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On the Matter of Race Summit 2023

MEET OUR POWERFUL SPEAKERS

November 13 - 16, 2023
11am - 2pm ET

On the Matter of Race Summit 2023

MEET OUR POWERFUL SPEAKERS

November 13 - 16, 2023
11am - 2pm ET

Sarah Pletcher

Sarah Pletcher, PhD, MA, is a mother, wife, restaurant owner, and licensed Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologist. Sarah has worked in schools, clinics, hospital settings, and private practice. She stepped outside of her psychologist role in 2014 to help create, open and manage a restaurant, alongside her husband and two friends. Since 2017, Sarah has predominantly focused on raising her two children while continuing to support various aspects of restaurant ownership.

Although Sarah is not currently practicing psychology professionally, her passion for helping children reach their full potential continues to be forefront in her mind. Sarah’s experiences with children both professionally and personally have reinforced for her that our youth are overwhelmingly resilient; yet, having even one individual protecting and encouraging their development throughout childhood can make an enormous impact on their ability to thrive in life. As such, Sarah has sought out various volunteer opportunities to be a supportive force for children and recently taught a semester-long course in Mindfulness for middle schoolers.

Currently, Sarah is in conversation with her children’s school regarding the creation of community-wide learning opportunities about systemic racism as well as how best to support the students’ education of such.

Kurt Pletcher

Kurt is the Head of Global Legal Strategy and Daily Operations at Equinix, Inc., an American-based international digital infrastructure company. His professional background includes management consulting, employment law, representing new and emerging venture-backed companies, and significant corporate law experience.

In his current role at Equinix, Kurt leads a world-class, international legal team that represents many business functions including go-to-market operations, real estate, finance, facility operations, mergers and acquisitions, IP development and licensing, IT support, corporate development and strategy and a host of other operational areas.

Kurt is an inclusive executive who stands against racism, hate, and marginalization. He believes teams perform better when each person is given the opportunity to bring their full self to work. Kurt strives to lead with authenticity and enables the same in his team. Kurt is also a strong believer in finding a balance between work, family, and personal growth, and encourages others to take time to do the same.

In his personal life, Kurt is married and has two children, ages 11 and 13. He and his wife, Sarah, encourage their children to question the world in which they live so that they may also grow to lead authentic, inclusive, inquisitive lives.

You can connect with Kurt through the social media platforms below:

Elizabeth Silleck La Rue

With 25 years of professional experience across a variety of environmental conservation and social justice initiatives, Elizabeth Silleck La Rue launched Silleck Consulting Services (SCS) to deliver strategic policy guidance, collaborative program design, research, writing, and thought leadership on intersecting issues with passion, commitment and a drive for equity.

She writes and speaks specifically on dynamics impacting interracial families; the nexus between systemic oppression and disparate impacts of environmental degradation and the climate crisis; and racial and gender equity in the environmental conservation movement.

Elizabeth earned her B.A. in Women's Studies & Anthropology and her J.D. in Environmental Law, and primarily serves nonprofit organizations and private, mission-based companies. For more information, please visit www.silleckconsultingservices.com.

You can connect with Elizabeth through the social media platform(s) below:

Liz J. Fernández, EdM.

Liz (she/her(s)/ella) is a bilingual, and bicultural educator, trainer, speaker, and strategist. She previously served as the Director of the JONES Executive/Professional Search Division and Director of the JONES School of Inclusive Leadership. Born in New York City, Liz is a first-generation American, the first in her family to graduate college, and the only to have two master’s degrees.

Liz has served in many roles within the independent school community. Most recently, she was at Ethical Culture Fieldston School (ECFS) as Assistant Head of School, Dean of the Class of 2013, MS Ethics Department Chair, and Trustee. Liz also served as Director of Diversity at The Dalton School as well as consultant at over 100 schools worldwide. From 2000 to 2011, Liz served on the faculty of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) and for eight years was a co-chair. Since 2000, she has served as the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Job Fair to Promote Diversity administrator responsible for the placement of hundreds of candidates within schools.

Liz’s versatility as a trainer and facilitator extends beyond the PreK-12th grade community. She has also worked within the corporate and non-profit sectors designing and facilitating workshops on unconscious bias in the workplace, promoting inclusive recruiting and hiring practices, and crisis management leadership and decision-making in the US. She has also provided leadership development for corporate leaders in Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and other Latin American countries. She has worked extensively with campus safety personnel on college campuses and with law enforcement professionals at the local and state level. In addition, she served as a founding member of the Monroe College Criminal Justice Department teaching several foundational courses to aspiring military and paramilitary professionals.

