Women Now: Facing Forward Speakers

Audra Bohannon

As a thought leader in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for over 35 years, Ms. Bohannon has helped individuals and organizations see the possibilities for a better tomorrow. Appreciating differences comes with challenges. Inclusion and equity provides strategic solutions to that challenge by creating cultures where everyone can do well. Audra has served in very focused roles such as trusted advisor, coach, facilitator, guide and, of course, thought leader. It is her deep dedication to those individuals and organizations who want to be better and do better, that keeps her passionate about this important work. It is her transformative power to engage hearts and minds that confirms her commitment to the “potential of all, not just a few.”

Ms. Bohannon is a publisher and highly sought-after keynote speaker. Drawing on her life and career experiences to stimulate thoughtful conversation, she is fluent in topics related to the empowerment of people with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and race matters. Whether engaging an industry audience or a global summit, her message that “all people have potential” touches emotional buttons to connect people and creates a lasting, often life-changing, impact.

Prior to founding Bohannon Advisory, Audra was a senior client partner at Korn Ferry. Ms. Bohannon also served as principal at Global Novations; senior vice president of Novations Group, and as partner and business architect of J. Howard & Associates, one of the leading consulting and training firms that established the diversity and inclusion industry.

Andea Campbell

Andea Campbell is a Director of Measurement & Insights at LinkedIn, where she leads global measurement strategy for Strategic Accounts within LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. She was hired to build and scale the Measurement Analytics Partners team, the bottoms-up client facing arm of media measurement at LinkedIn, helping advertisers unlock customer value, ROI, and incremental growth across native and third‑party solutions. Prior to LinkedIn, Andea built her career across media owners and leading agencies, supporting Fortune 1000 brands including Citibank, Energizer, Campbell’s Soup Company, Spotify, and IKEA.

Today, her remit has grown to include leading measurement strategy and insights in close partnership with Sales, Product, Marketing, and Agency leaders. She is known for translating complex measurement and experimentation into practical frameworks and data‑driven insights that help the world’s largest advertisers make smarter investment decisions and for building high‑performing teams that challenge the status quo.

Vida Cornelious

As an award-winning creative leader, she has spent over 20 years moving brands forward with creative solutions that deepen consumer engagement and emotional connectivity.

Currently she is the SVP, Creative, New York Times Advertising. As the creative lead of the department, she oversees T Brand Studio, the creative team and operations responsible for building bespoke creative content, bringing brands closer to the prolific storytelling of the New York Times.

Previously, she held the posts of Chief Creative Officer at Fake Love and HelloSociety– the Brand Experience and Influencer agencies of New York Times Advertising. Both agencies enabled T Brand to expand its “off platform” capabilities and further enable brands to have impact in the world.

In addition to her time with The New York Times, her creative leadership roles at global brand, The Walt Disney Company and advertising giant, DDB Chicago, have fueled her career with a trifecta of publisher, brand and agency side creative experiences.

Throughout her career she has serviced blue-chip brands spanning a wide range of consumer categories. She has created award-winning work garnering awards, accolades and recognition from Cannes Lions, The Effies, Communication Arts, The Art Directors Club, Chicago Creative Club, London International Awards and others. She has contributed op-eds to industry publications and provided thought leadership as an award show juror, featured panelist, sought-after mentor, and speaker at national industry events.

Katrina Craigwell

Katrina Craigwell is Managing Director, Head of Digital Product for Chase Consumer Credit Cards. Prior to JPMorgan Chase, she held executive roles at Meta and General Electric, where she spearheaded programs at the intersection of storytelling and technology. Katrina has been named to Adweek’s Most Influential Women in Media and Marketing, Digiday’s Changemakers, Business Insider’s Most Creative Women in Advertising, and was awarded The Ad Club’s Young Pro honor in 2017. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

Alex Cuevas

Alex Cuevas is a champion for people, culture, and bold ideas. As Head of People at BBH USA—the iconic agency known for zagging when others zig—she leads recruitment, retention, and human resources, ensuring that talent at every level can thrive in an environment where creativity and originality are celebrated.

A trusted advisor to C-Suite leaders, Cuevas brings together business insight and a deep understanding of people to build high-performing, future-focused organizations. Raised across multiple cultures and continents, she brings a global perspective that recognizes how diverse voices lead to greater creativity and enhanced output.

Valerie Graves

Valerie Graves, whom ADVERTISING AGE once named one of “The 100 Best and Brightest” in the entire ad industry, is Founder, Exec. Producer of AFROGAMES JOHANNESBURG, a sports, music and urban culture experience to enrich the lives of young Africans. She is the former Chief Creative Officer of Vigilante/Leo Burnett agency, The UniWorld Group and legendary Motown Records. Ms. Graves has more than 25 years of experience as a Creative Director of award-winning campaigns, public service and community relations advertising and events for Fortune 500 corporations ranging from General Motors and Ford Motor Company to Bank of America, AT&T, Burger King, Pepsi and many other blue chip brands, speaking to African American, urban, female and general market audiences. Her memoir, “Pressure Makes Diamonds…” is an Official Selection of the 2017 PEN World Voices International Festival and winner of the 2017 African American Literary Award for Biography.

A recipient of the 2019 PRESIDENT’S AWARD from The Advertising Club of New York and the 2007 ADCOLOR “LEGEND” AWARD, Ms. Graves currently is ad hoc creative consultant to The National Basketball Association and provides creative oversight to The Partnership To End Addiction. Valerie sits on the steering committee of I’mPART, the landmark diversity initiative of The Advertising Club of New York, where she served on the Board of Directors for 16 years. For more than 15 years, Valerie Graves was a member of the prestigious Campaigns Review Committee of the Advertising Council of America She has recently been a featured speaker at The 3% Conference, The IPG Summit on Black Women in Advertising and Marketing, The Advertising Club of New York Masterclass and the Omnicom Media International Women’s Day.

As an advertising CCO, Valerie’s responsibilities included providing overall direction of the agencies’ award-winning creative product. Valerie holds awards from The Association of National Advertisers, (2001, 2002, 2003) The Art Directors Club of New York, The Boston Ad Club, The Maine Ad Club, The Public Service Advertising Awards, and is a 15-time winner of the famed CEBA (Creative Excellence to Black Audiences) award. As a creative consultant, Ms. Graves served on the national advertising team of President Bill Clinton’s campaign.

Ms. Graves attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and studied screenwriting, directing and film production at New York University. She began her advertising career at multinational agencies such as BBDO and JWT.

Valerie resides in Harlem, New York City.

Gillian Greaves

Gillian Greaves is a Senior Agency Development Manager at Amazon with nearly two decades of experience driving strategic partnerships and accelerating media adoption across the advertising ecosystem. Currently based in New York City, she specializes in building high-value relationships with holding companies and agencies to unlock growth opportunities and deliver measurable business impact.

Gillian's career spans leadership roles at premier media and advertising organizations. Her agency-side experience includes managing marquee clients including LVMH, Philips, TD Bank, Dannon, Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Yum Brands,

Throughout her career, Gillian has demonstrated exceptional ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, orchestrate cross-functional teams, and deliver strategic guidance that drives both client success and organizational growth. Her unique combination of buy-side and sell-side experience positions her as a trusted advisor who understands the full spectrum of the advertising ecosystem.

Casey Halliley

Casey Halliley is an award-winning financial literacy educator. She spent the first twelve years of her career trading and selling currencies and structured credit products to hedge funds at Citigroup and Barclays Bank PLC. Following that, she oversaw risk management and compliance for Cove Capital Management. Casey founded Wealthology in 2014, partnering with numerous companies, non-profits, and universities to educate thousands of students and professionals on financial wellness. In 2020, Wealthology was acquired by Sqwire.

In 2024, she completed a three-year contract redeveloping the Personal Financial Readiness curriculum for the US Air Force and US Space Force.

