May 22, 2021
US UK Summit On Race
DISTINGUISHED PANEL-SPEAKERS
Detective Larry Ellison
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Detective Larry Ellison
A year after graduation from South Boston High School, in 1982, Larry Ellison entered the Boston Police Academy as a Cadet. At the same time, he was pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice at Northeastern University on a full Academic Scholarship. "As a youth, I did not see many faces of color in Law Enforcement and decided this is where I can make a difference," he stated. Upon graduation from the Academy in 1985, he served at a number of District Area Stations. In 1989 he became a Detective in the Narcotics Division and was then assigned in 2005 to Boston School Unit Investigations, where he continues to serve. In 2010, Larry was elected President of Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers, Inc. (MAMLEO), a 400 member organization that advocates for more minority officers in higher positions, protection of minority officers' rights, and provides pro bono attorneys in challenging lawsuits. During his tenure, there was also a focus on forming partnerships with community agencies for youth programming, Food Basket Giveaways at Thanksgiving, Toy Drives at Christmas, and encouraged the membership to volunteer in neighborhoods. Larry was re-elected as President for five consecutive terms. Upon leaving, he stated to the membership, "I know it is not an easy fight, but it is simply wrong if someone is intimidated when voicing their rights. We can help pave the way. I know I can, and we can be the change agent for our future, just like someone has done for us." After thirty-five years in the Boston Police Department, Larry is still committed and determined to see his peers and incoming police members treated fairly and given the same level of access to promotions. Larry and his wife Monique live in Foxboro, MA, with their daughter Lauren. |
Leila McKenzie-Delis
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Leila McKenzie-Delis
United Kingdom Leila McKenzie Delis is a passionate business owner and entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of DIAL global. Leila has also founded Leila McKenzie Associates, an Executive Search business appointing diverse and inclusive candidates at the executive and board level. She is an experienced presenter and chair and hosts the twice-weekly DIAL Global podcast "Diverse & Inclusive Leaders" on Apple podcasts in addition to the DIAL Global Lounge focused on thought leadership. Her vision is one in which all are welcome to the boardroom in business and beyond and a world that harnesses the power of intersectionality and difference in moving the dial. This vision has been built through thousands of interviews of business leaders and the acknowledgment of the crucial importance and complexity of D&I topics. The richness of the numerous exchanges Leila has had with those individuals has only reinforced her determination to build a peer learning network dedicated to diversity & inclusion. Unearthing and sharing the unique stories of diversity and inclusion of the most inspirational and thought-leading leaders is the most efficient way to inspire, educate and motivate others and make the world a better place. |
Rev. Dr. Carla Cooper
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Rev. Dr. Karla Cooper
The Rev. Dr. Karla J. Cooper, the seventh child of eight children of Joel and Kay Cooper, ordained an Itinerant Elder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, serves currently serving Allen-St John AME Church in Kansas City, after a 14 year pastoral appointment in Lincoln, Nebraska serving the Historical Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church. She has Dual Standing in the United Church of Christ and served as Chaplain/Coordinator of Service Programs at Doane University for 10 years. She is currently the Special Assistant in Education and an adjunct professor in the Department of Education and the Master's of Management program at Doane. She is also adjunct faculty with Nebraska Wesleyan University in the Department of Sociology. She has served as a consultant /faith organizer for Nebraska with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Project One America, "an unprecedented effort lead by the Human Rights Campaign to advance LGBT equality and justice in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming." She is a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary, where she received a Master's of Divinity and studied abroad as part of a travel seminar to India studying in three seminaries, Gurukul Lutheran Theological Seminary in Chennai; Tamilnadu Theological Seminary, and United Theological Seminary in Bangalore. