Stonewall Rebels | Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center Grand Opening Committee

After blowing everyone away on the eighth season of American Idol, Adam Lambert went on to release his debut album For Your Entertainment which included the international hit “Whatya Want From Me” which earned him a GRAMMY Award nomination. Lambert followed this success with his second album Trespassing which became the first album to reach the number one spot in the US and Canada by an openly gay artist. His highly-anticipated third album The Original High was his first for Warner Bros Records, executive produced by Max Martin and Shellback, and included the smash hit “Ghost Town.” Lambert joined the cast of Glee for a six-episode story in 2013, and performed the role of Eddie in Fox’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

In between touring the world with Queen as their frontman, Lambert has been exploring the world of film and TV with a cameo in Oscar-winning film Bohemian Rhapsody as well as his first feature film role in the Sofia Coppola-produced film Fairyland which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. In 2019, he released his single “Superpower” ahead of his highly anticipated EP Velvet: Side A, which went into the Top 10 Download Chart in the UK and US upon release.

At the beginning of 2020, Lambert launched the Feel Something Foundation, a non-profit organization in support of LGBTQ+ human rights. He released “Roses” featuring Nile Rodgers early February 2020, a track from his album Velvet which was released that March. Adam kick- started 2023 with a bang by joining the judging panel for the ITV (UK) Saturday night entertainment show Starstruck alongside Beverley Knight, Shania Twain, Jason Manford and host Olly Murs. In February, he released High Drama, an album of inspired covers released via BMG US/Warner UK which landed him his fifth Top 10 on Billboard’s Album Sales Chart. Executive produced by Lambert himself, alongside production from the likes of Tommy English (Kacey Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen), Andrew Wells (Halsey, OneRepublic), George Moore and Mark Crew, High Drama highlights a journey through modern music. The diverse collection of songs spans from classics such as Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand The Rain” to modern hits like a rock-leaning rendition of Lana Del Rey’s “West Coast.” Lambert is no stranger to impressing crowds with his carefully curated transformation of other artist’s songs, from the beginning of his career on American Idol, to his 2018 performance at the Kennedy Center Honors where he reduced Cher to tears with his delicate ballad reading of her mega-hit ‘Believe’, to his role as the current frontman of Queen. Just this summer, he headlined Pride in London where his single ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’ with Sigala was the official song of London Pride. Lambert is currently working on writing his own musical, which will feature original songs and has a stellar line up of collaborators.

Adam's global status seems to climb each month as he has just announced he will join Queen on tour in Japan early next year, with more exciting projects to be revealed soon.

From the boardroom to Broadway, Hollywood to Capitol Hill, Angelica Ross is a leading figure of success and strength in the movement for human rights advocacy focused on Transgender and racial equality. A fan favorite on FX’s award-winning hit POSE plus both the ninth and tenth seasons of Ryan Murphy’s FX hit American Horror Story. June 3, 2022 Angelica released her debut music video and single, ONLY YOU. Miss Ross recently announced her forthcoming untitled book and as she continues to blaze new trails, kick open doors, and build her own table with ample open seats.

Ashe McGovern, J.D. (he/they) is the Head of Global LGBTQIA+ Affairs at Amazon, where they launched the company's first Global LGBTQIA+ Office and are responsible for leading company-wide strategy to support LGBTQIA+ employees, customers, and communities globally.

Prior to joining Amazon, Ashe was appointed to serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for LGBTQ Initiatives in the New York City Mayor's Office and inaugural Executive Director of the NYC Unity Project, New York’s first citywide mayoral office dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ communities through innovative policy and program change. In this role, Ashe developed and managed a $15 million portfolio of programs and services, launched in close partnership with city agencies and LGBTQIA+ community groups, focused on reducing LGBTQIA+ youth homelessness, increasing access to affordable housing, expanding free LGBTQIA+ mental and medical health services, and reducing criminalization and violence against LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.

