Lauren Guthrie is the Vice President of Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action for VF Corporation.

Lauren is responsible for developing and operationalizing the strategic framework, guardrails and program development that drive VF’s commitment to building a culture anchored in allyship, advocacy and belonging. She works closely with key talent management and business leaders to amplify social impact initiatives within VF, in direct support of the diverse associates, communities and consumers served by the VF portfolio of brands.

Lauren also leads VF’s Council to Advance Racial Equity, a governing body that has worked to define VF’s broad commitment to racial equity and justice by focusing on opportunities to advance education, economic equity and environmental justice for marginalized communities.

Prior to joining VF, Lauren has held progressive merchandising and general management roles with global brands such as Nike, Levi’s and Old Navy across a variety of businesses. She is a vibrant team leader and coach, who is passionate about developing powerful teams and fostering high integrity work environments where each player is celebrated for their unique contributions.

She received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Columbia University where she pursued focuses in History and Psychology.

Loren Hudson is Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for Comcast Cable. In this role, Loren leads a shared effort to execute a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) human capital strategy that is reflective of and builds upon Comcast Cable’s business goals. As the first CDO for Comcast Cable, Loren also serves as a key partner to the company’s leaders and the broader Human Resources organization, with an eye toward establishing frameworks for DE&I accountability and serving as a driver of employee training, career development, and education. Loren brings 20 years of Human Resources experience to this role. She joined Comcast and the cable industry in 2000 as Human Resources Generalist for the Charles County, Maryland location. Since then, she has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as Vice President of Human Resources for the Comcast Beltway Region’s more than 3,000 employees across Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

Loren received her bachelor’s degree in labor relations as well as a Master of Labor Relations from Rutgers University. In addition to her work at Comcast, she is an active member of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) and a graduate of WICT’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, as well as a graduate of the Women’s Executive Leadership Program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). 

Loren is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia’s DEI Committee. She has served on the boards for Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. She was recently named one of “the most influential multi-ethnic executives in the industry” by Cablefax’s Diversity List in 2021 and 2022, as was included in Cablefax’s 2022 Most Powerful Women in Media and Broadband list.

Jackie Reisner is the Sector Director of  Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Northrop Grumman.

William Rolack Sr. is Kroll’s Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, based in New York. He has over 20 years of experience leading diversity and inclusion strategies, human capital management and mobility management. William works closely with the Kroll leadership team and other stakeholders to develop strategic programs aimed at accelerating inclusion and diversity in the workplace and the commercial impact those programs have on high performing teams that drive economic value, innovation and business integration.

Prior to being appointed Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Kroll, William led the Global Diversity & Inclusion strategy at Workforce Logiq, strengthening the company’s culture of belonging and advising clients looking to develop and improve a diverse workforce.

He has also served as Senior Director, Workforce Strategy, Diversity, Inclusion, and Strategic Alliances for Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Office of the Commissioner. In this role, he developed relationships with hundreds of diverse national and local strategic alliances to expand MLB’s pool of thousands of qualified women and diverse candidates. He executed specific recruitment strategies for 30 ballclubs, two business groups and the Commissioner’s office.

Previously, William also served as the director of Global Marketplace Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) for Adecco Group North America, where he executed the firm’s D&I strategy for over 8,000 employees in the U.S. and influenced over 40,000 worldwide through global D&I council initiatives.

Currently, he is on the board of Abilities Inc. – The Viscardi Center, which prepares adolescents and adults with all types of disabilities and levels of experience for entry or re-entry into the workforce. William has served as Chairman on the Executive Board of the Urban League of Long Island, president of National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR) and serves as the Immediate-past National President of the Association.

William has been featured in several publications, which include the Black Enterprise Business Report, WMHT’s New York Now, News 12 Long Island, Newsday, The Network Journal, HRO Today, CIO.com and Long Island Business News. He is a guest diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) lecturer for Howard University School of Business. Additionally, he has also been a guest speaker at conferences and forums, such as The World Diversity Leadership Summit in Prague and Vienna and the Global Women’s Leadership Forum in London. He has also spoken for several organizations such as the Society for Human Resources Management, Columbia University’s School of Business and the National Urban League.

