Keynote Speaker Revealed for 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity at Montco Community College

Montgomery County Community College has announced the keynote speaker and program for the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity to be held Feb. 13-16 on the college’s campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown and online.

This annual capstone event is intended to advance and facilitate ongoing public dialogue on diversity and inclusiveness among students, employees and the community. It will include four days of learning and discussion designed to engage campuses and communities.

"This four-day event, themed ‘Transforming Lives: Breaking Barriers and Empowering Change,’ is a nod to our 60th anniversary tagline ‘Transforming Lives and Communities,’” said Stephanie R. Allen, MCCC director of equity, diversity and belonging. "This year’s symposium is a family-friendly event, meaning there are events and activities for all ages and stages of life.”

The keynote speaker is Dyana Williams, an award-winning on-air personality and a trailblazer in broadcasting, music activism and celebrity media strategy. The keynote address about her journey in media over the last 50 years will be on Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. in the theater at the Montco Cultural Center.

Williams began her career in broadcasting first in radio in 1973 under the pseudonym Ebony Moonbeams working for stations in New York and Washington, D.C., and later in television. She was the first Black rock DJ in New York. She eventually moved to Philadelphia in 1980 working as a DJ for WDAS 105.3-FM, where she continued to pioneer a trail for Black women in broadcasting to follow for decades to come.

Williams is CEO of Influence Entertainment, working as a media consultant with some of the music industry’s biggest stars including pop stars Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Rihanna and Usher, to rappers T.I., and ASAP Rocky, as well as rock groups Dave Matthews Band and The Zac Brown Band. Williams helps her clients navigate fame and their image in the media.

Outside of her work, Williams has helped found the International Association of African American Music Foundation and the National Museum of African American Music. Dubbed "The Godmother of Black Music” by Ebony Magazine, she also helped to establish June as Black Music Month.

Her message to students during this year’s symposium will be to pursue the best versions of themselves.

"It’s about living a life of fulfillment,” said Williams. "I want to pass on to students that life is about absorbing. I want to talk to students about actualization, realization and accomplishing your goals.”

All events during the symposium are free and open to the public, though registration is required for certain presentations. Virtual sessions do not require registration, and links to each session will be available via the Presidential Symposium on Diversity homepage. For full details, visit mc3.edu/symposium.

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, Feb. 13, Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell

• 11:30 a.m. – Monty Reads – story time with mascot Monty the Mustang, Children’s Nook, College Hall, Brendlinger Library
• 1 p.m. – Keynote Presentation – Dyana Williams, theater at the Montco Cultural Center, Science Center, this presentation is free but registration is required to reserve your seat
• 3 p.m. – Master Class with Dyana Williams and David Doskicz-Ivory, MCCC director of sound recording and music technology  The Mix Room at Montco, Advanced Technology Center

Wednesday, Feb. 14, Pottstown Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown

• TriCounty Art Exhibition – High school student artwork on display, North Hall Gallery
• 10 a.m. – Self-guided tour of the Wellness Center, North Hall
• 9 a.m. – Virtual discussion, "Teaching Honestly: Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL) in the Community College Classroom,” facilitated by Monica D’Antonio, MCCC English professor.
• 10:30 a.m. – Monty Reads – story time with mascot  Monty the Mustang, Library, South Hall
• 11:15 a.m. – "Bridging Generational Diversity Gaps,” facilitated by Constance Dugan, vice president of environmental services at Waverly Heights, North Hall Room 202. This session is free, but registration is required.
• Noon – Health and Wellness Fair, information about resources for supporting health and well-being, first-floor lobby of South Hall
• 2 p.m. – Mental Health Allyship Training, facilitated by Nichole Kang, MCCC director of the wellness center, and Dominic Ciccimaro, recovery specialist, North Hall Room 114. This session has a cap of 25 attendees and registration is required.

Thursday, Feb. 15, Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell

• 11 a.m. – "The Ever-Changing Landscape of Education Panel,” facilitated by Jared Brown, MCCC assistant dean of academic affairs at Pottstown Campus, College Hall Rooms144/148/151. The session is free but registration is required.
• 1 p.m. – "Roundtable Discussion: Affirmative Action Over the Years,” facilitated by Garvey Lundy, MCCC sociology associate professor, College Hall Room 146 The session is free but registration is required.
• 3 p.m. – Virtual presentation "The Wells Collective: Putting Equity into Practice,” facilitated by Akailah Jenkins-McIntyre & Talia Busby Titus. This session is free, but registration is required.

Friday, Feb. 16, Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell

• 1 p.m. – Virtual presentation, "Building Confidence and Community through Intentional Inclusion,” facilitated by Amanda Gatchet, MCCC communication studies associate professor, Jeslin Matthew, MCCC communication studies assistant professor, and Shuktara Das, MCCC director of analysis & implementation.
• 6 p.m. – Disney’s "Elemental” movie screening, theater at the Montco Cultural Center, Science Center. The viewing party is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Allen welcomes all students in the High School Dual Enrollment, Upward Bound, Montco’s Partnership on Work Enrichment and Readiness (POWER), and Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS), programs to attend the Presidential Symposium on Diversity.

In addition, the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity’s service project will be collecting gently used instruments to donate to Girls First, a Norristown-based after-school program for young people.

For full details about the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity, visit mc3.edu/symposium or contact [email protected].

This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.