A'Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, Joins Keynote Speakers Lipnic and Leen at AAAED's 45th National Conference

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED), an organization of equal opportunity, diversity and affirmative action professionals, announced that A'Lelia Bundles, author of "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker," will join the roster of keynote speakers at the Association's 45th National Conference and Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Themed "Moving Beyond Diversity Towards Equity and Inclusion," the meeting will be held at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, One South Capitol Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204, on June 10 – 13, 2019. Ms. Bundles will speak on Thursday, June 13th at noon.

"On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker," is a biography of her great-great-grandmother. This New York Times Notable Book is in production as a four-part Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer and scheduled to air in early 2020.

Ms. Bundles is at work on her fifth book, The Joy Goddess of Harlem: A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, about her great-grandmother whose parties and arts patronage helped define the era.

Ms. Bundles is the brand historian for Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Culture, a line of hair care products manufactured by Sundial Brands and sold exclusively at Sephora. A former network television news executive and Emmy-award winning producer at ABC News and NBC News, she is a vice chairman of Columbia University's Board of Trustees and immediate past chair of the board of the National Archives Foundation.

She founded the Madam Walker Family Archives and is on the advisory boards of the March on Washington Film Festival and the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute.

Among the other keynote speakers are Victoria A. Lipnic and Craig Leen, two individuals who represent the leading equal employment opportunity agencies in the federal government: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), U.S. Department of Labor.

Victoria A. Lipnic was named Acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by President Donald J. Trump on January 25, 2017. She began her service as a Commissioner of the EEOC in April 2010, having been confirmed by the Senate for an initial term ending on July 1, 2015. In November 2015, she was confirmed by the Senate for a second term ending on July 1, 2020. She received her B.A. in Political Science and History from Allegheny College and her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law.

Craig Leen, Director of OFCCP, was formerly the City Attorney for the City of Coral Gables, an Adjunct Professor at Florida International University-College of Law, and a Volunteer Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law. Leen received his Bachelors of Arts degree from Georgetown University in 1997 and his Doctor of Law (JD) degree from Columbia University in 2000. From 2000-2005, he practiced law for various law firms in New York, Boston, and Miami. He also clerked for the Honorable Robert E. Keeton, United States District Judge, District of Massachusetts. From 2005-2011, Leen held various positions in Miami-Dade County, including Chief, Federal Section; Chief, Appeals Section, and Assistant County Attorney. Leen's wife Ana is a child psychiatrist, and he has two school-age children. The Leens are very involved in autism awareness.

"We are delighted to have Ms. Bundles, Chair Lipnic and Director Leen to serve as keynote speakers at our 45th National Conference and Annual Meeting," said Dr. Richard Anthony Baker, president of AAAED. "We are also pleased to honor the memory and accomplishments of an American icon, Madam C.J. Walker, in her home town of Indianapolis, as well as her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles," added Ms. Theresa Turner, AAAED Conference Chair.

The AAAED 45th National Conference and Annual Meeting is open to the press. For more information or to register for the Conference, go to: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/Conference_Agenda1.asp.
To join AAAED, click here: https://www.aaaed.org/aaaed/Join_Us.asp
Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of equal opportunity, compliance and diversity. AAAED has 45 years of leadership in providing professional training to its members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity laws to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities.

SOURCE American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED)