BACE National Executive Board
Stephani Mason PhD
Associate Professor, DePaul University School of Business
CHAIR
Katrina Caldwell PhD
Founder & CEO,
All in Consulting Group
CO VICE-CHAIR
David Canada
Director of Strategic Sourcing and Partnerships,
Boeing Defense, Space and Security
CO VICE-CHAIR
Pernella R. Deams PhD
Leadership Development & Program Operations Consultant,
One Connection Counseling Center
Bryan Hotchkins PhD
Tenured Associate Professor, Texas Tech University
Terrence Jackson PhD
Chief Operating Officer, JCG Consulting Group
Reginald J. Miller
VP, Chief Culture & Inclusion Officer,
GE Vernova
Tanyelle L. Little
Former Global Head of Executive Recruiting, PTC
La'Shawn Allen Muhammed
Director, Training, NYC Health & Hospital Systems
Perika Sampson
CEO,
Fulfillment Fund
Roy Whitmore PhD
Principal and University Program Chair, Whitmore Consulting
Bios
Stephani A. Mason, PhD, MBA, CPA (Chair)
DePaul University School of Business
Associate Professor, Accounting
Stephani Mason is an Associate Professor of Accounting at DePaul University Driehaus College of Business. Mason has more than a decade of experience working in investment management at JP Morgan Investment Management, the JP Morgan Private Bank and US Trust. Her academic research interests include the impact of valuation and accounting standards, financial regulation and corporate governance on financial reporting, capital market behavior, investing/financing decisions and executive compensation.
Along with a group of well-known academics, Mason has conducted numerous research studies focused on fair value accounting and the valuation process, including a project that was awarded a grant by the International Audit and Assurance Standards Board/Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland/International Association for Accounting Education & Research Informing the IAASB Standard-Setting Process Program. In addition, she has received external grants from the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and Institute of Management Accountants for her research in this area. While her academic research has been published in top journals and presented at prestigious academic conferences, she has also published papers in practitioner and educational journals, including Issues in Accounting Education, Accounting Perspectives, Accounting in Europe, and Current Issues in Auditing.
An active member of the PhD Project Faculty Alumni Association and the American Accounting Association, Mason has served two-year terms as the planning committee co-chair for the PhD Project Accounting Doctoral Association, the diversity section of the American Accounting Association and the International Accounting section of the American Accounting Association. In addition, she presently serves on the scientific committee for the Canadian Academic Accounting Association and the Financial Management Association; has served on the program committee for the Eastern Finance Association, European Finance Association and the European Accounting Association; and is on the European Accounting Association Financial Reporting Standards committee and Financial Reporting Research Group, as well as the American Accounting Association Auditing Standards Committee. She has been an ad hoc reviewer for Contemporary Accounting Research, Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance and Managerial Auditing. Mason also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Accounting Education. Most importantly, Mason serves on the AICPA Complex Financial Instruments Task Force and National Accreditation Commission.
Mason earned her Ph.D. in accounting at Rutgers University, her MBA in finance and accounting at the University of Chicago, and her BS in accounting at North Carolina A&T State University.
Katrina Caldwell, PhD (Co Vice-Chair)
All in Consulting Group
Founder & CEO
Dr. Katrina Caldwell is a nationally recognized leader, strategist, and visionary with over 30 years of experience in the fields of executive consulting, organizational transformation, and crisis management. She founded the All Inclusive Consulting Group to offer elite coaching and advisory services to leaders and organizations seeking clarity, innovation, and impact at the highest levels. Her academic and leadership foundations and professional journey reflect a rare blend of narrative intelligence, cultural insight, and strategic acuity. She has held senior leadership positions at major institutions, consistently guiding transformative change in complex, high-stakes environments.
A trusted executive mentor and keynote speaker, Dr. Caldwell is known for her depth of perspective, impeccable discretion, and results-oriented approach. She partners with leaders at every level to navigate complex transitions, to build inclusive cultures, and to unlock bold strategic visions.
With a signature style that combines intellectual rigor with executive presence, Dr. Caldwell leads the All In Consulting Group with the conviction that leadership should be both purposeful and powerful. Her work is rooted in the belief that when leaders are clear, aligned, and inclusive, organizations thrive.
