Karen Carter Richards, Chair and Publisher, NNPA and Houston Forward Times: Karen Carter Richards serves as CEO and Publisher for the Forward Times Publishing Company, Inc., a multimedia company that publishes weekly; the largest Black owned and independently published newspaper in the southern region. Karen is the daughter of the late Julius P. Carter and Lenora Carter, original Founder/Publishers of the historic publication which has served the community since 1960. Karen has continued the iconic legacy of her parents and after more than thirty years of working in the family business in various administrative and managerial positions, she has taken over the helm and transitioned the business into one of the leading multimedia companies in the country. As a second generation publisher, Karen has creatively expanded the mission of the Forward Times and has continued her family’s publishing legacy to ensure that it remains the strongest information vehicle and most trusted voice for African Americans in the city of Houston and throughout the southern region, and has never missed a week of print. Following the untimely death of her mother in 2010, Karen launched “The Julius and Lenora Carter Scholarship & Youth Foundation” which supports students by granting scholarships and internships to those who aspire to a career in journalism and communications. The Foundation benefits low-to-moderate income high school seniors and college students who reside within the Greater Houston metropolitan area and are seeking to pursue a degree in Journalism, Broadcasting, Photography, Printing or Digital Communications. The Foundation has effectively partnered with local school districts and colleges/universities to offer internship opportunities to students which allow them to be exposed to various career options in the journalism and communications industry. The Foundation has provided over $35,000 in much needed scholarships to Houston area students and youth groups. Because of her commitment and dedicated service, Karen has received numerous awards for her outstanding contributions, including the Texas Executive Women, “Women on the Move Award” Class of 2016, Tri-County Black Chamber of Commerce Living Legend ICON Award, “Top 25 Women of Houston,” International Financial Leadership Summit Award, National Council of Negro Women’s Mary McLeod Bethune Impact Service Award and many more. She serves on the Board of Directors for Greater Southeast Management District and the Houston Texans YMCA. Karen served as First Vice-Chair for the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) from 2015-2019 and was elected as Chairman of the Board of the NNPA on June 28, 2019. She was also selected as NNPA Publisher of the Year in 2018. Because of her leadership ability, Karen was selected to be a Fellow with the American Leadership Forum (ALF) Class XLVIII. Karen is also an inaugural member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) – Houston Chapter, a singularly unique organization comprised of more than 6,000 dynamic women leaders in thirty-three countries and seventy-four forums around the world. She recently served as the Chairperson of “Go Red Girlfriend” an African American Awareness Initiative for the American Heart Association. Karen served on the transition team for Mayor Sylvester Turner as a member of the Economic Opportunity Committee, which focused on increasing job opportunities and closing the income inequality gap in the City of Houston. Karen is a member of The Stepping into Strength (SIS) Mentoring Program which builds and develops young girls in the community to become resilient, fearless, educated and empowered. Karen is the proud mother of three children: Jesse, Chelsea and Nykayla.

Dr. Benjamin Chavis, President & CEO, NNPA: Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., entrepreneur, global business leader, educator, chemist, civil rights leader, NAACP Life Member, syndicated columnist, theologian, and author is currently the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA): The Black Press of America. Dr. Chavis serves on the Board of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO). Dr. Chavis is also the former President and Co-Founder of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN), the world’s largest coalition of hip-hop artists and recording industry executives. Dr. Chavis’ award-winning syndicated column for the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) reaches 30 million readers weekly throughout the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. A native of Oxford, North Carolina, Dr. Chavis received the Bachelor of Arts, BA, in Chemistry from University of North Carolina; the Master of Divinity, M.Div., magna cum laude, from Duke University; and the Doctor of Ministry, D.Min., from Howard University. Dr. Chavis has also completed course requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., in systematic theology, from Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Chavis is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. began his career in 1963, as a statewide youth coordinator in NC for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In 1970, Chavis was appointed Southern Regional Program Director of the 1.7-million-member United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice (UCC-CRJ) and by 1985 was named the Executive Director and CEO of the UCC-CRJ. In 1988, Dr. Chavis was elected Vice President of the National Council of Churches of the USA. In 1993 and 1994 Dr. Chavis served as the Executive Director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and remains an active supporter of the NAACP. In 1995, Dr. Chavis was the National Director and organizer of the Million Man March. From 1995 to 1997 Chavis was the Executive Director and CEO of the National African American Leadership Summit (NAALS). The 2010 theatrical release of the full-length movie “Blood Done Sign My Name” distributed by Paladin, directed by Jeb Stuart, starring Ricky Schroder, Nate Parker, and Lela Rochon depicts a true story from Dr. Chavis’ early days in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s and 1970’s in his hometown of Oxford, NC. Dr Chavis has authored books and other publications including: An American Political Prisoner Appeals for Human Rights, Psalms from Prison, Toxic Waste and Race in the United States of America: A National Report on the Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Communities with Hazardous Waste Sites, Report of Fact Finding Mission of African American Church and Community Leaders to the Republic of Angola, Pastoral Letter on Contemporary Racism and the Role of the Church, The National Agenda: Public Policy Issues, Analyses, And Programmatic Plans of Action (2000-2008), and FUSION: Bridging the Gap between Civil Rights and Hip-Hop with MC Lyte (2015).

André M. Johnson, VP of Distribution and Sales & Senior Editor, Urban News, Zenger News: Former Washington Post reporter, 18 years of building media distribution networks. Former communications director for Marion Barry, former PR assistant with the (then) Washington Redskins. Grew a newspaper network from 20 outlets to more than 200, creating the nation’s largest network of black newspapers and magazines. Prior to working at Zenger News, Mr. Johnson was the founder of ProImage Communications, LLC., and has more than 20 years of professional communications experience to his credit representing athletes, politicians, small non-profit and for-profit corporations. He brings an extensive background in public relations, public affairs, crisis management communications, social media outreach, campaigning, advertising, and direct response marketing. He is a nationally recognized general and strategic consultant, with an ability to offer clients a strategically sound orientation, detailed planning, and control over campaigns. Mr. Johnson’s history of public service and professional involvement in political affairs is as impressive as it is diverse. He has staffed Members of the House and Senate and served as communications consultant to several District of Columbia Councilmembers, local government campaigns and initiatives in Washington, DC. As a private political consultant, he has also provided services for political campaigns both nationally and internationally. A native Washingtonian, Mr. Johnson graduated from the American University in 1990 receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and has been a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc., since 1986.