Women of Color Smashing the Concrete Ceiling and Building Their Own House

Join us for our next Coffee Break featuring H&S Chief Brand Officer Veronica Rodriguez as she hosts a panel called,

“ Twice as Good: Women of Color Smashing the Concrete Ceiling and Building Their Own House.”

Throughout the one-hour, virtual discussion, we will be highlighting the stories of women of color from across the media, spirits, fashion and tech industries. Each with a unique perspective and journey towards success.

As most Americans continue to lean in on the belief that getting a good education and securing a job at a great company will result in reaching the American dream…climbing the rungs of the socio-economic ladder remain difficult for marginalized communities, particularly women of color. With the ongoing generational challenges BIPOC women are facing in education, business and the workplace; many have decided to stop trying to fit into a pre-set mold and instead, began finding their own way. Now investing in themselves and leveraging their village, women of color are “smashing cement ceilings” and “building their own house.”

Below are details for this upcoming panel and we hope to see you there!

Date: Tuesday, March 23rd

Time: 3:00PM EST

Location & RSVP Link

Moderator:

Veronica Rodriguez, Chief Brand Officer at H&S Communications- Veronica leads the brand engagement, StudioHS and cultural transformation practice at H&S. With over 20 years of strategic integrated marketing experience, Veronica oversees research and analytics, brand strategy, influencer and experiential marketing efforts across the agency’s roster of clients. Her efforts help to advance the integration of research and insights with talent relations, influencer relationship-building, digital content and experiences – resulting in award-winning brand campaigns that intersect culture, diverse consumer passion points, perspectives and purpose. Prior to joining H&S, Rodriguez oversaw multicultural marketing at Edelman and digital strategy at Marina Maher Communications where combined, she delivered best-in-class results for world leading brands including Diageo, Heineken, Kimberly Clark, Kraft Foods, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, United Airlines, and Verizon, among others.

Panelists:

Sidra Smith - writer and award-winning producer Executive Producer, Essence Studios. From developing film and TV projects around the 50-year-old brand’s IP to launching Essence Studios OTT platform - featuring original scripted and non-scripted series, virtual summits and concerts; Sidra has helped to modernize the franchise platform. From the onset of COVID-19, Sidra and her team have produced hundreds of hours of content including virtual events like Essence Wellness House, Essence Festival, Afropunk, Show Me Your Walk: The HBCU Commencement Celebration, The New Voices Fund Pitch Competitions, Dear Black Men, Black Girls Shaking Shit Up: The Girls United Virtual Summit and the Essence Entrepreneur Summit. To cap off the year, Sidra Smith served as the Executive Producer of Sylvie’s Love, now showing on Amazon Prime Video, where she worked closely with Amazon, the producers Nnamdi Asomugha and Gabrielle Glore and director Eugene Ashe to make the film a “Hot Amazon Release”.

Kendall Reynolds – CEO and design director of luxury show brand Kendall Miles Designs. As a third-generation entrepreneur born and raised on the Southside of Chicago, Kendall has always been the type to forge her own path. Starting Kendall Miles Designs as a passion project from her college apartment at the University of Southern California, Kendall completed her degree in International Relations while simultaneously teaching herself how to design footwear. Subsequently, Kendall received formal training at the world-renowned accessories design university, Ars Sutoria in Milan, Italy, before spending two years in NYC establishing a fashion industry network.

Jennifer Gomez, creative storyteller, tech entrepreneur, co-founder and chief marketing officer of oneKIN, an award-winning, mission-driven, retail tech company building an ecosystem of tools to help small + POC-owned businesses thrive. This Spring, the company will be launching twiineTM , a livestream shopping app that allows users to seamlessly interact with small businesses via live shopping events, build community and access exclusive deals. Prior to stepping out on faith and becoming an entrepreneur, Jennifer served as the head of integrated marketing for StyleHaul; and built her career with some of the nations most notable media, sports and beauty brands including L’Oreal USA, Major League Baseball and Time, Inc.

Tyler Phillips, Director of Culture and Lifestyle Partnerships. With over 16+ years of experience in marketing communications for global brands that ranged from beauty and lifestyle companies to spirits. Over the past nine years, Tyler has overseen iconic brands such as BACARDÍ rum, D’USSÉ and Bacardi portfolio of brands including Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire and Martini. In her role she’s worked to transform brand perception, drive desire, bridge connections and engagement with media, influencers, celebrities and diverse consumers.