Ivy Winfrey, formerly know as DJ Poizon Ivy, is a dynamic figure making waves not only in sports and music but also as a cultural influencer. With a trusted voice, Ivy shapes culture by fostering communication, collaboration, and creativity. At the heart of her journey lies music, where she honed her skills as a DJ and multimedia personality.
In 2016, Ivy made history as the first female team DJ for the Dallas Mavericks and the second ever in NBA history. Her accolades include being a five-time NBA All-Star DJ (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and earning an Emmy award along with being a 2019 Forbes Under 30 honoree. She takes pride in fostering community both in real life and via social media, leveraging her vibrant, positive, and edgy personality to discuss her passions: motherhood, health, wellness, sports, entertainment, and style.
Outside of the arena, the pioneer is also the host of ‘Afroverse54’ on 97.9 The Beat in Dallas, a groundbreaking radio show that stands as the flagship of Urban One, the largest African-American-owned broadcasting company. With a mission to spotlight the diverse music of African musicians globally, the show transcends entertainment, becoming a platform celebrating Afro diasporans reshaping Africa’s narrative.
Beyond her career, Ivy tirelessly advocates for underprivileged youth, striving to provide access and opportunities in nontraditional sports and entertainment roles. Throughout her illustrious career, she has collaborated with renowned entities such as the NBA, WNBA, Basketball Africa League, NFL, Twitter, Nike, Afropunk, Moet Hennessy, ESPN, Google, Spotify, and more. Ivy is currently based in Dallas with her daughter, Kyani.
Vanna Collins is an award-winning entrepreneur, community enthusiast and yogi with a track record of creating and implementing successful spaces for wellness. As the owner and visionary behind Elemental Yoga + Meditation Studio, Vanna Collins has curated a unique and essential wellspring for the community to practice a variety of spiritual modalities. Under the guidance of Collins and her staff of professional wellness practitioners individuals are encouraged to experience beginners and hot yoga, guided meditation classes, sound healing sessions, reiki and energetic bodywork, and so much more. Learn more about Vanna at VannaCollins.com
Cynt Marshall has been a dynamic force in business over a 36-year career at AT&T and almost seven years as the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Cynt has been a champion for achieving business results through inclusion and a relentless focus on people and operational excellence. When Cynt was hired as the CEO of the Mavs in February 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation. Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion, diversity, and workplace culture. Cynt brought transparency, trust, her values-based leadership style, and a 100-day plan. The Dallas Mavericks have twice received the NBA’s Inclusion Leadership award. Prior to her joining the Mavs, Cynt founded Marshalling Resources, a consulting firm specializing in leadership development, culture transformation and optimization of people resources. Upon the company naming its first Chief Inclusion Officer in June 2017, Cynt worked with The Dow Chemical Company to develop and implement a strategy for institutionalizing an inclusive culture. Dow was named to DiversityInc’s Top 50 list in 2018 and every year since, claiming the number 7 spot in 2023. The company is also now recognized on Fortune’s Great Place to Work lists. As Senior Vice President – Human Resources & Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T, Cynt was responsible for identifying and developing leaders, aligning employees with the company’s vision and priorities, overseeing major business unit HR support, developing and executing the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and skills transformation initiatives. Cynt led the team that created a world class culture and spearheaded the work that for the first time placed AT&T on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2017, one of only two Fortune 50 companies. Cynt also served as President-AT&T North Carolina where she became the first African-American chair of the North Carolina State Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her North Carolina appointment, Cynt held a variety of executive line and staff, technical and non-technical positions at AT&T and its predecessor companies. Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and ability to get things done, Cynt is the recipient of several honors and awards, including the 2024 Junior Achievement Dallas Business Hall of Fame Laureate award and the 2022 Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum Hope for Humanity award. In 2021, Forbes named Cynt one of 15 of the world’s most inspiring female leaders, Dallas WISE (Women In Sports and Events) honored her with the inaugural Women of Inspiration award, The Women’s Forum of New York bestowed the Elly award, and Texas Women’s University recognized Cynt with the Virginia Chandler Dyke Leadership award. Cynt received the 2020 Girl Scouts of America Lifetime Achievement award and was touted as one of Adweek’s 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports. In 2019, Cynt was honored with the Women of Power Legacy Award by Black Enterprise and was the recipient of the National ATHENA® Leadership Program Award. In 2017, Cynt was honored by The Network Journal as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Business and was honored with the ATHENA® Leadership Program Award by the Dallas Regional Chamber. In March 2020 and several times prior, Cynt was selected as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine and named to Ebony magazine’s 2016 “Power 100” list. In 2014, industry analysts and members of the press conferred on Cynt the HR Executive of the Year - Best in Biz Award. For her efforts on behalf of the people of North Carolina, in 2013 Cynt received the prestigious Leadership North Carolina Governor’s Award, which honors just one citizen each year for lifetime achievements. Cynt graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management and holds four honorary Doctorate degrees. She also earned a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Cynt serves on the corporate Board of Directors of BGSF Staffing, JELD-WEN, Chime Financial, Inc. and Yahoo. Cynt has chaired a variety of non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of Dallas CASA, Dallas Regional Chamber (chair), T.D. Jakes Foundation, Executive Leadership Council (ELC), and is a member of the University of California at Berkeley Board of Visitors. Cynt is the co-founder of the National Utilities Diversity Council (NUDC), the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and Pro Sports Assembly. Cynt’s first book, You’ve Been Chosen, was released in September 2022 and was nominated for an NAACP Image award. She grew up in Richmond, California and lives in Dallas, Texas. Cynt and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have four adult children.
JOURNAL PROMPT: How do you set boundaries in your personal and professional life?
Emmy-award winning sportscaster covering DFW sports for more than two decades, Dana Larson joined Fox Sports Southwest/Bally Sports Southwest in July 2002 anchoring the nightly pregame and postgame shows for the region’s professional sports teams, including the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers. She also hosted an assortment of interview and documentary specials spotlighting prominent athletes in the Southwest region, as well as weekly magazine shows. In 2021, Larson became the first female to win the NSMA Texas Sportscaster of the Year award.
Larson joined the regional network after working 1½ years as a sports reporter at Austin’s NBC affiliate KXAN-TV. She began her broadcasting career in April 2000 as a sports anchor/reporter for KWTX-TV in Waco, upon graduating from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Larson graduated Magna Cum Laude from SMU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications. She resides in Plano with her husband, former SMU basketball standout Jay Poerner, and their daughters, Reese and Brooklynn.
Tiburzi began her aviation career flying as a flight instructor and charter pilot. In 1973, at age 24, she became the first female pilot for American Airlines and the first female pilot for a major American commercial airline.[1] She flew as a Captain on the Boeing 727, Boeing 757 and the Boeing 767. At the same time she also became the first woman in the world to earn a Flight Engineer rating on a turbo-jet aircraft.
In 1986 Tiburzi wrote her autobiography, Takeoff: The Story of America's First Woman Pilot for a Major Airline.[3] She retired from AAL in 1999 after 26 years.
Parrish is currently CEO of Parrish Restaurants, Ltd, which owns and operates 25 restaurants in Dallas and surrounding areas. The Dallas Business Journal has ranked his company the #1 Black Owned Business in North Texas for the past 5 years, based on number of employees and sales. In 2017, Parrish received the Dallas Business Journal's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Roland's $2M Leadership Gift supported the renovation of the former Management School Library at Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It was opened and renamed the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics in 2012. It's the first facility at Purdue to be named after an African American.
Also, his gift of philanthropy led to the building of the Rev. John and Marie Parrish Medical Clinic in Fort Portal, Uganda. The clinic, which opened in May of 2016, serves 6,000 orphans per year and is named in memory of his parents.
Parrish serves on the Board of Trustees of Fisk University, in Nashville, Tennessee, where the Parrish Career and Development Center opened this year.
