V Spehar, aka @underthedesknews, is an award-winning, LGBTQIA+ podcast host and social media personality who puts complex news stories into layman’s terms for their 3 million + followers. A sought after speaker on authenticity and resilience, V is also a seasoned community builder and an advocate for civic participation and empathy on social media.

Farzana Nayani is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, ERG specialist, executive coach, and international keynote speaker. She has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, public agencies, higher education institutions, school districts, and non-profit organizations as a consultant and trainer on diversity and inclusion, intercultural communication, supplier diversity, and employee engagement.
Farzana’s advisory work with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), small business advocacy, and entrepreneurship has taken her to engagements across North America, from the White House to Silicon Valley. Her subject matter expertise on global community relations is recognized in her work with institutions like the Smithsonian and the East-West Center. Farzana’s expertise has been featured in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Globe and Mail, DiversityInc, NPR, the Washington Post, Marie Claire, and the LA Times. She is based in Los Angeles, CA with a global upbringing including ties to South and Southeast Asia, and Canada, and is an instructor on Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for UCLA’s Management program. A frequently requested speaker on DEI, race, unconscious bias, leadership, culture, and identity, Farzana Nayani is committed to helping organizations and individuals lead more effectively and is passionate about cultivating belonging in the workplace and society overall. She has authored two books, Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World (2020) and The Power of Employee Resource Groups: How People Create Authentic Change (2022), both distributed by Penguin Random House.

Ally Love is founder & CEO of Love Squad, Renowned Peloton Instructor, Today Show On-Air Contributor, Host of Netflix’s Dance 100, and Host of the Brooklyn Nets for the past 11 years. Love is a multi-hyphenate trailblazer of the slash generation. In 2015, Love founded the Love Squad community to empower women through the facilitation of motivational and educational conversations. Entrepreneur, host, motivational speaker, ambassador, fitness instructor, and boss, Love is an inspirational powerhouse. Her ultimate unwavering goal is to position those around her to step into their power through the convergence of articulation and conversation.

Toni Howard Lowe is a trailblazing inclusion executive and workforce strategist who has spent her career challenging world class companies to close gaps and build inclusive workplaces.  She currently serves as Head of Global Employee Engagement and Community at Equinix.

With over two decades of human resources and DEI leadership experience at organizations such as Huge, USAA, McAfee, and Ernst & Young, Toni is known for designing transformative strategies that drive equity, belonging, and business impact.

A sought-after speaker, panelist, and moderator, Toni is recognized for her authentic voice and actionable insights on diversity and leadership. Her expertise has been featured in Forbes, NBC News, Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, Business Management Daily, Glassdoor and is a LinkedIn Learning instructor.

Toni’s contributions have earned her numerous honors, including the National Diversity Council’s Multicultural Leader Award, Walker’s Legacy Power15 Award, and a nomination as a Changemaker for The White House United State of Women’s Summit. She is also an alum of the Dallas Mayor’s Star Council.

A proud graduate of the University of Central Florida, where she earned a B.A. in Interpersonal Communication, Toni continues to serve her community through mentoring and civic engagement. She resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and son.

As Chief Diversity Officer at Lockton, Stephanie creates and brings to life innovative programs and practices that power organizational growth by attracting, developing,
and retaining high-performing diverse teams. Since joining Lockton, Stephanie has redesigned the company’s approach to DEI, aligning efforts nationally while fostering
global connections. She has embedded DEI into the full Associate Experience and lifecycle, ensuring inclusion is woven into every stage of employment.

Stephanie led the first-ever national Associate Resource Group (LEAN) Summit, creating a platform for engagement and collaboration, and secured Seramount’s 100 Best
Companies recognition for 2025, a testament to Lockton’s commitment to inclusive excellence. She focuses on designing, building, and implementing enterprise-level
initiatives aligned with Lockton’s DEI strategy to increase Associate engagement and belonging.
Stephanie advises leaders at all levels by sharing data-driven insights and best practices that drive accountability and transparency. Her work includes developing holistic
training solutions that enable inclusive leadership and create an informed workforce, embedding inclusive practices and language throughout the business, and building
strong relationships with diverse Associates and leaders to understand their experiences and needs. She is committed to creating inclusive Associate experiences that recognize and embrace differences across all spectrums, ensuring every individual feels valued and empowered to thrive.
Through her leadership, DEI is not a standalone initiative but a strategic driver of culture, engagement, and performance across Lockton.

Kate is Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) Manager at CCC Intelligent Solutions where she leads ERGs and oversees all inclusion, diversity, and equity work. Having only launched its DEI work and ERGs in 2021, Kate has focused on sustainable growth in her two and a half years at CCC, including expanding from four to six ERGs, establishing governance policies for ERGs, leading the Diversity Advisory Council, facilitating IDE-focused employee development, and most recently launching CCC’s inaugural philanthropy strategy.

Prior to joining CCC, Kate spent six years at a global consulting company where she played a pivotal role in the launch of its global DEI practice, including both client-focused DEI consulting as well as employee-supporting internal DEI practices. Prior to this, Kate’s focus was heavily in the nonprofit education and international development spaces supporting partners in East African and Central and South America.

Leslie Banks is a leader that takes her commitment to inclusion seriously, it’s as if she was born for this work. At a very early age Leslie had experiences that shined light on difference, access and equality, which were a driving point for her professional career.

Leslie has served in various human resources leadership roles at Fortune 500 and private organizations such as CDW, Walgreens, and HCSC (Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois). She currently holds the role of Sr. Director of Global People, Inclusion, leading a global team at McDonald’s. Her focus is to drive McDonald’s inclusion ambitions and instill principles and practice within the McDonald’s culture, systems and processes. As a human resource leader, she is accustomed to defining the strategy, implementing fresh ideas, and managing programs that have enabled these organizations to reach business objectives. Leslie is committed to creating solutions that are not only practical but sustainable.

Outside of work Leslie is a twenty-five-year active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, presently serving as president leading over 250 members of the Eta Xi Sigma alumnae chapter of Oak Lawn, IL.

Leslie Banks is a proud alumnus of Elmhurst University, with a degree in Communication Studies and holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Roosevelt University. She is a native of Chicago and lives in the southwest suburbs with her husband Quincy B. Banks and boxer, Deuce. She enjoys traveling, journaling, and watching all the Marvel movies in sequence. Her favorite McDonald’s item is Hi-C orange or a sausage biscuit for breakfast.

Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE is an Independent Peer in the House of Lords. He is the Chairman of SOAS University, London and the recent Chancellor of Regent’s University London; he is the Professor of Leadership at the Stephen R Covey Institute, Huntsman Business School, USA; a Non-Executive Director at Saxton Bampfylde, the Executive Search firm and is the recent Chair of the London Chamber of Commerce Black Business Association & a former director/trustee of the National Institute of Teaching as well as being currently an NED on Cornerstone VC Fund. He is the Patron of The Black British Theatre Award. He is the new Chair of the Pathway Fund – a dormant assets fund for black & minoritized communities.

He is also a Vice President at UNICEF UK, an Ambassador for Tear Fund and Chair of the Council of ZANE (Zimbabwe Aid) and a former trustee for the Africa Philanthropy Foundation. Lord Hastings was formerly Head of Public Affairs at the BBC and their first head of Corporate Social Responsibility 1996-2006 having done live political presenting for two years previously. He then moved to KPMG as the Global Head of Citizenship for KPMG International 2006 – 2019 and was a Trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation 2008-2019 and subsequently remains a Governor of the Vodafone/Safaricom M-PESA Academy in Nairobi for 600+ of Kenya’s poorest children. He also served as an NED on BT’s Responsible Business Board 2007-2016. He is an enthusiastic advocate for the SDG’s-the 17 Sustainable Development Goals the world must reach by 2030 to give dignity to all.

Lord Hastings began his career as a teacher in 1980 having graduated in Theology from the London School of Theology in 1979 and then from Westminster College Oxford in Education in 1980 & then from 1986 worked across government agencies on policies to build racial equality, workforce development, and safer and more effective crime prevention strategies. He was the founder and Chairman of Crime Concern from 1988 to 2009 and then founded CATCH22 as a merger and remains Vice President and he was the longest serving Commissioner for Racial Equality from 1990 to 1999 and the first Black member of the Metropolitan Police Committee from 1994. He is the co-founder of My Brothers Keeper – a voluntary direct engagement work started in HMP Swaleside 9 years ago and serving 12 prisons from YOI to Cat A,B &C prisons.

He was conferred with a CBE for his services to crime reduction in 2003; a Peerage in 2005; The UNICEF Global Award in 2005 for his tireless work effective positive solutions for Africa’s children; a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent, Canterbury in 2014 in recognition for his leadership at KPMG, the BBC and for his work in international development and corporate responsibility and in 2019 was the first ever recipient of the Stephen R Covey Leadership Award for a life built on principles, values and pragmatic delivery.