Define Your Direction

Career advancement is not simply about moving forward. It is about knowing what you are moving toward.

In this session, Julian Scadden will explore the importance of defining your personal and professional North Star—the values, priorities, aspirations, and sense of purpose that help bring clarity to career decisions.

Participants will consider how a clearly defined direction can help them evaluate opportunities, navigate transitions, prioritize development, and make choices that are aligned with both where they are today and who they want to become.

Rather than allowing titles, promotions, or other people's definitions of success to determine the path, this conversation will encourage participants to define success for themselves and use that clarity to guide what comes next.

Key Takeaways

• Understand why career clarity matters as much as career ambition.

• Identify the values and priorities that should influence professional decisions.

• Consider how a personal North Star can help evaluate opportunities and navigate career transitions.

• Become more intentional about aligning career decisions with your longer-term definition of success.

Who Should Attend: Professionals at every career stage—particularly those considering their next move, navigating change, pursuing advancement, or seeking greater clarity about their long-term career direction.

Expand Your Connections

What becomes possible when professionals and leaders across the African diaspora intentionally build relationships, exchange knowledge, and create opportunities together?

Bruce Mayo brings a global perspective to a conversation about the power of connection across communities, countries, and cultures. Participants will explore how stronger relationships throughout the African diaspora can create opportunities for leadership development, collaboration, knowledge exchange, and collective advancement.

The discussion will challenge participants to think beyond traditional professional networks and consider how global relationships can broaden perspectives, strengthen leadership, and create new possibilities for individual and community impact.

Key Takeaways

• Explore the value of building meaningful professional relationships across the African diaspora.

• Consider how global perspectives can strengthen leadership and professional development.

• Identify opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and shared advancement.

• Expand your thinking about what—and who—belongs within your professional network.

Who Should Attend: Professionals, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders interested in global perspectives, cross-cultural relationships, leadership, and the possibilities created through greater connection across the diaspora.

Own Your Development

Organizations can provide opportunities, resources, mentors, and training—but ultimately, no one will be more invested in your professional growth than you.

In this candid conversation, Milton Dodd will challenge participants to move beyond waiting for an employer, manager, or organization to determine what development looks like. Participants will explore how to take greater ownership of their careers by intentionally developing the skills, experiences, relationships, visibility, and perspective needed to advance.

Whether you are pursuing your next opportunity, preparing for greater leadership responsibility, or simply determined to continue growing, this session will encourage you to become the primary architect of your own development.

Key Takeaways

• Recognize the difference between organizational development and personal ownership of your career.

• Identify areas where you can become more intentional about your professional growth.

• Consider the skills, experiences, relationships, and visibility needed for your next level.

• Leave with a stronger sense of personal accountability for what comes next.

Who Should Attend: Professionals at any career stage who want to take greater ownership of their development and position themselves intentionally for future opportunities.

We are excited to announce that registration is now open for TC BANDD XIX: “Shaping the Future Together: Careers, Capital, and Community,” taking place Saturday, June 20 at Junior Achievement North in Saint Paul for in-person attendees and via Zoom for our global TC BANDD community.

As always, we are bringing together an amazing lineup of talented and impactful speakers, including Ha-Keem Abdel-Khaliq, Dani Luffey, Nneka S. Constantino, and Bruce Moyo, with additional speakers currently being finalized.

As we approach Juneteenth, we honor the legacy of leadership, perseverance, and achievement of those who paved the way for us today. At TC BANDD, we believe freedom is a gift that is not free. It must be actively protected, maximized, and carried forward in honor of our past, in support of our present, and in preparation for our future.

We encourage you to celebrate on June 19 and join us on June 20 as we continue to learn, share, and grow together.

We also want to thank our Platinum Sponsor, MDI, our Gold Sponsor, the Monitors Foundation, and Junior Achievement North for hosting and supporting TC BANDD XIX.

TC BANDD Presents: “If You Stay Ready, You Don’t Have to Get Ready"

Join us for TC BANDD XVIII, a FREE professional development summit built to empower, connect, and prepare Black professionals, ERG members, and allies for what’s next. We have an unmatched line up of dynamic, knowledgeable, and engaging speakers, fee breakfast and lunch, prize giveaways, and networking opportunities! This is a Can't Miss event!

Saturday, November 8, 2025

Free & Hybrid | Registration is open now Registration Link or tcbandd.org

This year’s sessions will dive deep into real-world strategies for resilience, leadership, and growth:

Featured Sessions

➢ The Power of Strategic Networking (Panel Discussion)

➢ Effectively Leveraging and Managing Wealth in Volatile Times

➢ The Hidden Job Market: How to Find Opportunities in a Challenging Market

➢ Breaking Glass Ceilings: Black Women Navigating Leadership and Job Security

➢ The Hustle Is the Safety Net: Building Side Businesses & Multiple Streams of Income

➢ Plan B Is the New Plan A: Contingency Planning for Your Career

Confirmed Speakers

➢ Joffrey Wilson, Vice President HR, DEI, Supplier and Workforce Development, Mortenson

➢ Tiffani Daniels, Director – Consumer Loyalty & Rewards, General Mills

➢ Miquel Purvis McMoore, CEO, kpCompanies

➢ Courtney Andersen, Vice President, Supply Chain, 3M

➢ Karmin Bryant, Moderator, General Mills

➢ Nancy Korsah, President & CEO, Black Business Enterprises

➢ Darren Hayes, Executive Chef, Flame Mobile Kitchen

➢ Drinal Foster, SHRM-CP, PHR ✨, Founder and CEO, Black Girl Wanders, LLC

➢ Donzel A Leggett, MBA, NACD.DC, Principal, Destiny Development Delta

➢ Nneka Cosentino, Vice President/Senior Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Wealth

➢ Bianca Dawkins, DEI Senior Manager, Minnesota Timberwolves

It’s free. Light breakfast and lunch provided. It’s hybrid. It’s your moment to prepare, adapt, and thrive.

Join us — and bring your network.

Thanks to Old National Bank, MDI | Minnesota Diversified Industries, and Black Girl Wanders for their sponsorship and ensuring that this event remains free to all who are interested in Learning, Sharing, and Growing Together!

We are excited to invite you to register for our upcoming TC BANDD Summer Hybrid Summit "It Takes a Village" held on Saturday, June 28 at the Junior Achievement North campus in Saint Paul. We have another great slate of dynamic presenters and speakers which continues to expand and currently includes Chris Thibodeaux, Michelle Perdue, Drinal Foster, Donte Curtis, and Eric Black. Our timely, relevant, and impactful line up of sessions focus on Sustaining Your Career, the Future of Inclusion, Personal Finance, and Resilience! The event will also include structured and informal Professional Networking opportunities, Interactive Trivia, and Prize Giveaways including a Minnesota Lynx family prize pack!

Register by clicking the image below.

I am excited to invite you all to TC BANDD XVII: Finding Your North Star: “Charting Your Career Path”! The event is being held on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at Best Buy's Richfield campus and virtually via Microsoft Teams!

This summit is designed to empower attendees with knowledge, strategies, and inspiration to excel in their careers and personal lives. In conjunction with professional networking, prize give aways, trivia, food, and more this event promises to be an inspirational, uplifting, and impactful event that you don’t want to miss! And best of all, it's 100% FREE to attendees!!  This is made possible by the generous support of our Event Host Best Buy, our speakers, and our Gold Sponsor Bremer Bank!

We are excited to have another slate of stellar Corporate Executives, Business Leaders, and Subject Matter Experts sharing their knowledge on the topics of “Leveraging Your North Star to Drive Your Career”, “Bringing Your Whole Self to Work”, “Keys to Black Advancement”, “Demystifying AI and Leveraging AI to Advance Your Career”, and “Leading Through Adversity”!

The initial list of session speakers includes:  Neo Thurston, ID&E Director, Best Buy; Kloė Mallard, Events Specialist, Best Buy; Craig Warren, CEO, Washburn Center  for Children; Drinal Foster, Senior Vice President, Workforce Engagement Leader, Wealth & Investment Management Technology, Wells Fargo; Chris Thibodeaux, Owner/Founder, Career Fitness Center; Daniel Shannon, DEI Executive, Wells Fargo; LeBrent Speed, President, DiverseCityAp; Alex Merritt, Global Development Speaker; Sharon Kennedy Vickers, CEO, Software for Good; Eric Alexander, Founder and CEO, TC BANDD, and more to be confirmed.

To Register, please click the image below!