Jackie Ferguson grew up in a multi-generational, multi-racial home where diversity and inclusion were intrinsic personal values. Jackie spent the majority of her career in sales and marketing managing multi-million dollar accounts, and providing executive support to ensure business process optimization in administration and human resources for startups to Fortune 500 companies.

As a neurodivergent student, Jackie earned a B.A. in Professional and Technical Writing from the University of South Florida and is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE). Jackie writes course content, conducts onsite diversity training, and ensures business process optimization. Jackie
has written multiple published articles on diversity.

A member of the National Diversity Council, Jackie has been volunteering for equality organizations since the mid-1990s and donates to STEM programs, including Black Girls Code.
Her grandmother once said to her simply, “No matter who you are, I can learn something from you, and you can learn something from me,” which Jackie considers a catalyst to her personal and professional pursuits of equity and diversity.

Kaela graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in Psychology of Gender and Sexuality. She graduated with honors in psychology after defending her thesis, Gender and Stress in Cross-Race Interactions: Differential Impacts for Men and Women. Kaela spent two years working in Duke’s Identity and Diversity Lab, conducting experiments, completing literature reviews, and talking to participants and fellow lab mates about gender, race, and sexuality on a daily basis.
Through her time with the Identity and Diversity lab, she had the opportunity to present a first-authored poster (Gender Differences in Displays of Stress within Cross-Race Interactions) at the 2017 Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists annual conference and won a travel grant
from Duke’s Undergraduate Research Support Office. She thereafter spent a year working with kids in the Eating Disorder Research Laboratory of Duke’s Psychiatry department.

After a few years of research, Kaela decided to shift gears and jumpstart her marketing career at Walk West where she contributes to the Strategy team, leading client engagement and Discovery projects. She also project manages and contributes to a number of internal projects, including
Walk West on Demand, a platform aimed to provide education and advice to small marketing teams.

Kurt Merriweather is an accomplished product strategist and marketing executive with a passion for helping leaders and organizations identify and implement growth strategies. As VP of Strategy and Transformation at Walk West, Kurt is responsible for leading the consulting and strategy practice and developing new business concepts and ventures. He is currently incubating a platform to provide education and advice to small marketing teams called Walk West on Demand. His approach to advising clients and developing strategy blends a unique combination of creative
thinking and data analysis. With over 20 years of experience, Kurt has worked for global brands like Discovery, AOL, and Procter & Gamble, where he developed technology products and solutions, created go-to-market strategies, led multidisciplinary teams to spinout new ventures and received a patent for developing a streaming media application.

While pursuing a degree in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University, Kurt served as chapter president of the National Society of Black Engineers. He then went on to attend Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he earned an MBA focused on strategy, marketing and
entrepreneurship, and was the co-president of the Black Business Students Association, which supports the academic, personal, and professional development of its members.

As a Certified Diversity Executive, Kurt actively advises and mentors entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds in EdTech and Media & Entertainment. As an avid speaker and workshop leader, he has led sessions at Google for Startups – Black Founders Exchange program, Internet Summit, and several industry association events throughout the Southeast.

Laura’s passion for working within the education field began as a young girl in her mother’s Kindergarten classroom and has grown with each new experience, both professionally and
personally. She gained acceptance to attend Wake Forest University for her undergraduate degree and graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. As Laura progressed through her first few years as a classroom teacher, she discovered that her core passion extended into the field of instructional design. Taking the next step after gaining several rewarding years of experience as a classroom teacher, Laura applied for the Instructional Technology and Design graduate program through East Carolina University and received her Masters of Science with a certification for distance education in 2015.

Laura challenges herself daily to be a stakeholder for the education of tomorrow, providing teachers with more effective instructional practice and additionally, contributing to their love and further pursuit of education. It was with this devotion to her career that Laura decided to pursue a
doctoral degree in Learning Design and Technology with North Carolina State University, to be completed in the fall of 2021. Extending her knowledge and expertise in learning theories and processes, emerging technology, and methodology in conducting research will provide her with
the opportunity to impact critical issues within the educational system.

With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, Donald Thompson is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture, and driving exponential growth. As an entrepreneur, Donald has led companies that have attained successful exits with strong returns for shareholders and employees. Donald is an angel investor, personally infusing over a million dollars in North Carolina ventures, including Creative Allies, Gryppers, and SpokeHub, all with
African American CEOs at the helm.

Adept at building teams that accelerate growth, Donald is also CEO of Walk West, a digital marketing firm, led by more than 70% women and/or African Americans and recognized by Inc. as the fastest growing agency in North Carolina for 2018 and 2019. In addition, Donald serves on boards for several organizations in the fields of technology, marketing, sports, and entertainment and is a mentor for Black Founders Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange. A member of the National Speakers Association, Donald frequently speaks for businesses, organizations, and universities to share actionable insights and strategies across key functions of
business, entrepreneurship, and diversity and inclusion. He is a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), and conducts workshops with c-suite executives of leading organizations who are looking to develop, expand, or optimize their diversity and inclusion practice.

A Certified Diversity Executive, Donald has written for multiple publications, including Entrepreneur.com and CNBC.com, and has published his own eBooks on decision making and
diversity in the workplace. To learn more, visit donaldthompson.com .

Whit Bowers is a dynamic product and brand marketer with the ability to simplify large, complex stories into emotional anecdotes. Whit partners with organizations to create change
environments that amplify their culture and brand as well as their products and services. His approach to advising clients is a blend of strategy and creativity, identifying the best paths for story and audience regardless of conventional norms.

With over 13 years in the industry, Whit has worked across a number of categories and disciplines that aggregate to a plethora of business knowledge and implementation experiences. Whit has had the fortunate opportunity to help build some of the most well known brands out there like;
AB-InBev, State Farm, Smart Technologies, LensCrafters and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Within these brands, Whit actively developed and led multidisciplinary teams to create go-to-market strategies, market expansion plans, and product and brand evolutions.

Whit earned degrees in Economics and English from Union College in Schenectady, New York. It was there that he discovered his passion for entrepreneurship which prompted him to attend an accelerated program at London School of Economics for applied learnings on how to start thriving businesses. This global perspective has built the foundation in his “people first” approach to managing teams and building companies.