Audrey Cochran

Audrey

Cochran

Month: September 2025


Audrey Cochran is the VP of Television and Digital Research for Urban One, the country’s largest African-American owned and operated multi-media company. She is a skilled media scholar whose experience spans over 25 years researching and promoting the value of the African American consumer market for cable networks, including: Urban One, Black Entertainment Television (BET), UPTV, and ASPIRE TV. For most of her illustrious career, Audrey has been responsible for conducting research on the television landscape, particularly marketing and targeting diverse viewers.

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Rooftop Lunch Sponsored by 8it


Sponsored by

Month: September 2025


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

1:00PM – 2:30PM

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Chef

Mavis-Jay Sanders
Aaron Walton

CEO, Walton Isaacson

Moderator

Lunch by 8it | Join us on the rooftop for lunch by Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders, curated by NYC’s go-to app for food pop-ups, drops and trusted recos.

This Blackweek lunch is proudly sponsored by 8it. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Rooftop Lunch Sponsored by 8it


Sponsored by

Month: September 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

1:00PM – 2:30PM

Location

Rooftop

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Chef

Chris Martin

Chef, CMarty’s Jerk

Aaron Walton

CEO, Walton Isaacson

Moderator

Lunch by 8it | Join us on the rooftop for lunch by Cmarty’s Jerk, curated by NYC’s go-to app for food pop-ups, drops and trusted recos.

This Blackweek lunch is proudly sponsored by 8it. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Tracy Sturdivant

Tracy

Sturdivant

Month: September 2025


Tracy Sturdivant is a culture shaper, trend-spotter, and champion for change.

As the founder and CEO of The League, Tracy helps brands, creators, and communities connect the dots between culture, current trends, and social impact—translating big ideas into action. With a deep understanding of how culture shapes how we see, think and show up in the world, she has spent her career helping movements and brands create groundbreaking campaigns that shift narratives, drive civic engagement, and inspire people to take action.

Before launching The League in 2017, Tracy made her mark as a pioneering leader in social justice and innovation. As Executive Director of State Voices, she raised millions to empower grassroots organizers and mobilize voters across the country, pioneering a game-changing model that put cutting-edge data and technology in the hands of state and local changemakers.

A sought-after thought leader, Tracy has taken the stage at SXSW, Cannes Lions, Glassdoor’s Equal Pay Roundtable with Secretary Hillary Clinton, the Atlantic’s “Inclusion in Action” Summit, and more. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Fast Company, Refinery29, Elle Magazine, and Glamour, and she has been a guest on Sirius XM News, NPR, and Women’s Radio Network.

Recently. Tracy’s impact was recognized with four Anthem Awards in 2024, including a Silver Anthem Award for Best Influencer Collaboration in Human & Civil Rights, a testament to her leadership in leveraging culture and community to drive real impact.

When she’s not shaping the culture of change, Tracy is feeding her creative side by testing new recipes, discovering live music festivals, and sharing adventures with her son.

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Megan Garner

Megan

Garner

Month: September 2025


With over 15 years in the sports industry, Megan brings deep expertise in brand strategy and development, media relations, cross-functional content strategy, broadcast production, and retail management. As Senior Vice President of Ketchum Sports, she leads work across the Olympics, NFL, MLB, and international soccer, helping global brands deliver breakthrough marketing and communications strategies that connect with fans worldwide. Megan began her career with the Washington Nationals, advanced through roles with Special Olympics International, and later served as Senior Director of Marketing for the Washington Capitals before joining Ketchum.

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Shana Renee Stephenson

Shana Renee

Stephenson

Month: September 2025


As Chief Brand Officer, Shana Renee Stephenson oversees strategy and day to day management of branding, marketing, creative, game presentation, performance marketing, digital content, and brand innovation for the New York Liberty. With her visionary leadership, Shana shepherded the Liberty through a transformational era, culminating in the team’s first WNBA championship win in franchise history and New York City’s first professional basketball championship since 1973. Stephenson’s brand and marketing strategy has positioned the Liberty at the epicenter of New York City culture and made significant contributions to the current renaissance of women’s sports. She previously served as Vice President of Marketing with the Liberty for three seasons.

Shana joined the Liberty family in 2018 before they relocated to Barclays Center and played a key role in the team’s transition to Brooklyn. As a native New Yorker, she drew inspiration from her hometown as she led the team’s complete rebrand. Core to her responsibilities are engaging and maintaining strong connections with the Liberty’s existing fan base, as well as attracting and building relationships with new fans. Her work securing critical partnership and sponsorship deals, boosting game attendance, growing the Liberty fan base, and turning mascot Ellie the Elephant into an icon in her own right continues to elevate the Liberty’s presence as a leading team of the WNBA and professional sports.

Featured in Fast Company, Andscape, The Washington Post, Billboard, The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, and more, Shana’s vision and innovative leadership has been recognized across the sports industry. She was honored as Ad Age’s Leading Women 2024, took home Gold in the CLIO Sports Awards 2024 for Gameday/In-Game Experience for creating “Ellie the Elephant: A Cultural Icon”, and was named to Crain’s New York’s list of Notable 2023 Black Leaders. In October 2020, Shana was named to the Sports Innovation Lab Women’s Sports Leadership Board, the first of its kind, specifically dedicated to accelerating the growth and commercialization of women’s sports.

