WOMEN IN NAACP
EMPOWERED WOMEN: ALL IN
SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2024 | LAS VEGAS, NV
115TH NAACP NATIONAL CONVENTION | LAS VEGAS, NV
Empowerment Brunch PROGRAM
Presiding
Dr. Thelma T. Daley, NAACP WIN Director, Baltimore, MD
Invocation:
Ms. Yvette Ayala Henderson, Las Vegas, NV
Music:
“Believe For It” by CeCe Winans, - Ms. Rachel Oliver-Cobbin, Las Vegas, NV
Welcome to Las Vegas:
Diamond Richardson and Arya Allison, Legacy High School Students, Las Vegas, NV
Brunch Is Served
Greetings:
Mr. Leon Russell, Chair, NAACP National Board of Directors, Tampa, FL
Mr. Derrick Johnson, President/CEO, NAACP, Jackson, MS
Ms. Melonie Parker, Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Google, Inc., San Francisco, CA Bank of America (Video)
Recognition of Sponsors: Sanofi, Marriott, and Starz
Presentation of Honorees:
Ne’kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson, Graduates of St. Mary’s Academy, New Orleans, LA Discoverers of new proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem using trigonometry
The Honorable Tanya Bradsher, 10th Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
Her Excellency, The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, (video) US Ambassador to the United Nations, New York City, NY
Music:
”Sing Out, March, On” by Joshuah Campbell - Ms. Rachel Oliver-Cobbin, Las Vegas, NV
Introduction of Summit Presenters:
Dr. Thelma T. Daley, NAACP WIN Director, Baltimore, MD
Mrs. Adelia Walker, Region 6 WIN Coordinator
Empowerment Presentation:
An Empowerment Conversation with Ms. Rashida Jones, President, MSNBC, The Premiere Destination For Breaking News
Moderator:
Mrs. Symone Sanders-Townsend, Co-host, MSNBC “The Weekend”
The Charge:
Mr. Derrick Johnson, President/CEO, NAACP, Jackson, MS
Benediction
RASHIDA JONES
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rashida Jones is President of MSNBC, the premiere destination for breaking news, award-winning journalism, in-depth analysis and informed perspectives. She is responsible for oversight of all programming, digital expansion, new businesses, editorial units, business development and technical operations.
Prior to taking on the role of President in February 2021, Jones served as Senior Vice President, NBC News and MSNBC. In this position, she spearheaded cross-platform breaking news and major events for both networks, including coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, and the networks’ Decision 2020 coverage including presidential debates, town halls, primaries and special election nights and forums. Jones simultaneously led MSNBC’s dayside and weekend news programming, where she managed hours of live reporting and newsgathering backed by the journalism of NBC News. Jones executive produced the most-watched Democratic presidential debate in history during the 2020 election cycle.
Jones has won two Emmys, three Edward R. Murrow Awards and was honored with the RTDNA 2022 First Amendment Award, which recognizes journalists and news executives who make major contributions to protecting First Amendment freedoms. She has been honored with leadership awards from the National Action Network, the National Urban League, Color Comm and the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications.
She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a board member of the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism, a member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Milken Institute’s Executive Women’s Circle.
In 2019, Jones was inducted into the Hampton University Scripps Howard Journalism School Hall of Fame, an honor acknowledging her outstanding work in the journalism industry. She also received the inaugural Media Leadership Award from Montclair State University for the significant national impact she has made in the media industry across platforms and genres. Jones received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Media-Arts Broadcast from Hampton University, where she has launched a scholarship in her name.
SYMONE SANDERS MODERATOR
Symone Sanders-Townsend is an author, seasoned political strategist and co-host of “The Weeend” on MSNBC. Symone rose to prominence in 2016 as the national press secretary for U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’s then-presidential campaign. At 25, she became the youngest presidential press secretary on record and was named to Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of 16 young Americans shaping the 2016 election. At 29, she published her first book, No, You Shut Up: Speaking Truth to Power and Reclaiming America and served as a senior advisor for President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. At 31, Symone was appointed as a senior member of the Biden-Harris administration serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson to Vice President Kamala Harris.
