Rhonesha Byng is a visionary entrepreneur and media trailblazer who is transforming the landscape of millennial women’s empowerment and representation. As the Founder and CEO of Her Agenda, Rhonesha embodies the guiding principle encapsulated in her acronym N.E.S.H.A. – No one Ever Slows Her Agenda. This philosophy not only propels her own journey but also fuels the mission of HerAgenda.com, a digital media platform she established to bridge the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women.

Her Agenda serves as a dynamic online platform that empowers millennial women with the content, community, and resources they need to excel in their careers and pursue their aspirations. Through this platform, Rhonesha’s vision provides a blueprint for success, offering women access to information, inspiration, and a supportive network to propel them toward their goals.

Rhonesha’s impact is underscored by her accolades and recognition within the industry. Her inclusion in Forbes Magazine’s prestigious 30 under 30 list in both media and dorm room founders categories highlights her profound influence and trailblazing spirit. ESSENCE magazine also hails her as one of 50 Founders To Watch, while NBCBLK and BET recognized her as part of their respective “28 under 28” and “29 People To Know” lists.

Beyond the realm of media, Rhonesha has made her mark as a powerful advocate for change. Her compelling voice has graced prominent stages, including The White House during the Obama administration. She has delivered impactful talks at Google and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where she discussed the importance of investing in diverse voices. Additionally, Rhonesha’s insights have been featured at Adweek NexTech, where she spoke passionately about creating a more equitable media landscape.

Her commitment to excellence has earned her accolades from the Associated Press and the New York Association of Black Journalists. Notably, her contributions as a field producer with NBC New York (WNBC-TV) were instrumental in securing an Emmy award as part of a team covering a breaking news story.

In her latest endeavor, Rhonesha co-founded the Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing Black-owned media businesses. Through BOMESI, Rhonesha is at the forefront of a movement to amplify marginalized voices, foster awareness, and create lasting change. The organization’s mission to promote growth, self-agency, and accountability aligns seamlessly with Rhonesha’s unwavering commitment to empowerment and equity.

A true scholar and leader, Rhonesha’s educational journey as an alumna Posse Scholar led her to excel at Depauw University, where she attended on a full-tuition leadership scholarship.

With her visionary leadership, unwavering determination, and commitment to driving positive change, Rhonesha Byng stands as an exemplar of empowerment, innovation, and advocacy. Her legacy continues to inspire millennial women to shatter barriers, pursue their ambitions, and leave an indelible mark on the world.

Damon Jones leads efforts to ensure the world’s largest consumer goods company is recognized as one of the most trusted brands in the world. He leads a consumer-centric communications organization and an equality-focused citizenship agenda that span more than 180 countries.

The 500-person strong global communication discipline led by Jones advances P&G’s growth strategy while building and protecting the image and reputation of the world’s largest consumer goods company and its portfolio of nearly 100 industry-leading brands. The discipline includes influencer marketing, brand and corporate communications, digital and social media, stakeholder engagement, issues advocacy, and crisis management.

P&G and Jones have been well recognized within the CPG industry and beyond for their leadership in creative, advocacy-based campaigns that inspire dialogue and enable collective action in advancing equality for women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and other under-represented groups. These programs have been broadly recognized for their creativity, inspiration, and impact – including multiple Silver Anvils, Cannes Lions, and Primetime Commercial Emmy awards and nominations.

As a key partner in the company’s efforts for driving socially responsible business strategies, Jones has helped lead some of the company’s most creative, impactful and well-recognized advocacy campaigns, including “Widen the Screen,” an award-winning initiative aimed at ensuring greater equity in film, television, and advertising. Through this work, P&G has helped challenge biases while driving meaningful change for consumers and communities around the world.

A recognized thought leader, Jones has joined agenda-setting conversations at Cannes, CES, Bloomberg Equality Summit, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation National Town Hall and more. His work has been recognized with numerous awards spanning equality and inclusion (EBONY Power 100, National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation’s Corporate Leadership Award), communications and marketing strategy (ANA NYC Communicator of the Year, PRWeek Power List, SABRE Award) and creative (Cannes Lions, Silver Lions), among others.

A trusted advisor to the C-suite, Jones has a proven track record of leveraging reputation and relationships to drive brand and business success. During his 20+ year career with P&G, Jones has had responsibility for a diverse set of geographic, organizational, and product portfolios – with assignments in Boston, Geneva, London, and Singapore – leading local, regional and global businesses.

He is known as a catalyst for positive social change within P&G and in the external community, acting as strategic advisor to numerous educational, cultural, and advocacy organizations.

