Conference Team


  • Project Manager

    (she/her/hers) is a newcomer to the realm of advocacy, navigating her way through project management with passion and purpose. Inspired by her own experiences and personal connections she is driven by a newfound determination focusing on learning, growth, and empowerment. With a fresh perspective and a heart for change, she eagerly embraces the challenges ahead. 


  • Website & Graphics Support

    Calvin Miller has 25 years of design and development experience in agency, commerce, non-profit, and publication areas of marketing.  Developed brands, graphics, social media, and websites for clients nationally and internationally in tourism, politics, consulting, and niche markets. Managed and directed small and large teams of creators to include copywriters, photographers, videographers, and graphic designers, to produce qualitative work within precise deadline windows in high-performance atmospheres.


  • Logistics and Operation Manager

    Solāris (they/them) is a Black, queer, and non-binary liberation seeker, freedom dreamer, and advocate for spaciousness and ease. Their work is deeply rooted in interdependence and care as Black Feminist practices for collective liberation and community building. They use storytelling to explore questions about belonging, and relationships to place and space. Solāris has a masters in Education for UC, Riverside and a masters in Black Studies from UC, Los Angeles.  They will be serving as the Logistics and Operation Manager for the conference. 


  • Social Media

    Cessi Sparrow is a creative consultant with experience in communications, social media management, and streamlining end-user operations for global corporations, national non-profits, and other local community organizations. Her work is primarily focused on: Black liberation, voting rights, queer rights, disability justice, reproductive justice, and education.


  • Owner & Founder

    Vilissa Thompson, LMSW is the Founder & CEO of Ramp Your Voice!, an organization focused on promoting self-advocacy and strengthening empowerment among disabled people. Being a Disability Rights Consultant, Writer, & Activist affords Vilissa the opportunity to be a prominent leader and expert in addressing and educating the public and political figures about the plight of disabled people, especially disabled Black women and femmes.

    In addition to her activism work, she is represented as a speaker by CCMNT Speakers. She is represented as a public figure by publicist Valese Jones at Sincerely Nicole.

    She also acted as a consultant for the Sen. Elizabeth Warren 2020 Presidential campaign, where she assisted in the development of the Disability Rights & Equality policy plan.

    She created the #DisabilityTooWhite viral hashtag in 2016 that addressed the lack of diversity within the disability community, and how a lack of representation impacts disabled people of color and their ability to feel fully included and accepted within the community. Demanding that diverse disabled experiences be seen within the media and the collective community is a mission for Vilissa’s activism focus, and she aims to make this a permanent reality.

    Everything she does revolves around being unapologetically herself - Black, disabled, and making good trouble to shake up the status quo.


  • Publicist

    Valese Jones, also known as The Neighborhood Publicist, the woman behind Sincerely Nicole Media, is from Birmingham, AL. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama and holds a degree in Broadcast Journalism and Masters in Marketing and Management from Adelphi University. She now resides in Dallas, TX, where she was able to hone her talent and skills.

    In 2023, Valese was voted Publicist of The Year at the Cosign Awards and her company, Sincerely Nicole Media, was awarded Best Public Relations Firm at the Best In Black Dallas Awards gala hosted by The Dallas Weekly. These accolades recognize her exceptional work and dedication in the field of public relations.

    Valese noticed a lack in Marketing and Public Relations education for small business owners and brands, which led her to start Sincerely Nicole Media. Her company offers comprehensive services in media, branding, and event management. Valese's current clients have praised her for being easy to work with and for her ability to anticipate their needs. She always prioritizes her clients and provides them with the best branding and business advice.

    If you are in need of a dedicated publicist who works with love and pure intentions, Valese is the perfect choice. She and the Sincerely Nicole Media team are ready to assist anyone who is ready to take their business to the next level. Valese believes that your success is her success, and she strives for nothing less than excellence.


  • Videography

    Jeremy Harriot is a technology advocate with the aim of empowering individuals through training in the use of digital media and technological innovation.