Casey has spoken at TEDx, the United Nations, SXSW, the Department of Defense’s Financial Readiness Symposium, and has appeared on and moderated many industry panels.

She is an adjunct professor at CUNY Baruch College in New York City, where she won the 2023 Zicklin School Teaching Award and is working on a book that teaches young people how to grow their wealth.

Asiah James Cannon

Asiah James Cannon has called New York her home base for nearly two decades, building a dynamic career at the intersection of media, tech, and advertising as a creative strategist. She is currently the Creative Strategy Lead, at Pinterest, where she develops sector playbooks, scaled frameworks, and culturally resonant partnership roadmaps across industries. Known for blending creativity, culture, and commerce, Asiah helps brands move beyond traditional “spots and dots” to connect authentically with Pinterest’s multi-generational global users.

Prior to Pinterest, Asiah spent nearly a decade as a Marketing Director at Condé Nast, where she drove multi-year partnerships, launched tools and teams that established new revenue, while expanding the company’s reach among key audiences. She also co-founded the Women’s Network Resource Group and served on the inaugural Global D&I Employee Council at the company, highlighting her long-standing commitment to inclusivity and mentorship.

Earlier in her career, she contributed to editorial and business strategy at Ebony Magazine, Jet Magazine, and BBC America.

Asiah earned her B.S. in Advertising and Marketing Communications with a focus on Economics from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Beyond her professional work, she is passionate about mentoring students, volunteering with organizations that uplift communities of color, traveling, and exploring style and taste as a form of storytelling.

Sophie Kelly

Sophie Kelly’s advertising career spans more than two decades and multiple continents. She’s established herself as a professional troublemaker for change, known for her unapologetic belief that creativity, culture and purpose can transform marketing and build the world’s most beloved brands.

Sophie joined DIAGEO in 2016 and is the SVP of Global Tequila, responsible for driving growth and transformation of the agave category. Previously, she propelled the growth of DIAGEO’s industry-leading North America Whisk(e)y portfolio.

Her maverick spirit is the driving force behind boundary-pushing initiatives that reinforce DIAGEO’s corporate values and represent Sophie’s commitment to create meaningful impact in culture.

JiYoung Kim

As Chief Operating Officer for WPP Media North America, JiYoung operationalizes and simplifies WPP Media’s go-to-market strategy across North America, implementing tools and processes to elevate the impact of media for clients. She leads the central client operations, investment and activation teams responsible for accelerating client success through market-leading technology-enabled services and solutions.

Throughout her 20+ year career in media and advertising, Kim has led cross-functional marketing and technology teams in promoting new offerings in the digital and mobile space in pursuit of a technology-enabled, digitally native, and outcome-focused future. She has worked with some of the biggest names in media today, including Audible, Hulu (while at IPG), Microsoft (while at dentsu), and Spotify.

A digital native, JiYoung’s passion for media, mobile, and platform brands garnered her industry recognition including the Adweek’s 50 Media, Marketing and Tech Leaders in 2025, 2024 Top Women in Media & Tech, and the Adweek Media All-Stars in 2014.

Claire Mirisola

Claire Mirisola is an award-winning creative leader and storyteller with over 15 years of experience helping brands show up clearly, thoughtfully, and with purpose. She’s currently FVP, Creative Director at Apple Bank, where she leads brand creative and shapes how the organization connects with its customers and communities.

Her work spans industries and some of the world’s most recognized brands from Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Disney to Adidas, Beats by Dre, Neutrogena, and Maserati, bringing strategy and heart to every project.

She’s also a children’s book author, mental health advocate, and frequent speaker on creativity, leadership, and belonging. At the heart of everything she does is a belief that great creative isn’t just beautiful, it’s meaningful.

Monique Nelson

Monique L. Nelson is the executive chair and majority owner of UWG INC., the longest-standing multicultural advertising and marketing agency in the United States. As a visionary business leader, Nelson has transformed UWG from a pioneering agency into a global platform for cultural intelligence and creativity.
Since acquiring UWG in 2012, Nelson has expanded the agency’s footprint into Canada and Africa, delivering high- impact, insight-driven campaigns across continents.

Under her leadership, UWG has evolved beyond traditional advertising to include The Uniculture Intelligence Network (UIN), a proprietary data platform integrating behavioral, linguistic, and attitudinal insights across diverse audiences; and Culture Labs, the agency’s applied intelligence practice enabling intelligent storytelling that drives both relevance and results.

In 2024, she co-founded BLACKWEEK, a global platform celebrating culture, creativity, and commerce. And in 2025, she announced that UWG INC. would serve as the host company for BLACKWEEK Africa, a new, historic market expansion for the platform. Nelson’s leadership was nurtured through previous diverse corporate and organizational experience at Motorola Inc., International Paper, and the Episcopal Church Center. A respected community leader, Nelson serves on multiple boards, including the Advertising Week Global Board, the Advocates Inclusion Council, and the President’s Council for the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey. A proud resident of Morris County, New Jersey, Nelson is married and the mother of two boys. She holds a Bachelor of Science
from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from DePaul University.

Bethanie Nonami

Bethanie Nonami is an internationally certified AI consultant, award-winning trainer, and globally recognized keynote speaker who helps Black professionals turn AI overwhelm into power, purpose, and action. Her mission is clear: to make sure our communities lead in the age of AI— not get left behind by it. Bethanie’s work sits at the intersection of culture, clarity, and career elevation. She speaks directly to those navigating the weight of being “the only one in the room”—and gives them the tools to own the room instead.

Kathryn Parsons

Kathryn Parsons is a veteran digital strategist and neurodiversity advocate with over 25 years' experience in search, AI and digital transformation. Named one of the top women shaping the future of SEO (2022) as well as a finalist for ADCOLOR Innovator of the Year (2025), she has consistently been recognized for her leadership at the intersection of creativity and technology.

At Havas, Kathryn leads the customer experience (CX) efforts for Neuroverse, the agency’s COE designed to embed neurodivergent talent and perspectives into how brands design, communicate, and operate. Drawing on her lived experience as an autistic professional, she champions cognitive diversity as both a creative advantage and a growth imperative.

Ericka Riggs

Ericka Riggs is the Chief Inclusion & Impact Officer at Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group, where she leads enterprise-wide cultural transformation rooted in inclusive leadership, talent development, and business performance. Over the past five years, she has strengthened engagement and retention, built a robust pipeline of future-ready leaders through the Emerging Leaders Program, and created learning environments that help people managers lead with clarity, empathy, and impact.

With a career spanning music, media, advertising, and experiential production, Ericka brings a creative lens to how culture shows up at work. She has held leadership roles at The Advertising Club of New York, UniWorld Group, and Motown Records, and remains deeply connected to the creative community as an executive producer of major cultural experiences.

Under her guidance, AD Club of New York’s game changing I’mPART Women’s Fellowship, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, elevated the careers of countless women managers into leadership roles throughout our industry.

A recognized industry voice, Ericka has been named pocstock’s Top 50 Black Leaders and is a recipient of the Nancy Hill Award. She is a frequent speaker and panelist at leading industry forums including Advertising Week, SXSW, Digiday, and The Female Quotient.

Nicole Simpson

Nicole Simpson exemplifies resilience and leadership, honored as a 2023 AdWeek Future is Female winner and AdClub I’mPART fellow alumni. With a fearless transition from 17 years in the legal field to becoming a powerhouse in DE&I, Nicole drives transformative change as Director of DE&I at RAPP. Known for her dynamic vision and ability to spark action, she has built mentoring and sponsorship programs, championed psychological safety, and delivered strategies that redefine inclusion. At Omnicom Health Group, she co-founded the Black Collective and propelled Black Together, Omnicom’s first global Black ERG, to unprecedented impact. She is also a member of the advisory board for the Media Dinner Club. A visionary leader, speaker, and entrepreneur, Nicole empowers others to thrive while balancing it all as a devoted single mom of three.