Michael Liersch is head of Advice and Planning for Wells Fargo & Company, which is responsible for developing and propagating research-based methods to enable individuals, families and institutions across all Wells Fargo make more of their money with the help of financial professionals, products, tools and technology.

This is in support of Wells Fargo’s strategic objective and digital plans to serve all personal and business clients across the financial spectrum, as well as employee and community‑based efforts related to advice and planning.

Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Michael worked at J.P. Morgan Chase where he served as managing director and global head of Wealth Planning and Advice. Prior to his role at J.P. Morgan Chase, he served as head of Behavioral Finance and Goals-based Consulting at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and as head of Behavioral Finance at Barclays Wealth, Americas. He was also a faculty member at New York University, where he taught management and organizational analysis.

Michael earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with honors from Harvard University and earned his doctorate in Cognitive Psychology from University of California, San Diego. His perspectives have been featured in media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg and USA Today. Michael is also published in academic and industry journals for his research on human behavior.

Michael resides in Connecticut with his wife and daughter where they enjoy time with family and friends.

Victoria De Bruin is the Sr Manager of Proposal and Presentations, and Competitive Intelligence at VSP Vision Care (VC). She is also the Chair of the Abilities Beyond Limited Expectations (ABLE) BRG. Vicki started in VC B2B marketing in 2020, shifting to Sales Enablement a couple years later where her teams support sales with tools, content and intelligence to help win and retain business. Vicki has over 15 years of experience working in public health helping diverse communities reduce health disparities and prevent chronic disease. Her passion for supporting health and wellness continue to be an inspiration since joining ABLE in 2023, and have served her well in being an ally to help people with disabilities through education, awareness and by making an impact on the business.  Vicki is also an advocate for the mental health community through New Horizons Family and Child Institute’s, Intensive Family-Focused Therapy. Her work has been recognized by Health and Human Services, Innovation in Prevention and by the International Association of Business Communicators.

Charles is a diversity, equity, and inclusion program professional with extensive experience in cross collaboration, talent management, human capital design, and strategic communications. His experience in the space spans developing and implementing successful diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies for leadership accountability and development of employee engagement and retention efforts.

Angela-Gabrielle Pajarito Lacerna is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with a unique journey shaped by her experiences as an immigrant from the Philippines and her diverse background in music and education. As an Associate Director at Seramount, Angela cultivates impactful partnerships across industries, including Retail, Custom Software & IT Services, HR & Staffing, Management Consulting, Government, and Nonprofit sectors. Her dedication to DEI is both personal and professional, and she is committed to helping organizations foster lasting, positive change.

In addition to her role at Seramount, Angela serves on the board of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) DC, where she leads initiatives that support the professional development of Asian Americans. She is also actively engaged in Employee Resource Group (ERG) programming, contributing to AANHPI Heritage Month and Filipino American Heritage Month (FAHM) celebrations.

Angela holds a BA from Franklin & Marshall College and an MA from Columbia University. She resides just outside Washington, D.C., where she enjoys visiting museums, taking dance classes, and cooking.

Nate Rosner, Employee Resource Group Manager at Micron, is responsible for their 10 ERG’s and 100 chapters globally! With 17+ years of experience at Micron, Nate started as an entry level Manufacturing Operator in 2007, working firsthand as a frontline worker and has held various roles in manufacturing and process engineering leadership. Nate’s transition to DEI work was ignited in 2020 where he was able to connect his passion for inclusion as the program manager for his site’s DEI Committee. In 2022, he took the leap into full time DEI work, and was given the opportunity to oversee the growing ERG program and take it to new and exciting heights. Using his background in process improvements and project management, Nate has guided the ERG program to greater efficiencies and impact, and maintains focus on bringing light to the diverse voices and important perspectives of all.  

Irshad Manji is the founder of Moral Courage College, which equips people worldwide to unify their workplaces through healthy communication skills. 

The recipient of Oprah’s “Chutzpah Award” for boldness, Prof. Manji is also an internationally bestselling author. Her latest book is Don’t Label Me: How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars. Fun fact: Chris Rock calls the book “genius.”[Text Wrapping Break] 

A scholar of leadership at New York University for many years, Prof. Manji now teaches with Oxford University’s Initiative for Global Ethics and Human Rights. 

Chevy Cleaves is the inaugural Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory. Chevy is an experienced and transformational executive leader skilled in building and influencing coalitions to help further connect the application of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) to an organization’s core strategy and goals.

