After 32 years at Black Entertainment Television (BET), former CEO Debra Lee continues shaping culture and business. Today, she sits on the boards of Warner Bros. Discovery, Marriott International, and Procter & Gamble — but her legacy at BET remains untouched. At AFROTECH™ Conference 2025, Lee reflected on how her leadership from 2005 to 2018 helped define generations of Black entertainment, from shaping beloved programming to setting new standards for representation. Lee began at BET as the company’s first in-house counsel, building the legal department from the ground up. She later — and unexpectedly — became president and chief operating officer, succeeding founder Bob Johnson. “When people started writing articles, ‘Debra Lee is the heir apparent,’ it really shocked me,” Lee recalled. “I thought I was just going to continue to do the work, and Bob would get all the credit. That’s the way it went. No big deal. And it wasn’t until Bob left and I became CEO that people started...

Generosity isn’t just about being nice — it’s the key to earning the trust of a Fortune 100 CEO. At AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston, TX, Juan Bonilla, president of marketing agency Walton Isaacson, and Ayiko Broyard, executive vice president and head of account management, unpacked the power of strategic generosity as a growth strategy that strengthens relationships, unlocks bigger budgets, and leaves chief marketing officers (CMOs) feeling supported, empowered, and recognized. Broyard shared how this philosophy shaped Walton Isaacson’s long-standing partnership with Lexus. Early on, she noticed how luxury buyers valued the brand’s respect and hospitality — something missing from competitors. To truly understand that experience, she and her team visited dealerships, sat in the cars, and immersed themselves in the customer journey. That firsthand insight became a cornerstone of the agency’s experiential strategy: every event must feature a vehicle people can touch, sit in, and...

Stacey Abrams wears many hats. The first Black woman nominated for governor in U.S. history, she is a national leader, voting rights advocate, romance and thriller novelist, and serial entrepreneur with her own media and podcast ventures. At AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 in Houston, Abrams joined Dr. Rachel Gillum, vice president of ethical and humane use of technology at Salesforce, for a session titled “Democracy in the World of AI,” highlighting AI’s rapid spread, its impact on every sector from health care to the economy, and its connection to democracy. Abrams explained that her commitment to democracy is driven by her experience with poverty, which she called immoral, economically inefficient, and solvable — a reality she is determined never to return to. “Democracy is how we have always advanced the cause of more voices being involved in the answer,” Abrams shared from the stage. “I create companies because I was poor, and I don’t like it, and don’t ever want to do it again. My...

SKIMS co-founder Emma Grede has lent her expertise to a wellness venture launched by Hoda Kotb. Leaving ‘Today’ Kotb, a Virginia Tech University graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism, had been a host on the “Today” show since 2007, ultimately becoming co-anchor. She left many in shock when she departed the show on Jan. 10 after turning 60, according to NPR reports. She shared that the decision resulted from reaching a peak on television and wanting to have more time for her family. Joy 101 Kotb has now turned to entrepreneurship, serving as the founder and CEO of Joy 101, a wellness company that offers intimate retreats and happiness hours with live conversations held on Zoom between Kotb, guests, and experts, according to its website. The company also launched an app with a daily joy plan backed by research tools and led by experts, with courses that center on various topics such as self-love and acceptance, mental health, reclaiming joy, and calming anxiety. PC: Joy 101...

Every entrepreneur has a defining moment. For Canadian businessman and investor Kevin O’Leary, it occurred in the 11th grade. O’Leary, nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful,” shared with AFROTECH™ that he was fired from an ice cream shop after working only a few hours as a scooper. The shop’s owner instructed him to scrape the tile floors, which he refused to do since it was not in his job description. “She said, ‘You do whatever I want. I mean, you’re my employee.’ And she said, ‘You’re fired.’ And I said, ‘That sucks.’ I never worked for anybody again. That was it. So I owe her a lot,” O’Leary told AFROTECH™ during the Clover x Shark Tank Summit held in September Las Vegas. He later added, “That’s when I realized… there are two types of people in the world. There are people that own the store, and there are the people that scrape the sh-t off the floor. Which one do you want? I’m not saying being an employee is bad. It’s just not for me. I can’t do it.” O’Leary went back to find that manager...

