Our Speakers

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Sociologist, Bertice Berry, PhD. is a best-selling author and award-winning lecturer. She has been named Comedian of The Year, Lecturer of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year. She has published 11 best-selling books in both fiction and non-fiction and has won numerous awards and accolades for both her writing and presentations.

Berry has had her own nationally syndicated television show and has hosted, interviewed and made numerous television, documentary and radio appearances on a variety of diverse venues including The Tonight Show, Oprah Winfrey, Between The Lions, Crossfire, 20-20, NPR, PBS and Comedy Central and CNN.

Berry has used her unique gifts and talents as a writer and ghost writer for others on a wide range of topics including race and gender issues, sociological studies, stratification, healthcare reform, humor, spirituality, sexuality, slavery and the abolitionist movement, weight loss and wellness, relationships, servant leadership, transformational leadership, diversity and love.

Berry believes that every one of us has been given a unique purpose and it is our obligation to find it and use it to improve first our own self and then for those we live and work with.

 Dr. Kathleen Benton is the President and CEO for Hospice Savannah and the Steward Center for Palliative Care. Prior to taking the helm at Hospice Savannah,  she served as the Director of Ethics and Palliative Care at St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital for over a decade.

Kathleen earned her doctorate in public health leadership from Georgia Southern University, her Masters in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University, and her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Communications from Furman University.

Dr. Benton has been the reviewer for numerous peer reviewed journals. She has also published in The Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; The Ottawa Citizen Newspaper; Health Progress and is the author of three books, The Skill of End-of-Life Communication for Clinicians, published in 2017 by Springer; Daniel’s World, a children’s book that focuses on acceptance of children with disabilities; and Finding Dignity at the End of Life: A Spiritual Reflection on Palliative Care, which was published in September of 2019.

Shannon Browning-Mullis works to bring the history of oppressed people to the public through architecture, artifacts, and personal stories in an effort to move toward justice today.  

As curator of history and decorative arts for Telfair Museums, she led the major reinterpretation of the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, which resulted in the full inclusion of the enslaved men, women, and children into the site’s narrative.  

She's currently the executive director at the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, where she seeks to use history to empower women and girls.

 Teresa Deason has over 35 years of experience in Lean management, marketing, project management, facilitation, training, and quality improvement. 

From 2001-2003, Teresa trained under master Lean sensei Mr. Chihiro Nakao from Toyota, and was one of the first to apply Toyota principles in healthcare. With a track record of delivering bottom-line results, Teresa has led Lean implementations for numerous companies in a variety of sectors. 

Teresa’s Lean expertise includes implementation of Lean management systems, strategy deployment, value stream improvement, project management, internal consultant development, and executive and management coaching. Teresa developed the LSS Daily Management System (Deason DMS ™, LSS DMS ™) which has been instrumental in transforming organizational cultures & driving improvement in staff engagement scores. 

Teresa is co-author of two books, Leading the Lean Healthcare Journey and Servant Leadership: Transforming Healthcare from the Inside, Out. 

 Vice President of Global Corporate Responsibility for Northrup Grumman, Sandra Evers-Manly overseeing a varied range of divisions, programs, and initiatives, including corporate citizenship, diversity and inclusion, ethics and business conduct, sustainability, the Northrup Grumman Foundation, and others. 

Evers-Manly has been honored by the city of Los Angeles; has received the Gene Washington Champion award from the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) for promoting diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Black Nurses Association; and was featured in the Summer 2019 edition of Savoy Magazine's 2019 Most Influential Women in Corporate America. 

She is the executive producer of five short films and has developed an animated series, introducing girls and students of color to the world of engineering and other STEM fields. 

She is the Founder and President of the Black Hollywood Education Resources Center, which provides educational programs and helps to advocate the empowering of African Americans in front of and behind the scenes. 

In 2018, she released her first children's book, Raised by Mrs. Manly and Her Letter 'L', from which all of the proceeds go to charity organizations.

She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in public administration. She has also attended an executive management program at the Wharton School of Business. 

Currently the President and CEO of the United Way of the Coastal Empire (UWCE), Brynn Grant has a demonstrated record of success in business; economic, community, and organizational development; with an expertise in strategic planning, management, marketing, and communications.

Prior to leading UWCE, Grant was at the Savannah Economic Development Authority  (SEDA) for 19 years and held a variety of positions, including vice president of marketing and public relations. 

Her work was recognized with several national and international marketing awards and in 1998, she was a member of the SEDA team named one of the 10 best development groups in the country after having attracted more than $103 million of investment and helping to create 2,454 new jobs.

Prior to and in between tenures at SEDA, Grant served as vice president of communications for EM Services Inc., marketing and development director for the Savannah Music Festival, and director of development and executive director of the Savannah Technical College Foundation. 

Grant is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. She is also a graduate of Leadership Savannah, Leadership Southeast Georgia, and Leadership Georgia. She has been named one of the Top Ten Working Women by AWWIN, the Community Advocate of the Year by the Small Business Chamber of Savannah, and a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia.

