Speakers

Johari Mitchell

Reflective. Strategic. Engaging

Johari “J.P.” Mitchell is a writer, educator and creator. She is a wife, mom, proud daughter and community member who brings all these identities to bear on her art. Her mission is to help others link vision to opportunity through the power of words. This desire shows up in her life as an author of children’s works, poetry, songs and education solutions.  In her various work, Johari’s specialties are elevating marginalized voices while championing liberatory instruction, healthy school climates, creativity and educator wellness. She has worked for 21 years in Columbus City Schools, where her experience spans elementary and middle school teaching, instructional coaching, literacy intervention, family engagement, and curriculum.  She has  also recently made her long-standing work as a community writing coach official through Words in the World, her tool for building skill and confidence in voices the world needs to hear.

Racquel Armstrong

Courageous. Loving. Real.

Racquel Armstrong is a native of Cleveland, OH and is a Ph.D. candidate at The Ohio State University in Multi-cultural & Equity Studies. Her research sits at the intersection of race, gender, class and school leadership and focuses on the role of self-care in educational leadership practice and on disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and racialized violence in schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wellesley College in Urban Studies-Economics, a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Business Administration from the Fisher College of Business. Beyond her scholarly work, Racquel serves as an Assistant Principal in Bexley City Schools and uses original poetry as a medium to spark dialogue around social justice issues. In her spare time, Racquel enjoys laughing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Todd Corley

Creative. Curious. Candid.

Todd Corley is the Senior Vice President, Inclusion, Sustainability & Community at Carhartt, a global premium workwear brand. In this role, he is responsible for strengthening Carhartt’s commitment to environmental and social issues.

Corley has deep experience leading transformational change focused on promoting equity and belonging. He is credited with mitigating the reputational and financial losses following a landmark $50M EEOC discrimination case (Abercrombie v. Gonzalez). His lived experience is the subject of the Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Citing his expertise in design thinking and change management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) appointed him to their newly established USDA Equity Commission. Todd is also a recipient of the Claes Nobel World Betterment Award, presented by the family that established the Nobel Prize.

Autumn Francisco

Multifaceted. Determined. Resilient.

Autumn Francisco is a Columbus native with a passion for mental health, women's health, and social justice. She earned a BA in Journalism and a Master of Social Work from the University of Cincinnati. Her interests surround destigmatizing the Black family as well as reproductive justice. In the future, she plans to open a private practice to serve Black communities with an emphasis on perinatal mental health. She is the Co-Founder of Mother's Day L.O.V.E. an initiative created to support mother's experiencing loss to gun violence. She is also the Co-Founder of Change the Cycle, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending period poverty, and the inequalities women face relating to their menstrual cycle. Through her passions, she is always looking for ways to better serve her community in ways that broaden traditional and Eurocentric service. In her free time she likes to read, try new restaurants, and rest.

Edwin Lee

Passionate. Teacher. Mentor.

Edwin W. Lee II, PhD is the son of parents who are both former soldiers and teachers. He is the brother of a talented chef, a godfather to three beautiful children, and a friend to many. Edwin is a higher education administrator who serves as the Assistant Director for Student Academic Success in the Office of Diversity, Outreach & Inclusion in the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU). His work focuses on empowering historically underserved engineering students with learning instruction, problem solving skills and career engagement opportunities that enhance their educational experience by improving their self-efficacy and sense of belonging. He completed his undergraduate work at Louisiana State University and masters and PhD work in electrical engineering at OSU. He is also the co-host of the podcast "Black Men Unlearning," a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the National Society of Black Engineers.

Stephanie Starks

Advocate. Healer. Servant-Leader.

Stephanie K. Starks, LISW-S is an independently licensed therapist and owner of Starks Counseling and Consultation Services, LLC, where her area of specialty is trauma.  Ms. Starks has built her career counseling and advocating for children, families, couples, and groups in the greater Columbus community for close to 20 years. She facilitates workshops and trainings for schools, churches, companies and non-profit agencies on the topics of: mental health; trauma; grief; resiliency; and more. She facilitates a monthly support group called, Mothers in Healing, for mothers who have lost children to gun violence. Ms. Starks is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned her Master of Social Work. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, Ohio Chapter, where she holds the office of Region 5 Director for the Central Ohio area.