Check out our newest speakers!

Our speakers offer invaluable insight and take-aways to give to your organization. The truth is that today’s complex business problems demand a range of viewpoints to get solved. And organizations that do not value an array of perspectives lose growth opportunities and suppress innovation. That’s the value of having a diverse workforce. Diversity in itself isn’t the goal, however. It’s the outcome of the organization’s efforts to be inclusive: to cast a wide net for talent and to value people in whatever package they come in. In these presentations, you will come to better understand what organizations can do to create inclusive cultures—from hiring to professional development, retention and succession planning.

Introducing our newest speakers:
Hi’ilani Shibata

A lifelong learner, Hiʻilani Shibata has spent the last 25 years in the field of education, both formal and informal. Born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, she moved to the island of Oʻahu to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. While finishing her last year in college she was also teaching ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi at Kailua

Intermediate school part time and realized that formal education was not her calling. She then joined the education department of the Bishop Museum where she blossomed in informal education in which sharing the Hawaiian culture through the kūpuna was the mission and she was able to travel all over Hawaiʻi and the United States to share the aloha of our kanaka ʻoiwi.
Hiʻilani dedicated 12 years of her life as the Education Operations Manager at the Bishop Museum and ended that chapter of her life to start a family. Today she still does contract work as a Hawaiian Culture trainer and consultant, she is a full time kumu at a Hawaiian focused charter school, Ka Waihona o ka Na’auao, and with her small ʻohana, mālama ʻāina in multiple spaces on O’ahu. She is the co-founder of Ka Mahina Project where people connect with the Hawaiian Lunar phases and the mahina to find and maintain health spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

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Gaby Natale

Gaby Natale – 2021 PIONEERS Reel from AGANARmedia on Vimeo.

Gaby Natale believes in breaking barriers. And she embodies what she preaches.

As the first Latina to win 3 Daytime EMMYs back-to-back (as host and executive producer of her own show), the first Hispanic author to be published by HarperCollins’ Leadership division and one of the few foreign-born writers to narrate their audiobook in English, Gaby has had her own share of being “the first like her” in leadership spaces.

A sought-after thought leader and motivational speaker, Gaby has shared her inspirational message in Fortune 50 corporations, the United Nations and in her own TEDx talk encouraging underrepresented minorities to pioneer and be what they cannot (yet) see in the world.

Natale is among a few women in the entertainment industry who owns not only the rights to her content, but also a television studio. This unique situation has allowed her to combine her passion for media and her entrepreneurial spirit.

People magazine named Natale one of 2018’s “25 Most Powerful Latinas”, highlighting the inspirational story of how she went from a local TV show that started out of a carpet warehouse to becoming the only Latina in US history to win triple back-to-back Daytime EMMYs. Her popularity grew even further when her first book, “The Virtuous Circle” by HarperCollins, became an instant bestseller, topping Amazon’s New Releases charts in 3 different categories (Business, Inspiration and Self-Help).

Natale is also the founder of AGANARmedia, a marketing company with a focus on Hispanic audiences that serves Fortune 500 companies such as Hilton Worldwide, Sprint, AT&T, eBay, Intuit and Amazon. In the digital world, she has a thriving fan base with over 52 million views on YouTube and 250K+ followers on social media.

In 2019, Natale launched Welcome All Beauty, her own hairpiece and extension line dedicated to women who need to be camera-ready on the go.

A tireless advocate of gender and diversity issues, Natale is a frequent collaborator with nonprofits such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign and Voto Latino.

Natale has been featured in Forbes, CNN, Buzzfeed, NBC News, Univision and Latino Leaders magazine. She is the recipient of NALIP’s Digital Trailblazer Award and of a GLAAD Media Award nomination for her portrayal of Latino LGBTQ youth in media.

Natale holds a bachelor’s in International Relations and a master’s degree in Journalism from the University of San Andres and Columbia University. Prior to starting her career in television, Natale taught Communication and Journalism courses at the University of Texas.

Originally from Argentina, Natale holds triple citizenship from the United States, Argentina and Italy and has lived in London (UK), Mexico, Washington DC and Buenos Aires.

Topics/Sessions:

Pioneer Key takeaways:

Using a combination of self-discovery techniques, storytelling from the speaker’s improbable journey to success and self-deprecating humor, Pioneer challenges stereotypes and delivers a timely message of empowerment through action at a moment of accelerating change in workplaces, personal relationships, government, and media.

* KEYNOTE #2: THE VIRTUOUS CIRCLE
The Virtuous Circle is a talk based on a very provocative premise: talent or connections do not guarantee a path to success. What is it, then, that sets top achievers apart from everybody else? Looking for an answer, the author has created a system of 7 immanent archetypes that, once activated, create a clear path to achievement.
This talk is based on decades of interviews with super achievers and underdogs from all walks of life (from Carlos Santana to Deepak Chopra!). By discovering The Virtuous Circle audiences learn how to channel their innate strengths and abilities to best work for them.

Deanna Singh

Deanna Singh wants to live in a world where marginalized communities have power. As an expert social entrepreneur, she is obsessed with making the world a better place, and she will build or break systems to create positive change. While tackling complex social challenges, Deanna gives audiences the tools and courage to imagine, activate, and impact the world as agents of change. Deanna is described as a trailblazer and dynamic speaker who is at the forefront of social change. She is an award-winning author, educator, business leader, and social justice champion who speaks to over 50,000 people annually!
Deanna has spent more than two decades researching, designing, and building asset-based solutions to complex social challenges while raising awareness for underserved populations. She is the Founder and Chief Change Agent of Flying Elephant, an umbrella organization for four social ventures, all of which are dedicated to shifting power to marginalized communities. Through Uplifting Impact, she empowers businesses and individuals to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in their workplaces by offering consulting, coaching, and training – including a bi-annual Virtual Summit that draws more than 500 attendees. Delivering keynotes and trainings to entrepreneurs and teams who want to align their work to their purpose, Deanna’s Purposeful Hustle brand teaches the method and the mission by the book of the same name, which has sold more than 10,000 copies. Story to Tell Books, a children’s book imprint, features positive narrative and visual images of children of color, including three books authored by Deanna. Lastly, Birth Coach Milwaukee provides doula services to birthing people who otherwise could not afford it.
Deanna’s current projects include serving as lead instructor for the Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offered through University of Wisconsin’s Center for Professional and Executive Development and publishing two new books: Actions Speak Louder (Penguin Random House; released Spring 2022) and a new book for American Girl (release June 2021).
Because of her creativity, tenacity, and change-provoking honesty, Deanna Singh is in demand as a motivational speaker and educator for teams from a wide variety of organizations. She is regarded as an expert in leadership, entrepreneurship, and diversity, equity & inclusion and speaks frequently to corporate, university, and association groups on all three topics. She also visits schools to share her three children’s books, I am a Boy of Color, I am a Girl of Color, and Cloth Crown.
Singh earned her Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Fordham University, a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has been recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as one of the community’s most influential 40 Under 40 Leaders, the State of Wisconsin as a Women Who Inspires, and by Forbes as an African American Woman Everyone Should Know.

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Francis Vigil

Mr. Francis Vigil is from the Pueblo of Zia in New Mexico. He is also Pueblo of Jemez and Jicarilla Apache, which are all Native American tribes in New Mexico. Currently, Mr. Vigil serves as the Tribal Education Specialist for the National Indian Education Association. Mr. Vigil’s areas of concentration are in Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Education, Community-based Education, and Indigenous Methods, Methodology, and Pedagogy. He utilizes those areas to intersect with his social justice work, which includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Previously, Mr. Vigil served as the Educational Specialist for Culture, History, and Language for the Bureau of Indian Education under the U.S. Department of Interior. In addition, Mr. Vigil has served as a high school science teacher and as an educational administrator at the school, school district, state, and federal levels. In addition to serving on the Parents as Teachers Board of Directors, Mr. Vigil also serves as a Commissioner for the State of New Mexico’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, and he currently serves on Google’s Equity Board. He recently served as the President of the New Mexico Tribal Language Consortium. Mr. Vigil continues to provide educational consultation services to various educational entities at the local, state, and national levels. Most importantly, he is honored to continue to serve and work with numerous tribes and tribal communities across the United States.
Mr. Vigil holds a B.S. in Microbiology from New Mexico State University, a M.A. in Secondary Education from University of New Mexico, and is continuing his work on a PhD in Social Justice with a focus on educator identity and social emotional learning in Native American education systems.
Mr. Vigil is a husband, and he is a proud “girl dad’ to four beautiful daughters, Aliyah, Maya, Bria, and Soniya. He is also a grandpa to three awesome grandchildren, Layla, Logan, and Evelyn.

Session:
Title: Intentional Conversations as Intentional Practice

Consider this scenario: You are being introduced to a group of new people. You are asked to introduce yourself. Take a second and ask yourself, “what would I say?” Many times, we default to a canned response, and we provide our name, title, degree, and maybe pronouns. This is all pertinent information, and it is a peek into our lives.
In our fast-paced world, we don’t make time, or take time, to provide the opportunity for people to take a deeper dive to open doors for people to share “who they are”. In this day and age where professional entities are engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, we don’t intentionally open the door for that to happen.

In this session, we will explore the simple act of “opening the door” for intentional conversation to occur. Through intentional conversations, we move beyond “institutionalized introductory statements, and we begin intentional conversations that build relationships and understandings of others, their experiences, their stories, and their understandings.

Jackie Glenn

Jackie Glenn is a prominent and reputable contributor to the diversity, equity and inclusion industry. During her thirty-year experience in the field, she has launched a suite of online and in-person global training programs to empower the workforce at every level. Jackie employs her expertise to bring awareness to the multifaceted impact of an all inclusive, multicultural, and multigenerational workplace.

Her strategies bring a distinct level of innovation and profitability that help to establish DE&I as a business imperative. Over the arch of her career, Jackie has worked within the corporate world as well as through her self-created enterprise.
While serving as Chief Diversity Officer at Fortune 500 EMC corporation, Jackie pioneered multiple groundbreaking initiatives that brought a distinct level of innovation, inclusivity, and profitability establishing DE&I as a business imperative that fortified the EMC foothold in computer storage technology. As a result of her drive and leadership, Jackie was an integral part of the company’s integration into Dell Technologies, where she co-led the DE&I charge for a global workforce.
In her current position as Founder and CEO of Glenn Diversity Inclusion & HR Solutions, Jackie leans on her decades of experience to bring transformations of positive, lasting change to corporate cultures. At the helm of her firm, Jackie nurtures strong relationships with executives across a range of industries, secures their commitment to collaboration, and rebrands their workforces to establish DE&I as a top-priority business imperative. She employs several proven and groundbreaking strategies such as in-depth cultural audits, executive coaching and trusted advisory services to several CEOs, in order to create tangible change and foster inclusive and equitable environments for all employees.

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Jacquie Abram

Jacquie Abram is the international best-selling and award-winning Author of Hush Money: How One Woman Proved Systemic Racism in her Workplace and Kept her Job. She has been featured in Forbes, Yahoo News, CBS, and NBC, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller, and is the recipient of the Readers Favorite gold medal for social issues novels.
Before Jacquie began her journey as an Author and DEI/Anti-racism Consultant, she had a career in higher education that she was very good at and that she enjoyed. A career that paid her a lucrative income which, as a single mother of two girls, was the only income that allowed her to not only provide for her family, but also to pay her bills. A career that spanned nearly two decades and by any measure should’ve been a successful career. But it wasn’t. Because throughout her career, she experienced racism in the workplace, not the kind you see in a lot of movies, books, and TVs shows about racism that occurred decades ago during a time when it was more overt and easily spotted, but the kind of racism that is more covert, hidden, and harder to prove.
After Jacquie’s career was derailed multiple times by multiple employers and she suffered racial trauma that was so severe she considered homicide and suicide, she pulled herself out of corporate America, wrote Hush Money, a book inspired by true events and co-authored by her daughters, self-published it, and sold it from the trunk of her car at parks and pop-up shops. Today, Hush Money continues to be read in numerous countries around the world and has achieved the following:

Hush Money is much more than just another book about systemic racism. For employees, it’s a roadmap, a survival guide for fighting racism and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. For employers, it’s a compass for finding and identifying covert racism in the organization. For allies who have never experienced racism in the workplace, it’s a powerful way to step into the shoes of a racial discrimination victim.

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Want to explore further? Find our complete list of speakers on our website. If you’re planning an upcoming event, please reach out anytime – we are happy to jump on a call to help you craft the perfect event.

Check out our newest speakers!

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