Brandon Kazen-Maddox (they/them) is an American Sign Language Artist and Grandchild of Deaf Adults (GODA), growing up from birth in a culturally Deaf household. As a third-generation heritage signer, it is Brandon’s passion and responsibility to carry on their generational birthright and lineage of ASL Artistry.

As an ASL Artist, choreographer, filmmaker, dancer, actor, acrobat, and activist, Brandon has spent the last 10 years as a professional ASL interpreter in the mediums of activism, performance, politics, film, television and theater, providing access to, and facilitating communication between the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and hearing communities. Brandon creates work with and for the Deaf and Disability communities, and highlights and empowers BIPOC and LGBTQAI+ artists, building bridges among people of all backgrounds and abilities. Recent keynote appearances have included NASPA Conference, Fidelity Investments Conference, MAS Event+Design, California Faculty of the Arts and A Day of Unreasonable Conversation at the Getty Museum for the social impact organization Propper Daley.

Brandon was a featured storyteller on the 100th episode of Stories From the Stage on PBS and they were named as one of Gucci’s Chime for Change 22 for ’22. Brandon is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award, New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Production Grant, the Mertz-Gilmore Foundation Grant and the New York State Council on the Arts grant. Brandon is also a member of the Circle of Advocates for RISE Theater Directory, curated and supported by the Miranda Family Foundation. Brandon’s television credits include guest appearances on High Maintenance and The Good Fight. Their work has been profiled by The New York Times, ABC World News, ABC/Disney, CNN and The PBS NewsHour’s “Brief But
Spectacular” series.

Brandon holds an MFA in Dance and New Technology from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and is a co-founder of Up Until Now Collective, an arts and media company that focuses on developing and producing radically inclusive interdisciplinary work.

John Workman is Managing Director of Research at Seramount, part of EAB. Over 15+ years at Seramount, EAB, and the Advisory Board Company, he has led research initiatives on various topics, including human capital management, innovative staffing models, hiring and recruitment, organizational budgeting, and strategic planning. John has authored dozens of industry-leading studies and presented at national and international conferences.

John received his PhD in Mathematics from Cornell University. He was previously a National Science Foundation Research Fellow, a National Defense Science and Engineering Research Fellow, and a Goldwater Scholar. John is based in Washington, DC, with his wife and two children.

Brian Joseph is the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition for Aerotek North America. He has over 10 years of experience in Talent Acquisition and has been instrumental in creating and implementing an inclusive recruitment strategies for the company. Along with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Brian is also a Certified Diversity Professional and has his certification in Strategic Talent Acquisition. Brian works closely with Aerotek’s DEI team to build a diverse strategy for talent. He is also the Co-Chair of the BIPOC – Communities of Color ERG where he focuses on increasing access and advocacy/ sponsorship for its members.

Rachel Scott is a White House Correspondent and D.C. Correspondent reporting across all ABC News programs and platforms including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Nightline,” “20/20,” “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” ABC News Live, ABC News.com and ABC Audio.

In 2020, Scott provided extensive on the ground coverage of the nationwide protests over police brutality and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on communities of color. Scott’s reporting appeared in ABC News’ primetime specials ‘Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming’ and ‘George Floyd’s: A Celebration of Life.’

During the 2020 presidential primary, Scott logged thousands of miles covering races in battleground states including Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, interviewing nearly every Democratic candidate. In November 2019, Scott interviewed Senator Bernie Sanders and surrogate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a joint network exclusive sit down in Iowa.

Scott has been an important part of the news division’s reporting on the Trump administration, covering the impeachment trial of President Trump extensively and interviewing Vice President Mike Pence on the day of the final impeachment vote.

Scott has also covered the 2018 midterms, Hurricane Irma and the aftermath of Alabama’s deadly tornadoes in 2019.

Scott began her career at ABC News as a production associate for ABC News Live in 2016. While working full-time as a producer for GMA Digital, Scott took on an additional role as a Weekend General Assignment Reporter for ABC’s New Haven, CT affiliate WTNH-TV.

A native of Southern California, Scott is a graduate of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Chris Martinez is an Associate Director of Product Marketing at Seramount.

Andrew Lewis is the national service line leader of KPMG’s Federal Audit practice, and is based in the Washington, DC office. Andrew has more than 25 years of experience focused on performing financial statement audits, attestation services, reviews, and accounting and advisory services for numerous Federal agencies. Andrew is a frequent speaker on a variety of topics, including leadership, DEI, allyship, government transparency, and using impact reporting to increase citizen engagement.

Thomas Brunskill is co-founder and GM of Forage, part of Seramount. In this role, Tom is responsible for driving Forage’s vision and growth.

Before moving to San Francisco in 2018, Tom was a corporate lawyer at a multinational law firm in Australia. It was during his own career journey that Tom discovered that an education and a degree doesn’t necessarily translate to career success or knowing how to do a specific job. After observing the unfair advantage those with access to connections or educational opportunities had, Tom co-founded Forage to provide anyone the ability to gain real-world skills, visibility and confidence through virtual job simulations produced by the world’s top companies.

Today, almost five million students have used Forage to prepare for interviews and land internships at some of the most prestigious and recognizable employers, such as Red Bull, Accenture, BCG, GE Aerospace, and Citi. Forage students are 3.3x more likely to land a job after participating in a job simulation and make up nearly 20% of employers’ early talent hires. By breaking down barriers to gaining workplace-specific skills, Tom hopes to level the opportunity playing field and empower anyone to pursue their dream career.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from The Australian National University. He is based in San Francisco with his young family and is an avid runner.

Kayla Haskins is an Associate Director, Product Marketing at Seramount. In this role, she supports DEI Practitioners and Talent Leaders in creating more inclusive workplaces by providing valuable insights and resources through webinars, blog posts, guides, infographics, and more.

With nearly a decade of experience in the technology and non-profit sectors, Kayla excels in translating complex ideas into clear, actionable concepts. She is passionate about storytelling and is dedicated to addressing today’s most pressing workplace issues to drive meaningful impact.

Kayla holds a degree in English and Creative Writing from Dickinson College. She lives in Silver Spring, MD with her partner, Nick, and their dog, Zero. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.