Continuing the Conversation with GYP Presented by Westbridge Solutions

Event Details

Ready to take your DE&I efforts to the next level? Starting to feel burnt out in your Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strides? Join us at this event hosted by GYP, where you'll be inspired by a panel of trailblazers and equipped with actionable take-aways and helpful resources.

The panel will be moderated by a DEI professional who will guide us through practical advice on Self-Advocacy and Community Building to achieve real equity and belonging. Bring your questions and leave with the tools you need to make a difference.

This event continues the conversation started at the Gwinnett Chamber’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Summit, inviting young professionals to share their voice about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

When: Tuesday, October 17th, 5:30-7:30pm

Where: The Curosity Lab (147 Technology Parkway, Suite 100, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092)

Who's invited? All young professionals between the ages of 21-35 who either live, work, or play in Gwinnett County are invited to attend.

Will food and beverage be provided? Yes, drinks and heavy appetizers will be provided.

Meet the Moderator

Aisha I. DeBerry, J.D.

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Aisha received her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Political Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She started a career in admissions at her alma mater that eventually led her to Atlanta to continue her work at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia (PCOM Georgia) focusing on diversity in the areas of enrollment and retention while owning two “dollar” stores in the greater Atlanta area.

Aisha later received her Juris Doctorate from Lincoln Memorial University where she served as President and Sub-Region Director of the Black Law Student Association, as well as other leadership positions in organizations such as the Women’s Law Society, Immigration Law Society and OUTLaw, an organization to support the LGBTQIA+ community. Upon returning to Atlanta, she worked in the area of Title IX and Compliance addressing issues around sexual misconduct and gender-based discrimination. She built on that work by returning to PCOM Georgia to become the inaugural Executive Director of Diversity, where she created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy, developed identity programming and committees and established community partners to support the DEI formed mission and vision. She is currently the DEI Manager for Gas South continuing the work.

Aisha serves on advisory boards and Diversity Councils both locally and nationally. She is the creator of aishadeberry.com – a safe space where she holds live sessions and masterclasses in the areas of DEI – specifically “inclusive leadership”.

Meet the Panelists

Janet E. Sevilla

For over fifteen years, Janet E. Sevilla has served as a sports philanthropy advocate and corporate social responsibility professional. Powered by a passion for equity and fair access to resources, Janet has worked with multinational corporations, major league sports franchises, politicians, and professional athletes to design and implement successful, socially responsible initiatives that drive change in vulnerable communities.

Janet serves as a Board Member of (Women In Sports & Events) WISE Atlanta chapter and a member of Hermanas Unidas - UCSB Chapter, HYPE, and EME de Mujer women’s division with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She is a 2019 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia honoree. Most recently, Janet served as the Vice President of Community Impact with the only women’s professional sports team in the Atlanta market, the WNBA’s (Women’s National Basketball Association) Atlanta Dream, where she was responsible for developing the Atlanta Dream’s community impact strategy that focused on empowering women through sport, growing the game of basketball, and enhancing the well-being of under-represented communities in Atlanta.

Previously, Janet led the Georgia World Congress Center Authority team as Manager of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility leading the 1.5 million square ft. convention center facility through its GOLD LEED recertification. Janet’s path has led her to serve as the Community Affairs Manager for the Atlanta Braves. While there, she played a crucial role in launching the Spanish language brand Los Bravos and creating a community segment called Los Bravos in the Community.

Janet started her professional sports philanthropy career with the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles Lakers. With Ecuadorian and Nicaraguan roots, Janet graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B. A. in Black Studies and Spanish, with a concentration in Sports Management.

Judge DJ Jeyaram

A 1997 graduate of Emory Law School, Judge DJ Jeyaram was appointed to the Gwinnett County Magistrate Court in 2016 and was the first southeast Asian judge in the County. In addition to his judicial work, DJ is the principal attorney and founder of Jeyaram & Associates, P.C., a firm specializing in healthcare regulatory issues including Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, healthcare fraud and abuse and healthcare regulatory compliance. In the last 10 years, DJ expanded his practice to include Special Needs Estate Planning.

Prior to establishing his own practice, DJ's legal experience included serving as the Deputy Director for Legal Services with the Georgia Department of Community Health and as Georgia's first Asian Administrative Law Judge with the Office of State Administrative Hearings.

