An experienced human resources professional with a focus on employee engagement, Amanda Keys joined Marsh & McLennan Agency in 2020 to help organizations foster a thriving culture, supporting employee well-being and diversity, equity & inclusion. Prior to joining MMA, Amanda honed her human resources and benefits management skills working for both publicly-held and non-profit entities. The spectrum of her responsibilities included legal and regulatory compliance, vendor management, well-being initiatives, and directing DE&I strategy development. Amanda leverages her familiarity with the unique challenges and responsibilities facing HR professionals to help organizations develop a path forward that aligns with their culture, corporate structure, and resources. Specifically, Amanda’s mission is to help organizations develop best-in-class culture, well-being, and DE&I programming to engage and retain employees and that employers can manage going forward. Earning her Bachelor of Arts from Clark Atlanta University and her Masters in HR Administration from Central Michigan University, Amanda has also received Diversity & Inclusion certifications from University of South Florida and eCornell. Since joining MMA, she has become an active member of the Michigan Diversity Council Board of Advisors as well as MMA’s local and regional Diversity & Inclusion employee committees. An active mother of two, Amanda enjoys exercising her creative muscles via event planning.

Camille Walker Banks is the executive director for NPower Michigan, leading an expansion to the Detroit/southeast Michigan market. Banks is a Detroit native with deep roots in the business, nonprofit and philanthropic communities. She recently led the highest-performing site in the United States for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative at Wayne State University. Banks is a seasoned, growth-minded leader who has built a successful career across corporate and government sectors. Her 20-year career has a strong foundation in business growth and development, process improvement, and capital access that spans across industries including technology, service, manufacturing, and philanthropy. A two-time Wayne State graduate, Banks holds a bachelor’s in finance from the Ilitch School and a master's of urban planning.

Dr. Colleen Allen is the President and CEO of the Autism Alliance of Michigan. She was appointed by Governor Snyder as the inaugural Chair of the MI Autism Council, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services in 2012, and in 2017, to the state Developmental Disability Council. She was also appointed to the Mayor’s Detroit Workforce Board in 2015 and is a member of Leadership Detroit (XXXVIII). She is a board member for the Michigan Association of Rehabilitation Organizations, Extraordinary Ventures of Michigan, and The Roeper School. Dr. Allen is the founder and was Director of Henry Ford Health System’s (HFHS) Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities until 2012. In her role as President and CEO of the Autism Alliance, Dr. Allen has spent seven years engaged in advocacy, programming, and training for families and service providers to improve access to critical services and supports and employment opportunities for adults with autism and related disabilities. Dr. Allen received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her M.S. in Speech/Language Pathology from Boston University, and her Ph.D. from Wayne State University.

An award-winning Human Resources Innovator and Financial Expert, Felicia G. Harris is Principal and CEO of EverythingHR and EverythingHR Financial Services in Rochester Hills, Michigan. She is also the founder of the EverythingHR Talent Development Institute with headquarters in Rochester Hills and classrooms in Detroit’s TechTown as well as local college campuses. Ms. Harris has over 30 years of HR experience and more than 25 years of employee organizational and professional development training experience.  She has worked with and counseled C-Level management and community leaders her entire professional career. Ms. Harris has 30-plus years of executive leadership experience in the financial industry. She has overseen over $1 billion in assets and served in the financial industry as a Vice President for more than 25 years. Among her many awards are the 2019 Crain’s Detroit Business HR Excellence Award; 2019 MichBest Triple Trusted Advisors; 2019 Crain’s Detroit Business Notable Women of HR Award; 2019 Corp! Magazine Most Valuable Entrepreneur; 2018 & 2019 Corp! Magazine Salute to Diversity Award; 2013 – 2017 Hour Detroit Magazine Wealth Manager Award; 2013 – 2017 dbusiness Wealth Manager Award; 2016 Great Lakes Women’s Business Council Volunteer of the Year; and 2015 NAAAHR Leadership Award. Ms. Harris is the author of “Hire to Drive Business,” a guide for small business multi-generational talent management. Felicia G Harris has a BBA in Finance and an International Business Certificate from the University of Detroit. She earned her MSA in Human Resource Management from Central Michigan University. Felicia is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Alumni. She is IACET Accredited. She is a Financial Advisor, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™, and FINRA Financial Industry Arbitrator. Felicia was also Series 7, 8, 63, 65 as well as Life, Health and Valuable Life Insurance licensed. Felicia G. Harris has taught undergraduate and graduate business courses and has supplied human resource and professional development training to small business owners for the US Small Business Administration, Pure Michigan Business Connect, Small Business Development Center, Macomb-Oakland University Incubator, Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Great Lakes Women’s Business Council.