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Eden. She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication. She completed her Doctorate in Education (EdD) from Doane University. She has taught courses in service-learning and cultural immersion in India for Doane University since 2011 and has led various delegations to India annually. She served as visiting lecturer at Kenya Methodist University and pastoral trainer for Bishop Catherine Mutua, presiding Bishop from the Kaaga Synod in Meru, Kenya. Cooper has served in various capacities throughout the State of Missouri. She has been a gubernatorial appointee under both Governors Carnahan, and Holden working on issues such as National and Community Services, Senior Prescription Drug Policy Task Force, and Systems Reform Initiative called "Caring Communities." Cooper has also worked with former Secretary of State Colin Powell with the America's Promise Initiative. Cooper has also gained national recognition from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University for her work with welfare reform. Cooper also developed the alternative school entitled DREAMERS and PASSAGES youth diversion initiative. Reverend Cooper is a former Connectional Officer with Women In Ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal Church serving as its Financial Secretary for 2008-2009 and is one of the instructors for the Board of Examiners Midwest Annual Conference. Cooper has served on many boards and commissions, including Girl Scouts–Cotton Boll Council, Girl Scouts—Homestead Council, Bootheel Heart Health Coalition, Minority Health Initiative, Fresh Start Board, Delta Sigma Theta National Executive Board/Central Regional Director. Cooper is a much sought-after speaker on issues of child advocacy, public policy, systems reform, and cultural diversity. She has worked as an adjunct professor at Doane College. She has served on the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights and the Interfaith Worker Justice. Currently, Karla is serving on the Foundation Lincoln Public Schools and as President of the Mary Riempa Ross Theater Board. She has served on the Family Violence Council Board, Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG) Board, where she was editor of the monthly PFLAG newsletter. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for Eden Theological Seminary. In 2009, the Women's Global Initiative Awarded Karla with an ecological justice award during a convocation in Toronto, Canada, for being the first black woman to write a book on ecology. She is the author of "When Blacks Were Green" and is the co-author of a chapter entitled "Where Race, Gender and Orientation Meet" with Dr. Joretta Marshall in the pastoral care manual entitled: "Volume IV: Women out of Order: Risking Change and Creating Care in a Multicultural World, Fortress. |
Professor Martin Levermore
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Professor Martin Levermore
Martin Levermore, MBE DL is Visiting Professor for Health, Education, and Life Sciences at Birmingham City University and an Honorary Consultant for Health Innovations with the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. In addition, holding down the position as Chief Executive Officer for Medical Devices Technology International Ltd (MDTi), a company that specializes in the commercialization of NHS medical devices innovation. Prof Levermore is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment, having an academic background in Political Economics. He was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 for Services to West Midlands' Businesses and appointed by the Queen's Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, John Crabtree OBE, in 2018 as one of his Deputy Lieutenants. Martin leads a unique medical device business that has demonstrated a truly global opportunity with regards to delivering better healthcare outcomes for patients using innovations emanating from Clinicians. Prof Levermore has been published widely in several Academic and Medical journals. Martin has an inspirational, ethical, and process-oriented leadership style drawn from his days in the military as a Bomb Disposal Officer and International Banking. After leaving banking, he founded one of the UK's first successful e-commerce financial marketplaces. This was followed by taking on the challenge to guide a not-for-profit organization within Community Regeneration; the blueprint of his engagement in social and business regeneration accumulated with Martin Chairing Medilink Midlands, the regions' largest industry body for MedTech companies. Martin's work in the West Midlands has resulted in over £15 million of inward investment into the area and has sustained over 300 jobs within the region during the worse economic downturn in the UK's history. Accompanying the many activities Martin undertakes, he also Chair's the Birmingham Commonwealth Association Trade and Business focus group, an Executive Member of the Greater Birmingham Commonwealth Chamber of Commerce, and Vice-Chair of the leading UK BAME Housing Association, Nehemiah Housing Association. A previous Head boy of Haile Selassie High School Kingston Jamaica, on 24th April 2021 Professor Levermore was appointed by the UK government has its Independent Person for the Windrush Compensation Scheme. "Only through our collective differences can we truly find the innovations for humanity to improve the lives for so many." |
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Former State Senator Jeff Hayden
Jeffrey Hayden brings the perspective of an experienced State Senator with a demonstrated history of working collaboratively within the state legislature and various state agencies to his government relations and policy work. Jeff’s work over twelve years as a three-term State Senator and two-term State Representative, as well as his professional background in housing policy, provide him with a deep understanding of the legislative process and relationships with key state decision makers and committees. Jeff has been a go-to state legislator on several issues, including health and human services and equity policy and funding. As State Senator, he advocated for many policy and funding changes impacting his Senate district, issues he had been involved with long before his election to the Minnesota Senate. These issues included moving Minnesota forward in the areas of economic justice, increased access to high quality health care for all Minnesotans, addressing the educational opportunity gap and many more. Specifically, Jeff has been at the center of important legislation throughout his time in the legislature. He authored legislation for an increase in statewide minimum wage, continuously advocated for increased funding of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and passed a guaranteed school lunch program for all children, regardless of ability to pay. He authored the African American Family Preservation Act, which protects the best interests of African American children and promotes the stability and security of African American Families. More recently, he successfully pushed for an increase of the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), which has not been increased since 1986. In 2015, he co-chaired the Select Committee on Disparities and Opportunities to find practical solutions to Minnesota’s racial disparities, which has to date appropriated well over 100 million dollars for target investments in communities of color. While serving as a Minnesota State Senator representing District 62, he was a member of the commerce and consumer protection finance and policy, human services reform finance and policy, finance, and health and human services finance and policy committees. He has prior career experience as a county services worker, housing advocate and nonprofit manager. Jeff is not licensed to practice law. His practice is limited to government relations consulting, which includes state and local lobbying. |
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Her Excellency Dr. Justina Mutale
Founder & President, Justina Mutale Foundation A global impact visionary leader with over 30 years working in the diplomatic and international development setting, Her Excellency Dr. Justina Mutale has been globally acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational African women. In 2012, she was named African' Woman of the Year'. She is a philanthropist, international leadership expert, international keynote speaker, international guest lecturer, and #1 international bestselling author of: "The Art of Iconic Leadership: Power Secrets of Female World leaders" and co-author of the highly cerebral book: "Women on Corporate Boards: An International Perspective" in addition to contributing to several other global publications and books on leadership, gender, equality, diversity, and inclusion, including FORBES Magazine. Dr. Mutale leads and serves on various boards across the globe and has been honoured for her outstanding and phenomenal leadership qualities as a Stateswoman, Global Woman Leader of the Year, and Iconic Woman Leader of the Decade. She has for years consistently advocated for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. She is the Founder and President of the Justina Mutale Foundation, through which she advocates for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in political leadership and economic empowerment by providing leadership and entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and coaching. Her Foundation also advocates for the retention and completion of tertiary education for young women and girls from rural and disadvantaged communities in Africa by providing them with university scholarships to access tertiary education around the World. Dr. Mutale previously worked in the Gender Section of the Commonwealth Secretariat headquartered in London and is the Founder and Convenor of the World Summit on Women and Girls. She has been a consistent contributor, delegate, speaker and official parallel event convener at global platforms that address political, economic, social, African and gender issues, including the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women; as well as the African Union High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment held in the wings of the African Union Heads of state Summit; the Commonwealth Women's Forum held in the wings of the Commonwealth Heads of state Meetings; the European Economic Congress and European Economic Forum; in addition to various other fora across the globe. A recipient of the MANDELA 100 Prize, Dr Mutale is listed on various WHOs WHO lists, Power Lists; Influential Lists; and Halls of Fame around the World, including the World Book of Greatness; 100 Most Reputable People on Earth; 100 Most Reputable Africans in the World; 100 Most Influential African Women; 100 Most Influential Black People in the United Kingdom; and the Black+100 Hall of Fame, an Exhibition and Legacy of the top 100 Black Achievers in modern Britain. For more information: http://www.justinamutale.com |
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Diana Wong, Ph.D.
