Derrick Johnson serves as the 19th president and CEO of the NAACP, a role he has held since October 2017. With a long history of leadership within the NAACP, including vice chairman of the National Board of Directors and president of the Mississippi State Conference, he has been instrumental in guiding the Association through a period of reinvigoration and transformation.

Under Johnson's leadership, the NAACP has taken on numerous impactful initiatives to advance racial justice, expose systemic inequities, and amplify the organization's advocacy for Black communities across the nation. Most recently, he spearheaded the launch of NAACP Capital, a fund of funds aligned with the NAACP's mission of achieving equity, political rights, and social inclusion for Black people and all persons of color. In 2020, Johnson led the "We Are Done Dying" Campaign, which exposed systemic inequities in American healthcare and beyond, further amplifying the NAACP's advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also oversaw the Jamestown to Jamestown Partnership in 2019, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in America.

As the Biden Administration came into office in 2021, Johnson led the charge in calling for a Cabinet-level position dedicated to advancing the nation's issue of racial justice. His efforts culminated in President Biden signing an Executive Order to eliminate systemic racial barriers, ensuring federal policies are rooted in equity.

Johnson is a frequent voice on networks such as CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC, where he advocates for the Black community and all those impacted by systemic oppression and injustice.

Lisa Bland Malone has spent the majority of her career working in the civil rights arena. She has over twenty-five years of experience in policy analysis, federal and grassroots advocacy, programs, research and publications.

She currently serves as the Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs at the NAACP. Providing policy analysis, research and support for NAACP strategic initiatives. She recommends policy positions, strategies and communicates NAACP positions and objectives on a portfolio of policy and regulatory issues. To ensure equity and justice across all policy areas is her focus with an emphasis on health, education, and the economy.

Prior to joining the NAACP, she served as the Vice President & Chief of Staff at the National Urban League's Washington Bureau. Lisa provided leadership and assistance to the staff and supervised the day-to-day management of the Bureau. She was responsible for overseeing legislative advocacy, research and policy, staffing, funding proposals and grant requirements.

Ms. Bland Malone is a graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. She also attended the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Chetan Karyekar is a seasoned medical leader with over two decades of experience spanning Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, and translational science across immunology, rheumatology, and metabolic diseases. Known for his strategic vision and scientific depth, he has led global teams in advancing breakthrough therapies from early development through launch, with a consistent focus on improving patient outcomes and health equity.

Chetan holds an MD from the University of Mumbai, completed his residency in Medicine at Chicago Medical School, and earned a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Maryland. He has authored approximately fifty peer-reviewed publications and presented at global scientific forums, sharing insights on real-world evidence, biomarker-driven development, and inclusive trial design.

At Sanofi, Chetan leads the Next Gen Immunology Medical team, shaping strategy across early- and latephase assets and partnering across R&D, regulatory, and commercial functions. He also drives collaboration models that connect patients and payers to the development of novel therapies. He is committed to making Sanofi a scientific powerhouse for patients with immune-mediated diseases, strengthening capabilities in Dermatology and Pulmonology while expanding into Rheumatology and
Gastroenterology.

Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr. is a board-certified forensic pathologist and is proud to serve as the 126th President for the National Medical Association, the oldest and largest group representing Black physicians in the country. He recently served as the President of Howard University Hospital one of the most historic hospitals in the nation. Prior to his time as President, Dr. Mitchell was a tenured Professor of Pathology and Chief Medical Officer for the Faculty Practice at Howard University where he worked on issues related to quality, safety, and the physician enterprise.

Dr. Mitchell served as Chief Medical Examiner for Washington, DC performing and managing thousands of autopsies and death scenes. At one point, he was the youngest chief medical examiner in the country. At the end of his tenure as chief in DC, he was appointed as Interim Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice where he developed programs and policy for violence prevention.

He is the co-author of the book entitled Death in Custody: How America Ignores the Truth and What We Can Do About It, published by John Hopkins Press. He recently served on the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Advancing the Field of Forensic Pathology: Lesson Learned from Death in Custody Investigations. He is the co-host of the recent NAACP Image Awards nominated podcast entitled Official Ignorance – The Death in Custody Podcast.

Mitchell attended undergraduate studies at the Howard University, medical school at Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School, pathology residency at the George Washington University Hospital, and forensic pathology fellowship at Office of the Chief Medical Examiner – New York City.

Dr. Chris T. Pernell is a dynamic physician leader and social change agent. In her practice, she focuses on health justice, community-based advocacy, and population-wide health promotion and disease prevention. A celebrated visionary and apostle of public health, Dr. Chris serves as the Director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity. The Center is charged with driving equitable health outcomes and transforming healthcare systems while valuing the whole person. Prior to joining the nation's oldest and most venerable civil rights organization, she launched The Esther Group, a public health consulting and health equity strategy firm. As founder of The Esther Group, she lives the mandate to dare a future where organizations, communities and systems can innovate for a better world and humanity.

Previously, she served as the first Chief Strategic Integration and Health Equity Officer at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey. Dr. Pernell oversaw a portfolio which included Population Health, Strategic Planning, Community Affairs, and the Human Experience. Her office was responsible for leading health equity strategy development and integrating diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism initiatives across all system operations.

