Jennie Baird was instrumental in the launch of smartmoney.com and went on to co-found the cult baby naming website, babynamewizard, held digital-editorial leadership roles at Entertainment Weekly, iVillage (RIP), and Aol, where she and I met. Fast forward, she was global head of product at NewsCorp and is now the Chief Product Officer for BBC Studios. Jennie also serves as board chair of the Ethical Tech Project, a nonprofit think and do tank and, outside of work, she’s certified in mental health first aid and volunteers as a suicide bereavement support facilitator.

Ken Gibbs Jr. has held leadership roles at EBONY Media, Money20/20, Spotify (their first Global Head of Social Media Marketing), Amazon Prime Video (Head of Social for the Action/Thriller vertical) and BET Networks (their first Vice President of Digital Video & Social Media Marketing Strategy) throughout his 25 year career. 

Gibbs, Jr began his digital career as part of the original staff of Henry Louis Gates’ Africana.com and remained when it merged with AOL to become what was  known as the new Aol BlackVoices.com.  Over the next two decades Gibbs Jr would play a crucial role in building the digital foundation for brands like  Urban One, Essence Magazine and more.  Today he offers insights to consumer and personal brands on website and social media platform conversion strategies through his consultancy Diasdi LLC. 

Khori Petinaud is a performer, dancer, choreographer, educator, wife and mother who has been in Broadway shows including Lempicka, Aladdin, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and her Broadway principal debut in the company of Bob Fosse's Dancin, where she landed a Chita Rivera award nomination for Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, and won the award for Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show. She also has TV credits that include Up Here, Rent Live, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Vinyl, and The Knick.

Nicole Taylor is a James Beard Award-nominated food writer, home cook, producer and author of Watermelon and Red Birds, a cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations, which is the first cookbook from a major publisher to celebrate the holiday.

In addition to her previous cookbooks, the Up South Cookbook and the Last OG Cookbook, Nicole has written for Rezzy, Food Print, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, and Food and Wine. She has been featured in the LA Times, The Today Show, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Washington Post, NPR, and on BET. A

In 2017, Brooklyn Magazine named Taylor to its list of 100 influential people in Brooklyn culture.

Piotr Orlov has been a music storyteller and musicker for over three decades. His writing has appeared in New York Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and the Village Voice. He was director of special projects at AFROPUNK, senior editor at NPR Music, and editorial director at MTV.

Piotr helped produce the Red Bull Music Academy in New York. He is an adjunct teacher of writing and history at NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music and at Columbia University School of the Arts.

Piotr is also the founder of Dada Strain, a platform grounded in rhythm, improvisation, and community. If you're in the New York City area and want to get weekly independent jazz, electronic and house music event listings and musician profiles, you really should become a (paid!) subscriber.

headshot photo by Kate Glicksberg

Arts facilitator and activist masquerading as a forest ranger.

Artist manager: Adi Oasis (@adioasis)
Co-producer @futuresoundofnature festival
Anti-racist @antiracist.catskills
AirBnb host @catskillinit

Former Partner at Girlie Action 

IG: @vickiestarr