Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H., is the president of the Commonwealth Fund and a leading expert in health care policy, equity, and community health. Formerly the senior vice president for Equity and Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital and founding director of the Disparities Solutions Center, he has dedicated his career to improving health care quality for diverse populations.

An associate professor at Harvard Medical School and a board-certified internist, Betancourt has advised numerous federal health agencies and served on governance boards, including Trinity Health and the Massachusetts Health and Hospitals Association. He has authored nearly 80 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to the landmark Unequal Treatment report.

A National Academy of Medicine member and Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow, Betancourt has received numerous accolades, including Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders and Top 50 Clinical Healthcare Executives honors. He holds an M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and an M.P.H. from Harvard.

Derrick Johnson serves as President and CEO of the NAACP, a title he has held since October of 2017. President Johnson formerly served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, as well as state president for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. A longstanding member and leader of the NAACP, Mr. Johnson has helped guide the Association through a period of re-envisioning and reinvigoration.

Under President Johnson's leadership, the NAACP has undertaken such efforts as the 2018 "Log Out" Facebook Campaign, pressuring Facebook after reports of Russian hackers targeting African Americans, the Jamestown to Jamestown Partnership, marking the 400th year enslaved Africans first touched the shores of America, and the 2020 We are Done Dying Campaign, exposing the inequities embedded into the American healthcare system and the country at large.

As the Biden Administration took office in 2021, President Johnson led the charge in calling for a Cabinet-level position focused squarely on advancing our nation's longstanding issue of racial justice. President Biden signed an Executive Order establishing an interagency effort to eliminate systemic racial barriers and ensuring federal policies are rooted in equity, optimizing the well-being of all in public policies.

Dr. Karen D. Lincoln, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.A., F.G.S.A., is a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at UC Irvine, Director of the Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research, and Founder of Advocates for African American Elders. A distinguished sociologist and social worker, her research focuses on the social determinants of health disparities, particularly among Black Americans and other minoritized populations.

With over 85 publications, Dr. Lincoln is also a prominent public scholar, contributing op-eds to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and being featured in major media outlets. She is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, a Hartford Faculty Scholar, and has received numerous accolades, including the National Institute of Mental Health’s James S. Jackson Memorial Award. Ranked among the most influential African American social work scholars and the Top 2% of Scientists Worldwide, she continues to advance research and advocacy for health equity.

Dr. Lincoln holds degrees in Sociology and Social Work from UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Dr. Chris T. Pernell, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.M., is a physician leader and health justice advocate dedicated to advancing health equity and social change. As Director of the NAACP Center for Health Equity, she works to drive equitable health outcomes and transform healthcare systems. Previously, she was the first Chief Strategic Integration and Health Equity Officer at University Hospital in Newark, overseeing population health, strategic planning, and diversity initiatives.

Dr. Pernell has led workplace health strategies at 1199SEIU, founded The Esther Group, a health equity consulting firm, and served on the Essex County Civilian Task Force and New Jersey Reparations Council. A sought-after speaker and media contributor, she advises leaders on health equity, racial justice, and community well-being.

Her accolades include ROI-NJ Top 150 Business Leaders, NJBiz Best 50 Women in Business, and the American College of Preventive Medicine Ron Davis Special Recognition Award. She holds degrees from Princeton, Duke, and Columbia, completed her residency at Johns Hopkins, and is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine.