Friday Sessions- 9/22 - Black Footwear Forum

Sheena Butler-Young, Senior Correspondent, The Business of Fashion (BoF)

Sheena Butler-Young is a Senior Correspondent at The Business of Fashion (BoF). She is based in New York and leads the magazine's coverage of workplace, talent and culture. She is the former deputy editor of Footwear News magazine and the recipient of Penske Media Corporation’s Journalistic & Creative Excellence Award for her coverage of diversity issues in fashion. She has interviewed some of fashion’s most influential executives as well as designers and entertainers. Her coverage scope has included the financial performance of publicly traded fashion and retail companies, diversity and inclusion, sustainability and executive leadership best practices.

April Dinwoodie: Head of DEIB, Steve Madden

April began her professional journey as Retail Marketing Manager for Nine West Group Inc., and continued as Director of Marketing at Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. Over the years, April has helped to lead marketing and PR efforts at J.C. Penney, Ruder Finn, and JetBlue where she was often one of the only women of color at the leadership table. Today, as an independent consultant, April is fiercely dedicated to helping individuals, companies, and organizations face and embrace differences, elevate culture and community, and ultimately find even more success and purpose in individual and collective work. One of April’s main clients is Steven Madden LTD. Dinwoodie is also the creator and host of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World!, a podcast about identity, family, and differences of race, class, and culture.

Merrie Dudley: Owner & Creative Director, merriexmas toys & merried xo

Merrie is an award-winning creative with the philosophy to always follow your dreams. This has allowed her to pursue multiple career paths from toy designer to TV producer, and bridal brand owner. With 30+ years experience, Merrie has worked with companies ranging from Fisher-Price, Little Tikes, Nickelodeon & ESPN. She continues to explore new dreams & opportunities, including the hope to share her love of toy design with a new generation.

Todd Corley: SVP, Inclusion, Sustainability and Community, Carhartt

Todd Corley is Senior Vice President for Inclusion, Sustainability and Community at Carhartt, a global premium workwear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged products for workers. He leads the brand’s purpose-driven workstreams across the globe, with direct responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategies, sustainability initiatives, community partnerships and corporate giving. His self-published book, Fitch Path, is the inspiration for the Netflix documentary, White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, which debuted at #1 on their global streaming platform. A case study for modern day DE&I efforts, the film examines his transformational role as their Chief Diversity Officer, in moving the brand from a corporate strategy of “exclusion” to “inclusion”.

Dr. D'Wayne Edwards: Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design

Dr. D’Wayne Edwards started his career in 1989, with no formal education, as a 19-year-old entry-level footwear designer for LA Gear. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous honors and awards from the Red Dot award, three-time Mercedes Benz Fashion Award winner, Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, Business Insider's 100 People Transforming Business to President Barack Obama awarding him the President Volunteer of Service Award. As a designer, Dr. Edwards has accumulated over 50 patents and designed more than 500 footwear styles for premier entertainers such as Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Dre, Snoop Dog, and Nas. His designs have been worn in six different Olympics and graced all MLB, NFL, and NBA stadiums by athletes including Derek Jeter, Carmelo Anthony, and Michael Jordan.

Chris Dixon: Senior Footwear Designer, Timberland, a VF Company

Astor Chambers: CoFounder/Host, Culture Raises US

Astor Chambers is a cultural architect who is looking to unlock the greatness that lies within all of us. Astor is internationally recognized as an accomplished marketer, public speaker, and brand consultant with over 25+ years’ experience in the sports & entertainment fields with a proficient understanding of the mindset of today’s consumer, trendsetters, and influencers. Astor has held multiple leadership roles at major brands: NIKE, APPLE, Adidas, and more. During his career he’s had an opportunity to work with many influential icons: Beyoncé, Michael Jordan, Pharrell Williams and Yara Shahidi while developing some of the internationally impactful brands: IVY Park x Adidas, Jordan Brand, Billionaire Boys Club, and more.

Rupert Campbell: President, adidas North America

In his role as President of adidas North America, Rupert oversees all adidas operations in the United States and Canada and is responsible for driving the vision and culture for the team. Rupert, a British national from Huddersfield, UK has a long and successful track record with adidas. He has vast experience in sports and a compassionate leadership style. As a leader, Rupert has a people-first approach and is convinced that if you look after people, they will look after the business.

Amber Cabral: Founder, Cabral Co. & Inclusion Strategist

Amber Cabral is an Inclusion Consultant and CEO at Cabral Co. Formerly a Diversity Strategist at Walmart Stores, Inc.; Amber founded Cabral Co to guide organizations of various sizes and scopes in creating and executing strategies to achieve sustainable, inclusive behavior shifts in the workplace. Amber has a Master's in Organizational Leadership from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan, and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Wayne State University in her hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Passionate about nurturing the next generation of decision-makers, she serves as the chair of Brown Girls Do, Inc, a non-profit committed to promoting diverse representation in the arts, as well as empowering women and girls globally. In her free time, she travels and writes articles focused on equity, culture, and working-class life. Amber also hosts a podcast called Guilty Privilege and released her first book, Allies and Advocates, published on Wiley Publishing in 2020. Her second book, Say More About That released in July 2022.

Darrell Booker: Corporate Affairs Specialist, Microsoft

Darrell Booker is an executive within Microsoft’s Philanthropy division who created and leads one of the company’s most important racial equity commitments, the Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities. It’s his 25 years in the tech industry holding roles such as CIO and CTO that led him to be a successful tech entrepreneur but more importantly leveraging that knowledge and experience to bring innovative solutions to help solve the countries’ social impact issues. Darrell has a big passion for working at the intersection of tech and culture. Darrell chairs the board of several nonprofit organizations while playing advisory roles to many other organizations.

Jazerai Allen-Lord: Founder, True to Size Agency

Jazerai Allen-Lord is an award-winning, internationally-acclaimed strategist & designer with deep roots in sneaker & street culture. Currently featured on Lena Waithe's "You Ain't Got These," airing on Roku Originals, Jazerai has worked with Jordan Brand, Nike, adidas, New Balance, and more on telling women’s stories and Black stories through brand strategy, editorial, and design. Her sold-out shoe with Reebok was released in 2019 and has been acquired for the Bata Footwear Museum’s archive of Black designers.