Joe Gerstandt is a speaker, author and advisor bringing greater clarity, action, and impact to organizational diversity and inclusion efforts. Joe has worked with Fortune 100 corporations, small non-profits, government entities, and everything in between. He speaks at numerous conferences and summits and is a featured contributor for the Workforce Diversity Network Expert Forum. His insights have been published in Diversity Best Practices, Diversity Executive, HR Executive, numerous other print and online journals, and he co-authored the book Social Gravity: Harnessing the Natural Laws of Relationships. Joe serves on the Intersectional Culture and Diversity Advisory (ICD) Council for the social networking platform, Twitter, has served on the U.S. Technical Advisory Group’s Diversity and Inclusion Working Group within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and is currently on the board of directors for the Tri-Faith Initiative, which brings together into a permanent residency a synagogue, church, mosque, and interfaith center on one 38-acre campus in the middle of America’s heartland. By its very model it challenges people of faith and goodwill to be conscious and proactive about the assets of faith in civil life in a religiously pluralistic society. Tri-Faith Initiative aims to create a more inclusive culture in which religious pluralism is socially normative.

Michael Davenport was born in Grand Rapids and attended Ottawa Hills High School. He graduated from Xavier University, where he is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame (Men’s Basketball 1987-1991), and the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Michael is married and has 2 sons. Michael is currently the President and CEO of Jireh Metal Products, Inc. Jireh Metal Products, Inc. is an ISO9001 certified manufacturer of progressive metal stampings and assemblies. Jireh partners with leading companies in the Office Furniture, Commercial Hardware, and Automotive industries. A perennial winner of Supplier Excellence Awards, Jireh focuses on satisfying the needs of customers through quality, continuous improvement, competitive pricing, and on-time delivery. Additionally, Michael serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, Mercantile Bank of Michigan, Xavier University President’s Advisory Council, Xavier University Athletic Leadership Advisory Council, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, and The Right Place Manufacturing Council. Davenport brings his proven track record of leadership, team building, and strategy implementation to Jireh Metal. Michael formerly served as the Director of Community Development for First Financial Bank in Cincinnati, OH where he led the Bank’s Community Development strategy. Prior to that, Davenport served as a Regulatory Attorney for First Financial, Fifth Third, and U.S. Bank where he managed the implementation and review of consumer lending legislation.

Neeraj Shah is the founder and CEO of supplier.io. He has helped companies establish and grow their supplier diversity programs for over 19 years. supplier.io helps companies increase their use of small and diverse suppliers through innovative solutions that support the execution of highly effective supplier diversity strategies. Over 360 companies trust supplier.io for their supplier diversity needs.

Roop Raj is the 5 p.m. anchor at FOX 2 News.

Roop’s career started at age 14 when he produced and hosted his own television program in Troy, Mich. In his first two years at Michigan State University,  he was on the air at the CBS & ABC stations in Lansing, Mich.

Roop was then hired to anchor the news in Flint, Mich. where he did news and weather for four years. That was followed by seven years at NBC in New Orleans. After 24 hurricanes including Katrina, Roop moved to Detroit in ‘09 where an economic storm was brewing.

FOX 2 led the way during the 2020 elections, bringing you more exclusives than any other station in town. He was proud to have nailed down three exclusives, one-on-one interviews with then-candidate Joe Biden. Roop also secured three, one-on-one exclusives with former President Trump. His final interview landed him in the Rose Garden with a one-on-one with Trump for 15 minutes at the White House. Election Day was exciting.  After getting access to candidate Kamala Harris in Detroit, Roop decided to call the White House and ask if former VP Pence would be game for a phone interview.  He called Roop’s cell phone minutes later, capping off an extraordinary political season.

Roop believes getting exclusives is about building relationships with people.  He is committed to continuing this connection with our community so that we can bring you stories you won’t see anywhere else.

Roop is also a public speaking coach and keynote speaker. At TEDxDetroit In 2019, he headlined with his talk highlighting the gifts of rejection.