Praised for his lyricism and raw storytelling, and blessed with a loyal New York following, Dave East is one of the most promising rappers on the scene today. Born and raised in Harlem, he was inspired by older generation East Coast rappers ranging from Notorious B.I.G. to Styles P, Jadakiss, Cam’ron, and Big Pun. After a college basketball stint, Dave’s attention gravitated full time to music. Starting in 2010, an array of highly praised mixtapes earned him widespread recognition in the hip-hop community. His seventh mixtape, 2014’s Black Rose caught Nas by surprise, resulting in Dave’s signing to Nas’ Mass Appeal imprint.  Subsequent mixtapes Hate Me Now (2015) and Kairi Chanel (2016, named for Dave’s daughter), boasted a collective guest list topped by Nas, Styles P, Pusha T, Jadakiss, 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Cam’ron, Beanie Sigel, Rico Love, and The Game, to name a few.  Kairi Chanel led off with the storytelling visual for “Keisha” followed by “Type Of Time”, with over 12 million combined YouTube views to date. After nabbing a spot in the notorious XXL Freshman Class of 2016, Dave arrived on the Def Jam roster late that year.  He finished out 2016 by joining Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nas, and Aloe Blacc for “Wrote My Way Out” on the critically acclaimed The Hamilton Mixtape.  Dave was next heard on “Gold Digger” featuring A-Boogie, from Def Jam’s Direct Deposit Vol. 2 comp­ilation (February 2017).

Dave’s 13-track Def Jam debut mixtape EP Paranoia: A True Story (August 2017) took off with the single “Perfect” featuring Chris Brown, whose video boasts over 40 million combined YouTube views to date.  The Paranoia 2 mixtape followed in January 2018.  It was supported by a 10-minute short film, “The Hated,” a gritty drama centering on two childhood friends who get caught up in the street hustle that eventually lands one of them in the Rikers Island lockup.  Dave’s profile was amped considerably on his 23-city cross-country “Paranoia 2 Tour” of the U.S. in January-February 2018.  He then jumped into the ring for Beloved (October 2018), a mixtape collabo with invincible Yonkers MC Styles P.  The project spun off a single, “We Got Everything,” whose video starred both MCs.  Dave segued into headlining his 23-city “Get It How I Live Tour” of the U.S. in November-December 2018.  In addition to The Hamilton Mixtape, Dave is featured on over 20 tracks with A-listers 2 Chainz, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Styles P, Meek Mill, fellow Harlem mc Smoke DZA, and Pvrx, to name a few. 

2019 was a landmark breakthrough year for Dave East, with the November release of his first full-length album, Survival (including “Alone” featuring Jacquees; and “Godfather 4” featuring Nas); his starring dramatic portrayal of Method Man in the 10 episode fic­tion­alized HULU mini-series Wu-Tang: An American Saga; the launch of his  D2C Store at https://shop.daveeastmusic.com; and the Survival Tour Part 1 in November-December, with sold-out dates in the U.S., UK and Europe.  August 2020 brought the Karma 3 mixtape, sequel to Karma (2017) and Karma 2 (2018).  The 15-track Karma 3 and its successor, the 23-track Karma 3 Deluxe marked the tenth anniversary of Change Of Plans (2010), the mixtape that started it all for Dave East.

Ryan Johnson is the founder and CEO of Cxmmunity Media, a media-tech company focused on future-proofing diversity in the esports and gaming industry by creating engaging, educational, and entertaining programming. After graduating from HBCU Oakwood University, Ryan’s passion for advancing the Black community in the sports and entertainment industries led him to evangelize education and economic advancement in these spaces. With this vision, he founded Cxmmunity Media, and then the HBCU Esports League, one of few Black-owned sports leagues, that provides students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities a safe space to compete and monetize in esports.

Ryan began his professional career as an Account Executive with Vonage Business. He was responsible for maintaining a client base that met monthly and quarterly metric goals. Shortly after he accepted a role as an IT Consultant with Adapture. Adapture is an award-winning IT firm located in Sandy Springs, GA. Winning CRN Tech Elite and Atlanta Business Chronicle Pacesetter Awards, Ryan was able to quickly develop skills around business development, project management, and customer experience with corporate organizations.

Ryan’s dedication to equal access in esports and gaming garnered a partnership between Cxmmunity Media and Twitch, leading to over 45 million viewers and corporate sponsors such as Verizon, Discover, Hot Pockets, Nike/House of Hoops, and MTN Dew. The HBCU Esports League has provided over $1.2M in scholarships and gaming equipment to students and HBCU gaming programs.

In addition to the HBCU Esports League, Cxmmunity Media launched The Kickback. The Kickback continues to build visibility for underrepresented creators and gamers through innovative partnerships with brands like Spotify, Amazon Games, and Microsoft.

Michael leads the Innovation practice at Carat and works with clients and teams to build strategies that help prepare brands for the future consumer (near & far). He is a specialist turned generalist with experience and deep interest in emerging trends, youth culture, gaming, nascent tech, AI, branded content, data driven solutions, and decentralized experience implications.

His role is to anticipate the ever-changing value dynamic between brands, consumers, and media and help take measured steps to experiment and learn. He has lately been focused on exploring new forms of incentive structures, consumer connection points, and new business models for brands via AI, spatial experiences, and blockchain applications.