About Us

LENORA BILLINGS-HARRIS

President & Founder

Lenora Billings-Harris is an internationally recognized leadership strategist and keynote speaker whose work centers on fostering understanding, respect, and courageous dialogue. For more than three decades, she has helped organizations and individuals develop the skills needed to turn conflict into collaboration and conversation into connection.

Lenora has inspired audiences in over fifty-three countries on six continents. She co-authored TRAILBLAZERS: How Top Business Leaders Are Accelerating Results Through Inclusion and Diversity and authored The Diversity Advantage: A Guide to Making Diversity Work, 3rd Edition.

Her background includes management roles with two Fortune 100 companies and the Graduate School of Business at the University of Michigan. She has led and served on numerous nonprofit boards, including as past president of Win-Win Resolutions and as a founding charter member of the Maricopa County Black Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix.

Lenora has been recognized as one of the 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by the Society for Human Resource Management and one of the Top 20 Most Influential Diversity Leaders in the U.S. by Diversity Woman magazine. Her award-winning research on leadership and inclusion has been published globally, and she currently serves as a university trustee in Virginia, and on the advisory committee of the Nido Qubein School of Communication at High Point University.

A past president of both the National Speakers Association and the Global Speakers Federation, Lenora is a trailblazer in the speaking profession. She is the first African American woman inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame, recipient of the Cavett Award, and the 2024 International Ambassador Award from the Global Speakers Federation. In 2022, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Averett University for her groundbreaking contributions to leadership, diversity and communication.

Today, Lenora’s primary focus is the Critical Voices Initiative, a nonprofit organization she founded to help people engage in honest, effective, and sometimes uncomfortable conversations that lead to stronger relationships, wiser decisions, and more peaceful communities.

She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina—where her two cats graciously allow her to share their home.

VALDA FORD

Vice President

Valda Ford, MPH, MS, RN

Valda Ford is an internationally recognized expert on women’s sexual and reproductive health, maternal and infant mortality reduction, and health equity. A native of High Point, North Carolina, she has spent more than 25 years speaking, teaching, and leading initiatives that have saved lives across six continents.

Her areas of expertise include:

• Women’s sexual and reproductive health
• Reducing infant and maternal mortality
• Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion with a focus on health equity
• Coaching leaders to strengthen communication and speaking skills

Valda has delivered keynotes and workshops for organizations such as the American Heart Association, Healthy Start, and the United Way. She is equally adept at engaging large international audiences as she is guiding small groups of executives in tackling sensitive issues.

Her leadership has taken her into refugee camps in Ghana, where she developed sustainable health programs; into villages in Sierra Leone, where she partnered with tribal chiefs; and into Afghanistan, where she supported the recruitment and training of teachers. Valda’s deep commitment to cultural competency and her skill as a mediator allow her to build bridges across divides and create lasting change.

In addition to maintaining her license as a registered nurse, Valda is an accomplished entrepreneur, having launched four successful businesses in the United States and the Caribbean. She continues to be a sought-after voice on diversity and inclusion in health care and beyond.

Valda holds graduate degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Creighton University, as well as an undergraduate degree from Winston-Salem State University. She has been a proud member of the National Speakers Association for over 20 years, serving on its Board of Directors and as president of NSA Carolinas. She also chaired the Education Committee for the Black National Speakers Association, which honored her with the prestigious Thelma G. Wells Trailblazer Award.

Her contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including being named one of the Triad Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business (2016) and receiving Unite for Sight’s Volunteer of the Year (2005) and Philanthropist of the Year (2006) awards. She has earned additional national and international recognition for her work with vulnerable populations, underscoring her lifelong commitment to saving lives and advancing equity around the world.

SUSAN DANIELSEN

Secretary

Susan Danielsen has a global career history of more than 30 years that includes exceptional experience in the law enforcement, security, and media relations fields. She is a retired U.S. Army military police officer who served nearly half of her twenty-four-year career as a paratrooper at Fort Bragg, NC. She held leadership positions of increased responsibility culminating as the Chief of Law Enforcement at The Home of the Army’s Airborne and Special Operations Forces. Her military career also included three assignments as a Public Information Officer, including one in Desert Shield/Storm.Upon retirement, she was a deputy program manager for three consecutive security contracts: Doha, Qatar; Ft. Meade, MD; and, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Most recently, Susan served for nearly seven years as the first Public Information Officer for the Greensboro (NC) Police Department. She is currently enjoying retirement by going to culinary school; and, volunteering with organizations she is passionate about. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Journalism from Rutgers University, and a M.A. in Industrial Education from Central Michigan University. Susan has one daughter ---also a Soldier.

