Meet The Speakers Of The Inaugural Black Enterprise DEI Corporate Boards/C-Suite Summit

Black Enterprise — the No. 1 Black digital media brand, with more than 8 million monthly unique visitors — will present its inaugural Corporate Boards/C-Suite Summit, as a groundbreaking virtual event on July 14.

Meet The Speakers

Corey Anthony, SVP and Chief Diversity Officer, AT&T

Anthony started his career at AT&T in 1995, working as a manager in the Special Services Center in Wichita, Kan. Anthony has worked for AT&T for more than 25 years, holding several leadership roles across AT&T in its Wireless, Marketing, Finance, Network Operations, Human Resources, and Global Customer Service organizations. A Texas A&M graduate, Anthony also co-founded a chapter of AT&T’s African American employee resource group. He will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Racial Equity Imperative discussion.

Michele Meyer-Shipp, Chief People and Culture Officer, Major League Baseball

Meyer-Shipp joined Major League Baseball in October 2020 as its first Chief People & Culture Officer. She reports directly to Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. and sits on both MLB’s Executive Committee and the League-wide Owner’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In her role, Michele leads human resources; diversity, inclusion and culture; and off-field office operations globally for the League supporting the Central League Office, all 30 Major League Clubs, and 120 Minor League Clubs. Meyer-Shipp will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Racial Equity Imperative discussion.

Byron Loflin, Global Head of Board Engagement, Nasdaq

Loflin leads board assessments and boardroom training for Nasdaq Governance Solutions and is the founder and former CEO of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE) – acquired by Nasdaq in 2019. Loflin’s experience and expertise are in the design and administration of assessments and advising board chairs, boards, committees, directors, and executive management in a full range of corporate governance matters, including strategic alignment, best practices, board refreshment, diversity, structures, and corporate planning. He will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Diversifying Corporate Boards discussion.

Shellye Archambeau, Fortune 500 Board Member, Former CEO Of MetricStream

Shellye Archambeau is an experienced CEO and Board Director with a track record of accomplishments building brands, high-performance teams, and organizations. She currently serves on the boards of Verizon, Nordstrom, Roper Technologies, and Okta. Archambeau has over 30 years of experience in technology including as the former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based, governance, risk, and compliance software company. She is also a Forbes contributor and a published author. Archambeau will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Smashing The Concrete Ceiling discussion.

Kristi Martin Rodriguez, Senior Vice President, Nationwide Retirement Institute

Kristi Martin Rodriguez currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Nationwide Retirement Institute® for Nationwide Financial. Kristi oversees an extensive network of knowledgeable professionals who provide hands-on consultation to develop client strategies and address the major concerns America’s workers face when planning for retirement. Rodriguez has over 20 years of extensive experience in business-to-business and direct-to-consumer strategies and building high-performing teams. She joined Nationwide in 2015 as the Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide’s retirement plans business. Rodriguez will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Changing The Face Of Corporate Leadership discussion.

Roland A. Williams Board of Directors, American Express

Ronald A. Williams is Chairman and CEO of RW2 Enterprises, LLC and the former CEO of health insurance giant Aetna Inc. Williams also serves as the Lead Director of American Express and Director of The Boeing Co. and Johnson & Johnson. Under Williams’ leadership, Aetna was named FORTUNE’s most admired company in the Health Care: Insurance and Managed Care category for three consecutive years. In 2011, the year he retired, Aetna had full-year operating earnings of $5.17 per share. The Market capitalization grew from $4.7 billion in 2001 to $15.3 billion in 2011 and the company ranked 77th on the Fortune 100 list. Williams will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Changing The Face Of Corporate Leadership discussion.

Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries. Jr., Founder dfree® Financial Freedom Movement

The Rev. Dr. DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. has served as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens (FBCLG) in Somerset, New Jersey since November 1990. His pastoral ministry focuses on spiritual growth, educational excellence, and economic empowerment. In 2005, Dr. Soaries launched the dfree® Financial Freedom Movement. The dfree® strategy teaches people how to break free from debt as a first step toward financial freedom. Soaries served as New Jersey’s Secretary of State, making him the first African-American male to do so. Soaries will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Diversifying Corporate Boards discussion.

Guy Primus, CEO and Board Member, Valence Enterprises

Guy Primus is a technology executive with over 20 years of experience operating at the intersection of media and innovation. Throughout his career, Primus has demonstrated the ability to combine technology and popular culture to create aggressive organic growth for companies ranging from growth-stage startups to the Fortune 100. Primus currently serves as CEO and board member at Valence Enterprises, a venture-backed company whose mission is to create new paths to success for Black professionals. His vision for Valence helped secure investors including GGV Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, and Softbank. Primus will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Diversifying Corporate Boards discussion.

Kahina Van Dyke, Global Head, Digital Channels & Data Analytics, Standard Chartered Bank

Kahina Van Dyke has more than 20 years of experience in banking and technology with an impressive track record in leading, innovating, and delivering. Her past roles include senior management at Facebook, MasterCard, and Citibank. Van Dyke’s most recent role was SVP of Business and Corporate Development at blockchain company Ripple, where she focused on driving new strategic partnerships across the global financial services industry. Van Dyke will be a speaker during Black Enterprise’s Smashing The Concrete Ceiling discussion.

The DEI Summit will also include Black Enterprise’s President and CEO Earl ‘Butch’ Graves Jr. Senior V.P. and Editor-at-Large Alfred Edmond Jr.; Chief Content Officer Derek Dingle and Executive Managing Editor Alisa Gumbs.