A communicator with a passion for problem solving and social justice, Symone served as the national chair of the Coalition of Juvenile Justice Emerging Leaders Committee and a member of the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice where she worked to raise the profile of young voices in the fight for juvenile justice reform and brought millennial perspectives to policy conversations. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration, Symone owned her own consulting firm where she helped clients find sound solutions to tough political and social problems.
Symone is a former political commentator for CNN and resident fellow of both Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School and the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future. She is a native of North Omaha, Nebraska and currently resides in Washington D.C. with her husband, Shawn.
linda thomas-greenfield HONOREE
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, nominated by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., serves as the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations as well as the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield returned to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service. She served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources.
Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield’s distinguished Foreign Service career includes an ambassadorship to Liberia, and postings in Switzerland (at the United States Mission to the United Nations, Geneva), Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica. In Washington, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of African Affairs (2006-2008), and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
After retiring from the U.S. State Department in 2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group, a strategic commercial diplomacy firm chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She was also the inaugural Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University from fall 2017 to spring 2019.
The recipient of several awards, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she also did work towards a doctorate.
ne'kiya jackson HONOREE
Ne’Kiya Jackson is a 2023 graduate of Saint Mary’s Academy in New Orleans. Currently, she is a rising sophomore at Xavier Univeristy of Louisiana, majoring in Chemistry Pre-Pharmacy and is a part of the Xavier Exponential Honors Program. She is one of the two high school students who have been recognized for proof of Pytyagoras’ Theorem that does not use circular knowledge.
In her spare time, she enjoys learning new things and is a lover of cats.
CALCEA JOHNSON HONOREE
Calcea Johnson, a 2023 graduate of St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans, is a rising sophomore at Louisiana State University’s Ogden Honors College pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering. Some of her interests include rainwater management, environmental issues, racial equity, the arts, and technology.
Calcea is one of the two high school students who formulated new proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem using trigonometry. She is a lifetime Girl Scout, a leader, a creative thinker, and in her spare time enjoys playing video games. Her future plans include further immersing herself in the vast world of STEM, and discovering how to open the world up for women of color.
tanya bradsher HONOREE
The Honorable Tanya Bradsher was nominated by President Biden to serve as the 10th Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Ms. Bradsher’s nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 14, 2023, and she was sworn in on September 20, 2023. In this role, Deputy Secretary Bradsher helps lead the Department of Veterans Affairs as it continues to deliver more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before in the nation’s history.
Upon her confirmation, Ms. Bradsher said, “As deputy secretary, I promise to do everything in my power to ensure that every Veteran gets the world-class care and benefits they deserve. This is the honor of a lifetime, and I am forever grateful to President Biden and Secretary McDonough for this opportunity to serve our nation’s heroes.”
Ms. Bradsher is a combat Veteran who served for 20 years in the United States Army. She enlisted in 1993 and was commissioned in 1994 from the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Her major assignments included Spokesperson on the White House National Security Council for the Department of Defense, Asia, Africa, Western Hemisphere, counter-terrorism, and detainee policies; Defense Press Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at the Pentagon; Brigade Public Affairs Officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Deputy Public Affairs officer, 8th U.S. Army; Commander, Delta Company 516th Battalion, and Executive Officer, 1st Replacement Company, 8th Personnel Support Command.
In March 2021, Ms. Tanya Bradsher was selected by Secretary McDonough to serve as the Chief of Staff for Veterans Affairs. Prior to being named VA’s Chief of Staff, Ms. Bradsher served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement on the National Security Staff in the Executive Office of the President. She previously served as the Chief of Staff to Congressman Don Beyer in Virginia’s 8th District. Before working on the Hill, Ms. Bradsher was the Chief of Communications for the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Prior to joining APA, she served at the Defense Health Agency as the Chief for Communications Plans and Operation in the Office of Public Affairs.
During the Obama Administration, Ms. Bradsher served as the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security where she oversaw public outreach, media, and incident communications efforts and served as the principal communications advisor to the Secretary. Prior to joining DHS, she served at the White House as the Assistant Director, Office of Public Engagement, where she led Veteran, Wounded Warrior, and Military Family Outreach initiatives. Ms. Bradsher earned her M.A. in Strategic Communications from George Washington University and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received numerous military awards, including the Legion of Merit and Bronze Star. She and her husband, Colonel (Retired) John Bradsher, have three children.
rachel OLIVER- COBBIN SINGER
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