MITCH MARGO

At Large

A former reporter for The Detroit News and Los Angeles Herald Examiner and a syndicated columnist for fourteen years, Mitch Margo is a native New Yorker and St. Louis trial lawyer. He’s witnessed the clash of cultures that are woven into his first novel, Black Hearts White Minds. Much of the story is drawn from his personal experiences, interviews, and hundreds of hours of research. He credits his eclectic law practice for a new storyline every few days.

One of Mitch’s defining moments came when a Herald Examiner editor assigned him to drive to San Fernando Valley so the paper could be the first to report a brushfire, should one start. Aware that San Fernando Valley spans 260 square miles, he interpreted the request as one to start a brushfire, so he drove to the Lakers game instead and applied to law school the next morning.

As general counsel to the Missouri Valley Conference, and a former youth coach, Mitch has an insider’s view of basketball that enables him to write about it authentically. He’s also a member of the Washington University Sports Hall of Fame, at one time holding the school record in just about every baseball statistic. He’s proud of his days as a student/athlete but hasn’t lost sight of the fact that you can’t get too much farther from Cooperstown and still be in a hall of fame.

ERIC W. FULBRIGHT II, PHR, NDCCDP

At Large

Eric W. Fulbright II, PHR, NDCCDP, is a visionary human resources and cultural transformation expert dedicated to fostering high-trust, inclusive team cultures. Most recently, as the Senior Director of HR People Strategy & Culture at Best Buy Co. Inc., Eric led enterprise-wide initiatives that fostered a culture prioritizing inclusive leadership skills that promote a sense of belonging. His leadership was instrumental in driving record employee retention and establishing "vulnerability, empathy, courage, and grace" as pillars of inclusive behavior.

Eric’s commitment to humanity extends deeply into his community service. He is one of the founding directors of Heal Elgin, an annual clinic that has provided thousands of residents with free dental, medical, social, and vision services. For over twenty years, he has served as an ordained church Elder and youth ministry leader, in addition to coaching youth sports. Recognized as a thought leader in anti-racism and psychological safety, Eric champions the belief that true inclusion requires deep intentionality and authentic, human-centric connection.

Residing in Elgin, Illinois, Eric is a devoted husband and father of five who loves to cook for his family—a skill they deeply appreciate. He is also an avid photographer, viewing the art form as a vital means of adding depth and perspective to complex narratives. Whether in the boardroom or the community, Eric continues to lead with expertise, engage with empathy, and deliver results that matter.

Gerald L. Walden, Jr., Esq., MBA

At Large

Gerald L. Walden, Jr. is Group Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of The Fresh Market, Inc., a specialty grocery retailer with stores across half of the continental United States. He works closely with executive leadership and the board of directors on governance, strategy, enterprise risk, and major business initiatives—and he’s known for people-centered leadership that strengthens accountability while helping teams do their best work.

From 2020–2023, Gerald also served as The Fresh Market’s first Head of Diversity, leading practical, enterprise-wide work to strengthen belonging and inclusion across a multi-regional workforce. That work was recognized with the Greensboro (North Carolina) Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Change Agent Award. He brings the same commitment to equity and inclusion to his civic leadership and mentorship: he serves on the Boards of Visitors for NC A&T State University (NC A&T) and North Carolina Central University School of Law (NCCU Law), and on the Elon University School of Law Advisory Board; he is Vice President of the National Employment Law Council (NELC), supporting the advancement of management-side employment attorneys of color; and he serves on the board of the Cone Health Foundation, which works to eliminate health inequities in largely minority communities in the greater Greensboro area.

Gerald earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from NC A&T, a J.D. from NCCU Law, and an M.B.A. from Elon University. He’s a past President of the Greensboro Bar Association and the Guilford County Association of Black Lawyers, and his work has been recognized by the North Carolina Bar Association (Citizen Lawyer Award), North Carolina Lawyers Weekly (Leader in the Law), the Triad Business Journal (Leader in Diversity), and the NELC (Rafael Medina General Counsel Award).

Gerald lives in Burlington, North Carolina with his wife and their two children.

Michael Mahoney

At Large

Mike Mahoney has lived in Greensboro and been with Northwestern Mutual since 2007. He is currently the owner of a financial planning firm called Hudson Financial Services. Their firm is passionate about helping clients navigate the complexities of retirement distribution planning. Mike holds designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP).

Mike has also spent considerable time serving the community of Greensboro as a board/committee member of several organizations, including United Way, Action Greensboro, and the Miriam Brenner Children’s Museum.

Mike graduated from Elon University and lives in Greensboro, NC, with his wife Amy and two children, Evelyn & Finn. In his free time, Mike enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time as a family.

PETER (PECE) GORGIEVSKI

Trustee

Peter is a humankind enthusiast devoted to humanitarian progress. He is a global citizen. Peter's greatest passion and focus is creating a culture of peace throughout the world. He is co-founder of GDF, Global Shipment and Unity in Diversity.