My SXSW 2012 Release

This Release Agreement (“Agreement”) is granted by ___________________________ (“Presenter”) to SXSW Media LLC. (“SXSW”).

SXSW proposes for Presenter to appear as a speaker or panelist at one or more SXSW conference presentations and to present oral, written, audio, and/or visual information (collectively the “Presentation”). As a condition of Presenter’s appearance and presentation, and in consideration of the mutual promises contained herein, the parties agree to the following:

Proprietary Rights: Presenter hereby grants SXSW a perpetual worldwide royalty free license in any copyright, trademark, trade secret, right of personality or publicity, or other proprietary rights associated with the recording of the Presentation. SXSW shall have the right to do all of the following with respect to any and all parts of the recording of the Presentation: (a) distribute, show, and adapt it or any portion of it for any medium throughout the world; (b) cut, edit, add to, subtract from, arrange, rearrange, and revise any or all of it; provided that any such changes do not materially alter or misrepresent the content as presented; (c) assign or sublicense any or all rights hereunder; and (d) promote it in any manner. SXSW reserves the right to remove content at its sole discretion.

Performer’s Likeness: SXSW shall have the right to use the Presenter’s name, voice, likeness, and similar characteristics for the purpose of advertising, promoting, selling, and otherwise promoting SXSW and the Presentation.

SXSW reserves the right to remove content at its sole discretion. Please refer to our Terms of Use.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Presenter has signed below.

3 Career Success Strategies for Minorities in Business

This is a presentation I gave at the Mays Business School of Texas A&M on Saturday, January 28, 2012 during the Admission Department's Diversity Forum. I spoke with several prospective MBA students about the realities of being a professional in the business world and shared three strategies that helped me succeed.

You can find the Prezi I used for this presentation here:

prezi.com/zemlvk6rpiik/3-career-success-strategies-for-minorities-in-business/

Unfortunately, my "good camera" inexplicably shut down about five minutes into the presentation which forced me to start recording on my iPhone. So, you'll see that there is a loss of about ten minutes between my intro and our review of an episode of the "What Would You Do?" TV show that focused on racism. The video and audio quality varies throughout the clip, but I decided to not let perfection be the enemy of good and posted it.

I hope that my presentation gave the participants an idea of how to work as a minority in business, and it is also my desire that we continue to have open and honest conversations about race and gender in the business world within an atmosphere of respect and understanding.

Here are the two "case studies" about racism that we discussed:

Countrywide Settlement on Biased Lending Charges

What Would You Do TV Special on Racism

I enjoyed the opportunity to speak about a topic I'm passionate about: minorities taking control of our careers instead of simply complaining about the lack of a level playing field.  I know racism and prejudice are uncomfortable topics for my lot of people (especially in business), but I think it's important to have these conversations. Harmony cannot be achieved through silence.

Talking Tech on KHVN 970 AM with Shawn P Williams

This is the radio interview I did on Thursday, December 29, 2011 with my friend Shawn P Williams. We discussed some of the misconceptions about minorities and technology, tech trends to watch in 2012, and a few nuggets about my upcoming book!

My Thoughts on Linkedin

Linkedin is one social media outpost that I have to admit that I haven't yet fully adopted. I have a profile, of course, but it is little more than a glorified resume and some place I direct co-workers who I don't want to join my more personal networks (i.e., Facebook and Twitter). I've heard that taking part in Linkedin groups is a great way to build your professional brand, but I have gotten more mileage out of other social networking sites

My Response to an Unhappily Married Woman

A friend described this scenario on Facebook (warning: it's long):

I have been married for a little over a year now, and I'm as confused as they come. My husband is a great father, great provider and all around great guy... Problem is - I knew the minute I saw him waiting for me at the alter that I was making a mistake....THE MISTAKE OF A LIFETIME...

Click to read more ...