Douglass Mind Blog

She is responsible for all facets of marketing for Comcast Advertising, including for Effectv (formerly known as Comcast Spotlight), the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, and FreeWheel, a Comcast Company that provides advertising software and solutions for the entire television ecosystem. Her scope includes overseeing over 400 employees across brand, product, sales, and acquisition marketing, as well as client development, thought leadership, and Effectv’s full-service creative agency Mnemonic.

In 2016, Maria joined Comcast Spotlight as senior vice president, marketing, playing a pivotal role in launching several key initiatives, including leading the marketing team’s restructure and launching the company’s award-winning brand campaign. After being promoted to global chief marketing officer in 2017 for Comcast Advertising, she continued her success in building high-performance teams by creating a strong, international marketing organization to support the growing business and the industry’s evolving needs.

In 2019, Maria led the rebrand of Comcast Spotlight to Effectv, and the launch of the TV Ad Planner, Comcast’s first automated self-service platform for small business customers and the first automated TV buying system at scale. By redefining the Effectv brand and elevation awareness, Maria led the charge of differentiating the company by positioning TV as a data-driven audience platform.

Additionally, at FreeWheel, Maria led the strategy and introduction of the company’s “Now You Can” brand campaign highlighting its focus on industry-leading innovation. She has also spearheaded the company’s presence and participation at high-profile industry events such as Cannes Lions, DMEXCO, and CES, reinforcing FreeWheel’s superior buy-side and sale-side capacity.

Maria, one of the founders of Interactive One, the digital division of Urban One, held senior sales and marketing roles and was instrumental in leading the company from its infancy to profitability. Correspondingly, Maria was the co-founder of Triple Threat Films, a film fund that financed and executive produced award-winning cinematic projects such as Through the Fire, The Sebastian Telfair Story, and many others. Prior to this, Maria held various marketing and creative roles for Home Box Office, where she most notably oversaw research studies for content development based on audience segmentation. Her content marketing and acquisition strategy led to several of HBO’s programming successes, including the launch of The Wire, Def Poetry, and many others.  Also, Maria was the senior project leader of The Red Group for Showtime. She began her advertising career with Rainbow Advertising Sales, a division of Cablevision.

Throughout her career, Maria has taken bold action to impact diversity and inclusion within the marketing industry at large and has become a known activist for change.

Maria received the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications Award of Excellence for African American brand advertising campaign, the 2015 Council of Urban Professionals Catalyst Award, and multiple honors from The Telly Awards and the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing. She serves on the board of She Runs It, Figure Skating in Harlem, and the International Radio and Television Society.

With more than 30 years of experience in the advertising and marketing industry, Maria’s career has come full circle- beginning in cable television sales early on, moving to content creation, distribution, digital sales, and now, back to cable television advertising.

Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and media studies from Pace University and a Master of Professional Studies from Pratt Institute. Maria resides with her family in the New York area.

CHARLES RANDOLPH-WRIGHT has built a dynamic and diversified career in directing, writing, and producing for theatre, television, and film.  He currently is Executive Producer/Director on the initial season of the television series DELILAH on OWN. Upcoming theatre directing projects are the world premiere of AMERICAN PROPHET: FREDERICK DOUGLASS IN HIS OWN WORDS (which he co-wrote with Grammy winner Marcus Hummon) at Arena Stage in D.C., TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre, and ORFEUS: A HOUSE MUSIC OPERA at the Young Vic in London. His play BLUE (starring Leslie Uggams and Lynn Whitfield) will be directed by Phylicia Rashad at the Apollo Theatre. Charles directed the smash hit MOTOWN THE MUSICAL (Broadway, London, and the National Tour).

For television, Charles directed episodes of the series GREENLEAF (OWN, Netflix), KATY KEENE (CW), STEP UP HIGHWATER (YouTube Red), LINCOLN HEIGHTS (ABC), and SOUTH OF NOWHERE (Nick). Charles directed and co-produced Bebe Winans’ special AMERICA AMERICA (BET), and co-produced AN EVENING WITH THE GOLDEN GIRLS. Charles has directed many videos and commercials, including the award-winning European “Freestyle” campaign for Nike.