Dr. Chris graduated cum laude from Princeton University before attending Duke University School of Medicine. She received her Master of Public Health from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and completed the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health General Preventive Medicine Residency. Dr. Pernell is a fellow and Regent-at-Large for the American College of Preventive Medicine. She holds an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Previously, she taught as an adjunct associate professor at the NYU College of Global Public Health. She labors as a faith leader in a groundbreaking assembly, BET HaSHEM YHWH Worldwide Ministries, and travels domestically and overseas, helping to transform lives through love, truth, creativity, and inspiration.

Catherine Hicks was born and raised in Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood and educated through the city’s public school system. Her passion for communications began in high school, where she made daily announcements and later studied communications at LaSalle University. Catherine launched her career in marketing and radio production before becoming an entrepreneur, co-founding HDA (Hicks Dry-Cleaning Association) and Impress Dry Cleaners, operating four successful locations across Philadelphia.

Her career expanded into healthcare communications with leading providers HMA and Keystone Mercy, and later as Director of Project Management and Communications for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, where she oversaw media relations, community outreach, and public education campaigns on foreclosure prevention and homeownership. In 2012, she joined the Philadelphia Sunday SUN as Public Relations Consultant, cultivating relationships with civic, business, and political leaders and co-producing the radio show Freedom Quest. She became Publisher and Co-Owner in 2015, continuing the paper’s legacy of empowering Black voices and advancing community journalism.

In 2021, Catherine was elected President of the Philadelphia Branch NAACP, becoming only the second woman to lead the nation’s oldest civil rights organization at the local level. Under her leadership, the branch has focused on expanding membership, strengthening community partnerships, and addressing issues of racial equity, education, voting rights, and economic empowerment. Catherine is committed to upholding the NAACP’s mission of ensuring political, educational, social, and economic equality for all people. She also serves with numerous civic and professional organizations and finds her greatest joy in her family—her two daughters and five grandchildren—who continue to inspire her lifelong dedication to service and justice.

Tiffany Walker, LCSW, is the Senior Fellow for the NAACP Center for Health Equity, where she advances health equity through systems change, public health strategy, and cross-sector collaboration. A clinician and systems architect, Tiffany helps organizations translate vision into scalable systems, frameworks, and infrastructure that improve health outcomes and create measurable impact.

Prior to joining the NAACP, Tiffany served as University Director of Student Wellness Services at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she led strategy and operations for a multi-campus health and wellness department serving more than 11,000 students. She designed and implemented the university's first upstream public health framework, integrating education, prevention, early intervention, and compassionate care to strengthen student health, mental health, and student success.
Tiffany began her career as a program evaluator for college readiness programs, before moving into direct service as a school social worker. She has dedicated her work to improving the health and wellbeing of people through culturally responsive, equity-centered systems of care. Her current scholarship examines workplace harm as a public health issue, with a particular focus on how chronic exposure to microaggressions, discrimination, and institutional gaslighting shapes health, mental health, leadership identity, and career sustainability for Black women. She is the creator of the Lifecycle of Microaggressions® framework, which she uses to help institutions and executive teams identify where organizational culture and unaddressed harm quietly erode trust, performance, and long-term sustainability.

Tiffany is also the founder of Journey Therapy Center and its Per My Email platform, a coaching and learning space that supports Black women navigating racialized harm in professional environments. Through Per My Email, she provides speaking, coaching, and facilitation centered on regulation, recovery, and strategic clarity for Black women leaders working inside high pressure, historically white dominant systems.

Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Widener University and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work, where she graduated magna cum laude. She holds multiple professional certificates supporting her clinical and facilitation work. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in Houston, Texas. Outside of work, she is an avid traveler who enjoys exploring the world. Across every role, Tiffany's life's work returns to one question: how do people thrive, and what systems help or harm that process?

Nina Ahmad, Ph.D., is an At-Large member of Philadelphia City Council, where she made history as the first South Asian American, first Muslim woman, and first immigrant in recent history to serve citywide. A scientist by training, Councilmember Ahmad brings a data-informed approach to policymaking while championing public health, equity, and economic opportunity for all Philadelphians.

As Chair of City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee, Councilmember Ahmad has advanced legislation to protect youth from illegal vape sales; expand access to electric vehicle charging in underserved neighborhoods; strengthen oversight of the City’s child welfare system; and prevent workplace discrimination against employees experiencing menstruation, menopause, and perimenopause.
Her recent legislative wins include: (1) a voter registration bill that requires landlords to provide voter registration information to renters at lease signing or renewal, expanding access to the ballot for tens of thousands of Philadelphians; the bill passed Council unanimously and was signed into law by Mayor Cherelle Parker on October 29, 2025, making it one of the only voter registration measures of its kind in Philadelphia’s recent history; and (2) a bill expanding membership on the City’s Economic Opportunity Review Committee (EORC) to include the Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, ensuring those communities have a direct voice in how public dollars are spent.
Since joining City Council, she has secured more than $1.5 million in City funding to support healthy food access through The Food Trust’s Food Bucks program; expand direct, community-based healthcare services through Greater Philadelphia Health Action; and provide implicit bias training for perinatal and neonatal healthcare teams through Once Upon A Preemie. She also secured $500,000 for a 2026 anti–human trafficking awareness campaign focused on prevention, education, and survivor-centered outreach.

A former Deputy Mayor for Public Engagement and a President Obama appointee to the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs, Dr. Ahmad holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. She has two daughters and lives in Mount Airy with her husband and their dog, Oscar.