Emily Hawkins is a communications and marketing maven with nearly 20 years of experience within retail, fashion, entertainment, nonprofit, DEI, and social responsibility arenas. Emily has led strategic external communications and community relations for companies like Alvin Ailey, Amazon, Corcoran Group, Google, and Macy’s. Hawkins founded The Black Tech Collective in 2022.

A proud DMV native who has been in software development for the past ten years and works as a technical Scrum Master and yoga teacher. She is fueled by coaching, mentoring, and innovation for both wellness and technology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, listening to audiobooks, and going to concerts.

Originally from Boston, MA with proud Haitian roots. He works at the Department of Defense as an economist and analyst leading a wide range of projects like economic analysis, data analysis, statistical analysis, and coding. In his free time, he likes to stay active by cycling, hiking, golfing, and enjoying poetry slams.

A Technical Program Manager at the US Department of State. She oversees multiple teams within the Systems Integration & Innovation Division, where her teams' work significantly impacts consulate databases worldwide. With over a decade of leadership roles across various prominent US intelligence agencies, she brings extensive expertise to her current position. Farrah earned her MBA from Georgia Southern University. Beyond her professional pursuits, she finds joy in snowboarding, freelance floral arranging, and volunteering at women's shelters in Washington, DC.

Jerome has more than 20 years of Information Technology (IT) experience within the commercial and government industries. He currently is the Director of Solutions Architecture for the National Security and DoD Intelligence team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). While at AWS, Jerome has spent the last ten years supporting several Intelligence Agencies as a Solutions Architect supporting space programs, signal and geo spatial processing, and natural language processing applications. Prior to working at AWS, he worked at Booz Allen Hamilton as a Technical Manager/Chief Architect and at Bank of America as a Lead Software Engineer. Jerome specializes in Cloud Computing, AI/ML, Quantum Computing, Microservices, and Software Development. Jerome double majored in Computer Science and Mathematics at Charleston Southern University and received a Master’s of Business and Administration focusing on International Business and Information Technology Management at Virginia Tech University.

A native Washingtonian,currently serves as Sr. Director for Microsoft Industries, running the Construction & Real Estate Sector in the US’s Northeast quadrant. A thought leader for industry transformation at Microsoft since 2016, Ryan has held leadership roles in Microsoft’s M&E and DIBs Sectors. Prior to Microsoft, Ryan led national sales and operations in Verizon’s Private and Public Sector businesses for 14 years. Ryan is a member of the Board of Directors for DC based non-profits Beacon House and OnRamps to Careers, organizations with a long history of supporting the academic advancement and personal growth of city youth. Ryan runs a sales excellence coaching firm and is a frequent panelist on technology and leadership podcasts and trade shows.

A community builder and cofounder of The Wave, a business combining event production, consulting, event production and community building through tech. He’s originally from Richmond, VA and has spent his adult life between the very Black cities of Atlanta, GA and Washington, DC. In his spare time he enjoys writing, traveling and delighting in audiobooks of any topic.

An IT Program Manager with the Department of Defense (DOD) who has spent 20 years working with the Federal Government and nearly 15 years in the IT space. He has managed numerous IT systems that are used across the globe in mission essential capabilities for the DOD, Department of Treasury and the healthcare industry. He has leveraged Agile methodology, DevSecOps, Capital Planning and Investment Controls (CPIC) and implemented AI capabilities within the DOD. His certifications include the Project Management Professional, Professional Scrum Master and ITILv3. He graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelors in Mathematics and a Masters in Education with a concentration in Student Affairs. He is also the Chief Financial Consultant with Show Me The Money, LLC where he provides training in financial management and private consultations towards achieving financial success and creating a path towards generational wealth.

An operations and program management professional with career tenure including the United States Department of Justice, Twitter, and the NAACP. She is from Memphis, Tennessee and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame. In her free time, she is a patron of the arts attending concerts and shows at the Kennedy Center and serving on the Arena Stage’s Young Patrons Board.

An investor at Mark Cuban Companies, where he co-leads MCC Network— a digital broadcast platform democratizing access to the insights of industry titans, c-suite execs, professional athletes, and entrepreneurs.

Seeking to connect people to their purpose by investing in their ideas, Haywood began his career in venture capital as an Investment Partner for First Round Capital’s Dorm Room Fund, focused on funding student entrepreneurs. He then helped direct impact investments at Kapor Capital, before supporting SoftBank in launching their $100M Opportunity Fund, focused on Black, Latinx, and Native American founders.

Previously, he served as an Innovation Advisor for Yale’s Startup & Nonprofit Accelerators; as a Program Associate at the Aspen Institute; as an Obama White House Intern in the Office of Social Innovation & Civic Participation; with international stints working in youth, community & economic development in Cape Town & Johannesburg, South Africa and Bangalore, Mysore & Chennai, India. Haywood is a Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., serves on the Board of Directors of Whitman-Walker Health, and was recognized by the Obama Administration as an Emerging Black LGBT Leader.

A fifth-generation native Washingtonian and proud alumnus of Prince George’s County Public Schools,

Haywood earned his Master’s degree from the divinity school at Yale University and his B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

A strategy, operations, and market intelligence leader, currently serving as Chief of Staff for HP’s Global Government Affairs & Public Policy organization. Prior to his role at HP, Michael held strategic leadership positions at Appian Corporation, 3M Company, and The Washington Post. With a proven track record of leadership and strategic influence, Michael is a Corporate Council Member at Meridian International, an Executive Fellow at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C, Vice Chair of the Corporate Advisory Council at Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA), and a member of the Chief of Staff Association.

An alumnus of New York University’s Stern School of Business, Michael holds an MBA with a focus on Strategy and Finance. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Wisconsin. In his spare time, he embraces an active lifestyle, enjoying long bike rides and playing golf.

A Director at Google who leads the Stay & Thrive (employee retention and progression), Minority Serving Institution and Belonging teams. She has been at Google for nearly 14 years, promoting various dimensions of inclusion and employee empowerment. She is a proud alumna of Hampton University. In her spare time, she loves gardening, gift wrapping and spending time with her daughter.

Johnnie has over 18 years of business development experience. He got his start as one of the founding team of DigitalGuestlist.com, a precursor to Eventbrite, as an undergraduate student. He helped to cultivate relationships with the beverage and tech brands with their targeted activations. Currently, he is a founder of Friends of the Program, a consultant agency that helps with business development with a particular focus on technology, entertainment, employer branding, and corporate diversity and inclusion strategy, retention, and engagement. Clients that we have worked with: Genentech, Gilead, Pfizer, NBCUniversal, Black Women's Health Initiative, Discover, etc. Prior to working in the business development space, he worked for Rockwell Automation, Accenture, Pfizer, MillerCoors and Apple in management and diversity engagement capacities.

Johnnie is a Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and serves on the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Board of Directors, and chairs the Finance Committee leading strategic partnerships with corporate partners for the organizaqtion.

Johnnie received his Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and a Certificate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University.

A thought leader, a voice of influence, and a source for good, he fuses his passion for inclusion and his leadership to shine a light on inequality in tech spaces and forge opportunities for others. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and spending time with his family and friends.