Also, he currently serves on the Methodist Hospital Foundation, MLB Texas Rangers Foundation, and Oncor Foundation.
Parrish is the 2nd largest investor for the restructuring of the Re-Imaging Red Bird Project, which will bring a Marriot Hotel and hundreds of jobs to the Red Bird Community. Also, it includes 250,000 sq ft of medical/clinical services to the Dallas Southern sector (Parkland Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center). It was the Dallas Business Journal's, 2020 Best Real Estate Deal of the Year.
Roland received his BSIM and MBA from Purdue's Daniels School of Business. As a scholar and athlete, he consistently made the Dean's List, was a 2-time MVP of the Purdue track team and selected by his teammates to be Captain his senior year.
Most recently, The Dallas Morning News honored Parrish as "The 95th Recipient of The Linz Award' one of the oldest and most prestigious civic honors a Dallas/DFW Resident can receive.
He and wife, Jewel, have two adult children. Son, Ro (UNT-BA 02') and Daughter, Jade (Purdue-BA 12' and SMU-MBA 22').
Presenter: Greg Nared
SVP Player Relation & Mavs Academy
Dallas Mavericks
VR Small is a dynamic Navy Veteran, highly regarded motivational speaker, skilled moderator, and respected educator with a proven track record of driving impactful social and economic innovation nationwide. As the visionary Founder and CEO of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC), a groundbreaking national initiative, VR empowers entrepreneur women associated with the military to successfully scale. Her leadership has earned her national recognition, including being honored by the Department of Veteran Affairs, Center for Women Veterans, as a Trailblazer in "Women Veterans Leading the Way."
A fearless advocate of Women Helping Women through Sisterhood in Action, VR champions the Power of Empowerment, dedicated to uplifting her sisters-in-arms. She equips them with the critical resources and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to success. With unwavering commitment and passion, VR continues to inspire and lead, breaking barriers and setting the standard for excellence.
Presenter: Keshia Robinson
VP of Compliance
Dallas Mavericks
Jennifer Bartkowski is the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX). She has been with GSNETX since 2009 and previously served as Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Jennifer pioneered a national Girl Scout STEM initiative built on the success of the $15M STEM Center of Excellence in southwest Dallas. This 92-acre campus opened in 2018 and is a living laboratory for girls meant to change the workforce pipeline for North Texas.
Jennifer holds a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University and has worked with a variety of organizations including United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, American Lung Association of Texas, and as an independent consultant.
Jennifer is a graduate of Leadership Dallas and the Stagen Social Change Leadership Cohort. She is Chair of the Leadership Dallas Alumnae Association, President of The Dallas Summit, Board Chair of Connections Multiplied, Too (CM2), a member of SMU’s Continuing and Professional Education program Women in Leadership Advisory Board, sits on the Aggie Women Network Board of Directors and serves as a founding board of Carson’s Village.
Presenter: Gail O’Bannon
Chief DEI Officer
Dallas Mavericks
As Senior Vice President, Corporate Sponsorships for the Dallas Mavericks, Brittanie leads the team’s efforts in strategic growth initiatives, securing corporate sponsorships, and managing client relationships. She has played a pivotal role in forming partnerships that align with the Mavericks’ values while also contributing significantly to the organization’s revenue growth, brand affinity, and community engagement efforts. Prior to returning to her hometown of Dallas, Texas, Brittanie has gotten the opportunity to learn from and contribute to several iconic sports franchises including the Philadelphia 76ers, Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, New Jersey Devils, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Cowboys in which she has successfully built and led teams across various business verticals such as Marketing, Community Engagement, Business Operations, Premium Services, Event Operations, and Guest Experience. During this time, she also played integral roles in opening two world-class venues: Cowboys Stadium in 2009 and Barclays Center in 2012. As a founding Board Member of Pro Sports Assembly, an association that strives to engage, equip, empower, and diversify the next generation of leaders for the professional sports industry, Brittanie personifies these values within her leadership style and across her various teams as a recipe for success.