Diana Wong, Ph.D., is the Associate Professor of Management at Eastern Michigan University College of Business. Dr. Diana Wong's areas of research interests include strategic alliances, merger and acquisition integration, learning and technological innovations, and international management of global strategies. She chaired the planning committee for developing and implementing the International Cultural Competence Institute for faculty and staff at Eastern Michigan University. In addition to committee work at different levels of the university, she consults with executive managers who focus on strategic change for leading organizations. Dr. Wong's professional involvement includes the Academy of Management, Academy of International Business, Strategic Management Society, North American Case Research Association, Eastern Academy of Management, Southern Academy of Management, and the Caribbean Studies Association. She reviews for various conferences and publications such as human relations, groups and organization management, journal of business research, and journal of organization and change management. She received a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia, her MBA from Dalhouse University in Nova Scotia, and her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. |
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Professor Geoff Thompson
Geoff Thompson is a former five-time world karate champion who began life in Hackney experiencing not only material deprivation but also the effects of social and cultural exclusion. He has progressed through the English and World sporting structures as a competitor, ambassador, and sports administrator. These skills have also been developed within the numerous public appointment and government initiatives that Geoff has participated in and contributed to over the past thirty-five years. Geoff is one of the leading youth activists and experts with considerable experience in the bidding and hosting and legacy of major games and the positive impact of sport, arts, culture, and digital technology in the social and human development of young people and communities. He has developed a global reputation for his expertise and knowledge of equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion in public, private, third sector, and community organisations and is an avid advocate for human rights. He is the Founder and Chair of the Youth Charter; a United Nations accredited Non-Governmental Organisation established in 1993. Geoff was Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of East London between 2017 – 2019 and is currently a Board Member of the London Legacy Development Corporation, Advisory Board Member of the Muhammad Ali Center, based in Louisville, USA, Adviser to the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation, Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Organising Committee to the Professional Footballers’ Association and Deputy Chair of the Commonwealth Games 2022 Organising Committee. Geoff has also gained invaluable experience as an Independent Assessor for the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments, where he contributed for a decade on a more equitable representation across the public/private and third sector organisations. Through his work with the various organisations, that he continues to represent and serve, he has gained a vast experience of strategic planning, implementation of projects and programmes, organisational review, governance, operational guidelines, evaluation, impact assessment, and research analysis. Geoff’s assignments have seen policies and strategies delivered within the bidding, hosting, and legacy of major games and sporting events such as the1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Nagano 1998 Olympic Bid, All Africa Games 1999, Manchester 2000 Olympic Bid, Commonwealth Games 2002 bid, and games, Cape Town 2000 Olympic Bid, London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. He developed the Sport for Development for Peace Movement and has worked on assignments for United Nations agencies such as UNESCO, UNICEF, ILO, WHO, and the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace and the Commonwealth Secretariat and Swiss Agency for Development. As a Director of the Pursuit of Excellence Limited, Geoff motivates and inspires leading executives, middle management, and corporate workforces on how Corporate Social Responsibility policies and strategies can successfully improve behaviour and performance in the corporate workplace. Assignments have included; BP, Shell Oil Company, Marks and Spencer, Ford Motor Company, Royal Bank of Scotland, Financial Dynamics, Warbug Dillon, Littlewoods plc, Business in the Community, World Bank, Bank of England, and the Guardian Media Group. In 1995 Geoff was awarded an MBE for his services to sport. In 2008 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law (honoris causa) from the University of Roehampton, and in 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship to the University of Central Lancashire, in 2013 an honorary degree of Doctor of Education (DEd) from the Manchester Metropolitan University and in 2014 he received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Letters from the University of Wolverhampton. Geoff is also a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater Manchester. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 Geoff was included in the Top 100 BAME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Leaders in Business List, in association with the Sunday Times, and was named in the Evening Standard’s top 1000 influencers in London. In 2019, Geoff was awarded an honorary professorship of sport and development and peace at the International Business School at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China. |