Published

June 19, 2020

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CBS This Morning’s Gayle King, AT&T’s Randall Stephenson, PWC’s Tim Ryan, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Joel Wittenberg Among Lineup for Historic Event

Registration for virtual event opens today

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Summit on Equality of Opportunity on June 25 will bring together some of the nation’s top leaders to listen, learn, and begin discussing solutions to some of the underlying challenges driving inequality of opportunity for Black Americans in four critical areas: education, employment, entrepreneurship, and the criminal justice system.

The Summit will kick off with opening remarks from U.S. Chamber CEO Thomas J. Donohue and will then turn to Gayle King, co-host of CBS This Morning, who will moderate the opening keynote conversation featuring AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson and U.S. Chamber President Suzanne P. Clark. Tim Ryan, U.S. Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC and founder of CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, will give keynote remarks on employment and entrepreneurship.

Other confirmed participants include:

  • Stephen Benjamin, Mayor, Columbia, SC, and former President, United States Conference of Mayors
  • Zawadi Bryant, CEO, NightLight Pediatric Urgent Care
  • Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, President, Howard University
  • Eddie Harrell, Jr., Urban One
  • Nela Richardson, Principal, Investment Strategies, Edward Jones
  • Margaret Spellings, President and CEO, Texas 2036, and former U.S. Secretary of Education
  • Joel Wittenberg, Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Chime Solutions

Additional speakers will be announced in the coming days. Information on how to register can be found here.

“Our Equality of Opportunity Initiative and National Summit have drawn the support of nearly 500 business and community leaders, which is a testament to how American businesses are committed to learning and leading with action,” said Suzanne P. Clark, President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This initiative will create a much-needed forum for the business community to understand the barriers preventing equality of opportunity and then be a catalyst for meaningful, measurable impact through public policy and private sector solutions.”

In addition to the leaders speaking at the event, nearly 500 organizations representing 47 states will be joining the summit. These state and local partners and industry associations have committed to hosting similar dialogues and taking action in their own communities and across their sectors to address equality of opportunity gaps. The National Black Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., the National Business League, Walker’s Legacy, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship, the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation and other national business organizations are among the initiative’s nationwide partners. The initiative is guided by a steering committee of business leaders from state and local chambers of commerce and trade associations.

Register for the National Summit here.

Learn more about the Equality of Opportunity Initiative.