A Message from
Our Chairperson
Conference
Workshop Guide
2025 Keynote Speaker
Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Having been dubbed ‘The Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th Century’ by Sports Illustrated, Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s athletic accomplishments are literally second to none. By the conclusion of her career in the heptathlon and long jump events she had amassed six Olympic medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze) and four World Champion titles over four consecutive Olympic Games. Jackie was the first woman in history to earn more than 7,000 points in the heptathlon and today, over 20 years later, she still holds the world heptathlon record of 7,291 points. She continues to hold the Olympic and national records in the long jump and her 1994 performance in the long jump remains the second longest in history.
In addition to heptathlon and long jump, Jackie was a world class 100m and 200m runner and, after a decorated All-American career in basketball at UCLA, she eventually played professional basketball for a short time.
Jackie’s athletic accomplishments have been well documented and remain some of the best ever across all of sports. Less well known are her tireless efforts and remarkable accomplishments off the field as a philanthropist and an advocate for children’s education, health issues (in particular asthma from which she has suffered throughout her life), racial equality, social reform, and women’s rights.
Born in 1962 in East St. Louis, IL, Jackie came from very humble beginnings but despite very strained conditions she describes her early home life as being full of love, principle, and discipline. These ingrained values have served Jackie well both on and off the field through her life. She has been described by the sports media as one of the warmest, most even-tempered, grace-filled persons in all of athletics.
One of four children to Mary and Alfred Joyner, Jackie’s older brother Al went on to become an Olympic Champion triple jumper and married Florence Griffith (Joyner), a five time Olympic medalist. In 1986 she married her long time coach, Bob Kersee.
Jackie is the author of both A Kind of Grace (1997), her autobiography, and A Woman’s Place is Everywhere. She is an active professional speaker and is widely considered one of the most inspiring motivational speakers in all of sports. Jackie speaks on topics of athletics, business success, living with the limitations of medical issues, nutrition, women’s issue, and youth advocacy.
A Message from
Our Chairperson
Conference
Workshop Guide
2022 Keynote Speaker
DR. MELVA K. WILLIAMS
President and CEO at Huston-Tillotson University
A well-respected visionary with an immutable and demonstrated record as a higher education administrator and staunch advocate for the increased accessibility of education for children of all ages, Dr. Melva K. Williams assumed the position of 7th president and chief operating officer of Huston-Tillotson University (HT) in Austin, Texas, on August 15, 2022. Prior to this appointment, she served in various senior leadership roles in higher education and in corporate America.
A student-focused servant-leader, President Williams has taken the first steps in setting into motion an aggressive agenda that will expand and strengthen HT’s academic programs, galvanize its faculty, invigorate active participation among alumni, broaden its external donor base and increase financial support, improve the physical plant, and embrace a broader commitment to shared governance.
Since taking the helm of Austin’s first institution of higher education and one of the most respected private historically black universities (HBCUs) in the nation, President Williams has become committed to developing leading-edge educational experiences that will enhance its current research and scholarship offerings, while significantly impacting the local community and preparing HT graduates to compete successfully in a global workplace.
President Williams is a co-founder of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.), which provides bold, engaging, and innovative learning and mentoring opportunities for current and aspiring leaders of HBCUs. To date, the H.E.L.F. has trained over 400 HBCU leaders across the country. She is also a founding board member and board president for Magnolia School of Excellence in Shreveport and is a national spokesperson for emotional intelligence (soft skills) development. She recently completed a stint as senior director of programming for the Clinton Presidential Center in New York.
As testament to her exemplary activism in many local, regional and national service programs and projects, President Williams received numerous commendations. Most notably, in 2020, she and then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright were among six distinguished persons recognized by former President William J. Clinton as an Everyday Hero from the Clinton Foundation. 2020 Everyday Hero: Presidential Leadership Scholar Dr. Melva Williams).
Heralded as “a futurist” by former President George W. Bush, she was invited by The Bush Institute to be a featured writer for the Summer 2020 edition of The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas from the Bush Institute on How Educators Can Prime First-Generation College Students for Success). https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/still-leaving-them-behind/williams-keys-to-success-for-first-generation-college-students.html.
