Economic Development Council Lunch

We are happy to announce our May Economic Development Council speaker as Dr. Menna Demessie, Senior Vice President & Executive Director of Task Force for Meaningful Change at Universal Music Group. Dr. Menna will be speaking on "How to Excel Your Businesses Through Philanthropy". You won't want to miss this exciting discussion to advance your company. Find out more information about Dr. Menna Demessie below!

If you would like to register, please email Daniel at dbermudez@beverlyhillchamber.com
 

Dr. Menna Demessie
Senior Vice President & Executive Director of
Task Force for Meaningful Change,
Universal Music Group

Dr. Demessie is a political scientist, public policy professional, and social justice advocate with a track record of advancing research and policy solutions to bridge the racial gap across a host of socioeconomic issues including voting rights, criminal justice reform, minority access to capital, and employment. 

As the former head of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research and the Leadership Institute for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Dr. Demessie spent a decade spearheading partnerships with the White House, Congress, and other nonprofit stakeholders to advance strategic efforts to influence and inform public policy. She is also the founder of the Black Caucuses’ s first peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal. 

Her latest efforts with to advance recommendations on promoting workforce diversity in Congress in response to the 2019 Modernization of Congress were published in cooperation with her colleagues serving on the Presidential Task Force with the American Political Science Association (APSA). She has worked with over 50 members of parliament from 30 countries on promoting democratic governance and equitable representation of racial and ethnic minority interests. 

She also serves on adjunct faculty for the University of Michigan and the University of California system where she teaches courses on race and ethnic politics, public opinion and political advocacy, and Black Lives Matter. In 2018, the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, appointed her to the Ethiopian Diaspora Trust Fund where she currently serves as chair. The trust fund has raised millions from the diaspora to promote development in Ethiopia without the aid of any western or government institution. She also serves on the APSA Council and is on the Board of Trustees for Oberlin College, her alma mater.