As the inaugural CDIO for the United States Air Force, Chevy was also a member of the Federal Senior Executive Service. In this role, he was responsible for leading D&I transformation for the Air Force’s 500,000 uniformed and 140,000 civilian workforces.

Chevy was previously the first Global CDIO for Boston Scientific where his team’s efforts immediately improved benchmarking results while
identifying markets where lines of business could be further penetrated to increase topline earnings.

Prior to this, Chevy was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to lead the Air Force Academy Admissions Directorate, where he was also selected as the first CDO. He presented their tremendous results to the Congressional Tri-Caucus and the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, leading to widespread acclaim from senior Air Force and Congressional leaders.

Chevy retired from active duty after a career as an instructor pilot, commander, and strategist. He commanded a deployed total force KC-135 squadron, was the lead T-38 Evaluator Pilot for the B-2 Bomber Initial Cadre selection process and also played a critical role in the response to 9-11 as the lead Checkmate (USAF Strategy Division) team chief. Chevy has an MS in strategy and planning from the National Defense University (Joint Advanced Warfighting School), an MA in human resource development from Webster University, and a BS in basic sciences from the Air Force Academy,
and is a Cornell University Certified Diversity Professional / Advanced Practitioner. He is the recipient of multiple awards and decorations, including the 2023 CIO Views Most Prominent Leader in Diversity and Inclusion, the 2021 Mass Technology Leadership Council Mosaic Award and the Defense Superior Service Medal. His team was also recently recognized with the 2021 Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award from the North American HR Executive Summit.

Dr. Cori Bazemore-James, Seneca Nation, serves as Assistant Vice Provost of the Graduate School Diversity Office and Affiliate Faculty in the Higher Education program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She is also a Consultant/Trainer for Strategic Diversity Initiatives. Cori received both her Ph.D. in Higher Education and M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Georgia, and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of South Dakota. She has worked in many functional areas in higher education and has served on several local and national boards and leadership roles. Cori’s research centers Indigenous Knowledge to support and magnify the work of Indigenous students and staff in historically white institutions. Her proudest professional accomplishments include publications from her award-winning research, founding the ACPA Indigenous Student Affairs Network, and leading the development of the first Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) standards for Indigenous Student Affairs.

Javier is thrilled to be making a difference in the healthcare space, where his career in diversity, equity, and inclusion began. His expertise and insight in DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) are informed by a long personal and professional history of turning adversity, inequity, and exclusion into forces of change and opportunity, especially for the underserved and underrepresented.
His corporate career encompasses the technology, telecom, finance, health care, and health sciences sectors. He has worked for companies such as Takeda, T-Mobile, Amazon, Biogen, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Bank of America, the TJX Companies, and Business for Social Responsibility.
His work includes several firsts and leading-edge practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Most recently, Javier introduced My Inner Compass inclusive leadership program, became a founding member of the Latino DEI Collective, and has joined the advisory boards of Pride in the Workplace, Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA), and Novo Nordisk’s Fit for the Future Research and Early Development.
He is the proponent of the “inclusionist mindset,” an appeal to individuals, teams, and organizations to proactively identify and act to close diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility gaps wherever they appear. Other notable achievements include the Multiple Sclerosis program for underserved patient populations (MS-UP), tax benefit equality for same-sex couples, women’s leadership programs, transgender healthcare benefits, the Biodiversity Leadership Fellowship, and Raising the Bar Women on Corporate Boards.
Among his recognitions are Color Magazine’s Top 50 Chief Diversity Officers, the Boston Business Journal’s Leaders in Innovation Award, Harvard Medical School Biomedical Career Sciences Program’s Honor Roll, the National Center for Race Amity, and GK100’s Top 100 Most Influential Leaders in Greater Boston, and Boston’s Whittier Street Health Center Men’s Health Champion. Javier earned his MBA from Boston University, a graduate certificate in Diversity Management from Cornell University, and a bachelor’s degree in law from Universidad de Costa Rica. In addition, he is a coaching graduate of the Augere Foundation and Coaches Training Institute in Barcelona, Spain.
In his spare time, Javier loves traveling, watching independent films and theater, hiking, nature walks, and visiting his country of birth, Costa Rica.

I’m a proud Cuban American, born in Panama, with a passion for connecting and empowering communities. For the past 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of working at AAA-The Auto Club Group, where I’ve been able to contribute to our mission in meaningful ways. One of my most rewarding accomplishments is being a founding member of our Hispanic/LatinX Employee Resource Group (ERG). This initiative has allowed me to support diversity and inclusion within our organization, creating a platform for cultural exchange and advocacy.