2022 Georgia Women in Leadership Symposium
March 10, 2022
7:30 AM - 12:00 PM (ET)
Theme
Paragon of Womanhood: Restoration, Reintegration & Reemergence
Sponsored By
Speakers
Alvarez
Amy Alvarez is the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for Make-A-Wish Georgia. Alvarez is responsible for leading the strategic vision for the marketing, communications, and media outreach efforts throughout the state of Georgia. Alvarez joined Make-A-Wish Georgia in 2014 after serving in leadership roles with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, PADV and MDA. After a 10-year tenure as a fundraising professional, she shifted her sights on being a chief storyteller; bringing to life the world of wishes through her love of co-branding, digital marketing and experiential marketing. Alvarez graduated from Florida State University with a degree in marketing with an emphasis in sales and customer relationship management. She also holds certifications in nonprofit fundraising and supervision & management from the Georgia Center For Nonprofits. A firm believer in the power of human connection, she feels life is best measured by how much of it you give away.
Chiazor
Born in Newfoundland, growing up between Montreal and Lagos, Nneka’s international upbringing revealed the criticality of bridging divides. It inspired her migration to the United States to pursue the American Dream. She joined Cox Communications in 2017 as Vice President of Public and Government Affairs for Virginia and North Carolina region, accountable for media, labor, community, and government relations. She leads a team entrusted with enhancing company revenues through public-private partnerships, diversity, equity and inclusion, and community goodwill. Before joining Cox, she spent 20+ years in technical and corporate roles in the telecommunications industry, including at Verizon, where she worked on several innovations such as FiOS and smart cities. As a community builder, Nneka engages many nonprofits and professional organizations across the globe. She serves on Cox’s National Inclusion and Diversity Council, Global Traveler Magazine, and as an appointed commissioner on the Virginia Beach Development Authority. She was recognized by the National Diversity Council as a diversity, equity, and inclusion champion in 2021, and received the 2022 Humanitarian Award from the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities for her commitment to building bridges of understanding across the commonwealth. An alum of Harvard Business School, Nneka is passionate about empowering people—she lives to see people win. “You can change your life at any time” is at the core of her work in coaching and mentoring people from various walks of life. She enjoys traveling, volunteering at Le Look Bag Academy in Nigeria, and spending time with her family, especially on the beach.
Horne
Ashley Horne is the Chief Marketing Officer at Womble Bond Dickinson, a transatlantic law firm with more than 1,000 lawyers based in 26 UK and US office locations. Within this role, Ashley is responsible for the business development and marketing department – with an objective of growing top-line revenue and continuing to drive brand strategies that further the firm’s awareness. Previous to serving as a chief marketing officer at an AmLaw 100 firm, Ashley held leadership roles within the professional services industry, at North Highland (an Atlanta-headquartered mid-sized consulting firm) and KPMG (a global Big Four accounting and advisory firm), in addition to her early experience with a global PR agency and the American Cancer Society’s national home office. Her experience includes leading teams across a broad spectrum of strategic marketing activities, including public relations, advertising, digital and account based marketing and sales enablement programs. She is a member of the University of Georgia’s Alumni Board and has benefitted from programs like LEAD Atlanta and serving on other non-profit boards like the Junior League of Atlanta. She is resident in Sandy Springs and enjoys spending time with her husband and two young boys.
Liu
Emily is a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) practitioner, advocate, writer, and lawyer. As Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Director at Assurant, a Fortune 500 company, Emily works closely with the Head of Global DEI to progress, develop and champion Assurant’s DEI program for over 14,000 employees worldwide. She is an Executive Board Member of the Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group (ADMAG). Prior to Assurant, Emily worked at Emory University for 8 years. She served as Emory Law’s Director of the Career Center as well as Manager of Diversity & Inclusion, a new position that she created by authoring and implementing the office’s first D&I; strategy. She then served as Associate Director of Employer Relations at Emory Business School’s MBA Career Management Center, partnering with companies in Tech, Financial Services and CPG on diversity recruiting. Emily started her career as a corporate attorney for an international law firm in New York. Emily has a B.A. from Ithaca College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.
