Speakers
Opening Keynote Speaker:
Heather McGhee
Author of New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us
The
Opening Plenary is sponsored by the J. Richard Wilson Endowment through the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy.
Closing Keynote Speaker:
Wes Moore
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NY Times Bestseller Author and former CEO, Robin Hood Foundation
Heather McGhee
A renowned expert on the American economy, HEATHER MCGHEE is one of the most brilliant and influential thinkers exploring inequality today. Both her viral TED talk and her instant New York Times bestseller The Sum of Us reveal the devastating true cost of racism—not just for people of color, but for everyone. Deeply stirring, intelligent, and compassionate, McGhee’s talks offer us an actionable roadmap during one of the most critical—and most troubled—periods in history.
As the former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, McGhee has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and become a regular contributor on shows like Meet the Press and Real Time with Bill Maher. She also led Demos’ own racial equity organizational transformation, resulting in a doubling of the organization’s racial diversity and growth across all measures of organizational impact. McGhee’s riveting talks communicate this with passion and seriousness, “challenging the paradigm of racial competition in this country.” 
Racism doesn’t just hurt us on a personal level. It divides and alienates companies and their employees, employees and their clients, clients and brands. The trickledown, explains McGhee, is far-reaching. Her talks address this with clear takeaways, like how to make the process mission-critical, how to get buy-in from your teams, and how to do it all with joy.
McGhee holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. She is the Chair of the Board of Color of Change, the country's largest online racial justice organization, and serves on multiple other boards of trustees, including the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Demos. For the latest updates on Heather's writing, speeches, and media appearances, visit www.heathermcghee.com
Wes Moore
“Our team was blown away by Wes' presentation today. He was so engaging and his passion comes through the screen so well…definitely a timeless message. A true professional. I can't even imagine how powerful he would be in person. Yet, again the APB has done a great job to make our event a success.” -AvaSure
Wes Moore is the former Chief Executive Officer of Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation. He is a bestselling author, a combat veteran, and a social entrepreneur.
Wes' first book, The Other Wes Moore, a perennial New York Times bestseller, captured the nation's attention on the fine line between success and failure in our communities and in ourselves. That story has been optioned by executive producer Oprah Winfrey and HBO to be made into a movie. He is also the author of the bestselling books The Work, Discovering Wes Moore, and This Way Home.
Wes' latest book, Five Days, explores the uprisings in Baltimore in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody through a kaleidoscope of perspectives and examines critical questions about the deeper causes of violence and poverty.
Wes grew up in Baltimore and the Bronx, where he was raised by a single mom. Despite childhood challenges, he graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He earned an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Wes then served as a captain and paratrooper with the u.s. Army's 82nd airborne, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan. He later served as a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Before becoming CEO at Robin Hood, Wes was the founder and CEO at BridgeEdu, an innovative tech platform based in Baltimore addressing the college completion and job placement crisis by reinventing freshman year for underserved students. BridgeEdu was acquired by Edquity, a Brooklyn-based student financial success and emergency aid firm, in June 2019.
Wes has also worked in finance as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.
Wes has served on numerous nonprofit and social-impact boards and is a lifetime member of the Council of Foreign Relations.
The joy of Wes' life are his two children and his wife Dawn.
