Speakers:
- Kumari Ghafoor-Davis, MSW, People and Culture Specialist, City of Allentown and Founder/Lead Coach, Optimistic Expectations
- Tyrone Russell, MS, Chief People Officer, Preventive Measures Inc., and CEO, Faces International
- Jessica El Gamil, MPA, Manager, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, PPL Corporation
This conversation is grounded in the framework introduced in the book Subtle Acts of Exclusion: How to Understand, Identify, and Stop Microaggressions by Dr. Tiffany Jana and Dr. Michael Baran.
About our speakers:
Kumari Ghafoor-Davis, MSW has over 30 years’ experience in social services, 20+ of those years she has been working in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Acceptance and Belonging (DEIAB) space. A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Social Work, Kumari has been fighting for economic, educational, housing, racial and ethnic justice her entire career. For much of her career she has been an Administrator and Program Manager working with in-patient/outpatient programs, schools, independent living/aging out/ foster care programs.
As a Social Worker and DEIAB/Inclusivity Facilitator, Kumari’s consulting company Optimistic Expectations has offered professional development engagement sessions to participants on topics such as Professionalism, Conflict Resolution, Effective Communication, Inclusive Leadership, Cultural Humility/Sensitivity, Implicit Bias and Importance of Cultural Responsiveness in the workplace for school districts, colleges, government agencies, organizations. Her company assists these entities in creating DEIAB strategic plans, and competencies, while assisting them with creating and capturing data, metrics and analytics for their DEIAB and culture shifting efforts.
Kumari is currently working for the City of Allentown, managing People and Culture Initiatives to assist Mayor Matt Tuerk with the city’s equity efforts and goals, managing the inner and outer facing work in the Allentown community.
Kumari has been an adjunct professor in higher education for Montclair State, Drew, Kean, and Seton Hall Universities, Bloomfield, Muhlenberg and Hunter Colleges, Passaic County, Essex County and Lehigh Carbon Community Colleges, in their Sociology and Social Work Departments since 2001.
Kumari is a mentor for the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce for the Women 2 Women Mentee Program where women business leaders in LV engage in monthly sessions on topics such as; Harnessing Social Emotional Intelligence (SEI) for Career Succes, Art of Negotiation and Assertiveness, Effective Communication, Power of Networking and Building Strategic Alliances, Bouncing Back from Set Backs, Inclusive Leadership, Navigating Career Transitions and Building Adaptability, Elevating Your Personal Brand and Visibility, Conflict Resolution/Ethical Decision Making/Critical Thinking in Leadership
Kumari is the author of Real Talk: Ten Parenting Strategies to Raise Confident, Successful Children, where she provides parents with tools to be better advocates for their children.
Kumari is the Athena National Award winner for Lehigh Valley for 2020.
Tyrone Russell, MS, has over 20 years in progressive leadership roles having directly supervised more than 200 individuals throughout his career. With a B.A. in Sociology from Colgate University, he also holds a Master’s of Science degree in Counseling and College Student Personnel from Shippensburg University. Professionally, Tyrone has worked for numerous colleges and universities as an Assistant Director, Counselor, and Faculty member. He served on a regional committee dedicated to constructing high school leadership conferences, conducts teambuilding workshops for teachers and corporate staffs, and designs and executes seminars and trainings for youth. Formerly working as the Coordinator of Racial and Ethnic Justice with the Community Action Agency of the Lehigh Valley, and as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Lehigh University, Tyrone executes cultural realization sessions, and diversity trainings throughout the nation for corporations and school districts.
As a DEI relational expert, he has worked with the Whitehall School District to assess its culture and help create its original DEI task force as well as led initiatives with Phillipsburg School District, Bethleh. Co-Creator of the Generation Next Program, a high school student development aimed at supporting first generation students as they navigated their way to and through Higher Education. Tyrone also developed Lehigh University’s Award winning Institute for Summer Scholars First Generation program.
In the corporate space, for 13 years, he held the role of CEO with Faces International where he created and implemented leadership and cultural development programs at international organizations such as Just Born, BBraun, Air Products and Olympus Cameras of the Americas. Working as a C-Suite coach, he has impacted large scale organizations from Indiana University Hospital, to the Federal Bureau for Land Management.
He has assisted companies in creating strategic frameworks to increase inclusion while enhancing tools and experiences that decrease institutional and personal biases that impact culture in day-to-day operations. He has held positions on the executive board of the Allentown Chamber of Commerce, Board of directors for the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, Board of directors of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Allentown, and is on the board of Directors with the United Way. Recipient of the 2017 African American Businessman of the Year Award presented by the African American business Council of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Tyrone was identified as one of Lehigh Valley Style’s Most Influential Men of 2023. He now serves as the Chief People Officer of Preventive Measures, Inc.
Jessica El Gamil, MPA, is a seasoned Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging strategist, nonprofit leader, and compassionate community advocate whose work centers healing, equity, and empowerment across personal and professional ecosystems. She currently serves as Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at PPL Corporation, where she guides transformational inclusive and engagement strategy.
With nearly two decades of multifaceted experience across corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors, Jessica has held strategic roles in DEI, program management, and community engagement — including senior program leadership at Rite Aid, 10 years of inclusion centered roles with the State of New Jersey, and executive leadership consulting supporting mission-driven culturally specific organizations.
A strong believer in purpose, Jessica completed an executive leadership certificate at the Yale School of Management with a focus on Women in Leadership. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Centenary University and a B.A. from the University at Albany, equipping her with deep expertise in organizational strategy, public policy, and inclusive leadership practices.
Jessica’s humanitarian worldview has been shaped by hands-on service in international aid contexts, including humanitarian missions in Egypt supporting refugees from Palestine and Sudan during times of crisis. Her global perspective is strengthened by proficiency in four languages and lived experience across diverse cultural settings.
Her devotion to service began in childhood — at age 9, she organized her first community clothing drive to support Bosnian refugees resettling in upstate New York — and has since evolved into a lifelong commitment to social justice, community healing, and equitable access.
As a trauma-informed yoga teacher, Jessica extends her expertise beyond corporate systems to embodied spaces of healing, facilitating women’s circles, wellness workshops, and community gatherings that foster resilience, connection, and belonging.
A devoted mother of three, Jessica brings empathy, balance, and grounded leadership to her work and personal life. Based in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, she continues to uplift individuals and organizations through intentional community-centered leadership and transformative practice.