Morris
Dr. Morris has been in Human resources for over 24 years and has a passion and commitment for all things ‘Human Capital’. She has led Inclusion and Diversity strategies for many leading organizations and started CLM & Associates to help small organizations with less than 5000 employees with their training needs related to race, anti-racism, inclusive leadership, as well as diversity strategy. She was recently added to Peloton’s Senior Leadership team as their inaugural SVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She’s extra energized when she engages executive leaders in talent and coaching discussions, facilitates awareness around embedding D&I; into the employee life cycle, delivers compelling presentations to influence how employees find their voice and step into their authentic selves, and demystifies difficult conversations about the intersection of politics and race. Prior to consulting, Christal served as the Vice President of Diversity for a global manufacturing organization, and a VP of Human Resources for a health care system and lead three of their five divisions. She also served as Global Head of Inclusion, Diversity and Talent for a human capital, and risk management firm. Christal was responsible for developing and implementing diversity strategy for 40,000 employees and delivering DEI solutions globally across 120 countries and over 100 offices. She started her Diversity career at Time Warner and has worked in several other leading organizations in HR leadership roles. Education and Credentials Christal has a Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership, a Master’s degree in Organizational Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She also completed an Executive Leadership Development Program at UCLA for high potential leaders.
Palacios Smith
Teresa Palacios Smith is Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate which is one of the country's premier providers of homeownership services, including brokerage, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, insurance, and relocation services. In her role, Teresa oversees the organization’s commitment to employee and agent diversity programs. Teresa has over 20 years of real estate experience and is a frequent speaker and trainer at national & local events across the country. In 2021, Teresa authored the foreword to From Athletics to Engineering: 8 Ways to Support Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for all by Johnnie Johnson and Dr. Michael Webber. Teresa received the Diversity Leader award by NAWRB, Trailblazer Award at RISMedia and was inducted into RISMedia’ s Hall of Fame in 2018. Teresa served as National President for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals in 2015 and she is a co-founder of the NAHREP-Atlanta Chapter. She is a founding member of the HSoA foundation which is 501c-3 non-profit organization focused on housing equity. Teresa also co-found a bi-monthly series on Facebook focused on women in leadership, Women Who Lead. Teresa currently serves as a member of numerous industry boards.
Awardee
Mackey
Camye Mackey is currently the Executive Vice President and Chief People, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. In her role as the club’s top Human Resources and Diversity executive, Mackey leads the team responsible for strategic development and implementation of the people philosophy and culture. Mackey’s priorities are leadership development, employee culture, embedding DEI within all aspects of the business and providing the essential link between employee engagement, fan/client experience and business outcomes. Under her leadership, the Hawks won the Most Effective Recruitment Strategy award in the 2019 HR Excellence Awards presented by Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Front Office Sports 2019 and 2020 Best Employers in Sports award and named a 2021 Top Workplace in USA. Prior to joining the Hawks, Mackey established a proven track record of leadership experience within diverse companies and industries that included positions with MGM Resorts International, Walt Disney World, Special Olympics International and B. F. Saul Hospitality Group (owned and operated Hilton, Marriott International and Intercontinental properties). In addition, she owned and operated a full-service HR Consulting firm that serviced notable clients such as the American Red Cross, Walt Disney World, George Mason University, Health Central Hospital and Special Olympics Florida. Mackey holds an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a B.B.A. in Business Management from Howard University. She has spoken at several human resource conferences and served on the board of directors at Virginia Tech’s Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Special Olympics Florida and currently resides on the Atlanta CHRO Governing Body and is a SHRM-Atlanta Board Member. Mackey calls Milton, GA home and enjoys an active lifestyle with her husband, Karl, and three daughters Jazmin, Jada and Julia.
We are proud to partner with Dress For Success Atlanta. Please help us impact the lives of everyday women.
Attendees are encouraged to donate to the Dress For Success of Atlanta by clicking this link: here
$3 Transaction Fee Will Be Added