Sharon Crockett has over 12 years of experience in certifying and developing minority-owned businesses. She served as a Contracts Officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation, DBE, and Compliance Officer for the Department of Administrative Services MBE/EDGE Certification program. In that role, Ms. Crockett was selected to assist in the review and revision of the Ohio Revised Code for Minority Business Enterprises (ORC: 123 2-15). Prior to becoming a Certification Manager for the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, she served as the Director of Certification for the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council. Ms. Crockett was also the owner of a small business, Designs by a Diva, and the previous host of the Date with a Diva Cooking show. Prior to a career change to the business world, Ms. Crockett spent over 20 years as an Investigator. Having previously worked as a Civil Rights Investigator, Public Defender felony investigator, Mental Health & MRDD abuse investigator, a child sexual abuse investigator, an adult protective services investigator, and a trainer for the state of Ohio Major Unusual Incident (MUI) unit.  As the MUI trainer, Ms. Crockett oversaw the investigations of abuse and fraud in addition to certifying state investigators. Previous education and training includes: University of Portland, BA; Portland State University Training and Development Master’s Program; State of Oregon Leadership Academy, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; OPATA, University of Phoenix-MBA program; and the Ohio State University EEO Senior Practitioner Certificate.

Mr. Hester brings the experience and knowledge of manufacturing and logistics in multiple business verticles: automotive, aerospace, and the government sector, just to name a few. Mr. Hester is President & CEO of LM Manufacturing, LLC. Established in 2019, LM Manufacturing, and Magna International. Magna International is a $40 billion mobility technology company, with 157,000 employees, 344 manufacturing operations, and 93 product development, engineering, and sales centers in 27 countries. LAN Manufacturing, is wholly owned by Sylvester Hester, a 30-year veteran automotive, aerospace supply chain executive with substantial experience in manufacturing, operations, logistics, and business development. Hester's career began in 1985, as an engineering technician for General Motors Advanced Engineering. He quickly moved up the ranks from engineering, to program management, through sales and marketing, and finally rose to vice president in 1993. In 1998, Hester was selected to serve as president of GAA's company, ARD, near Atlanta, Georgia. By 2003 he co-founded and was named president of GAA's newest acquisition, Key Logistics. Ultimately before starting his own enterprise, he rose to the position of chairman of all GAA companies, and CEO of Grupo Antolin Primera. Hester was appointed to and served a four-year tenure as a Tuskegee University Board of Trustees member. He is a current member of Karmanos Cancer Insitute, Grow Michigan II, Ben Carson High School Advisory Council, and Michigan Minority Supplier Diversity Council as Chair of the MBEIC and Manufacturing and Mobility sector. Hester holds a Master of Science in Administration degree, with a concentration in leadership, from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelor of Science in Plastics Engineering with an emphasis in polymer chemistry from Ferris State University. He has completed the Advanced Minority Business Executive Program at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business, the Kellogg School of Management Advanced Management Education Program at Northwestern University, and the Quantum Shift Program at The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Tony Tomczak is the vice president of Corporate Services and Chief Procurement Officer for DTE Energy. Tomczak is responsible for strategic management of the company’s procurement, supplier performance management, warehousing, fleet, facilities and real estate organizations. In addition, he leads implementation of environmental sustainability projects within DTE’s buildings, fleet vehicles and supply chain. He is also responsible for the company’s local and diverse supplier initiatives. Tomczak joined DTE Energy in 2006. He most recently served as director of Supply Chain Management where he was responsible for all non-fuel purchases, materials planning, contract development and performance and warehouse operations for DTE Energy. Prior to that position, Tomczak served as director of Facilities and Fleet where he was responsible for the maintenance, capital strategy and execution for real estate, buildings, trucks and equipment and garages across the DTE Energy network. Prior to joining DTE Energy, Tomczak was vice president of Purchasing for Tower Automotive, responsible for materials and services expenditures. Tomczak earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Operations with distinction from Lawrence Technological University. Tomczak was selected as 2019 Chief Procurement Officer of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council. He also received the 2019 Community Leader Award from Results Mentoring. He is the 2018 chairman of the board of directors of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council and a member of the Utility Purchasing Management Group 2018 Executive Committee. In 2017, he was the chairman of the Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance. DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects; renewable natural gas; natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage; and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE utility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80 percent by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com.