently, Curtis turned to education to springboard his street smarts into solid business acumen.
Finding Your Perfect DEI Speaker: The Next Steps
Whew! That was quite the powerhouse lineup of DEI speakers, wasn’t it? But now that you’ve met these incredible voices, you might be wondering, “Okay, IconEleven team, you’ve got me excited – what’s next?” (Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging! )
Let’s break down your path to DEI speaking success:
- Schedule a Discovery Call Think of it as a coffee chat (minus the actual coffee, but hey, bring your own! ☕). Our speaker matchmaking experts will dive deep into understanding your:
- Event objectives and desired outcomes
- Audience demographics and pain points
- Cultural considerations and specific industry challenges
- Budget and logistical requirements
- Get Custom Speaker Recommendations We’ll handpick speakers from our roster who align perfectly with your needs. No more endless scrolling through generic speaker lists! Our team has personally vetted every speaker, ensuring you get authenticity, expertise, and that special “wow factor” your event deserves.
The IconEleven Difference : Remember, when you partner with IconEleven Speakers, you’re not just booking a speaker – you’re investing in transformation. Our speakers don’t just deliver presentations; they create lasting impact that resonates long after your event ends. (And yes, your CEO will actually remember what was said! )
Ready to Transform Your DEI Initiative?
Whether you’re planning a global leadership summit, a company-wide training session, or an intimate executive workshop, we’ve got the perfect voice to amplify your message.
Don’t let another quarter go by with the same old approach to DEI.
Let’s make 2025 the year your organization truly embraces and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion – one powerful speech at a time.
