Saturday, November 7, 2015

Out On The Town: Donna Brazile | Twitter | David Glover Legacy Awards | Bishop Keith Clark | Tristan Walker and more...


November 3, 2015 - Diversity & Inclusion - A Twitter Moment.  Twitter Engineering Manager Leslie Miley, the only black engineer in a leadership position at Twitter, just publicly announced that he has left the company. In his post, he says his reasons for leaving have everything to do with the way Twitter is addressing diversity and inclusion. Though Miley was laid off as part of Twitter’s cuts in October, he says he had already told Twitter that he had planned on leaving at the end of October. He also passed on the severance package so that he could speak openly about his experience at Twitter. So, it seems as if Twitter was hoping to silence Miley by bundling him into the company’s layoffs.  Read the rest of the article here.

On October 25, 2015 OCCUR hosted their 2nd Annual David Glover Legacy Awards at Impact HUB Oakland.  Mr. Glover, who passed away in 2013, was the Executive Director of OCCUR for over 20 years where he led in the development of the Eastmont Technology Center and the “A Model Built on Faith” program.  Widely recognized for his leadership, execution skills, and vision, during his lifetime Glover was honored with Community Service Awards from the Niagara Democratic Club, the National Association of Black Planners, the National Council of Negro Women, and the Bay Area Black United Fund. He also received a Profile in Excellence Award from KGO TV, a Leadership Award from Black Business Listings, an Outstanding Citizen Resolution from the City of Oakland and a recent proclamation from the City as well.  Some of the recipients of the legacy awards this year were: Paul Cobb, Publisher of Post Newspaper | Regina Jackson, CEO & Executive Director, EYODC | Christian D. Anderson, Director, Venture Design Meyehoffer, Inc. and others.  Read more about OCCUR here.

On September 29th at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center in San Francisco, USA Today hosted a panel discussion on the topic "How Much Disruption Do You Need to Succeed" with Change Agents in the tech field.  The event was moderated by USA Today Change Agents columnist Marco della Cava and San Francisco Bureau Chief Jon Swartz. Panelists included leading tech entrepreneurs Ron Johnson (Enjoy, formerly Apple, Target), Tristan Walker (Walker & Co. Brands, foursquare) and Meredith Perry (founder of uBeam wireless charging) and venture capitalist Shruti Gandhi (Array Ventures, formerly True Ventures, Samsung).   as they reveal the challenges and rewards facing entrepreneurs who are looking to invent new business paradigms. Is investor Peter Thiel’s "Zero to One" maxim the only way to roll, or are there ways to find success by tweaking the status quo? Whether you’re an industry veteran or looking to write your name in the tech firmament, don’t miss this first-in-a-series of lively tech-world downloads, which will result in a story in USA TODAY. - See more here.  

On October 1st the National Diversity Council hosted its Northern California Diversity & Leadership Awards and Conference in San Francisco with the keynote address being delivered by Veteran Democratic political strategist, Donna Brazile.  Some of the awards for the Most Powerful Influential Women included Peggy  Abkemeier Alford, VP @ PayPal | Lisa Cleary, VP @ Dreambase | Yvonne Thomson, VP @ Symantec.  Some of the recipients of the Multicultural Leadership Awards went to Rachel Williams, Head of Diversity & Inclusion @ Yelp | Keith White, Senior VP @ Gap |and Jolin Anderson, Sr. VP @ Visa.  Lastly, the Diversity First Leadership Awards went to Barbara Williams Hardy, Director of Diversity & Inclusion @ Oracle and also to the Black ERG of Blue Shield of CA.  For more information about the Council read here.  Y’Anad Burrell, Board VP, Bay Area Chapter – California Diversity Council.



On October 4, 2015, the Word Assembly, A Family of Churches celebrated Bishop Keith L. Clark’s 22 years of leadership at the Word Uptown Campus, 2333 Harrison St., Oakland.  Bishop Clark has taken the City of Oakland beyond a 21st Century millennial experience through skillful leadership and diligent heartfelt efforts to make a positive impact and change in the community and beyond. Under his leadership, Word Assembly now has 5 campuses throughout the Bay Area and their Food Ministry program, known as "Love-N-Action", has expanded from one location to two, now serving both East and West Oakland.  Bishop Clark, known as a "Man's Man", has been given the special gift to uplift, motivate and encourage men. He has made a major impact in the lives of men in Oakland and throughout the Bay Area with a Men's Ministry that started with a movement he created, 'Bring Our Men Back' (BOMB). Read more about Word Assembly here.


On September 15th the Karen Jenkins Johnson Gallery in San Francisco hosted the Museum of the African Diaspora ( MoAD) VIP Reception for their upcoming 10th Anniversary Gala.  This reception is in anticipation of MoAD’s annual gala as it allows an opportunity to meet and network with their Board of Directors as well as institution leaders.  As a MoAD Vanguard Advisory Leader Member, I really look forward to this annual reception as it's my opportunity to invite people of color who are interested in the arts to not only a space which has one of the most intriguing and dynamic exhibits throughout the year, but also to meet donors and art enthusiasts.  See more about MoAD here and the hosted space here.


Read about more event here: theREGISTRYbayarea.com