A former ESPN marketing professional with nearly twenty years of sports industry experience, Shana has a passion for storytelling – adding a unique perspective, relatable relevance and necessary perspective to the sports community. Her keen knowledge of sports inspired her All Sports Everything, a New York centric sports blog with a range of lifestyle, news and other sports-relevant content. She has also contributed to Bleacher Report, espnW, Essence, Madison Square Garden, MSNBC, and Refinery29, to name a few.

Shana currently resides in Harlem. She received her BA in Psychology from Spelman College, and her MS in Sports Business from New York University.

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Charity the Artist

Charity

The Artist

Month: September 2025


Charity’s music paints the kind of picture you’d see hanging on a loved one’s wall. Sacred, strong, and undeniably Black. Her sound carries the Folk roots of her first guitar lessons, the church organ of a preacher’s daughter, and the sharp pen of an English graduate shaped by Tennessee State University.

From Detroit—the city that gave the world Motown—she carries that legacy forward in her own way. In the past year, she’s packed houses, released a remix with Snoop Dogg, and found breakout success with her single Cruel. With her forthcoming album Warm and Soft, Charity continues to turn songs into sanctuaries, where R&B, Neo-Soul, Folk, and Gospel meet disarming vulnerability.

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Yvonne Bryant

Yvonne

Bryant

Month: September 2025


Yvonne Bryant is the Commercial Head of Hemoglobinopathies at Novo Nordisk, Inc. (NNI) with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Starting out in Clinical Research & Development, Yvonne progressed through commercial roles in Marketing and Market Development. She joined NNI in 2015 in Rare Disease where she launched new products and developed brand strategies for Hemophilia. Yvonne later joined the Obesity Business Unit and led Strategic Planning that helped lay the foundation for future Obesity market growth. She went on to become the Market Development and Partnership Lead, driving new and innovative approaches to Consumer Marketing that span across Diabetes, Obesity, & MASH. Yvonne also led the US insulin launch team.

Today she is responsible for leading the strategy and approach to successfully launch assets in Sickle Cell and Beta Thalassemia. This new Therapy Area plays an essential role as a future growth driver and supports diversification for Rare Disease and Novo Nordisk.

Yvonne is a graduate from Temple University with a B.A. in Sociology and is also a graduate of the University of Delaware, where she earned an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration. She has attained certifications from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals and the Drug Information Association.

Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, Yvonne worked in clinical research and development for 11 years at CSL Behring and Covance. She has been recognized as Marketer of the Year, and received awards such as NNI Visionary Award, SABRE Award, PRSA Anvil Award and was recognized as one of the top Forty under Forty by the Network Journal. Yvonne has served as co-lead for Black Employees in Novo Nordisk and Women in Novo Nordisk. She also led diversity & inclusion efforts at NNI inclusive of sharing best practices across the organization.

Yvonne serves on the board trustees for the Delaware County Christian School and is a member of Women of Color in Pharma, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She lives in Pennsylvania with her two children, Chloe and Joey.

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The Business of Belonging


Sponsored by

Month: September 2025


Details

Date

Tue, Oct 7

Time

9:15AM – 10:00AM

Stage

Impact stage

Address

Spring Studios
50 Varick St,
New York, NY 10013

Speakers & Moderators

Actor and Musician

Speaker

CEO, Brand Strategist

Moderator

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Bethann Hardison

Fashion Industry Icon

Actor and musician Anthony Ramos joins global marketing leader Arturo Núñez for a dynamic conversation on the intersection of culture and commerce. From the stage, screen, and music studio to the boardroom and global marketplace, they’ll explore how creativity shapes economies, how business amplifies artistry, and why belonging is the essential bridge between the two.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.


Stand Up for the Culture


Sponsored by

Month: September 2025


Details

Date

Wed, Oct 8

Time

5:00PM – 7:00PM

GUEST LIST IS CLOSED. RSVP & EXECUTIVE OR PREMIER TICKET REQUIRED.

RSVP & PREMIER TICKET REQUIRED.

To RSVP:
1) Download the Blackweek Conference app from the App store or Google Play store.
2) Tap the RSVP tile on the app home screen.
3) Tap on the event.
4) Tap the RSVP button at the top of the event page.

Speakers & Moderators

Founder & Creative Director, neuplot

Speaker

EVP, ECD – Razorfish (Publicis)

Speaker

Diversity Media Strategy & Investment, General Motors

Speaker

Mike Tresvant

TBD

Speaker

Bethann Hardison

Fashion Industry Icon

Havas and Blackweek are proud to present this exclusive comedy event hosted by the brilliantly hilarious Godfrey. Join us for an evening of laughs, light bites, and conversation you won’t want to miss.

This Blackweek discussion is proudly sponsored by Shipt. We’re grateful for their generous support and commitment to right-sizing industries to help create more opportunity for equity and ownership.