Featured Speakers/Performers

SALEEMAH ABDUL-GHAFUR (Event Emcee) 

Saleemah is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in global policy, advocacy, and communications. She was most recently the Director and Chief of Staff in the Office of the Chief Communications Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  She also recently served as the founding director of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA – one of our key advocacy partners), which comprises every sitting African head of state and government. ALMA developed a diplomatic apparatus based on accountability to generate African-owned and African-led ways to accelerate malaria elimination and improve health outcomes for women and children. In this role, Saleemah functioned as a combined chief of staff and chief communications officer. Additionally, Saleemah played a key role as director for the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria. 

Saleemah has also been advising African heads of state on the End Malaria Council (EMC) which is co-chaired by Bill and Ray Chambers. This includes briefing leaders on key trends and new data and policy related to the global malaria burden and presenting strategic opportunities to expand access to lifesaving commodities.
​
Previously, Saleemah was an associate director of Corporate Volunteerism at Hands on Atlanta and has served as a consultant to non-profits and governmental organizations on projects focused on alleviating poverty through interfaith dialogue and action programs.  
Saleemah is also a community leader with a strong commitment to and passion for civic engagement through activism, volunteerism, and advocating for gender equality in Muslim communities in the U.S. and abroad. In her free time, Saleemah is a writer and speaker who chairs a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to boost civic engagement in the American Muslim Community. 

BECKY BLALOCK

Becky Blalock is the Managing Partner at Advisory Capital, a strategic consulting firm that provides insight and expertise to companies involved in the energy, information technology and medical industries.

As former Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Southern Company, Blalock spent nearly a decade directing IT strategy and operations for the 3rd largest utility company in the world. Under her leadership, Southern Company was recognized as one of the 100 Most Innovative Companies by CIO magazine and one of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT by Computerworld magazine. In addition to her work in information technology, Blalock spent over two decades serving Southern Company in leadership positions including accounting, corporate communications, customer service, economic development, external affairs, finance and marketing. 

A sought-­‐after speaker, Blalock has long been recognized as a thought leader in the IT and utility industries. Computerworld magazine identified her as a Premier IT Leader and she was named CIO of the Year by Energy Biz magazine, Georgia CIO Leadership Association and Computers for Youth organization. She has been named one of Atlanta Business Chronicle's 100 Most Influential Atlantans and is listed among Who's Who in Science and Engineering. Blalock has testified before the DOE and FCC on behalf of the utility industry regarding matters related to information technology, cyber security and telecommunications.

DEBRA HOURY

Debra Elaine Houry is an American physician. She served as the Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until she resigned in protest at the firing of Susan Monarez. 

She previously served as acting principal deputy director and former Director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She was also a tenured faculty at Emory University before moving to CDC.

NATOSHA REID RICE

Natosha is VP, Global Housing Opportunities and Mission Engagement Officer for Habitat for Humanity International. 

In her previous role as Associate General Counsel, Natosha initiated and managed financing programs and strategies to generate sources of capital to enable Habitat affiliates to build affordable housing with families throughout the U.S. In addition to her work at Habitat, Natosha served as an Associate Pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA for 11 years before joining All Saints’ Episcopal Church as Minister for Public Life.  
 
Prior to joining Habitat, she practiced law in the commercial real estate practices of Alston & Bird LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia and at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison in New York City.  
 
Natosha is passionate about providing a voice to the voiceless and opportunities to communities that have been historically disadvantaged and serves on the boards of the global Harvard Alumni Association’s Awards Committee, the Harvard Alumni Association Executive Committee, Goodwill of North Georgia, the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, The Redress Movement and Westminster Schools. She has also been actively involved in efforts to pass legislation and policies to protect victims of human sex trafficking in Georgia, such as the passage of the Safe Harbor/Rachel’s Law in 2015.   
 
Additionally, she is a highly regarded keynote speaker and workshop facilitator and delivered her talk  “If We Are More Alike Than Unalike, Then…” for TEDx Centennial Park Women.
 
Natosha received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Government with honors from Harvard/Radcliffe College. Natosha is married to Corey Rice and they are the proud parents of Kayla, Malachi and Caleb.  

DR. BEVERLY DANIEL TATUM

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College and recent interim president of Mount Holyoke College, is the author of the best-selling book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race, now in its 20th anniversary edition.

A thought-leader in higher education, she was the 2013 recipient of the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award and the 2014 recipient of the American Psychological Association Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology. Dr. Tatum holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, a M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from University of Michigan, and a M.A. in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary.