Manhattan Beach Chamber Offers Free Zoom On Unity, Inclusion 2/4

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Four diverse change-makers will share practical experiences and how they are creating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) types of change in their community in a free online Zoom event hosted by the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce (MBCC). "UNITY - The Movement of Change in Our Community" is a first-of-its-kind event created by the MBCC Inclusion Committee and will be held, via Zoom, on Thursday, Feb. 4, from 1-2:30 p.m.

Panelists include:

• Cobi Jones, sports/soccer legend and broadcaster
• Olivia V.G. Clarke, student, leader, activist and author of the #1 AmazonBestseller Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can't Touch My Hair
• Jen Fenton, Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board president
• Tanya Monaghan, social influencer and deputy editor of Southbay Magazine

The program will be co-hosted/moderated by Kelly Stroman, president/CEO of the MBCC, and Tamala Lewis, AEG senior director, community relations & foundation at Dignity Health Sports Park.

The event is designed to explore important DEI conversations, highlight changes made thus far, and to be a catalyst for unity in the community. Each panelist will share their personal and professional experiences, hurdles, roadblocks and the evolution of DEI in the workplace, media, fashion, sports, education and so much more.

The MBCC Inclusion committee encourages UNITY in every community

• U nconscious bias awareness
• N eurodiversity
• I nclusion
• T houghtful conversations
• Y outh education and development

Attendees need to register in advance to receive the Zoom link and will also be able to submit questions in advance. The event is sponsored by Chevron, MBS Media Studios, Southern California Gas, Dignity Health Sports Park, and Kinecta Federal Credit Union.

About The UNITY Panel:

Olivia V.G. Clarke: Student, leader, activist and author of the #1 Amazon Bestseller Black Girl, White School: Thriving, Surviving and No, You Can't Touch My Hair

Olivia V. G. Clarke serves as a leader on her school's Diversity Executive Board, plans diversity conferences and leads student-run faculty development activities. She is also a proud member of the 2019 & 2020 Black Girls Lead Class created by Black Girls Rock founder Beverly Bond. Additionally, she is a multi-year, full scholarship attendee of the Humanities and Cognitive Sciences Summer Institute at The Ohio State University. In 2018, she was selected
to be a part of the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, a multicultural conference for high school student leaders in diversity.

Cobi Jones: Sports/soccer legend and broadcaster

Cobi Jones is a Southern California sports legend, maintaining the title of the longest standing member of the Los Angeles Galaxy dynasty. LA's Original Cobi, spent 15 seasons with the Galaxy, as both a player and coach from 1996-2010. A 2011 US Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Cobi is a two-time MLS Cup winner (2002, 2005) with a storied international career with the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. Today, Cobi is one of the sport's preeminent broadcasters working with FOX Sports, where he was part of both the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup broadcast teams, both as a game analyst (2018) and co-hosting World Cup Tonight (2018-2019). He is the lead English language analyst for Fox's coverage of Liga MX, Mexico's top professional soccer league. In the Fall of 2020, it was announced that Cobi would join the esteemed ranks as one of the founding investor owners of the NWSL's newest team, Angel City FC, bringing women's professional soccer to Los Angeles.

Jen Fenton: MBUSD Board President
Jen Fenton holds a BA in Communications, University of Pennsylvania; JD, Loyola Law School. Previous professional experience as Associate Director of Development at Disability Rights Legal Center; Education and Outreach Coordinator at Cancer Legal Resource Center; Deputy to VP of Television and Film at William Morris Agency. Served as Measure MB (Parcel Tax) Chair; MBUSD Social Emotional Wellness Co-Chair; Measure C/EE (Bonds) Volunteer Chair; PTA President at Robinson Elementary; VP of MBEF.

Tanya Monaghan: Social influencer and deputy editor of Southbay Magazine
Tanya Monaghan is a fashion stylist, style influencer, editor and writer. She has worked for numerous international publications such as InStyle and GQ, and served as fashion editor for Glamour Magazine, South Africa. After relocating back home to Manhattan Beach with her husband and three children, she became guest editor for SouthBay Magazine, where she enjoys shining a light on inspirational people within the community.

MBCC STATEMENT ON INCLUSION:

The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, in both its values and practices, is committed to inclusion and excellence of all diverse people, irrespective of difference. This means that there shall be no barriers to participation in any activity of this Chamber on the basis of economic position, gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability. We recognize that diverse perspectives are important and necessary for
responsible and representative decision-making. We believe inclusiveness is a fundamental principle of every organization that enhances its ability to respond more effectively to changing demographics and needs. We affirm our commitment to reflecting the diversity of Manhattan Beach, the South Bay and the members of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The role of the Inclusion Committee is to provide a lense of inclusion in all aspects of work, including communications, marketing, promotion, processes and events and to advocate for awareness of such within other organizations. They’ll work to identify opportunities to ensure Chamber programming and practices are fair and provide forward-looking recommendations to ensure the MBCC is a leader in championing all sectors of the business community. We will encourage and provide leadership and resources to our association, businesses in the community, and chamber professionals so they can create inclusion programs and initiatives at their own organizations.