November 5-6  2020 
Distinguished Speakers
DEI Teach-In
Techniques, Tips, & Skills You Can Use
Thursday, Nov 5, 2020 - 1:20 pm to 2:20 pm
Session #103

Rev. Dr. Nichole Phillips
Dr. Nichole Renée Phillips is the Associate Professor in the Practice of Sociology of Religion and Culture and Director of Black Church Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. A sociologist of religion and public theologian, she teaches courses in community and congregational studies. Her research interests lie at the intersection of religion and American public life with a focus on community and congregational studies where she investigates the moral commitments and vision of community and congregational members. Her scholarship treats religion, critical race, gender, and cultural memory studies. She is also developing new research interests in the sociology of science and religion. 

Her first monograph, Patriotism Black and White: The Color of American Exceptionalism (2018) is a study of blacks and whites in a rural southern community and their shifting interpretations of American national identity and U.S. exceptionalism with the election of Barack H. Obama as America's first President of African descent and at the height of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The volume further considers the implication of these patriotic and exceptionalist meanings under the present Trump Administration. In 2019, Patriotism Black and White landed on the Best Sellers List for the Christian ecumenical and flagship magazine of U.S. mainline Protestants, The Christian Century. 

Nichole also contributed a chapter to the published collection, Revives My Soul Again: The Spirituality of Martin Luther King Jr., which commemorated the 50th-year anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (2018). Her chapter explains the ways in which King Jr.'s spirituality animated his delivery of 'I have a dream' and inspired his rearticulation of American national identity at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. 
She has received numerous awards, honors, and recognitions including being the inaugural recipient of Emory University's 2019 Provost's Distinguished Teaching Award for Excellence in Professional and Graduate Education for Candler School of Theology. Her research has been supported by the Center for Community Studies of Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, and the Southern Regional Educational Board (SREB). She was recently awarded a $100,000 grant by Templeton Religion Trust and the Issachur Fund. 

The Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Religion and the Humanities, Nichole was the first fellow in Emory University's Mellon Foundation Humanistic Inquiry Program (HIP) to be appointed at the professional schools. She is a Senior Faculty Fellow at Emory University's Center for Ethics and Associate Faculty in the Emory's Department of Sociology. She received the A.B. from Wellesley College, an M.Div. from Harvard University's Divinity School, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion, Psychology, and Culture with a minor in anthropology of religion from Vanderbilt University. 
Marion Jones
Marion Jones, MPA
Training Operations & Workforce Development
Eversource Energy
For over 10 years, Marion Jones has worked with clients across the world, delivering training in key organizational performance areas. An experienced talent and workforce development visionary, Marion draws in on individual talent at every level, coaching others to peak performance. Her reach spans across the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Marion heads the Electric Power Utility Technology (EPUT) program at Eversource Energy, a STEM-based pipeline to employment initiative. In this role, Marion collaborates with organizational partners and labor leaders to support workforce planning and talent development for entry-level utility roles. To support talent development efforts across the enterprise, Marion co-leads the Women's Business Resource Group, a corporate diversity and inclusion initiative focused on helping women reach their full potential at Eversource Energy. As a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Council, she supports and leads organizational efforts to foster a more diverse and inclusive culture. 
A champion for civic engagement, Marion serves as a Diversity Trainer for New Leaders Council, a public charity dedicated to educating a new generation of leaders in the areas including, but not limited to, fundraising, organizing, public speaking, and coalition building. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a private nonprofit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world.  
Marion holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication, a Master's in Public Administration, and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.
Yash Rawat
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Conversationalist & A Curious Soul.
 Yash is the co-founder of Empowerment Talks, a daily conversation show where he has conducted interviews of more than 170 opinion shapers, business leaders, and coaches worldwide to explore mind and self awareness through conversations. Engineer by profession, Entrepreneur by choice, Impact maker by passion, Yash is a man of action.
He loves to discuss new ideas ,revisit old ones, and he's always eager to have a deep conversation with anyone.

More About Empowerment Talks:
We’re all about “The Conversation”.
We love to discuss new ideas, revisit old ones and spark a bit of lively discussion.
We think it keeps things interesting.
Like Us & We can have our next conversation with you .
Everyone has a story to tell.

