Book a Speaker


Want more impact on your Culture & Inclusion events?



Bring the MFHA passion and expertise LIVE at your location.


Book Gerry or Andre as a Speaker on your next event.

The best way to learn is still live; especially if you’ve got Gerry A. Fernandez and Andre Howell as presenters.

Gerry A. Fernandez

Nothing beats listening to Gerry passionately present the “Business Case for Cultural Intelligence”, lead a “Cultural Intelligence Workshop”, share insights on “Engaging Diverse Groups for Better Business Results”, or impart informed outlook on the state of diversity in the industry. Gerry is the “voice” of MFHA; an engagingly energetic Speaker who practices “straight talk”, providing keen business building insights gained from actual multicultural Member experiences. He is also a sought-after motivational speaker, inspiring others to take control of their career to ensure success and sharing lessons on how to recover and triumph over life’s setbacks to stay the course.

“Gerry, it was great having you as our Keynote speaker. You really connected with the group and hit a home run with your message. I have heard nothing but compliments about your speech.”
Bob Sherwood
SVP & General Manager – Global QSR, ECOLAB-KAY CHEMICAL

“Mr. Fernandez, it was a great pleasure meeting you. Thanks for recharging me and increasing my level of awareness. I look forward to seeing you again.”
Steve Finn
Sodexo @ St. Ambrose

Andre Howell

Andre is the workforce cultural intelligence Speaker you want at your next employee event. He is an expert at enlightening teams to subliminal and overt biases in talent recruitment and engagement; middle management coaching to help emerging multicultural leaders learn how to effectively navigate the corporate landscape; and if you need a consultant that has a solid corporate background in enhancing your diversity and inclusion programs via strategies and initiatives. Himself a veteran of corporate America in multicultural marketing and business development, Andre’s style engages and resonates among those whose biggest challenge in the realm of cultural intelligence is recruitment, retention, and development of multicultural teams. You will find Andre on October 3rd at the CATCH Institute’s Career Day, addressing culinary students on the great career that is possible in our industry.

Multicultural Experts

Cultural Intelligence Begins with the Multicultural Thought Leaders and Presenters You Bring to Your Engagements.

Are the Speakers who present at your organization ethnically diverse?


Do they authentically live the multicultural experience?

If you are not including diverse and multicultural Presenters in your conferences, workshops, skills training and other programs for:

  • Talent Recruitment, Engagement and Development
  • Cultural Intelligence
  • Diversity 101
  • Organizational Cultural Assessment
  • Multicultural Marketing and Customer Service
  • Supplier Diversity
  • then you are missing your mark.

    MFHA brings the foremost authorities in Cultural Intelligence to your events. We have the ability to scan and vet speakers who are experts in their field; adding a layer of authenticity that comes with being multicultural themselves. This makes all the difference in the delivery of the message.

    Some of our most popular presentations:

  • Diversity Visibility in Online Branding
  • Organizational Branding to Attract Multicultural Talent and Customers
  • How to Implement Multicultural Assessments in Your Organization
  • Recruiting & Retaining A Diverse Workforce: The Role of Unconscious Biases
  • Open Forum Moderators and Panelists
  • Hispanic Multicultural Marketing
  • Asian Multicultural Marketing
  • Presenters:

    Maria Dixon, PhD
    MDiv, ThM, BS.Marketing, Associate Professor of Organizational Communication, Director of Communication Studies and Adjunct Associate Professor of Homiletics – Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
    Dr. Dixon focuses her research and professional consulting on Donor and Fundraising Communication; Strategic Communication for Non-Profit and Religious Organizations; and Strategic Communication management. Recognized throughout her SMU career by students and peers alike for her passion for teaching/research, Dr. Dixon is the 2005-2006 Willis M. Tate award for service to Student Body; the 2009 Golden Mustang for outstanding teaching and research by junior faculty; 2010 Rotunda Award for Outstanding Teaching; and the 2011 of the “M” Award, SMU’s highest award for outstanding service to the University.

    A frequently sought after communication strategist, Dr. Dixon’s client list includes, Southwest Airlines, The Bruce Foote Foundation, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ticketmaster/LiveNation, The Ugandan American Partnership Organization, and the Lydia Patterson Institute.

    Darryl Cobbin
    President and Chief Brand Positioning Officer – Brand Positioning Doctors
    Darryl Cobbin is an award-winning branding expert, author and speaker. He is widely recognized for leading game-changing marketing approaches that result in #1 business growth positions across diverse industries.

    At The Coca-Cola Company as Vice President, Sprite Brand Business Unit he co-led Sprite to become the #1 growth soft drink Brand in the U.S. As CMO of Boost Mobile (later acquired by Sprint Nextel), the start-up became the #1 growth brand and redefined marketing in the wireless space. And as EVP of Marketing for 20th Century Fox films, Darryl co-led the development of the marketing strategy for Avatar, the #1 Box Office Movie of All Time. He is currently President of Brand Positioning Doctors; a marketing firm that focuses exclusively on helping clients build better brands.