In 2016, she was selected to participate in the Presidential Leadership Scholars program that develops national and global service projects. Through that program, she was able to study leadership with three former American Presidents (President George H. W. Bush, President William J. Clinton, and President George W. Bush). She is also the 2018 recipient of the ATHENA award, which is the highest honor in the state for professional merit, community service, and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills and in 2022 she received the Women Who Lead award from UNCF.
As a fiscal conservative, Dr. Williams has been highly successful in serving as a consultant in response to SASCOC core requirements relative to finance and enrollment sustainability. She also served as a national speaker and soft skills training for organizations all over the globe and trains higher education CPAs on best practices for enrollment, cost controls, and fiscal compliance. To date, Williams has been instrumental in amassing over $20 million in grants and gifts.
During her decades-long and prolific tenure at Southern University, she served in various positions including, executive associate to the chancellor, assistant vice chancellor and vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management (Shreveport campus), vice chancellor (New Orleans campus), and chief of staff for the System in Baton Rouge.
President Williams is also the former associate dean of the college at Centenary College of Louisiana and a student affairs administrator at Grambling State University. Also, she has held concurrent positions as professor, lecturer and board member at several other colleges and universities. Prior to that, she held a position in corporate America as a human resource professional.
The Shreveport, Louisiana native earned a doctorate in higher education from Jackson State University (Mississippi) and a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Grambling State University (Louisiana).
A Message from
Our Chairperson
Conference
Workshop Guide
2021 Keynote Speaker
Marilu Henner
Actress, Producer &
NY Times Bestselling Author
With the energy of a teenager, the wisdom of a sage, and the memory of a super hero, Marilu Henner has done it all! Starring in over fifty films, seven Broadway shows, and two hit classic sitcoms, “Taxi” and “Evening Shade,” this five-time Golden Globe Nominee is also a New York Times Best Selling author of ten books on health, memory, parenting, and lifestyle improvement. Her books, including recent bestseller Changing Normal: How I Helped My Husband Beat Cancer, as well as Total Memory Makeover, Total Health Makeover, 30 Day Total Health Makeover, Healthy Life Kitchen, I Refuse to Raise a Brat, and By All Means Keep On Moving, have changed the lives of millions in her quest to make the world a healthier place.
Marilu Henner, seen this past season on Broadway starring in Gettin’ the Band Back Together, is currently starring with Candace Cameron Bure in the Hallmark series “Aurora Teagarden”, which will have three new movies premiering in Fall 2019. She is also on “The Neighborhood” playing Max Greenfield’s opinionated mom! Marilu has hosted and executive produced two talk shows, “Marilu” and “Shape Up Your Life,” and as a two-time competitor on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” and “Celebrity Apprentice All-Stars,” Marilu played for her favorite charities, including The Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and the Alzheimer’s Association. In fact, at PCRM’s 25th Anniversary Gala, she was awarded their Voice of Compassion Award. Marilu also competed all the way to the semi-finals on “Dancing With the Stars” Season 23!
As one of only twelve people documented with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), Marilu was the subject of a two-part special on “60 Minutes” and on “60 Minutes Australia,” as well as in news programs and newspaper articles around the globe. She also served as the consultant on the CBS series “Unforgettable,” which ran for four seasons. Her ninth book, Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future! became an instant New York Times and Publishers Weekly Best Seller.
Marilu has spoken before Congress eight times on various subjects from dietary supplements to women’s cardiovascular disease to deadbeat parents to The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, and, most recently, taking the fight for more money for Alzheimer’s research to Capitol Hill. She was also one of only two private citizens selected to contribute to the shaping of our government’s food pyramid in 2004 and 2014. Marilu frequently lectures throughout the country as a keynote speaker and motivator for professional organizations, universities, government agencies, interest groups, and corporations on topics including memory, diet and fitness, women’s health issues, cardiovascular disease, cancer survival, and child rearing, as well as lifestyle, entertainment, and business organization strategies.
Marilu Henner is married to Michael Brown, CEO of Browntrout Publishers and is the proud mother of two sons, Nick and Joey.
