As one of few women and people of color serving on boards and in corporate leadership, Debra is leveraging her deep board experience and networks to accelerate the diversification of board rooms and leadership ranks. The Monarchs Collective specializes in identifying, preparing, and developing talent to contribute in board roles and to flourish in senior leadership ranks. www.monarchscollective.com

Since 2010, Debra has organized the Leading Women Defined Summit, an annual invitation-only gathering of the most prominent African-American women. Her summits have included such luminaries as First Lady Michelle Obama and Senator Kamala Harris.

Sharing an inspiring life story, leadership lessons from the C-suite, valuable insights on managing change and a passion for empowering women and people of color, Debra brings incredible presence to the speaking stage. Her talks on diversity and inclusion are known to not only "point out the elephants in the room," but motivate action and change. Energizing, authoritative and disarmingly candid, Ms. Lee treats audiences to an unforgettable encounter with one of the most remarkable business leaders of our time.

Debra led BET Networks to become the largest global company dedicated to African-American programming. She blazed new trails as one of America’s rare African-American female CEOs, growing BET’s brand presence from a network known mostly for music videos to a ratings record-breaker serving a demographic with more than $1.3 trillion in buying power. By her retirement in 2018, BET reached 100 million homes globally. Debra defined the network’s brand mission and increased investment in authentic programming that resonates with Black audiences. These include shows such as The New Edition Story, The Game, Being Mary Jane, The BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors and many others.Today, BET is the leading provider of entertainment not only for the African-American audience, but for consumers of Black culture worldwide.