So Who Do You Think You Are?
Special message from: Keisha Grant, News Anchor NBC Connecticut
Keisha Grant is an anchor for NBC Connecticut. She can be seen weeknights at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. alongside co-anchor Mike Hydeck, and at 6 p.m. alongside co-anchor Gerry Brooks.
Keisha is an Emmy Award winner who has covered a wide range of breaking news stories from coast to coast, including some of Connecticut’s most memorable headlines of the last decade.
She has been honored by the NAACP for her commitment to community involvement. She has also been honored with awards from several other organizations including The Ohio Valley Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, The Society of Professional Journalists and MADD.
Most recently she was the recipient of the Community Award, an honor bestowed upon her by the Consul General of Barbados in New York, recognizing her contribution to the field of journalism while proudly representing her Bajan heritage.
Keisha loves hiking, traveling, mentoring youth and enjoying everything that nature has to offer.
She says her parents are her role models and credits her mother’s strength and her father’s West Indian culture to her strong values and work ethic.
Keisha lives in the Farmington Valley with her husband, daughter and son.
Follow Keisha on Twitter and Facebook, or send her an email.
So Who Does Society Say You Are?
Presenter: Tara Spain, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Travelers Foundation & Second Vice President of Community Relations at Travelers
Tara N. Spain is vice president and chief operating officer of the Travelers Foundation and second vice president of community relations at Travelers. Ms. Spain manages strategy, operations and analytics for the company’s philanthropic arm, as well as key national partnerships throughout the United States. In this role, Ms. Spain was instrumental in launching a national small business initiative for women and minority-owned businesses and a college access initiative for underrepresented students. Prior to her role in community relations, she was a marketing project manager and account manager with Citigroup for five product lines. Ms. Spain has served on several non-profit boards and is past chair of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford and past second vice president of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the Links, Inc. Ms. Spain is currently serving on the boards of TheaterWorks, ReSet (Social Enterprise Trust) and The University of Hartford’s School of Education, Nursing and Health Professionals. She is also an advisor for the Pell Institute, a research and public policy think tank in Washington, DC. Ms. Spain has been recognized with several honors including Business Mentor of the Year by INROADS, Forty Under 40 by Hartford Business Journal, Volunteer of the Year by the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Outstanding Community Service award by Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and the Recent Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Connecticut. Ms. Spain holds a B.S. in Marketing from Virginia State University, a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, and a Certificate in Community Involvement Leadership from the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.
(waiting for her photo)
So who do you think are? Mirror, Mirror- How can I lead with passion and purpose?
Presenter: Karen Hinds, Author and the Founder and CEO of Workplace Success Group
Karen Hinds is an author and the Founder and CEO of Workplace Success Group, a boutique strategic talent development firm that works with organizations to cultivate and retain the next generation of leaders.
Her business books include: Get Along, Get Ahead: 101 Courtesies for the New Workplace( Updated version due out March 2018); Networking for a Better Position & More Profit; and A Young Adult’s Guide to the Global Workplace. Her company has worked with clients such as Webster Bank, AmeriHealth Caritas, Turner Construction, UTC, Travelers and Mountainside, to name a few.
Karen is a frequent guest on Radio, TV and Podcasts. She is a former board member of the Connecticut chapter of The World Affairs Council and current Vice President for The Community Foundation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Originally from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Karen hosted a global women’s leadership conference in St. Vincent for three years. It was an opportunity to share her expertise with women from around the world and at the same time showcase the beauty and culture of her island. Karen lives in Connecticut with her husband and teenage son.
Website: www.workplacesuccess.com
Twitter/Instagram and Facebook: KarenHindsWSG
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karenshinds
So Who’s on Your Team? Building Positive Relationships & Removing Toxic People
Presenter: Althea Bates, CEO and Founder of A. Bates Consulting
Althea Bates has worked in social services and workforce development for over 16 years. She is a Jamaican native, an entrepreneur, a professor/lecturer, a nonprofit leader and a champion for women empowerment issues. She received a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Temple University, Masters of Science from Springfield College in Human Services with a concentration in Organizational Management and Leadership and is currently a Doctoral Candidate at Capella University.
Althea, is the CEO and Founder of A. Bates Consulting which provides a range of training -related consulting services to nonprofits/municipalities relative to topics and areas in youth development, case management, workforce development and human services practices. She currently holds the role of Director of Programs and Workforce Development at Billings Forge Community Works by profession.
In August of 2016, Althea launched and founded The Project Resiliency Movement and The #ResiliencyConference2016 which started with a vision by the founder to support women in embracing the fact that they don't always have to be strong. Mrs. Bates believes that “we can as women of color uplift each other because supporting my sister in her time of need provides healing and resiliency to both of us.” Project Resiliency is a social movement that seeks to encourage and empower women of color in areas of self-care and resiliency related to mental, physical and emotional health while providing connectivity and supports to other women of color through resiliency circles, conferences, workshops and seminars.
Ms. Bates is active in various civic, leadership and professional organizations including: Leadership Greater Hartford, REDF Social Enterprise Leadership Accelerator Program, National Association of Workforce Development Professionals, National Association for Professional Women and National Organization for Human Services. Outside of her professional interests, she travels widely, reads, writes, and enjoys living in Hartford, CT with her Husband, son Zyaan and daughter Sakinah.
So Where Are You Going? Visualizing Your Success – Mapping your Goals
Presenter: Shaquayah McKenzie, Millennium Educator and Social Entrepreneur
Shaquayah McKenzie is a millennial educator and social entrepreneur that upholds the expectation that one must be the change they look to see with great integrity.
Born and raised in Hartford, CT, Shaquayah cultivated strong ethics at a very young age. Indefinitely influenced by her Jamaican heritage and watching her family strive for educational and economic stability, her understanding of setting high expectations and overcoming obstacles with fortitude allowed her to mature very quickly. She found a natural grace in leadership through fine arts and community involvement. Throughout her youth, she participated in various performing arts organizations, scholarship pageants and apprenticeship programs. These experiences nurtured her passion for leadership, character development and community involvement and engagement.
Throughout Shaquayah's matriculation at Morgan State University, she excelled in academia, joining an honor society and maintained a spot on the Dean’s list, all while consistently working 3 jobs. Concurrently, she established a unique precedent for student leadership. She held several roles on campus including Student Government President, National Pan-Hellenic Council President and President of the Alpha Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Her stellar leadership even won her the honor of being the first “Leader of the Year” in the University’s history under the Office of Student Activities. Additionally, she was nominated for the 2014 White House HBCU All Stars Competition. When she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in English & Philosophy in May 2014, she was awarded the President’s Second Mile Award for her dedication to student life. The day after graduation, she participated in a 10-day Campus Allies AIPAC trip to Israel with 39 other national high-achieving college students and graduates, and established relationships with some of the country’s top leaders. To date, she continuously strives to make global bonds that can advance education reform and social justice.
Currently, Shaquayah served a 2-year commitment with Teach for America Baltimore and is currently the 8th grade Team Lead and English teacher at the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. She graduates in May 2018 with a Master's degree in Secondary Education studies from Johns Hopkins University, and continues to show her multifaceted abilities as an educator, social entrepreneur and advocate.