Vanessa Wakeman, Founder and CEO of The Wakeman Agency, is a futurist, strategic advisor, speaker and facilitator. Her work focuses primarily on the eco-system of social change. With deep knowledge about the politics of social change and mastery at advancing the efforts of mission-driven causes, she is a trusted advisor to nonprofit organizations and socially responsible companies in the US and internationally. She has successfully led initiatives to support values-driven transformation and communications for boards of directors, leadership, employees and other stakeholder groups. Vanessa is an increasingly sought after facilitator and speaker. As a facilitator, she helps to build and restore trust with internal and external audiences. She is highly knowledgeable in developing communication strategies, assessing organizational culture, creating safe spaces for difficult conversations, and helping to build frameworks for organizations to cultivate healthy and equitable environments. During the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the recent racially motivated murders, Vanessa has helped organizations reimagine their values, culture and operations through the lens of racial justice. As a speaker, Vanessa has provided thought leadership on topics ranging from philanthropy to thought leadership for women. Recent speaking engagements include UN Women, Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits, Hispanics in Philanthropy, Utah Association of Nonprofits Annual Conference and the Women’s Leadership Institute. In 2018, she was profiled in Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership, a book showcasing 40 multi-cultural PR leaders. Vanessa has masterminded engagements with BMI, UCLA’s Civil Rights Project, The Alliance for Financial Inclusion, Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, The New York Women’s Foundation, Hispanics in Philanthropy, New York Urban League, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Animal Farm Foundation, ShoreTel, and many others. Vanessa is the creator of She Roars, a thought leadership training program for women and the Narrative Justice Project, a free media-training program for communities of color. As a public relations leader and thought leader, she has been recognized as a Champion of PR by PRWeek and one of 50 Game Changers of PR by PR News.Vanessa serves on the Board of the Public Relations Society of America Foundation and the Commission for Public Relations Education, leading the DEI Committee to develop curriculum standards through a multi-cultural lens. She recently served as a PR Professional-In-Residence at the University of Florida.