Empowerment Talks can be found on Facebook.
Lurie Davis
​Lurie (Lou) Davis is a native of Lynn, Massachusetts. He is a leader and expert in Investments, Financial Planning, and Wealth Management. He received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Minor in Business Administration from Springfield College in 1986.

Lurie started his professional career in the Mutual Fund industry, working as a Retirement and Qualified Plans Representative in 1987 with Pioneer Investments. From there, he moved on to Fidelity Investments in Boston, working in Marketing and Sales. He worked for nine years with New England Securities as a Regional Marketing and Sales Representative. After completing the Executive Training Program with Morgan Stanley /Dean Witter Reynolds in, 1997 he became an Investment Advisor.  Lurie has worked for 33 years in the financial services community. Currently, Lurie works as a Registered Investment Advisor, Financial Planner and Wealth Manager. He is the CEO and President of Lurie Davis Wealth Management, Investments, and Financial Planning based in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Veretta Nix

Veretta Nix is a Human Resources Leader with experience across healthcare, government, and service sectors. She has led the multi functions of human resources with a consistent focus on diversity and inclusion, employee & leadership development, and organization change. Critically important to all of her work is helping organizations identify and clarify key values; develop strategies to authentically drive action planning and behaviors; respect the diversity of their teams, customers and communities; leverage their unique talents and strengths; and commit to continued development. Her diversity and inclusion experience includes working with leaders to develop and implement diversity strategic plans, develop coaching strategies, design and facilitate diversity education, and plan and lead diversity councils. She has worked to develop and enhance employee relations, employee engagement, performance management, competency model development, and organization development. 


Veretta is the Director of Human Resources for Zingerman's Community of Businesses (Ann Arbor, MI) and the President of Total Talents LLC, a consulting firm focused on diversity & inclusion, organization development and leadership coaching. Her HR leadership experience includes roles at Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor), Henry Ford Health System (Detroit, MI) and in executive and legislative branches of the State of Tennessee. Veretta has a B.A. in Sociology from Fisk University and a M.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. She is a life member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources and currently serves as the Education Chair of the Detroit Society for Human Resource Management.
Ana De Pina


Ana De Pina is a Licensed Financial Services Professional at the Greater New England Financial Group of Prudential, who enjoys working with women, entrepreneurs, schools, and families in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, Rhode Island, and Washington, D.C. to educate, grow, protect, and transfer wealth. 

Ana believes that the work she does is extremely important due to the wealth gap in the United States, and due to Financial Education that is lacking in so many communities. Ana does not work alone. Ana has assembled a team of Accountants, Estate Attorneys, Real Estate, and Mortgage Brokers to provide personalized guidance and support. 
Ana is a multilingual professional. Ana speaks Cape Verdean Creole, Spanish, and Portuguese, having mostly taught English as a Second Language and History to the multicultural communities of Boston and Wakefield, MA, for fourteen years. Ana has a love and deep respect for all children, families, and teachers. 

Ana used her experience in Education to serve as a Grief Sensitivity Ambassador, providing public schools with $500 Grants from the New York Life Foundation. In this role, Ana brilliantly married her passions and her calling to families and schools. 
Ana holds a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Languages from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master's Degree in Biblical Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Ana has a Life and Health Producers License and Series 6 and 63 Investment Licenses. 

Ana resides in Boston with her mom, daughter, and son. 
Mary-Beth Mulligan

Mary-Beth is the Corporate Compliance Training & Communications lead focused on risk management at State Street Corporation.  Mary-Beth has held various other roles her during 26 year tenure at State Street including establishing the Lean Management Office, creating the global Lean toolkit and training curriculum; leading internal consulting teams driving change and developing best practices; designing and delivering new hire training and advanced modules as a Skills Trainer;  as well as holding several operational positions within Global Delivery.
Additionally, Mary-Beth is the co-chair of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Professional Women’s Network (PWN-MA), a leading Employee Network at State Street.  The PWN-MA is the largest of the network’s 22 global chapters, and includes approximately 1,800 members.  The PWN-MA has been recognized with several awards for the impactful programming that the group has developed to enhance members’ skills and drive inclusion in the workplace.
Mary-Beth earned her BA from Le Moyne College (Syracuse, NY) and MBA from Bentley University (Waltham, MA).