Ashe earned their B.A. from Cornell University, magna cum laude, where they received the Philo Sherman Benett Honors Thesis Prize and J.D. from Cornell Law School, where they received the Freeman Award for Civil-Human Rights and a national Equal Justice Works Fellowship. Prior to the Mayor's Office, Ashe launched a free legal project called the LGBTQIA+ Health and Economic Justice Initiative at New York Legal Assistance Group and held leadership positions at the Center for American Progress and Columbia Law School's Center for Gender and Sexuality Law.

Ashe is co-author and co-editor of Intersecting Injustice: A National Call to Action Addressing LGBTQ Poverty and Economic Justice for All (2018) published by the City University of New York Graduate Center and has been featured in a range of media outlets, including The New York Times, The Nation, Bloomberg Law, Wired, and NPR, among others.

Brad Baumoel is the global head of LGBT+ Affairs at JPMorgan Chase. His career at the company spans 30 years, where he’s held key roles in Global Finance, Asset & Wealth Management and Consumer & Community Banking.

Brad came out as a gay man at work 10 years into his professional career and has dedicated his time to advancing LGBT+ equity and inclusion through the firm’s PRIDE Business Resource Group over the last 25 years. In 2021, Brad established the Office of LGBT+ Affairs, where he leads a unified, global strategy for LGBT+ employees, customers, clients and communities. Brad, his husband and their son (an 11 year old German Shepherd), live in New York.

Pronouns: He/Him/His
Social Handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradbaumoel/

Charles John O’Byrne is Executive Vice President for Policy at Related Companies where he serves in a leadership role on government affairs on the federal, state and local levels; labor issues, litigation matters, and questions of strategy on multiple projects within the Related portfolio. He also serves on the management team of energyRe, an energy company founded by Related’s principals dedicated to green power. energyRe, with its partners Invenergy and the New York Power Authority is responsible for the largest renewable project in the United States scheduled to replace close to 16% of New York City’s power supply with wind and solar power.

Charles is a native New Yorker and currently resides in Manhattan. Trained as an attorney, his career prior to joining Related involved varied experiences in government, religion, academia and business. He spent more than five years in state service acting as Chief of Staff to the Senate Minority Leader, Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary to former Governor David A. Paterson. The constitutional office of Secretary to the Governor is the highest appointed office in the state’s executive branch.

Charles has served as a trustee and personal adviser to members of the Kennedy Family for more than 25 years.
Long active in charitable and philanthropic works, O’Byrne is a former Co-Chair of the board of the Hetrick Martin Institute in New York, the nation’s oldest organization providing crisis intervention services to LGBTQ youth. He was the founder of the Columbia University LGBTQ+ alumni organization. He is also the first recipient of the Access Justice Brooklyn’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

O’Byrne presently serves on the boards of Citizens Union, the New York Harbor Parks Conservancy, the Steering Committee of ABNY, as a Trustee of the Citizens Budget Commission and as Co-Chair of the Washington Ireland Program.

Charles holds his BA summa cum laude from Columbia College, where he majored in history and studied Chinese philosophy. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the Columbia University School of Law where he was named to the International Fellows Program. He holds a Masters in Divinity with Distinction and an S.T.L., in Theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology.

As vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, Chelsea Clinton works alongside the Foundation’s leadership and partners to improve lives and inspire emerging leaders across the United States and around the world. This includes the Foundation’s early child initiative Too Small to Fail, which supports families with the resources they need to promote early brain and language development; and the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), a global program that empowers student leaders to turn their ideas into action. A longtime public health advocate, Chelsea also serves as vice chair of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and uses her platform to increase awareness around issues such as vaccine hesitancy, childhood obesity, and health equity.

In addition to her Foundation work, Chelsea teaches at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and has written several books for young readers, including the #1 New York Times bestseller She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World as well as She Persisted Around the World, She Persisted in Sports, She Persisted in Science, Start Now! You Can Make a Difference; Don’t Let Them Disappear; It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going; and Welcome to the Big Kids Club. She is also the co-author of The Book of Gutsy Women and Grandma’s Gardens with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and of Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why? with Devi Sridhar. Chelsea’s podcast, In Fact with Chelsea Clinton, premiered in 2021 and is the co-founder of HiddenLight Productions. 

Chelsea holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford, a Master of Public Health from Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, and both a Master of Philosophy and a Doctorate in international relations from Oxford University. She lives with her husband Marc and their children Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper in New York City.

Christina Aguilera is a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter renowned for her powerful voice and hit songs. Throughout her career, she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Aguilera has achieved five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart making her the third female artist, and fourth overall, to top the chart over three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s). She has won seven Grammy Awards, including two Latin Grammy Awards - with the most recent being the 2022 Latin Grammy Award for Best Tradi+onal Pop Vocal Album on behalf of AGUILERA, her second Spanish-language album. She has also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holds the prestigious honor of being the only artist under the age of 30 included in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. Additionally, in 2021 she received the inaugural Music Icon Award at the People’s Choice Awards, followed by the Spirit of Hope Award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards and the Advocate for Change Award at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards. Aguilera continues to use her voice for good, having served as global spokesperson for Yum! Brands’ World Hunger Relief effort since 2009 and has helped raise over $150 million for the World Food Program and other hunger relief agencies, in addition to raising awareness for various social conversations around domestic violence and LGBTQ+ equality. She continues to be represented by Roc Nation, CAA and imPRint. www.christinaaguilera.com

Fabrice leads the US Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors. He also advises Fortune 500 companies, is a member of L'Oreal Global Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board and an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown. He is an advisor of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Center for Inclusive Governance. He was previously an Officer at the UN [2016-2020] and the World Bank [2001-2016]. Fabrice volunteers on the Boards of Outright Action International, Housing Works, Fondation Emergence (Governor), the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (Treasurer) and is an advisor to Open for Business. In 2022, he was listed among Crain's Notable LGBTQ Leaders and Executives, LinkedIn’s top 10 LGBTQIA voices, the Boardlist’s Top 10 LGBTQ+ Candidates and Diligent’s Modern Governance 100. He lives in NYC with his twin 9-year old sons.

Geena Rocero, born and raised in Manila, Philippines, is a four time Emmy Nominated and an Award Winning Producer, Writer and Director.She’s also a Model, Public Speaker, Trans Rights Advocate and co-host of the Webby Awards honoree TV Show ASPIREist, broadcasted on HLN/CNN. Her upcoming memoir HORSE BARBIE will be released on May 30, 2023 by Penguin Random House imprint, The Dial Press. She recently directed and executive produced the 2022 EMMY and GLAAD Media Awards nominated and 2022 Webby Awards Honoree, CARETAKERS, a four-part original documentary series with PBS/WNET featuring stories of Filipino American frontline healthcare workers that premiered on October 8, 2021. For Vanity Fair’s January 2022 issue, she is featured as one of Gold House’s AAPI’s who are forging a new culture alongside Marvel director Destin Daniel Cretton, Crazy Rich Asian director Jon Chu and many other trailblazing AAPI’s. She’s an advisory board member of SeeHer- the most influential global coalition of marketers, agencies, media companies and entertainment leaders working to increase the representation and accurate portrayal of all women and girls to transform society.

On March 31, 2014, in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Rocero came out as transgender at the annual TED Conference. Her viral talk has since been viewed close to 5 million times and translated into 32 languages. Named a “Top 25 Transgender Person Who Influences Culture” by TIME Magazine. Geena made history as the First Trans woman 2020 Playboy Playmate of the Year, and again as the first Trans Woman Ambassador for Miss Universe Nepal. She was featured on E’s I am Cait and has been on the cover of Candy Magazine and in Vanity Fair: TransAmerica, Marriott’s #LoveTravels campaign, and CoverGirl Cosmetics #GirlsCan campaign. Geena has spoken at the White House, World Economic Forum, United Nations, State Department, and multiple Fortune 500 companies. She is the founder of Gender Proud, an award-winning media production company that tells stories about what it means to be trans and gender non-conforming. She has produced award winning media productions with MTV, VH1, LogoTV, Univision and Fusion TV.

Hunter O’Hanian has spent the past quarter century leading non-profit organizations, with a focus on visual arts and LGBTQ art and history. Hunter was the Executive Director of the Stonewall National Library and Archive which houses the largest LGBTQ library in the US and an archive of over 6 million pages.

