2022 Gearing Up Speaker Information
Confident Leadership Workshop Speaker
Background
Minna Taylor is the author of The Confident Body and the Founder of Energize Your Voice, a NYC based communication coaching and training firm. With an experiential approach, rooted in the principles of play and performance, she and her team support organizations, individuals, and entrepreneurs to explore their full potential in public speaking, storytelling, and leadership communication. Notable clients include UBER, Red Bull, Citi, and E&Y. Minna earned her BFA from NYU Tisch and went on to earn her MFA in Performance with a concentration in speech and vocal production. Beginning her career as an accent reduction specialist, Minna went on to transfer her theatre training to developing an innovative approach for professional development.
Building Body Intelligence for Resiliency Workshop Speaker
Background
Abby Wen Wu is a somatic educator and coach sharing tools on body intelligence and elevating sensing capacities. She works with individuals through the body-as-brain approach to assist them in gaining clarity and decision making. She works with clients through movement, breathe, and attention to get to the root of the situation. She is first-generation Chinese American.
Build from Within: How to Drive Impact as an Intrapreneur Workshop Speaker
Background
Trailblazing social entrepreneur Chelsea C. Williams is the Founder and CEO of Reimagine Talent Consulting (formerly College Code), a uniquely comprehensive company offering talent & workforce development, DE&I (diversity, equity, and inclusion) solutions, and education for employers, nonprofits, and educational institutions.
As a Forbes Next 1000 Entrepreneur of the Year, Chelsea is leading national efforts to reimagine the workplace, using her expertise to advise consciously inclusive organizations and leaders. She’s also earned an international reputation as a compelling, highly effective public speaker, engaging audiences worldwide on topics ranging from, engaging & retaining GenZ at work to fostering inclusive & equitable teams. She has partnered with organizations including: Kate Spade, Coca Cola Foundation, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and the Association of Talent Development (ATD).
Chelsea earned a BA in economics from Spelman College, then spent a decade on Wall Street managing human capital across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Trusted By
Ben & Jerry’s
Gatorade
Cushman & Wakefield
Penguin Random House
Johnson & Johnson
National Urban League
Girls Who Code
The University of Chicago
Spelman College
Association of Talent Development
National Association of Colleges & Employers
Keynote Speaker
Background
Kiana Pierre-Louis, Esq. is an Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Northeastern University School of Law. Prior to Northeastern, Kiana was a Senior Law Lecturer, Pre-law Advisor, and a Course Coordinator at Bentley University in the Law & Taxation Department.
Kiana has a passion for social justice and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and owns a consulting company, Justice Belongs Institute, LLC that centers this work. She has won numerous awards that recognize her work in advising and mentoring students, her leadership and dedication to advancing DEI initiatives, and her outstanding teaching capabilities. Kiana is the first Black person to be elected to the Select Board in Sharon, MA. She sits on the Board of Directors for KodeConnect, Inc. a non-profit organization helping marginalized youth to get access to STEM classes for little to no cost and she is an Advisory Board member of Youth LEAD at Emerson College. She is also the President and a board member of Sharon Racial Equity Alliance (SREA) an antiracist non-profit centering the racial inequities of BIPOC individuals in Sharon, Ma.
Kiana has been recognized for her social justice advocacy as a 2021 Massachusetts Black & Latino Caucus Black Excellence on the Hill Nominee and honored as Citizen of the Year in 2021 by the Town of Sharon. Kiana has also been highlighted for her business and legal expertise by the Massachusetts Conference for Women. In 2021, she had one of the most watched Learning Bursts on Building Self Confidence and was one of the top-rated podcast speakers with her episode, “What To Do When You’re Chronically Underpaid.”