Averie Bishop is a first-generation law graduate, viral content creator, and the first Asian American woman to win Miss Texas, where she championed diversity and inclusion in public schools. With over a million followers, she breaks down law, pop culture, and career advice in a way that’s engaging, accessible, and educational.
By day, she works in tech consulting at Zeal IT consultants, partnering with clients like southwest airlines and Mckesson. By night, she’s a nonprofit director, keynote speaker, and a marketing expert managing brand deals with Google, Microsoft, and more.
In 2023, she ran one of the most dynamic Gen Z-powered state house campaigns in Texas, raising $1.7 million and mobilizing 80,000+ voters. She built a movement, energized young voters, and redefined grassroots engagement, proving that Gen Z isn’t waiting its turn. Her work has been featured in NBC, The Washington Post, and, most likely, your TikTok feed.
Jessica Jesse is the visionary force behind BuDhaGirl®, holding the titles of Founder, CEO, and Creative Director. Beyond her professional prowess, she’s a loving mother and devoted spouse, a skilled contemplative arts practitioner, a style icon, a globetrotter, a culinary enthusiast, an avid art aficionado, and a dedicated philanthropist.
Jessica created BuDhaGirl to be is a luxury lifestyle brand that creates wellbeing in multiple sectors. Her unique approach, Mindful Glamour®, integrates contemplative pratice rituals and intention-setting into beautiful everyday wearable and consumable products, each imbued with profound meaning. Our BuDhaGirl products and content, serve as a daily source of inspiration and mindfulness, offering exquisite reminders that hold a sacred place in daily life.
Jessica Jesse’s story is a testament to the power of combining passion, perseverance, and purpose. Through her unique blend of contemplative practice and style, she has not only created a brand but a movement—one that celebrates the beauty of rituals and the profound impact of living mindfully in the modern world. Jessica’s journey is an inspiring narrative of transformation, resilience, and the enduring pursuit of Mindful Glamour®.
Melinda Jones is Founder + Creative Director of Read Between The Lines®, a fine gift and paper goods retailer and wholesaler based in Plano, Texas at Legacy West.
Winner of D Magazine and The Dallas Observer’s 'Best Stationery Store’ awards, the most heartwarming recognition her brand can receive is a customer sharing that the store is their ‘happy place.’
Melinda graduated from Southern Methodist University, after which she worked for national advertising agencies TBWA Chiat/Day and GSD&M, and in marketing for a successful start-up tech.
Read Between The Lines® resulted from her love of writing, and asking God one day what she should next do with her life. The brand began in her home in 2011 as a line of greeting card and expression-based art prints, and grew to be carried in more than 300 retail stores.
Her own first retail store opened at Dallas’ Victory Park in 2015, and a second location at Plano’s Legacy West, in 2018.
A love for words - their ability to move hearts and connect us to one another in a way technology cannot - still drive and foster her product creation, from paper goods and gifts to home fragrance and apparel.
JOURNAL PROMPT: How do you stay connected to your purpose in challenging times?
Ivy Winfrey, formerly know as DJ Poizon Ivy, is a dynamic figure making waves not only in sports and music but also as a cultural influencer. With a trusted voice, Ivy shapes culture by fostering communication, collaboration, and creativity. At the heart of her journey lies music, where she honed her skills as a DJ and multimedia personality.
In 2016, Ivy made history as the first female team DJ for the Dallas Mavericks and the second ever in NBA history. Her accolades include being a five-time NBA All-Star DJ (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) and earning an Emmy award along with being a 2019 Forbes Under 30 honoree. She takes pride in fostering community both in real life and via social media, leveraging her vibrant, positive, and edgy personality to discuss her passions: motherhood, health, wellness, sports, entertainment, and style.
Outside of the arena, the pioneer is also the host of ‘Afroverse54’ on 97.9 The Beat in Dallas, a groundbreaking radio show that stands as the flagship of Urban One, the largest African-American-owned broadcasting company. With a mission to spotlight the diverse music of African musicians globally, the show transcends entertainment, becoming a platform celebrating Afro diasporans reshaping Africa’s narrative.