Hunter O’Hanian has spent the past quarter century leading non-profit organizations, with a focus on visual arts and LGBTQ art and history. Hunter was the Executive Director of the Stonewall National Library and Archive which houses the largest LGBTQ library in the US and an archive of over 6 million pages. Prior to that, he was the founding Director of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the only art museum devoted exclusively to artwork that speaks to the LGBTQ experience.

Additionally, he was the head of the College Art Association, the largest professional association supporting art historians and visual artists in the world, the Foundation for Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston and two renowned artists’ residencies programs, having served as the President of Anderson Ranch Arts Center outside of Aspen, CO, and Director of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA,

Hunter has a long career of non-profit board and community involvement. He is the past board chair of the Alliance of Artists Communities, the national membership organization for artists’ residency programs. Hunter graduated from Boston College and received his law degree from Suffolk University. He has an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston.

Having authored countless articles and papers, as well as scores of exhibitions, in 2014, he completed the figure-based project titled Self Portraits by Others, featuring the work of more than 50 artists who use photography in their work. In 2015, along with Robert W. Richards, he released Stroke – From Under the Mattress to the Museum Wall (Bruno Gmunder, 2015). In 2018, he released, A Reprobate Sense – The Illustrated Version of Peter Damian’s Book of Gomorrah.

John-Paul C. Hayworth is the LGBTQ+ Audience Strategy Director in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at AARP.  In this role, he is responsible for expanding the understanding of the LGBTQ+ community's needs within AARP and broadening the knowledge of AARP resources within the LGBTQ+ community. He joined AARP in June 2022 after more than fifteen years working for the Government of the District of Columbia, including seven years as the Executive Director of the DC State Board of Education.

He also served in two mayoral administrations and on Capitol Hill, including as an advisor on federal, congressional and local affairs specializing in education, economic development and budget issues. He also represented the District of Columbia on the US Department of Education Mid-Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee and as President of the National Council of State Board of Education Executives (NCSBEE). He was the State Board’s designee on the DC Community Schools Advisory Committee and served as the inaugural chair of the committee from September 2019-2021.

John-Paul has been an invited speaker at national conferences and other events, including providing the 2018 Baylor Interdisciplinary Core Alumni Homecoming Lecture entitled “The Role of Failure as Part of the Examined Life”. He was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Young Alumni Award by the Baylor Line Foundation and was recently announced as the 2022 David Kysilko Award recipient by the National Association of State Boards of Education. The recognition is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to NASBE values and service to state boards of education.

John-Paul is a dedicated resident of the District of Columbia and was an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. He moved to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area permanently in 2003 after earning his BA from Baylor University and an MA from the University of Connecticut.

Kelly Bush Novak launched her company in 1993 with three unknown clients and a surplus of now legendary tenacity.  Renamed ID a year later, her agency is celebrating its 29th anniversary in 2022, representing over 1500 high-profile clients supported by a dedicated team of one hundred in New York and Los Angeles, including the most respected publicists in the industry.  

Achieving her vision of a full-service agency of communications strategists collaborating on behalf of the world's most influential artists and performers, studios, networks, content creators, brands, philanthropic organizations, athletes and technology leaders on the planet, she continues to oversee all aspects of ID's business.  Her innovative, team-focused company culture attracts the most talented of her peers to join her in what is now the industry's largest independently owned and operated public relations firm.

Her strategic press campaigns, wise counsel, crisis acumen and close media relationships offer Kelly the opportunity to personally represent exceptional talent including Pamela Adlon, Javier Bardem, Alfonso Cuarón, Hannah Gadsby, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Janaya “Future” Kahn, John Legend, Janelle Monáe, David Oyelowo, Seth Rogen, Joey Soloway, Denis Villeneuve and Serena Williams.  A trusted mentor, she advocates for her clients with a resolute focus on the strength and longevity of their careers.

Kelly and her Content Team have been instrumental in the press and awards campaigns for acclaimed television from Severance, Pachinko,The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Desus & Mero, Yellowstone as well as Finding Your Roots. Theatrical press campaigns under Novak and team include Academy Award winning films Parasite (2019), Roma (2018), I, Tonya (2017) and The Revenant (2015).

