Keynote Speaker
Deesha Dyer
Deesha Dyer is an award-winning strategist, on-the-ground community organizer, and executive operations expert who transforms ideas into causes that create tangible change. For nearly two decades, Dyer has produced successful campaigns across entertainment, politics, philanthropy, and business. In 2019, she founded Hook & Fasten, a social impact agency that specializes in transformational relationships between corporations and communities, diversity & inclusion, and executive operations. Her clients include Sony Music, Toyota, ByHeart, and Microsoft.
At 31 years old, Dyer entered the Obama Administration as a community college student intern and quickly advanced ultimately serving as White House Social Secretary. In that role, she resolved to not only open but build lasting doors of opportunity for others. Dyer coordinated the historic visit by Pope Francis and booked legendary acts including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin.
Her passion for activism predates her time in Washington. In 2003, she created Cover Your Lover, a hip-hop HIV/AIDS prevention program. In 2007, while at the forefront of corporate social responsibility for a Philadelphia company, she established an employee giving program, and moved by Hurricane Katrina, she initiated a campaign to provide feminine hygiene products to women after natural disasters. To date, the campaign has donated a total of $15,000 in products.
Dyer completed a two-year tenure at the Ford Foundation, and in December 2019, finished a fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics where she designed and taught a study course entitled, “From Imposter to Impact.”
Dyer is the co-founder of beGirl.world, an organization that empowers teen girls through global education and travel. She also oversees Black Girl 44, a scholarship fund for young black women seeking internships in Washington, D.C., the Deesha Dyer Second Chance Scholarship at the Community College of Philadelphia, and Impact of a Vote, which aims to expose African American students to non-traditional careers in public service and politics.
Named to Marie Claire’s ‘new guard of women changing the world’, Dyer’s personal journey has been guided by an unwavering passion for servant leadership, civic engagement, and social justice. In 2015, Essence called her “one of the most powerful women calling the shots in the Obama Administration.”
Dyer is a sought-after keynote speaker known for delivering engaging, fun, and relevant talks on a range of topics spanning women in leadership, confidence, diversity, and social change. Read Less