 The world of medicine and pharmaceuticals is filled with great minds constantly making new and exciting discoveries. Among these great minds is Joe Herring, CEO of Covance. Herring was named the 2009 North American Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology CEO of the Year by Frost and Sullivan, a growth consulting company. He is the first CEO of a contract research organization to receive the award. 

Herring graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. After graduation, Herring worked for American Hospital Supply Corporation, Baxter International and Caremark International before beginning work at Covance. He started at Covance in 1996 as corporate vice president and general manager of North America Early Development. He became CEO in 2005. 

As CEO of the company, Herring has many responsibilities, including setting the budget and acting as a spokesman on Wall Street.  During recent years the company has won multiple awards. World Pharmaceutical Frontiers recently honored Herring, naming him No. 17 on their list of the 40 most influential people in the pharmaceutical industry. Covance made it onto the Forbes Top 100 companies list four years in a row.   

 Executive Director at VOX ATL/VOX Teen Communications 

Susan Landrum, MSW, believes in the power of voice, the power of youth and the power of deep belonging. She is passionate about working alongside communities to bring together unique perspectives to ensure a sense of belonging for all. 

She has most recently served as the Executive Director of VOX ATL, deepening the organization’s impact, increasing its visibility through community engagement, and strengthening its infrastructure. Susan has facilitated community dialogues and trainings at the Facing Race National Conference,  Boys & Girls' Club's Youth Arts Initiative, Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Conference, a variety of local high schools and community organizations, and Partnership Against Domestic Violence Teen Summit — among others. She has provided technical assistance around youth voice and leadership to the Emory Health Researchers, PADV, Learn4Life and other partners.  

Susan is also a board member of Charis Circle, the nonprofit arm of the South’s oldest feminist bookstore. She is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. 

She is fueled by plenty of coffee, books, friendship, family, and perfect spring days in Atlanta.

Dean of the College of Business Administration at Savannah State University

Dr. Sudesh Mujumdar is a United States,  but truly global, citizen who speaks six languages, has led critical thinking, results-oriented teams to dig into data, experiment with hypotheses, and synthesize statistics to generate complex business reporting. 

In his current role as Dean of the College of Business Administration for Savannah State University, he drives strategic positioning and brand-building, revenue growth, business program quality, and improves engagement by identifying and measuring market response and communicating actionable insights. 

Sudesh co-led the development and implementation of a one-in-a-kind undergraduate data analytics program, anchored in the science and art of data persuasion.  

 Dr. Folami Prescott-Adams holds a B.A. in Psychology from Brown University, an M.A. in Educational Administration from Temple University, and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Community Psychology from Georgia State University. 

Building on 30+ years of experience as an educator, she is engaged in the work of building opportunities for collaborative learning in the Jackson cluster. Folami is the Lead Facilitator for the CREATE Teacher Residency Program, which translates to training and supporting mentor teachers, facilitating workshops for principals, and on-site direct support of new teacher residents. 

Folami has made significant contributions to education reform and youth development initiatives working with Morehouse School of Medicine, 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Communities In Schools of Atlanta, Georgia State University, Atlanta Public Schools, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools.  

She is the author of SETCLAE -, a self-esteem through culture curriculum and singer and songwriter on Come Be With Me, her latest CD compilation of her unique brand of Family Music.  

Dr. Folami is also the founder & visionary leader of HTI Catalysts, a collaborative network of consultants whose mission is to grow leaders and empower youth through coaching, facilitation and professional development.

 Jonathan Rabb is the author of the novels Among the Living (a finalist for the 2018 Townsend Prize for Fiction), The Second Son, Shadow and Light, Rosa (winner of the Director’s Prize at Semana Negra, 2006), The Book of Q and The Overseer. 

He has published short fiction and non-fiction in a number of magazines and journals, including The Oxford American, The Strand, Lit Hub, Opera News and the Journal for Interdisciplinary History. He originated the role of Fermat in the Off-Broadway production of Fermat’s Last Tango, and has soloed with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, the Albany Symphony, and the Harrisburg Symphony, among others. 

He has taught at NYU, Columbia and is currently a Professor of Writing at The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). 

He has a BA in political science from Yale and an MA and MPhil in political theory from Columbia.  

Shaun Saunders is the President of FinishYourBook, LLC (formerly Godzchild Inc.), Professor of English at Bloomfield College, Professor of Dialogue at Claremont Lincoln University, the Discipleship Pastor of Change Church (Dharius Daniels), and the Senior Director of Education and Retention at New Life Covenant Southeast (John Hannah).

A preacher, professor, ghostwriter, and worship leader, Shaun is the author of 6 books and holds degrees from Seton Hall University (B.A. and M.A. in English), Duke University (Masters of Divinity), and Princeton Theological Seminary (Masters of Theology).

His publishing company has assisted over 300+ authors since its inception in 2008.

Shaun is a practical theologian. He is called to bridge the academy and the church, and his ultimate goal is to encourage the world through words, wisdom, and worship.