Derrick Hayes, the founder and CEO of Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, has spent the last decade building a multimillion-dollar restaurant chain. Along the way, some advice he received from Tyler Perry stayed with him, he told Fortune. Hayes, a Philadelphia native, opened his first Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks in a Shell gas station in Georgia in 2014, the outlet reports. Since then, the chain has grown to 12 locations across the U.S., including two Atlanta locations that brought in between $1.1 million and $1.8 million in net sales in 2024, per Fortune. Every 58 seconds, a cheesesteak is sold at one of Hayes’ restaurants, with prices ranging from $11.99 for a classic sandwich to $46.99 for specialty options, the outlet notes. On Hayes’ 38th birthday, he joined a roundtable discussion with Perry, gospel musician Kirk Franklin, and rapper Jay “Jeezy” Jenkins. During the conversation, Perry shared advice that resonated deeply with Hayes, Fortune reports. “Tyler Perry said something to me I’ll...

Business and branding strategist Maya Elious offers a unique perspective on the intention of launching a business. Elious founded Built To Impact, a coaching company based in the Atlanta metropolitan area that launched in 2014. Built To Impact assists women coaches, consultants, and service-based entrepreneurs who are scaling businesses to profitability in the six figures and beyond, according to information shared on her LinkedIn. Elious noted her business has attracted many faith-based women. On the “Black Tech Green Money” podcast hosted by AFROTECH™ Brand Manager Will Lucas, Elious shared her take on the narrative keeping entrepreneurs from reaching new heights in their wealth-building journey. “Some of the things that hold us back is this fear of being greedy. This fear of seeming like, ‘Oh, I’m only doing it for money’… Starting a business for money is also noble,” she said. “Knowing how to put food on the table is a noble thing. You don’t need to have this deep, purposeful,...

Venture capitalist Luke Cooper wants entrepreneurs to change their perspective on failure. During the “Dope Thinkers Only Conference” held Sept. 11–12 at Grambling State University, in Louisiana, Cooper said he was born into failure. His father was already in jail when he was born to a mother who was 16. He had been used to moving around often to survive, which built his resilience and grit as an entrepreneur and investor. Cooper overcame the odds, attended Syracuse University College of Law, and became a mergers and acquisitions lawyer. In his early 20s, he completed over $250 million in transactions from real estate, company acquisitions, and more before transitioning to technology entrepreneurship. This was when he launched a cybersecurity company, which sold for $60 million. Another brainchild was Fixt , a “SaaS-based mobile device repair web and mobile app that takes the hassle out of troubleshooting mobile device issues,” as AFROTECH™ previously told you. Cooper described the...

In a world where vast amounts of information are available at the click of a button, Joe Tillman , managing director and head of private capital markets at The Raine Group, emphasizes continuous learning — especially for leaders looking to raise capital and achieve long-term success. Tillman came from humble beginnings in Paris, CA, and went on to graduate from California State University in 2008 amid the financial crisis, as well as pursue a law degree at New York University. He joined MaC Venture Capital’s first chief operating officer , Jennifer Randle, at AFROTECH™ 2024 , where he highlighted the power of targeted investment and strategic decision-making. Watch the full session at AFROTECH™ Conference 2024. After law school, Tillman spent four years at Gibson Dunn advising private equity and venture firms on M&A, finance, and fund formation before joining Raine as in-house counsel. While intellectually stimulating, he shared that he quickly realized practicing law wasn’t...

These days, more people are embracing achieving a “ work-life balance .” Long gone is the idea that people should prioritize work at the expense of their mental and physical health. However, this can be a hard goal, especially for entrepreneurs. And the more successful an individual is, the harder it can be to take a step back willingly. A great example of this is Beyoncé . Without question, the chanteuse has proven she can do it all. Along with transcending genres, the pop-cultural icon is a fashion designer, an actress and the other half of a powerhouse couple . As if that’s not enough, she’s also a mom to three children, with the eldest recently joining her as a dancer on the Renaissance tour, which became one of the top-grossing tours in modern history. With all of that activity, it’s easy to see how maintaining her work-life balance would be hard. But Beyoncé recently revealed that this was a critical life lesson she had to embrace. If you’re struggling with when to let your...