William has been named the National Association of African Americans in Human Resource’s Human Resource Trailblazer of the Year for 2021 and he is listed in the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) 2021 inaugural list of DE&I influencers. He has received a proclamation from the New York City Council for his work as a mentor and professional coach and for his contributions in the human resources field.

Sharon Epperson, named one of “12 to Watch in TV News,” can be seen regularly on CNBC television and other media platforms.

As CNBC’s senior personal finance correspondent, Epperson covers the many facets of how people manage, grow and protect their money. Her expertise includes saving and investing for retirement, paying for college, managing mortgage, student loan, credit card and other debt, and building a financial legacy through estate planning.

Preparing your finances for the unexpected is another critical (and personal) aspect of her reporting. In September 2016, Epperson sustained a ruptured brain aneurysm and she nearly lost her life. She has become a staunch advocate for health and wellness issues, raising awareness about brain aneurysms and funding for research. In September 2018, she and her family established “The Sharon Epperson Chair of Research” through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to provide grants for research on early detection and innovative treatments.

Epperson is a lead contributor to “Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow.,” a multi-platform financial wellness and education initiative at CNBC in partnership with the micro-investing app Acorns, and developed its companion 8-week learning course and weekly newsletter, “Invest in You: Money 101.” She also contributes to NBC’s TODAY and NBC Nightly News as well as Today.com and NBCNews.com.

Her book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take to Make the Most of Their Money-and Live Richly Ever After, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Awards, honoring works that have “changed the lives of millions.” She also was a contributing writer for The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster. Her personal finance expertise has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Weekend, Self, Essence, Ebony and TIME, where she had covered business, culture, social issues and health as a correspondent prior to joining CNBC.

Epperson has numerous industry and civic awards, including the Special Achievement Award from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Savvy Inspiration Award from the non-profit, financial empowerment group Savvy Ladies. She won an Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Award for Outstanding Online Host for her “Financial Advisor Playbook” video series on CNBC.com. She has received the Vanguard Award for her distinguished career in business and personal finance reporting from the National Urban League Guild, and the All-Star Award from the Association of Women in Communications. She also has won awards from the New York Festivals, the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

She currently lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, N.Y.

Gus Viano is the VP of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Brink's.

Millette Granville, CDP is the Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for 2U, Inc., a global education technology company that partners with over 75 top-tier, non-profit universities to build, deliver, and support high-quality online degrees, certificates, boot camps, and short courses. In this role, Millette is responsible for providing strategic leadership on all global equity, diversity, and inclusion policies, programs, and practices. Millette is a trusted partner to senior leaders, Business Resource Networks, and Mosaic, the DEI council. She also partners with the business, human resources, and communications teams on strategy, program launch, and implementing initiatives to ensure the optimal attraction, development, and retention of diverse talent while infusing DEI principles and practices into 2U’s products, outreach, and philanthropy.  

Prior to joining 2U, Millette was the Vice President of Talent, Diversity & Inclusion and Organizational Development for Food Lion LLC, an Ahold Delhaize Company. In that role, Millette was responsible for the strategic implementation of diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, as well as learning and organizational development strategies for Food Lion. Millette served on the Global Talent Network and the Associate Engagement Global Network.  She provided oversight for nine BRGs and two Business Diversity Councils. And in 2019, Millette completed the “Leadership Journey from Purpose to Legacy” at Harvard School of Business. 

Millette's previous roles also include VP of Diversity & Inclusion for Time Warner Cable, VP of Diversity & College Recruiting with Wells Fargo, and President/CEO of Granville & Webb HR Connections, Inc.

Millette serves on the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership Board.  She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for the Urban League of the Central Carolinas, and she serves on the Board of Advisors for BraveWorks. Millette was recognized in May 2022 by Women we Admire as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in DC.  She has been recognized by the National Diversity and Leadership Conference as one of the top 100 Chief Diversity Officers in 2021.  She has been recognized by Radio One as a Top Woman of Excellence and named as a Savoy Magazine Most Influential Women in Business. Millette also received the Career Mastered National Diversity Leadership Award.  Millette is a member of the CALIBR Global Leadership Network. She is the author of the book The Exceptional Leader, a quick guide to personal branding and leadership development. 

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

Hal Lanier is the Client Engagement Leader at TextHelp.