Beyond her career, Ivy tirelessly advocates for underprivileged youth, striving to provide access and opportunities in nontraditional sports and entertainment roles. Throughout her illustrious career, she has collaborated with renowned entities such as the NBA, WNBA, Basketball Africa League, NFL, Twitter, Nike, Afropunk, Moet Hennessy, ESPN, Google, Spotify, and more. Ivy is currently based in Dallas with her daughter, Kyani.
Marty McDonald is the founder of Boss Women Media and Elle Olivia, two transformative brands born from her mission to inspire and empower women and families of color. After an 11-year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, Marty took a bold leap to create a community centered on connection, empowerment, and opportunity. Through Boss Women Media, she has built a movement with initiatives like the multi-city Black Girl Magic Tour, the annual Boss Woman of the Year Summit, and a thriving community of over 100,000 women. Her work challenges fear as a barrier, equipping women to chase audacious dreams and achieve their fullest potential.
In 2022, Marty expanded her impact with the launch of Elle Olivia, a children’s lifestyle brand inspired by her daughter’s extraordinary journey. When her daughter, Elle Olivia, was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia during pregnancy, Marty and her husband became fierce advocates for representation and equity in Black parenthood. This deeply personal experience fueled the creation of Elle Olivia, a brand showcasing representation and big possibilities for Black girls through thoughtfully designed, functional clothing.
Starting with a sold-out Valentine’s Day collection, Elle Olivia quickly grew into a staple brand, offering soft, bamboo-based Lay and Play sets for toddlers. By 2023, Elle Olivia was carried in over 400 Target stores nationwide, bringing Marty’s vision of representation and empowerment into homes across the country.
Marty McDonald continues to champion women and families, proving that big dreams, resilience, and representation can transform lives.
Through her work, she’s empowering the next generation to embrace their own possibilities and achieve more, fearlessly.
JOURNAL PROMPT: What steps can you take to prioritize your quality of life while balancing personal and professional responsibilities?
In her role as Chief People Officer, Tarsha LaCour is responsible for leading the people strategy in one of the most renowned sports teams in the nation. As the HR leader for the Dallas Mavericks, her responsibilities include identifying and developing leaders, creating the company’s diversity and inclusion strategy, aligning managers with the company’s vision and priorities, payroll and benefit management and employee engagement. She was appointed to this position in March 2018. Previously, Tarsha served as a Human Resources leader with AT&T, supporting six officers and more than 10,000 employees in the Technology Operations organization. She has held numerous management roles in Human Resources including diversity and affirmative action, human resource and payroll management systems, and human resource generalist functions. She has also held lead operations roles as chief of staff to the Chief Diversity Officer and chief of staff to the SVP of Architecture and Engineering. Tarsha has a passion for people, and her natural ability to connect with and understand the needs of employees has positioned her as a trusted resource within the organizations she has supported. She leverages more than 25 years of Human Resources experience to positively impact employee engagement and employee satisfaction within these organizations. Employee engagement actions led by Tarsha have resulted in record low attrition rates over the last few years, a best-in-class compensation structure, employees developed to promotions, and back-to-back NBA Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Awards. Not only is Tarsha leading in the world of sports and business, she also serves on the board of Community in Schools of the Dallas Region, addressing the basic needs of children and working to improve grades and test scores, behavioral issues, and a myriad of other services to eliminate barriers to success. Tarsha graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Art in Political Science, and a Master of Legal Studies from Washington University School of Law. The third of four children, Tarsha grew up in Houston, TX and now lives in Frisco, TX. She has two girls, Sydney, 18 and Jordyn, 15. She is a volleyball, basketball, soccer and dance mom. Tarsha’s zeal for her work is superseded only by her devotion to cultivating strong values, confidence and perseverance within her own children, women and young girls across the nation.
This year, we are collecting donation items for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas camps! You can contribute to this donation drive now through Friday, March 7. Please click the button below to be directed to their Amazon wish list. Thank you in advance for your contributions!