She is a proud alumna of and has served on the Board of Directors of Bloomingdale Family Head Start Programs, Inc., a NYC preschool program serving low-income families with comprehensive educational support services.

Liz holds a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Hamilton College, an MA in Social Sciences with a concentration in Sociology and Education from Binghamton University, State University of New York and an Ed.M. from Columbia University, Teacher’s College, Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership where she was an Altman Scholar.

You can connect with Liz through the social media platforms below:

Pamela Osborne

Pamela Osborne, Regional Vice President of Americas Sales at Equinix, is a sales champion with expertise across sales operations, business development, capital development, product marketing, and field operations. She is passionate about creating innovative sales strategies, cultivating successful partnerships, and leading high-performing teams to deliver consistent results.

During her tenure at Equinix, Pamela has developed and maintained the sales function to drive revenue growth across the direct sales channel, exceeding customer and partner expectations.

Pamela also is a champion for creating a culture of success in a safe, open, inclusive, and accepting working environment. She proudly leads the Equinix BlackConnect organization to amplify the voice and visibility of Black colleagues and allies around the world.

Pamela joined Equinix in 2021 following sales leadership roles at AT&T, Qwest, and Verizon. In addition to her extensive professional background, Pamela serves on the Board of Directors of Café Momentum, a Dallas-based restaurant and culinary training facility that transforms young lives by equipping the community’s most at-risk youth with life skills, education and employment opportunities. She is also a United Way Women of Tocqueville committee member, and former board member, focused on developing equity programs for underserved communities.

You can connect with Pamela through her social media platforms here:

Kevin Thames

Kevin Thames, Vice President of Americas Channel Sales, is responsible for leading Equinix Americas Partner Sales team focused on Reseller-led, Alliance-accelerated sales motions as part of Equinix’s newly formed Global Channel Sales organization.

Kevin joined Equinix in 2011, holding positions in Enterprise Sales before being appointed Director, Partner & Alliance Sales in 2018. In this role, he ran Partner Development, and Alliance Development for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern and Central regions in the US as well as in Latin America and Canada. And most recently led the Americas NSP’s, and Strategic & Tech Alliances teams as a Sr. Director. Kevin has shaped Equinix’ Channel strategy, governance and track record for continued growth which helped to drive partner sales to represent 30%+ of new bookings globally.

In support of key company initiatives, Kevin co founded and leads Equinix BlackConnect whose mission is to increase Equinix’s inclusion, innovation and impact by expanding, empowering and elevating black employees and their allies around the globe.

Prior to joining Equinix, Kevin held various Sales roles in the Internet Infrastructure space with BBN/Verizon, SunGard/FIS, SAVVIS/Lumen, and QTS. Kevin graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he studied Civil Engineering, and received Bachelor of Science in Technology Management.

You can connect with Kevin through the social media platforms below:

Deb & Joe Burns

Dr. Debbie Burns is a Soul Expedition Leader for creative professionals ready to mix up some magick and creativity to empower good souls to do great things (and take their stand against the dark). Witchy and wise women trust her to lead them back to courageous acceptance of of their most authentic self, unwavering trust of their intuition and power, and bold expansion of their magick and joy so they can shine like the mf suns they are and see their visions realized.

Dr. Joe Burns, Money EQ Specialist and creator of the Money & Racism podcast, Dr. Joe Burns helps people committed to their End Goal to improve their relationship with money and stay in financial flow over fear. These leaders and couples hire him to challenge their perspectives and brain hack their emotional reactions to money so they can build the pathway and bank account that gives them back the control to achieve what they really want. He’s the go-to guy when you've tried other self-development or wealth management programs to manufacture growth but they didn't work how you wanted, and it feels like time is running out.

You can connect with Deb & Joe through the social media platforms below:

Deb:

Joe:

Tajaé Gaynor

Tajaé is the Deputy Executive Director of CLUSTER Community Services, a multi-faceted social service agency based out of Yonkers, New York. He formerly served as the Director of the Westchester-Rockland Mediation Center, a department of CLUSTER between the years of 2016 and 2022. He developed a passion for Conflict Resolution over 30 years ago as a Junior High School peer mediator. Since then, Tajaé has taken numerous trainings in Alternative Dispute Resolution and has worked with thousands of young people and adults teaching Conflict Resolution skills, Restorative Justice, Mediation and implementing programs.

