• 2022 National Black Footwear Forum

    Agenda

  • Thursday, September 15

    • PLC Footwear and Apparel Workshop For students from MERIT's FATE Program
    • PLC Alumni Career Panel For Design Connect Students, Hosted by D'Wayne Edwards
    • PLC Panel + Sneaker Art Showcase & Mixer by Champion with Panelists: StockX, Bedrock, Sydney James, Detroit Artist. Live Sneaker Art on Canvas. Panel discussing how art and culture is helping to shape Detroit aka “Caring for the Community”

    Friday, September 16

    • Kids Are Ready For Design Elementary School Workshop by A Kids Company About Featuring Jason Mayden, College of Creative Studies graduate, award-winning designer, entrepreneur, author, and educator
    • S.E.E.D. SOLES: Breaking Barriers, Planting Seeds & Charting Pathways Women’s Panel by adidas Featuring Cheresse Thornhill-Goldston, College of Creative Studies graduate, Director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas. 10 women from the Detroit Community will be selected to attend the adidas S.E.E.D Creator Camp on Sunday
    • VIP Dinner by Detroit Pistons: Thank you to BFF Sponsors, Speakers, Staff and Guests
    • BFF Homecoming Detroit Mixer by BFF Detroit

    Saturday, September 17

    • BFF Detroit Breakfast & Mixer by BFF Detroit​
    • Black Footwear Forum by Our Sponsors

    845 Days Later… A Conversation with Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd

    • D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • Terrence Floyd, Activist, Founder, We Are Floyd; brother of George Floyd

    DETROIT

    • D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • Kofi Bonner, CEO, Bedrock

    BLACKLIGHTS | Hometown She-ros

    • D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, Director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas
    • Ashley Comeaux, Vice President of Product Design, Allbirds
    • Precious Hannah, Founder + CEO of Mister OK's Essentials™
    • Eliya Jackson, Asst. Footwear Designer (Basketball), adidas

    TAPPEDIN | The "L" Word

    • Jazerai Allen-Lord, Founder, True to Size Agency
    • Portia Blunt, VP of Apparel, Reebok
    • April Dinwoodie, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Lead, Steve Madden
    • Katherine Allen, Trade Marketing Manager, adidas
    • Janice Tennant, CMO, Merrell

    Black Genius

    • Kevin Carroll, Founder, Katalyst; Author, Speaker

    Storytellers

    • Tyrel Kirkham, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Strategy, Detroit Pistons
    • Rick Williams, Entrepreneur, Artist, Creative Director & Co-Founder DISTINCT LIFE/CREAM BLENDS/BURN RUBBER
    • Crystal Windham, Executive Director, Global Industrial Design, General Motors
    • Che Pope, Grammy winning producer, WRKSHP
    • Jacques Slade, Owner/CEO, Fellows Avenue Productions, INC

    The Creator at the Center

    • Jazerai Allen-Lord, Founder, True to Size Agency
    • Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, Director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas
    • Jessica Smith, Director of Strategy, adidas
    • Liz Connelly, Manager, Design Education & Growth, adidas

    Kitchen Table | The Power of Empathy

    • Kevin Carroll, Founder, Katalyst; Author, Speaker, Performance Coach
    • E. Scott Morris, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • Damien Hooper-Campbell, Chief Impact Officer, StockX
    • Lauren Guthrie, VP, Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action (IDEA), VF Corporation
    • Malisa Bryant, Senior Vice President, Herman Miller Product

    TAPPEDIN | Career Pathways

    • Dion Walcott, Director of Partnerships, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • DeLeyna Adkison, Director, Marketing – Brand Heat & Culture, North America, Puma
    • Garry Thaniel, General Manager, Sneakers, eBay
    • Sarah Waston, Sr. Color and Materials Designer, Ford
    • Chuck Young, Franchise Operations Manager, US and The Caribbean, The Athletes Foot

    BLACKLIGHTS | The Industry

    • Jason Mayden, Chief Executive Officer + Creative Director, Trillicon Valley; Designer, Educator, Entrepreneur; Author of “A Kids Book About Design”
    • Jeffrey Henderson, Founder, AndThem
    • Scoop Jackson, Author; award-winning journalist, ESPN; Executive Producer of Facebook/andscape’s Legacy Series: Sneakers
    • Sydney James, Interdisciplinary Artist
    • Kenneth Anand, Co-Founder & Author, Sneaker Law

    BLACKLIGHTS | Awards

    • Portia Blunt presents The Jazerai Allen-Lord Advocate Icon Award to Jazerai Allen-Lord, Women's Advocate Icon
    • The James Whitner Entrepreneur Award presented to James Whitner, Retail Icon
    • Scoop Jackson presents The Scoop Jackson Media Award to Jacques Slade, Media Icon
    • D’Wayne Edwards presents awards to Kevin Carroll, Katalyst, April Walker, Legend–Apparel Design, Wilson Smith, Legend–Footwear Design, and Suzette Henry, Legend–Color & Material Design

    FREE GAME!

    • James Whitner, American Fashion Entrepreneur; Owner of streetwear boutiques: Social Status, A Ma Maniere, and A.P.B.
    • April Walker, CEO, Walker Wear
    • Jalen Rose, ABC/ESPN Analyst, Puma Ambassador & Founder, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

    CLOSING REMARKS

    • D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
    • Matt Priest, President & CEO, FDRA

    BFF Detroit Dinner & Mixer by BFF Detroit

    Sunday, September 18

    • Black Women in Sneakers Brunch: Sisters in Sole
    • adidas S.E.E.D Women's Creator Camp by adidas
  • Thanks to our event sponsors!