    Cobbin is a contributing blogger for The Huffington Post and his business results have been chronicled in multiple books including: The Tanning of America, The Big Payback and Romancing The Brand, among others. Cobbin is also the recipient of the Brandweek Marketer of the Year Award.

    Jeffrey Cookson
    Manager of Learning & Development – LCW, LLC
    As Manager of Learning and Development for LCW, Jeffrey Cookson brings 20 years’ experience spanning the organizational development and intercultural fields. His body of work centers primarily on diversity training and consulting in both the domestic and international arenas.  He is an ethnic Magyar (Hungarian) who grew up in a bilingual, bicultural household in the U.S. and leverages this background—alongside his extensive coaching, consulting and training experience—in order to create practical inclusion strategies that improve productivity, manage risk and contain costs. Cookson holds certification as a Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute, the global Human Resources certification body. Jeffrey has presented numerous times at the Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity and at many international conferences.

    Shawne Howell
    MBA, Owner – Marketing Strategies
    Shawne M. Howell is the owner of Marketing Strategies, a boutique consulting firm specializing in Multicultural and General Market Branding, Positioning, Strategic Planning, and Program Development. She is an accomplished business professional who began her 25 year career in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, and has generated over $1.4 billion in sales at some of the world’s leading companies including: The Quaker Oats Company, Cadbury Beverages, The Gillette Company, Hewlett-Packard, and Whirlpool Corporation.Shawne has received several honors throughout her career and has been a featured conference speaker at the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA) Annual Symposium, People Report’s Summer Brand Camp, NRA MEG, and numerous others. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Clark-Atlanta University in Marketing and Decision Sciences with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Political Science from Cornell University and the University of Delaware.

    Anita L. Sanchez, Ph.D.
    Sanchez Tennis and Associates, LLC
    Anita L. Sanchez is renowned for her strategic insights, creative    intervention designs and delivery, as well as her skill at bringing   together the wisdom in the heads and the hearts of individuals   and their organizations.  Anita is a facilitator and consultant in organization development and societal change for non-profit, business, government, education, local, national and international organizations.  Since 1976, her work has   specialized in facility individual and large systems change, the development of cultures of dignity and respect that will sustain    life using large systems change methods, strategic planning, coaching, leadership development and   team building, globaldiversity and inclusion workplace strategies and initiatives, and transforming conflict.  
Her passion for healthy communities, balance and connection between people, spirit and earth, continues to grow. Anita’s masters in policy analysis and financial administration and her doctorate in organization development are from the University of Colorado.

    Claire L. Tse
    Master diversity Management and Leadership Development Instructor – Sanchez Tennis and Associates, LLC
    Claire is a master facilitator focusing on helping people and teams to work together, both efficiently and effectively within many different cultures. She uses 35 years of work experiences to create meaningful dialogue to enhance one’s political cache to successfully navigate organizational cultures.  Her well-received workshops include an infusion of cultural dexterity skills, global conversation comfort, and “above the line” leadership mindset. All of her moderating engagements at various national conferences create space for Claire to “in-the-moment delve interview” her panelists so they share their deeper insights into operational effectiveness practices. Claire received her Behavioral Psychology B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and a Masters of General Administration from University of Maryland University College.

    Karim Webb
    Operations Partner – Buffalo Wild Wings (PCF Restaurant Management) & Spokesperson – BLOOM
    Karim Webb is a twenty-six year veteran of the restaurant industry. In his current position as Operations Partner of PCF Restaurant Management, a Los Angeles based franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings; he uses his expertise to oversee the development and operations for each restaurant.

    Karim became the Operating Partner for PCF Restaurant Management in 2007 and with his leadership, the Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee group has successfully open two restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Both restaurants have consistently outpaced regional and national sales trends within the industry and have produced double-digit sales increases. The Baldwin Hills location was recognized for achieving the highest sales percentage increase of any Buffalo Wild Wings in 2012 and 2013 respectively, and named 2014 Black Enterprise Small Business of the Year Honoree. He was also featured on the cover of Franchise Times, February 2015.

    Beyond McDonald’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, Karim is an advisor to the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), an educational non-profit that helps companies maximize their ROI by engaging diverse cultural groups through Cultural Intelligence. He is also a spokesperson for BLOOM, and initiative of the California Community Foundation which seeks to create a more positive and productive future for a specific population of the L.A. community: 14-18 year old Black males living in South L.A. who are or have been under the supervision of the L.A. County Probation Department.

    Some of our topics are listed in our Membership Brochure and Cultural Intelligence solutions.

    If you’d like to bring the knowledge and energy of these speakers to your event, or explore a topic not listed, please reach out to us for more information. Click here to send a message