Tajaé's commitment to violence prevention earned him national recognition from the Democratic Congressional leadership in 1999. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and has taken post-graduate courses in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University’s School of Continuing Education. In 2004, Tajaé was honored with the James Boskey Award for outstanding youth leadership from the Association of Conflict Resolution (ACR). He previously served on the Board of Directors (2010-2013) for ACR National and was the first Diversity and Equity Director appointed in the Organization’s History.

Tajaé was appointed by Westchester County’s Executive, George Lattimer, to the Criminal Justice Advisory Board in 2020 and the Assigned Counsel Board of Directors in 2022.

You can connect with Tajaé through his social media platforms below:

Gyselle Gaynor

Gyselle was born and raised in the Bronx, New York and currently resides there. She joined the Federal Department of Labor – Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) in 2018 as a Labor Investigator in the New York City Office. In pursuit of becoming an investigator, Gyselle served one year with the United States Secret Service (USSS) as a Special Agent. She formerly served as a Revenue Officer with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) between 2003 through 2018.

Gyselle has always had an affinity for numbers, federal policy, and procedures, however, working at the IRS, she developed a passion for investigating white-collar crime, such as tax evasion, embezzlement, identity schemes, money laundering, credit card schemes, and much more. In pursuit of becoming an investigator, Gyselle attended Federal Law Enforcement Training in Glynco, Georgia, and attained her certificate in Criminal Investigator Training.

Gyselle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Lehman College and her Master of Science in Taxation from Long Island University. She is an active and involved member of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators (IAFCI) in the New York Metro area.

You can connect with Gyselle through her social media platforms below:

Sarah & Jess Withey

Sarah is an entrepreneur, a devoted wife and the proud mother of three dynamic children. She grew up in beautiful Mission Viejo, California. With over two decades of experience as an Account Manager in the Relocation Industry, Sarah decided to pivot towards her entrepreneurial aspirations in 2021. Her true passion lies in building community and helping others with their purpose & achieving their personal successes. As a family, they find their joy together on the pool deck, rallying behind their children as they compete in diverse swimming competitions.

Jess, a native of St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, proudly embraces his cultural roots, deeply rooted in Puerto Rican heritage. He spent his years growing up in the coastal community of San Pedro, California. As a Syracuse University alum, he brings a commitment to excellence to every aspect of his life. Beyond his past professional role as a dedicated swim coach, he cherishes his role as a loving husband and father to three wonderful children. Jess's life is driven by his unwavering passion for coaching and swimming, and he brings this enthusiasm to everything he does.

You can connect with them on the social media platforms below:

Sara Blanchard & Misasha Suzuki Graham

A graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, Misasha has been a practicing litigator for over 15 years, and is passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession as well as in her communities. She is a facilitator, writer, and speaker regarding issues of racial justice, especially with regards to children, the co-author of Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism, and the co-host of Dear White Women, a social justice podcast. Misasha, who is biracial (Japanese and White), is married to a Black man, and is the proud mom of two very active multiracial young boys. They live in the Bay Area of California with their largely indifferent cat.

Sara helps build community and connection through conscious conversations, which she does as a facilitator, TEDx speaker, writer, and consultant. After graduating from Harvard and working at Goldman Sachs, Sara pursued the science and techniques of well-being and is a certified life coach, author of two books (Flex Mom and Dear White Women: Let’s Get (Un)comfortable Talking About Racism), and co-host of Dear White Women, an award-winning weekly social justice podcast. Sara is biracial (Japanese and White), married to a White Canadian man, and is raising their two White-presenting girls to be compassionate, thoughtful advocates. They live in Denver, Colorado with their incredibly lovable dog.

You can connect with them on the social media platforms below:

Sara:

Misasha:

Meet Your Hosts

Dr. Lynne Maureen Hurdle

Dr. Lynne is a communication expert and conflict resolution strategist, diversity, equity and inclusion facilitator, speaker, and leadership coach with over 40 years of experience in blending the connection between communication, conflict and culture into my unique style of engagement for leaders.

She is the author of the best seller, Closing Conflict for Leaders: How to Be a Bold Leader and Develop a Kick-Ass, High-Functioning, Happy AF Team.

Justin Nai'im Hurdle Price

Justin started facilitating conflict resolution workshops for young people and adults at the age of 10. He has co-facilitated workshops in schools and for non-profits and at national conflict resolution conferences all over the country.

He worked as a trainer coach for youth from all different backgrounds, helped design workshops for parents, teachers and young people.

Seriously, you're not going to want to miss this!

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