His feature film directorial debut, PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, swept the feature film prizes at the American Black Film Festival and was featured in numerous festivals (including the Pan African Film Fest, Cannes, and London). He is an Executive Producer of the film MAURICE HINES: BRING THEM BACK, which won the Grand Jury Prize of the NY Documentary Film Festival and the Jury Award at ABFF. Charles has written screenplays for Showtime, Walt Disney Pictures, HBO, and 20^th Century Fox. He also co-wrote the screenplay WHITE CHOCOLATE (with John Leguizamo).

For the theatre, Charles directed the Broadway bound musical BORN FOR THIS (Alliance Theatre, Arena Stage, Cutler Majestic Theatre), which he co-wrote with gospel icon Bebe Winans, the Pulitzer prize-winning play RUINED and the record-breaking musical SOPHISTICATED LADIES (starring Maurice Hines) at Arena Stage, GUYS AND DOLLS (50^th anniversary national tour), the 75th anniversary tour of the opera PORGY AND BESS, Brian Stokes Mitchell in his solo show LOVE/LIFE at Lincoln Center, Daniel Beaty’s THROUGH THE NIGHT at the Union Square Theatre and the Geffen Theatre, the world premiere of AKEELAH AND THE BEE for the CTC in Minneapolis and Arena Stage, THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG (in Portuguese) in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brasil, and BLOOD KNOT at ACT in San Francisco (featuring music by Tracy Chapman).

Charles directed and co-wrote THE DIVA IS DISMISSED (starring Jenifer Lewis) at the NYSF Public Theater and the Hudson Theatre (LA), ME AND MRS. JONES (a musical which starred Lou Rawls, and featured the classic R&B music of the Sound of Philadelphia) at the Prince Music Theatre, and HOMEWORK (starring Kim Coles) in NYC, Crossroads (NJ), and LA.

He directed the world premieres of TOUGH TITTY by Oni Faida Lampley at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and SENOR DISCRETION HIMSELF, (the last musical written by Frank Loesser, based on a story by Budd Schulberg, and co-written with Culture Clash). He also directed TARTUFFE, INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY, and BLITHE SPIRIT at ACT, HUNDREDS OF SISTERS at New York Theatre Workshop, and CABARET VERBOTEN at the Mark Taper Forum (with Bebe Neuwirth and Roger Rees). Charles directed HAIR … FOR THE NEXT GENERATION, the 20th anniversary event at the United Nations, which was the first benefit of its kind for children with AIDS, and MUSIC AND REMEMBRANCE (starring Leontyne Price, Itzhak Perlman, and James Galway) at Carnegie Hall.

Charles wrote the play BLUE, starring Phylicia Rashad, which broke box office records at Arena Stage (where Charles is an inaugural resident playwright). BLUE has had many productions throughout the United States, including the Roundabout Theatre and the Pasadena Playhouse (which starred Ms. Rashad, Diahann Carroll, and Clifton Davis). Charles also wrote CUTTIN’ UP (based upon the best selling book by Craig Marberry), THE NIGHT IS A CHILD (starring JoBeth Williams), LOVE IN AFGHANISTAN, and co-wrote JUST BETWEEN FRIENDS starring Bea Arthur, which toured internationally, including a Tony nominated run on Broadway.

Charles’ productions have received numerous awards, including NAACP Image, Bay Area Critics, Drama-logue, LA Weekly Theatre, Helen Hayes, Ovation, and Audelco as well as Grammy and Tony nominations.  Charles was awarded grants from the Theatre Communications Group, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the NEA, the Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award, and also is the recipient of the S.C. Medal of Honor in the Arts, the Creative Spirit Award from the New Professional Theatre, The Pasadena Playhouse Theatrical Diversity Award, an honorary MFA from ACT, and the Paul Robeson Award from Actors’ Equity.

As a performer, Charles’ credits include Broadway (the original cast of DREAMGIRLS), television (HILL STREET BLUES, MELROSE PLACE, FALCON CREST), music (a disco group which will remain nameless that nonetheless garnered three gold records), film, numerous shows in theatre, and countless television commercials.

