In 2022, only an estimated 11.9% of Fortune 500 board seats were filled by Black board members, per Missing Pieces Report. The alarming statistic is part of why executives like Samuel Bright, vice president and general manager of Google Play plus the developer ecosystem at Google, actively push to advocate for diverse voices to be heard in the boardroom. During the fireside chat “ The Kaleidoscope Effect: Redefining Boardrooms” at the 2023 AFROTECH™ Conference, Bright detailed his board service journey including joining TIAA’s board. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the financial retirement services company is helmed by Thasunda Brown Duckett, who is one of two Black women CEOs to lead a Fortune 500 company. “I’m very fortunate that TIAA has had DEI ingrained in its DNA,” Bright told Kelly Buchanan Spillers, chief marketing officer of Infor at the time, during the fireside chat. “It is when I was joining the board I was joining a diverse board. Also, there’s a very diverse...

Talk about walking an illuminated path! Kevin Walker has made history as the first Black man and person of color to lead Duquesne Light Company. According to TribLive , Walker is a U.S Army combat veteran with over three decades of experience in leading utility companies. He currently holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from West Point Academy along with a master’s of business administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Formerly, Walker served as the Chief Operating Officer for both American Electric Power and Iberdrola. “It is my honor and privilege to lead the talented and dedicated employees of [DLC] and I’m looking forward to working with our business and community partners in Allegheny and Beaver counties,” said Walker. Upon leaving his positions as Chief Operating Officer , the Pennsylvania native went on to serve as senior vice president for customer & operations services. He also served as nuclear decommissioning at Southern...