Tara Grammy is an actress, writer, and producer with a uniquely global perspective. Bornin Iran, raised mostly in Toronto, with some time in Germany, and now living in Los Angeles, she has experienced life as an immigrant in many different forms. Since choosing to speak out against the authoritarian regime currently in power in Iran, Tara has not been able to return to her beloved homeland. She has used her artistic voice to create various projects related to the Iranian diaspora— her mission is to help the rest of the world become familiar with Iranian culture and to help Iranian immigrants feel seen. From her award-winning one-woman show Mahmoud, starring in the cult-classic romantic comedy A Simple Wedding, hosting the extremely popular Persia’s Got Talent, and her plethora of viral sketches on Youtube and Instagram, Tara has devoted her career to her love for her culture.
Recently, Tara has turned her attention to the protests in Iran and amplifying the voices of the voiceless within the country. She has dedicated her platform to bringing attention to the burgeoning woman-led revolution, educating and encouraging others to use their platforms to raise awareness for the human rights atrocities happening in Iran and the world. Tara is an engaging speaker whose talent lies in getting to the hearts of listeners on matters related to human rights, compassion, and the power we hold as members of a free society. She aims to wake people up to the incredible resources they have at the palm of their hands that can make a great impact in the world and to see the social responsibilities we have as one human race to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. She believes that compassion is the overlooked superpower of all human beings and that in an individualist society such as this one, we need to be reminded of the importance of exercising it often.
Dr. Cindy Pace is Vice President, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at MetLife. In this role, Dr. Pace leads the global D&I strategy for an enterprise wide employee base of ~47,000 in more than 40 countries. Aligned to the company’s business imperative, Dr. Pace drives and promotes DEI as critical success factors to fuel innovation, cross-cultural collaboration and business success. Dr. Pace is also a leadership scholar practitioner who frequently provides thought leadership at global conferences and academic institutions where she presents on global diversity, inclusive leadership, purpose and women’s leadership. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Fortune Magazine and the book Women’s Leadership Journeys: Stories, Research, and Novel Perspectives.
An innovative thought leader and strategic business partner, Donnebra has spent over seventeen years with Ceridian cultivating leaders who are consciously unbiased and intentionally inclusive.
Donnebra earned a bachelor’s degree in Educational Leadership and a master’s degree in Transformative Leadership from Bethune Cookman University. As a lifelong learner, she also earned certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University and the University of South Florida. Donnebra is currently a doctoral student in Strategic Leadership at Carolina University.
Sharing her passion for reading, Donnebra established Leaders are Readers, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving literacy in underserved communities in the Tampa Bay area.
Carlos is a business-minded, nationally recognized leader who understands the demands companies face in balancing the need to drive industry-leading financial and operational performance while working to create and foster best-in-class teams and a winning inclusive culture that allows diverse perspectives to thrive and play a critical role in maximizing results. In his role as VP of DE&I, Carlos collaborates with and supports leaders across Constellation Brands, Inc. to accelerate the adoption and execution of its evolved DE&I strategy in alignment with the company’s vision and strategic priorities. Carlos joined Constellation Brands from McDonald’s where, as Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, he led a cross-functional team responsible for the creation and development of the company’s global DE&I strategy. He also developed the strategy and governance structure for the company’s employee resource groups, and provided support to McDonald’s corporate employees, franchisees, suppliers, customers, and communities across the globe. Prior to his tenure at McDonald’s, Carlos served as Head of Diversity Recruitment and Diverse Stakeholder Engagement at Groupon.
Carlos is active in the DE&I community and serves on several industry-leading organizations, including the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. A native Spanish speaker, Carlos is originally from Puerto Rico and currently resides in the Greater Chicagoland area.
Justin Nelson is the Co-Founder & President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community and the largest LGBT economic advocacy and business development organization in the world. NGLCC is the exclusive private sector certifying body for LGBT-owned businesses. In addition to over 50 LGBT affiliate chambers in the United States representing America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners, NGLCC leads economic development opportunities for over a dozen international affiliates.