Resilience, determination, and a commitment to paving the way for future generations — all qualities that define Sharon Bowen, the first Black woman and person of color to chair the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). At AFROTECH™ Conference 2024 , Bowen joined Uber’s Vice President of Operations and General Manager of North American Rides, Camiel Irving, to reflect on her trailblazing career spanning law, finance, and government, highlighting the power of mentorship, networking, and diversity in leadership. Watch the full session at AFROTECH™ Conference 2024. Bowen’s beginnings trace back to her childhood as the youngest of five children growing up in segregated Virginia, where she attended the same all-Black elementary school as her siblings. “And those teachers and my family and community sort of instilled the confidence in me, stress the importance of education to me,” Bowen said. “And it’s that background. I stand where I am today because of that background. So [I] always want to...

Getting to know someone meaningfully is the foundation of all strong relationships, whether it’s friendship, romance, or professional connections . The right questions can spark authentic conversations, reveal true personality traits, and build trust. But not all questions work the same way. The best ones are respectful of boundaries, invite openness, and encourage genuine sharing rather than superficial answers. Let’s explore some of the best questions you can ask to get to know someone new. Whether you’re networking, meeting a new co-worker for the first time, or deepening a work friendship, these questions can open the door to a genuine connection. Questions About Background And Life Experiences One of the best ways to start getting to know someone is by understanding their background and life story. Asking about where someone grew up and what that experience was like gives insight into their roots and early influences. Asking about a memorable experience from their youth often...

Authenticity and research fuel successful brand partnerships — and Aaron Walton recognized this long before it became the norm. At AFROTECH™ 2024 , Walton, CEO and founder of award-winning ad agency Walton Isaacson, joined Shardé Marchewski, Wayfair ‘s Head of Supplier Diversity , for a conversation on how aligning values and culture with the right celebrity can elevate storytelling and impact consumers. The session offered creatives a behind-the-scenes look at major brand collaborations and practical strategies for securing and executing high-impact campaigns. Walton’s brand story began after graduating from Babson College in 1983. With a passion for advertising , he joined the Pepsi-Cola Company as a research analyst, learning how to tell stories with data before being promoted into brand marketing , marking the start of a game-changing career. “The truth is everything that we do now, whether it is an event or some type of communication, starts with looking at what the business...

For CeD Mixon, balancing user-centered design with data-driven product strategy is core to his approach. As a seasoned design leader, he collaborates closely with product managers, VPs, and cross-functional teams to keep the end goal sharply focused on the user. At AFROTECH™  Conference 2024 , Mixon shared actionable insights on when to lead with design thinking and when to lean into product-led growth. The session offered practical frameworks to help engineers, designers, and solution architects align product development with both user experience and business goals. With over a decade of experience scaling companies from small startups to global platforms impacting millions, Mixon reflected on entering the tech industry at a time when he was often the only Black person in predominantly white spaces. Purchase your ticket to AFROTECH™ Conference 2025 now!   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by AFROTECH™ Conference (@afrotech.conference) “In the beginning, I wasn’t that...

When you leave your job , there’s a high chance the company’s human resources department will ask you exit interview questions. These interviews allow you to provide feedback and reflect on your time at the company. This conversation might seem awkward or uncomfortable, but handling it gracefully can benefit you and the company. Your responses can shape your reputation and even provide valuable insights for your future career. What should you expect in an exit interview, and how should you answer? Let’s break down the most common exit interview questions, why they’re asked, and how to answer them in a way that’s professional and constructive. We’ve also included a list of thoughtful questions to ask your employe r to demonstrate your professionalism and help you close this chapter with confidence. Why are you leaving your current role? Why it’s asked:  This is typically your employer’s first ques tion. They want to understand your reasons for leaving: Is it a personal decision, a...