A native of York, South Carolina, Charles is an honor graduate of Duke University where he was an A.B. Duke Scholar and recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He serves on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing, the Board of Directors of the Roundabout Theatre, is an associate artist at The Young Vic, and a founding member of the Wright Family Foundation of South Carolina. Charles’ website is www.Randolph-Wright.com.

Founder, Owner, and CEO of CGI Communications, Inc., a Rochester, NY based marketing company that specializes in digital marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. 

Bob Bartosiewicz was born and raised in the small town of Thomaston, CT. Coming from a large, hard-working family, Bob always had a passion and drive that set him apart from others. In his youth, Bob channeled this passion into sports where he learned many valuable lessons about leadership and teamwork. After graduating from Western Connecticut State University, Bob began his career in sales and quickly emerged as a top performer among his peers. Bob was driven and was always looking for ways to grow as an individual and a leader. These early experiences instilled within him many of the key concepts he uses today when hiring, developing, and retaining the best within his organization. 

It did not take Bob many years in the private sector to realize that his energy and drive were best suited towards building something of his own. Bob saw a need in the market and saw a path to create something different for communities across America. He began selling hand-drawn maps of cities, towns, and communities which created pride for businesses drew people into their stores and instilled long-lasting memories within anyone that saw one of his iconic maps. Throughout this foundational experience, Bob coined one of his most famous mantras: “we will be different, and if our ‘different’ is better, we win.”

What started as a small, single office has evolved to be CGI Communications, Inc. with over 300 employees and several satellite offices. CGI is one of upstate New York’s top-performing growth companies and is well-positioned for the future. 

When not at the office, Bob has a passion for spending time with his wife and four children and collecting rare and classic cars. 

Negelle Morris is a business leader with over 25 years of experience working within multiple clinical and corporate environments where her focus has been in direct patient care, healthcare leadership, sales strategy development, and patient access.  She currently leads a team of 600 employees as Commercial Vice President at Novo Nordisk Inc., a global pharmaceutical company specializing in the treatment of Diabetes, Obesity and other rare diseases.

Prior to her 5-year tenure at Novo Nordisk, Negelle spent 14 years at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, where she started as a Specialty Sales Representative and took on roles of increasing responsibility including Trainer, District Sales Manager, Regional Account Director, Integrated Markets Director and National Account Director. In these roles, she led regional and national strategy and helped shape and implement organizational approach to Health System and payer customer segments. Before her start in Pharma 19 years ago, Negelle spent 8 years as a licensed clinician and Program Administrator in the mental health arena and worked in managed care with Magellan Behavioral Health.

Throughout her career, Negelle has championed diversity and inclusion, focusing on the development of others within organizations, both through her work as a mentor and as a national executive board member in various company sponsored employee network groups. She has also continued to serve her community, centering her attention on healthcare disparities and underserved populations. To this end, she spent 3 years on the Board of Directors for the Fayette Care Clinic, a non-profit organization in Fayette County, Georgia focused on delivering healthcare for uninsured and underserved populations. Negelle has been fortunate to receive several awards and accolades throughout her career including multiple national leadership, partnership and performance awards.

Negelle grew up in Southern California and is a graduate of Loma Linda University where she received her B.A. degree in Clinical Psychology before moving to Atlanta and receiving a Master’s in Social Work from Clark Atlanta University.

She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband Douglass Morris, and their 3 boys, David Austin (20), Doug Jr. (20) and Austin Bailey (17).

Sybil Azur is a mother of two, writer, documentary filmmaker, and community organizer. She is the Chapter Chair of Climate Reality Los Angeles’s 100% Committed Committee, and led the team that spearheaded the initiative to transition the Los Angeles Unified School District to 100% clean, renewable energy. Sybil is currently earning an M.F.A. in screenwriting, with the goal of creating content that furthers social and environmental justice issues.

Gabi resides with her family in Chevy Chase, MD.

• Practice Areas
• Commercial Real Estate
• Residential Real Estate
• Education
• Haverford College, B.A.
• University of Maryland School of Law, J.D.
• Bar Admissions
• State of Maryland
• District of ColumbiaGabi has over a decade of not for profit board experience. She has chaired Committee on Trustees, Facilities, Education, Audit, and Strategic Planning Committees. Specific areas of board expertise include Executive Committee leadership, mission and strategic priorities, the financial health of the organization, diversity and strategic visions, governance policies, and trustee selection based on in-depth skills analysis and mission-aligned priorities.