In 2006, Kelly led the company into brand representation with the landmark launch of Starbucks Entertainment. Today, ID's powerful brands team represents an array of prestigious clients including CORE, Nintendo, Peloton, Universal Music Group, Stand Up To Cancer, PFLAG and the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

An early advocate of the power of social media, Kelly established a robust digital department, exponentially extending ID's clients' reach across both influential and nascent platforms with limitless opportunities for integrated marketing, promotions and strategic partnerships. ID's digital fluency makes all of ID's strategists experts in the social media landscape.

In 2008, Kelly founded VIE Entertainment, where she manages Oscar®  nominated actor, producer and activist Elliot Page. Under the VIE banner, Kelly executive produced the feature adaptation of Jean Hegland’s novel Into the Forest and Freeheld, starring Page and Academy Award®  winning actress Julianne Moore.  Novak’s previous producing credits include the Emmy®  nominated HBO special, The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway, which marked the return of Paul Reubens’ beloved character. She was instrumental in bringing Pee-wee Herman back to audiences and set the stage for the Netflix feature, Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, produced by Judd Apatow.

A passionate voice for marriage equality, she secured the breakthrough coverage of Ellen DeGeneres' wedding on the cover of People magazine.

She continues to represent her first major client, acclaimed actor Sir Patrick Stewart, whom she introduced to the social media landscape with unprecedented results. Not one to miss an opportunity, she encourages you to follow him @sirpatstew.

Lee Tucker is the Chief Merchant and Product Officer at David Yurman, the premier American luxury jewelry brand based in New York. In his role, Mr. Tucker oversees the company’s merchandising and design teams across both men’s and women’s categories - driving efficiency, collaboration, and process integration across the product organization.

With over 15 years at the brand, Tucker brings an innate understanding of the luxury market, the David Yurman customer, and the company’s artistic heritage to the design process. Tucker has also played an instrumental role in David Yurman’s collaborations with some of the industry’s most notable figures - including Scarlett Johansson, Henry Golding, Joan Smalls and Taylor Hill.

Mr. Tucker has previously worked at Ralph Lauren, Escada, and consulted for brands including Halston, Smythson of Bond Street, Charlotte Olympia, and Target’s Fashion Collaboration division. He holds an degree from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Lina Bradford is New York City's quintessential DJ straight from the golden era of nightlife to spinning the parties of the moment. An original multi-hyphenate, her work has cemented her internationally as an actress, radio personality as well as the producer and star of her interview series, "In the Dollhouse with Lina." A longtime activist, she's also a board member and global ambassador for the Hetrick-Martin Institute and chair member for
GMHC.

The creative, native New Yorker who got her start as a professionally trained dancer has been described as the “Princess of Light." Earning the title by bringing people together with music and her signature zest for life, she's connected with audiences around the globe. Shapeshifting through decades as an iconic nightlife personality, Bradford thrives on connection and working "the gig called life.' Her consecutive, 10-year DJ residency on Fire Island Pines made her a staple in the gay enclave during summer months and was commemorated with her documentary,"Linnish. Best known for her rotation of popular weekly parties, she's the go-to for playing discographies from the greats in dance, deep house and disco.

An integral part of New York City nightlife, Bradford embodies advocacy for Black trans women leading by example, working with organizations like SAGE and GLAD and even providing music for the 2022 White House Correspondents Dinner.

Rick Hendrix is a national bestselling author. His last book on Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books called Wear the Damn Mask co-written with Shane Jordan hit # 2 on Nielsen Bookscan. He is a leading strategist and CEO and owned one of the music industry’s most influential agencies for over two decades. He promoted Whitney Houston, Garth Brooks, Miley Cyrus, Queen, Elvis and U2. Hendrix helped artists move over half a billion in music products and helped bring Passion of the Christ and Prince of Egypt to the marketplace, and has been featured in Forbes. As a political strategist, Hendrix served as Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Faith Advisor on her 2008 run for president and served on her National Finance team in 2016. Hendrix finished a few short films in 2022, and signed with Mayo Clinic to do a book on diversity.