David Canada (Co Vice-Chair)
Boeing
Director of Strategic Sourcing & Partnerships
David Canada serves as the Director of Strategic Sourcing & Partnerships, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Canada joined The Boeing Company in 2007 after working 3 years in the automotive industry. He has had the opportunity to be leader within with many different aspects of the Boeing business across different parts of the country.
Canada obtained multiple degrees including a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical engineering from Howard University, both a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as Masters in Project Management. He is very passionate about STEM education and increasing the number of minorities in technology fields. Canada is on the board of several nonprofit organizations and serves as an active corporate representative for several of Boeing’s External Technical Affiliations.
Pernella R. Deams, PhD
One Connection Counseling Center
Leadership Development & Program Operations Consultant
Dr. Pernella Rowena Deams is a Leadership Development and Program Operations Consultant bringing extensive experience as a senior higher education executive, tenured faculty member, and trained counseling psychologist. With a career spanning executive roles as Provost, Senior Vice President for Student Life and Success, UNCF Transformation Officer, and SACSCOC Accreditation Liaison, Dr. Deams is deeply committed to helping leaders, teams, and institutions develop their capacity for purposeful, transformational change. Her clinical and academic training—including an APA-accredited doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Tennessee State University and certifications from Harvard University and the University of South Florida—equips her with a uniquely integrative lens for leadership development and organizational growth.
A proud HBCU alumna and self-described HBCU “Enthusiast-Advocate,” Dr. Deams is passionate about mentorship, the advancement of women of color in leadership, and empowering the next generation of professionals to reach their highest potential. She serves on the Board and National Executive Council of the Businesss Alliance for Colleges and Employers (BACE) and is a fellow of both the Higher Education Leadership Foundation and the Bluegrass Higher Education Consortium’s Academic Leadership Academy. Whether working with individuals navigating professional transitions or organizations seeking to strengthen their programs and culture, Dr. Deams meets each client where they are—providing the insight, strategy, and encouragement needed to lead with clarity and confidence.
Reginald J. Miller
GE Vernova
VP, Chief Culture & Inclusion Officer
Reginald J. Miller serves as the VP, Chief Culture & Inclusion Officer for GE Vernova. Formerly as McDonald’s Vice President, Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Miller oversaw the company’s global strategy with a focus on transformational change around the world. A U.S. Army Veteran, he served as a Supply Sergeant with deployments to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education - HR Development and a Master of Science in Education - Workforce Development from the University of Arkansas. He received his MBA from Webster University.
Tanyelle L. Little
PTC
Former Global Head of Executive Recruiting
Tanyelle L. Little is the former Global Head of Executive Recruiting at PTC and President and CEO of A.C.T Diversity Recruitment, LLC in the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area, which provides corporations with qualified diverse entry to C-level candidates. With over 20 years’ experience within Human Resources Talent Acquisition and Business Partner Professional, she’s an MBA and a Certified graduate with a track record of driving human capital initiatives and cultural transformations across diverse industries.
Perika Sampson
Fulfillment Fund
Chief Executive Officer
Perika Sampson is an executive leader, strategic advisor, and catalyst for inclusive transformation whose career has been defined by advancing equity, strengthening leadership, and helping organizations translate values into measurable impact.
As Founder and Principal of Sampson Dearborn Consulting, she partners with leaders across business entities and the arts to design equity-centered strategies, build cultures of belonging, and align leadership behavior with organizational performance. Her work integrates executive coaching, organizational strategy, and change leadership to help institutions navigate growth, disruption, and reinvention with clarity and accountability.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning four Fortune 500 companies, Perika brings both corporate rigor and community insight to her engagements. She previously served as Global Head of Inclusion and Diversity at Gilead Sciences, where she shaped ESG and DEI strategy across a
35-country footprint, and as Executive Director and Regional Diversity Officer at Morgan Stanley, leading regional and national initiatives that advanced workforce diversity while deepening partnerships with civic, academic, and business institutions.
She currently serves as Interim CEO of Fulfillment Fund, a 49-year-old Los Angeles nonprofit that has helped nearly 40,000 first-generation students access and complete higher education, work that reflects her lifelong commitment to expanding opportunity and economic mobility.
A sought-after speaker, strategist, and executive coach, Perika’s work is grounded in a simple conviction: inclusion is not an initiative—it is a leadership discipline and a powerful driver of innovation, trust, and sustainable growth.