Justin is the recipient of the 2016 Excellence Award by the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the 2017 Disability:IN Global Disability Leadership Award for his work in building and leading cross-segment partnerships. He has also been named to the Global LGBT Power 100 by the UK’s Guardian Newspaper, Top 20 Leaders We Admire by SmartCEO Magazine, and twice to The OUT 100, to name a few. Justin resides in Washington, DC and holds a B.A. from the University of Wyoming.
Sanjyot P. Dunung is CEO and founder of Atma Global, a developer of learning content and solutions for the corporate, education, and government markets. The firm integrates an understanding of business and social-sciences methodologies to derive perspectives on the global forces shaping business, government, and society.
Recognized on Fast Company’s prestigious Most Innovative Companies list, her firm developed an award-winning ‘Netflix-style’ digital service, Atma Insights, featuring proprietary, engaging, and essential learning videos on culture, country, business, and global topics for professionals, educators, and students.
Leveraging her intuitive and seasoned in-depth knowledge as a social scientist with a practitioner-academic mindset, Sanjyot is renowned for her expertise in the multifaceted intersection of business, global affairs, culture, technology, and education, with a focus on the impact of cultures on organizations, individuals, and societies.
She is a serial entrepreneur and global business executive with expertise in managing businesses through economic cycles and transformational change. A business evangelist and catalyst for growth, Sanjyot has multidisciplinary skills in strategic planning, business development, raising venture and private capital, proprietary product development (SaaS B2C and B2B), channel partner strategy, and leading global teams.
She is deeply committed to empowering small businesses through education and advocacy. Currently, Sanjyot serves as a board member for the National Small Business Association, the Truman Center for National Policy, and the American Leadership Project. In these roles, she is passionate about supporting small businesses, driving impactful policy changes, and advocating for pragmatic global leadership. Previously, Sanjyot was a member of the Board of Directors of UNICEF USA.
She has authored seventeen international business books and textbooks including a young adult novel, Maddie & Sayara, that explores the divergent paths of young girls around the world. Sanjyot has appeared on a range of global media and speaks at conferences addressing international business, global cultures, and entrepreneurship. She works to promote equality of opportunity by working closely with global not-for-profits, serving on global boards, and mentoring entrepreneurs.
Sanjyot has received several awards including the including the 2024 Stevie Women in Business Award for Best Female Entrepreneur – Business Services, 2021 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award and the 2021 AmChamRepresent Business Transformation Award: Women in Business.
She received a BA, Northwestern University and an MBA, Thunderbird School of Global Management, where she received the Distinguished Alumni Award, serves on the Advisory Board, and is a Professor of Practice.
Deb Dagit is a sought-after consultant and speaker on the topics of diversity and inclusion. She started Deb Dagit Diversity LLC in 2013 to deliver the practical, just-in-time services and products she wished were available when she was a Chief Diversity Officer. As Merck’s VP and CDO for almost 12 years, Deb was responsible for global equal opportunity, employee relations, recruiting and staffing, and diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, the company was recognized for its exemplary work in diversity and inclusion by a wide range of business publications, government agencies, and professional organizations. A sampling of recognition includes: Diversityinc Top 50 for nine consecutive years, 100 score on HRC Corporate Equality Index for eight consecutive years, Disability U.S. New Freedom Award, Military U.S. Freedom Award, Out and Equal Trailblazer award, Black Enterprise Top 100, Working Mother Top 100 for 20 consecutive years, to name a few.
She played a role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act through her lobbying efforts, and testified before the U.S. Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee in 2011 regarding best practices for improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Elizabeth A. Vazquez is the CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, a global network that educates and connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world. She is a world leader in women’s economic empowerment and global supplier diversity and inclusion.
As the head of WEConnect International, Ms. Vazquez is responsible for mission delivery and measurable impact. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with member buyers. The WEConnect International WECommunity supports and promotes women-owned businesses based in over 130 countries. The organization also helps to develop the capacity of large buyers to source more products and services from underutilized suppliers, including women-owned businesses globally.
Ms. Vazquez is the co-author of the book, “Buying for Impact: How to Buy from Women and Change Our World.”