Shane Jordan is an American bestselling author, philanthropist, consultant, digital media strategist, & businessman. He also worked in the entertainment industry, marketing artists such as Mariah Carey, U2, Whitney Houston, Vince Gill, and Fantasia, among others. He is co-author of the bestselling book Wear the Damn Mask, published by Gallery/Simon & Schuster, and is currently co-author on an upcoming children’s picture book with the Mayo Clinic on LGBTQ & gender identity. He was on the Hillary for American National Finance Committee in 2008-2016, and currently serves on the Board of Directors at the Victory Institute. He is a partner at WhoopFam, a Whoopi Goldberg line of cannabis.

This propelled her to journey through the Himalayas and reach the base of Mount Everest. It was a revelation –“The shadow of the mountain was the only thing big enough to swallow my shadow.” Silvia developed a sense of resilience, strength, compassion – and finally rediscovered her courage.

Born and raised in Lima, Peru as a child she endured a period of sexual violence that would haunt her for much of her adult life. Nearly 30 years later, while attending a meditation retreat in Peru, she had a vision of reconnecting to her inner child and the two of them walking in a valley surrounded by mountains.

“She began to feel healed. And she kept climbing.”

Another epiphany came in 2013, when, after losing her mother to cancer and undergoing a divorce, she summited Aconcagua and realized that she had to help others. “I had this voice again that said, ‘You have to continue." So she founded Courageous Girls, a non-profit group dedicated to helping victims of sexual violence find their own sense of peace and closure through trekking. She decided to turn survivors into empowered people by helping them find that inner strength within themselves, knowing from her own experience how difficult that can be when wrestling with shame.

In 2016, she climbed Everest, and two years later completed all the Seven Summits, becoming the first openly gay woman to do so. Being sandwiched between the Himalayas on either side felt like being held by the mountains. Nothing ever made her feel so safe and so terrified at the same time. The experience was one of sublime vulnerability and mutual compassion between her and the mountains.

Now, Silvia is a humanitarian and compassionate social entrepreneur driven to rouse vulnerable populations by providing alternative solutions & methods for empowerment, education and advancement. Her book, In The Shadow of the Mountain, is her remarkable story of heroism and community, one which awakens in all of us a lust for adventure, gratitude for the strong women in our lives, and faith in our own resilience.

As VP - Global Client Partnerships, Torrence is responsible for driving Google’s strategy and multi-billion dollar business across a portfolio of the world’s largest global advertisers, spanning the tech, health/beauty and CPG verticals. In this capacity, he leads a team focused on large scale global strategic partnerships that deploy diverse Google products and platforms to achieve business transformation and breakthrough marketing results. Torrence also co-leads Google’s New York office, the second largest in the network.

As VP - Global Client Partnerships, Torrence is responsible for driving Google’s strategy and multi-billion dollar business across a portfolio of the world’s largest global advertisers, spanning the tech, health/beauty and CPG verticals. In this capacity, he leads a team focused on large scale global strategic partnerships that deploy diverse Google products and platforms to achieve business transformation and breakthrough marketing results. Torrence also co-leads Google’s New York office, the second largest in the network.

Before Google, Torrence held senior agency leadership positions with WPP & Publicis. Before his tenure in advertising, Torrence was a senior manager at Bain & Company, where he advised a broad range of clients on corporate and business unit strategy, mergers and acquisitions, new product development, and interactive strategy.

Torrence holds a B.A. in Economics, with honors, from Stanford University, and a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is a corporate director for Macy’s (NYSE: M), a former corporate director for Finish Line (NASDAQ: FINL), a leading national specialty retailer, and a board member of Pond5, a leading online marketplace for creative assets.

Torrence is a sought after international speaker and recipient of numerous business, advertising and philanthropic awards: Financial Times, UPstanding Power List; Crain’s NY Power 25 List; Savoy Magazine, Top 100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America and Power 300 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors; One Hundred Black Men, Corporate Award; A Better Chance, Dreambuilder Award; ADCOLOR, Advocate Award.