A University of California, Los Angeles alumna, Perika currently serves on the Board of the American Heart Association, Los Angeles County, and is Board Member Emeritus and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Taskforce Leader for the Oakland Symphony. She has also served on the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Private Sector Taskforce on Race and Equity.
management firms.
Roy Whitmore, PhD, MBA
Whitmore Consulting
Owner/President and University Business Chair
Dr. Roy Whitmore, the owner/president of Whitmore Consulting, has 35 years of experience in ever-increasing roles of leadership and management success with fortune 500 companies and education institutions. In addition to his consulting business, he leads the College of Business and Information Technology for the University of Phoenix, Las Vegas campus. Dr. Whitmore’s experience includes district manager and regional director at Target stores. In these positions, he supported Target’s diversity and inclusion efforts. He was instrumental in leading Targets efforts in Chicago. During his tenure at Jewel-Osco, a Albertson’s company he became the Vice President of operations for the north and south regions. In his last role, he directed the successful operation of a multi-billion-dollar area. He supported all areas of the business to include marketing, sales, distribution, and diversity and inclusion efforts. Dr. Whitmore’s passion for people is evidenced by the over 300 individuals that he has mentored, and the more than 200 individuals that he has promoted at all levels during his retail career. In recent years Dr. Whitmore employed his diversity knowledge and expertise to help Ross stores build arguably the most talented team of diverse executives in the retail industry. He is very active in the community as a board member for the Mayor’s Fund for Las Vegas, and the Citizens Review Board. He earned his undergraduate degree from DePaul University in business; a master’s in Applied Professional Studies, a graduate certificate in Applied Leadership for Professionals. Additionally, he earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Human Development from Fielding Graduate University.
BACE Leadership
Shannon Stone-Winding
President and CEO
Shannon is a military veteran spouse with over 25 years of experience as a business strategist for diverse groups in consulting, corporate and higher education communities. Stone-Winding founded a consulting firm fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education; serves as co-convenor for WonderWomen of Diversity; serves on the Center for Accounting Transformation Working Group, Leadership Team for the Chicagoland DEIA, and board member for Women Employed Advocacy Council. In 2019, she was appointed president and chief executive officer of Business Alliance of Colleges & Employers (BACE) and formerly served as regional chief of staff and national senior vice president of Collegiate Affairs for NAAAHR.
Tyresa Jackson
Research Fellow
Tyresa Jackson is an alumnus of the Masters of Public Administration program (Public Policy and Administration), with a specialization in law and administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prior to matriculating into John Jay College of Criminal Justice, she earned a Bachelor of Art in International Political Economy and Diplomacy with a minor in Mass Communications from the University of Bridgeport. While living in Bridgeport, Connecticut, she served on the Juvenile Review Board, which provided restorative justice recommendations to at-risk-youth in the Bridgeport community. Later, she moved to Chicago, where she served as a board member on Illinois Collaboration on Youth Advisory Board (ICOY). Her passions include, closing the education-to-prison pipeline, education reform, and increasing the number of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, volunteering, and participating in 5K runs.
Research:
The Exploration of Diversity and Inclusion Programs Within Institutions of Higher Education
January 2022 DOI:10.4018/978-1-7998-9628-9.ch016
Chapter in book:
The Exploration of Diversity and Inclusion Programs Within Institutions of Higher Education (pp.315-332)
Authors:
Tyresa Jackson
Teachers College, Columbia University
In recent decades, the landscape of higher education has begun to shift. Yet, throughout the higher education pipeline (Bachelor, Master, Ph.D., and Law), there are stark differences in the academic performance and graduation outcomes among diverse student populations. This chapter explores landmark historical cases that promulgated diversity and inclusion programs in higher education. This chapter also assesses the social experience of race in higher education and if diversity and inclusion programs truly help to remove barriers to access.
Seana Jackson
Editorial Staff
Seana Jackson is a strategic leader and serves on the Editorial staff for the Business Alliance of Colleges (BACE). In her former role, she served as Associate Managing Partner at Shannon Stone Consulting, LLC (SSC). For BACE, she works closely with President and CEO as a strategic lead, directs, coordinates and supports all of the non-profit’s functions, programs, and services in accordance with the Board of Directors. Her years of service include over a decade of program support at DePaul University campus student and alumni events including Commencements. Seana is an alum of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelors of Arts in Fiction Writing with Honors including as Echo Magazine editor and columnist. She was selected for a semester externship in LA where she pitched her film treatment to 21st Century Fox studio execs.