Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1498279
B M & T ••• May/Junel 2023 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 8 industry forward with outstanding expertise to advance DEI excel- lence. "Over the past two years, we've raised more than $1 million in funding to launch and grow our industry-wide DEI efforts," said Elliott Ferguson, outgoing chairman of the board at Tourism Diversity Matters and president and CEO of Destination D.C. "I'm incredibly proud that TDM, with the support of our funders, shared its leading insights through 25 industry presentations and sup- ported 28 diverse emerging leaders across the U.S in 2022. We're well-positioned to meet the growing demand for apprenticeships, organizational assessments and DEI strate- gies as well as workforce development. It's been an amazing honor to serve as the inaugural board chair, and I have no doubt the organization will continue to thrive and innovate under Dr. Brandi's high-impact leadership. I'll continue to support TDM's efforts both as a board member and as a des- tination steward." Dr. Brandi Baldwin's career is filled with a deep commit- ment to diversity, equity and inclusion and workforce innova- tion. Dr. Brandi earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from Temple University and holds a Masters degree in Adult & Organizational Development. She is an organizational psychologist and future of work expert turned social entrepreneur of award-winning startup, Millennial Ventures. In her role as CEO, Dr. Brandi leads a team of scrappy entrepreneurs tackling the most relevant chal- lenges in the education and workforce innovation space: diver- sity and inclusion, motivating millennials to level-up their lead- ership and advocating for equity in all levels of business. "I'm thrilled to have an equity champion at the helm who is no stranger to the back-end of business. Dr. Brandi knows what it takes to develop highly customized and data-driven DEI strategies. She's seen first-hand the trouble organizations get into when they simply mimic their peers without under- standing the needs of their own organization," said Greg DeShields, executive director of Tourism Diversity Matters. "Dr. Brandi's work is all about purposeful action, which only bolsters TDM's commitment to empower organizations to evolve and achieve DEI excellence. Our Collective Impact Model is a commitment to developing more effective DEI strategies from different sectors for a common agenda to solve and address the gaps of ethnic disparities in the Tourism Industry." Dr. Brandi is a former Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Lecturer and was previously appointed to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's Millennial Advisory Commission. Other noteworthy accomplishments include being named one of Philadelphia's "Most Influential African Americans" and winning the Diversity and Inclusion Outstanding Ally honor from the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm incredibly passionate about the work we're doing at TDM. There is no single formula to DEI. It requires excep- tional expertise, organizational intelligence and data to imple- ment real change. You have to 'go through the go through' to get to the other side," said Dr. Brandi. "This is an exciting time to become Board Chair. The DEI industry is ripe for innova- tion and maturity, and we must keep the momentum going. The work we're doing not only ignites workplace unity, but also makes a positive impact on the destinations we serve." The TDM Board of Directors guides the organization's DEI initiatives and concepts that are rebuilding and re-ener- gizing the industry through empirical evidence and equitable access. The organization is pleased to welcome the following new board members: Adam Burke, President & CEO Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (Executive Committee) Kevin Richardson, Chairman, National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals (NCBMP) The new board members will join under the leadership of Dr. Brandi Baldwin, TDM's Board Chair and CEO of Millennial Ventures Holdings and Mike Gamble, TDM's Ex- Officio & CEO and President & CEO of SearchWide Global. The new board chair was elected at the February meeting of the Executive Committee of the TDM Board. Elliott Ferguson will move to Past Chair and Brian Stevens to Chair- Elect. Additionally, TDM shared its 2022 Year in Review. "Over the last year, our team has had the opportunity to grow and engage with organizations wherever they are on their DEI journey, to clarify direction and influence organiza- tional change," added DeShields. "As we work to re-build and re-energize the industry, we are excited to share our work and accomplishments over the last year." Brandi M. Baldwin, PhD