  Gabi is a new member of the Board of Directors of the Gandhi Brigade Youth Media. The mission of this organization is “to create communities where young people build
  the confidence and media skills to express themselves and to promote community building, multicultural understanding, and the commongood.” https://www.gandhibrigade.org/

  Gabi served on a multi-disciplinary team for the comprehensive redevelopment of an historically significant African American neighborhood with deep ties to Frederick Douglas. Gabi has designed, preserved and rehabilitated eastern shore properties in Maryland, including a national folk duplex, circa 1880, adapted to a single-family home (www.208southstreet.com)

Richard Newman is Professor of History at Rochester Institute of Technology and the author or editor of seven books, including Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers, Abolitionism: A Very Short Introduction, and Pamphlets of Protest: An Anthology of Early African American Protest Literature, 1790-1860 (with Philip Lapsansky and Patrick Rael). He is the former Director of the Library Company of Philadelphia and the book series editor (with Patrick Rael and Manisha Sinha) of “Race in the Atlantic World,” published by the University of Georgia Press. He lives in Frederick Douglass’s Rochester.

Students read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, analyze primary sources related to Anna Murray Douglass and Frederick Douglass, and discuss how abolition can be applied to contemporary challenges. 7th-graders learn from the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI), the Antiracism Center at America University, local community members, University of Idaho faculty and students, and the Idaho Black History Museum. Rebekka is passionate about this collaborative work because “We are all living with the remnants of slavery and it is essential that American students (and teachers) understand the structures and biases that allow and encourage discrimination and racism to persist.” 

In 2017, Rebekka was invited by FDFI to create curricula at the U.S Library of Congress with a team of educators in honor of Frederick Douglass’s Bicentennial. In 2018, Rebekka received FDFI and American University’s, FD200 Award for her work as an abolitionist teacher. In the summer of 2019, Rebekka received a Think Open Fellowship from the University of Idaho to write an inquiry-based curriculum about the life of abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Anna Murray Douglass, with the support of FDFI and historians incorporating resources from the U.S. Library of Congress and the Maryland Archives. 

Rebekka has a B.S. in Geography from Portland State University, a K-8 teaching certificate from California State University, L.A., and an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Idaho. She is currently a Wright Fellow and doctoral student. At the University of Idaho, Rebekka is the assistant manager of the Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program where she supports Indigenous scholars pursuing teacher certification in order to teach Indigenous students with a focus on cultural responsiveness. 

He has toured the world serving, experiencing, educating, and inspiring the importance of education and history.  Kevin welcomes those interested in his personable style of educating and motivating the world. Kevin would love to have a conversation with your students, institution, or organization. He provides his time and support to the Frederick Douglass Family Initiative, and the ideals it stands for. Kevin joins the soldiers who continue the wage the war on modern-day enslavement and sex trafficking, in the name of his great, great grandfather Frederick Douglass.

To book Kevin for your next speaking engagement, click here.

Erica attended The Ohio State University with a focus on African/African American Studies. Erica has held several board positions including Crime Stoppers of Central Ohio and a member of ASIS (The American Society of Industrialized Security) for many years and served as the Women in Security Chair and currently holds the position of Legislative Chair in Columbus, OH. Erica is an advocate against human trafficking and domestic violence working with multiple agencies including former Attorney General now Governor Mike DeWine’s Blue Campaign and local domestic violence shelters aiding survivors.

He is currently a National Executive Board member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), an Executive Board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), a Board of Director’s member of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

Deputy Chief Harris’ philosophy on public service is based on accountability, trust, and respect. He feels that law enforcement agencies, as well as the citizens they serve, are accountable to each other and for the welfare of their community. As such, he believes strongly in establishing partnerships with community stakeholders to address all quality of life concerns. He holds instructor certifications in general topics, firearms, Implicit Bias, and Procedural Justice. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Roberts Wesleyan College in Organizational Management, and he is a graduate of the 244th session of the FBI National Academy.