Leslie N. Clark

Leslie Clark was born in San Bernardino, California but spent majority of her childhood along with her 2 siblings in Bradenton, Florida where she ultimately calls home. She received her undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from Florida State University and her Masters of Engineering from the University of Florida. Engineering, Math and Science were subjects she naturally excelled in and knew they would be the bases of funding her passion projects. Her mom often referred to her as a social worker or teacher trapped in an engineer’s body. Leslie started her career working for Geosyntec Consultants, an Environmental Engineering Consulting Firm, where her focus was on Environmental Compliance and partnering with the city and state to manage multiple remediation sites. Leslie decided to transition to industry in hope of preventing all of the contamination she was being contracted to clean up and started the next phase of her career journey as an Environmental Health and Safety manager at Anheuser Busch in Jacksonville, FL where her biggest accomplishment was managing the launch of the aluminum bottle plant. After catching wind that Amazon was coming to Jacksonville, Leslie made preparations to join her favorite company. In 2017, Leslie joined Amazon as an Area Manager and the rest is history. She has held a handful of titles for different roles since joining the company. Her favorite thing about Amazon is she has never worked for a company that supports her need for new challenges and she has been able to pursue that internally versus having to look externally.

Throughout her career, Leslie has had the pleasure of being recognized for some of the impact she has made within her community. She was named the Take Stock in Children Mentor of the year in 2014. In 2016, she was selected to be one of the Florida’s Black Expo 20 under 40 award recipients. She was a part of Jacksonville’s Business Journal 2018 Class of 40 under 40. Most recently she was recognized as an Alumni trailblazer through Florida State University during their Black History Month Program. She is a recent graduate of the 2022-2023 Journey Leadership Institute Cohort and currently sits on the Gwinnett County Young Professional Advisory Board.

All career path choices have always pointed to the goal of impacting the world in one way or another. Outside of work, Leslie is very involved in the community and volunteers with National Society of Black Engineers Jr. Chapter as an advisor and mentor. The idea of introducing anything STEM related to kids who have little to no exposure when it comes to STEM is what fuels her. Alongside volunteering her passion for reading and the youth recently combined with the start of her own publishing company. She is now the author of 3 children’s books that are now available on Amazon and her personal website.

All the achievements and accolades fail in comparison to the joy family and friends bring to her life. She is blessed to have a partner like Travis who supports all of her crazy ideas and attempts to talk her off the ledge at times. Her biggest achievement to date is being the mom to 2 beautiful kids, Elise and Camden. It only takes one interaction, extension of hand or conversation to make a difference and Leslie tries to achieve that daily. Her lifelong motto is “Be the change!”

Nathaly Loaiza

Co-Founder/ Director of Operations at CAL Industries

Entrepreneur Development Vice Chair - HYPE, Hispanic Young Professional & Entrepreneurs

Nathaly Loaiza, a first generation immigrant, inspired by her Colombian heritage, is led by her passion and driven spirit to serve her community. She has been given the opportunity to continue the legacy of her family's business. As Co- Founder and Director of Operations of CAL Industries she has developed a keen approach of strategy, practical sense in logistics, and an

admiration of marketing. She is an advocate for young professionals to pursue their dreams of starting a business. Nathaly's passion is traveling the world, and immersing herself in different cultures. Through her travel she has witnessed a common thread of an entrepreneurial spirit in every country she has visited. Encountering the same passion and diligence of business owners all with different business models, resources, or lack thereof, is what sparked a passion to serve through business development. She continues to be involved in organizations and entrepreneur projects that align her passion to serve and advocate the success of others.

About Gwinnett Young Professionals:

Established in 2015, Gwinnett Young Professionals (GYP) is a personal and professional development program led by the Gwinnett Chamber that seeks to champion young professionals through various community, professional, and social opportunities. GYP is designed for individuals, ages 21 to 35, who are living and/or working in Gwinnett. There are no membership fees/dues to participate. Getting involved with GYP is as simple as attending an event! For more information about Gwinnett Young Professionals or if you are interested in sponsoring this event, contact gyp@gwinnettchamber.org or 678.672.2560.

#successbeginshere #gyp

By registering for this program, you are agreeing to the following: Any person entering the premises waives all civil liability against this premises owner and operator for any injuries caused by the inherent risk associated with contracting COVID-19 at public gatherings, except for gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, reckless infliction of harm, or intentional infliction of harm, by the individual or entity of the premises.

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GYP Continuing the DEI Conversation, presented by AID Consulting