PRE-EVENT SCHEDULE

Thursday, September 15

3:00 – 5:00 pm: PLC Footwear and Apparel Workshop

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX, 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit

*For students from MERIT's FATE Program

6:00 – 7:00 pm: PLC Alumni Career Panel

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX, 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit

For Design Connect Students, Hosted by D'Wayne Edwards

7:00 pm – Midnight: PLC Panel + Sneaker Art Showcase & Mixer by Champion

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX, 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit

Panelists: StockX, Bedrock, Sydney James, Detroit Artist. Live Sneaker Art on Canvas. Panel discussing how art and culture is helping to shape Detroit aka “Caring for the Community"

Friday, September 16

2:00 – 4:00 pm: Kids Are Ready For Design Elementary School Workshop by A Kids Company About

Featuring Jason Mayden, College of Creative Studies graduate, award-winning designer, entrepreneur, author, and educator

4:30 – 6:30 pm: S.E.E.D. SOLES: Breaking Barriers, Planting Seeds & Charting Pathways Women’s Panel by adidas

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX | 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit

*Featuring Cheresse Thornhill-Goldston, College of Creative Studies graduate, Director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas. 10 women from the Detroit Community will be selected to attend the adidas S.E.E.D Creator Camp on Sunday

7:00 – 10:00 pm: VIP Dinner by Detroit Pistons: Thank you to BFF Sponsors, Speakers, Staff and Guests

7:00 pm – Midnight: BFF Homecoming Detroit Mixer by BFF Detroit

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX | 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit*

Saturday, September 17

8:30 – 9:30 am: BFF Detroit Breakfast & Mixer by BFF Detroit​

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design | PLC Icon Building | 200 Walker Street, Detroit**

9:50 am – 7:30 pm: Black Footwear Forum by Our Sponsors

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design | PLC Icon Building | 200 Walker Street, Detroit**

9:50 – 10:20 am: 845 Days Later… A Conversation with Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd

• D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
• Terrence Floyd, Activist, Founder, We Are Floyd; brother of George Floyd
  

10:25 – 10:45 am: DETROIT

• D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design
• Kofi Bonner, CEO, Bedrock
   

10:50 – 11:20 am: BLACKLIGHTS | Hometown She-ros

• D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole LewisCollege of Business and Design
• Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, Director, Design Education &Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas
• Ashley Comeaux, Vice President of Product Design, Allbirds
• Precious Hannah, Founder + CEO of Mister OK's Essentials™
• Eliya Jackson, Asst. Footwear Designer (Basketball), adidas

11:25 – 11:55 am: TAPPEDIN | The "L" Word

• Jazerai Allen-Lord, Founder, True to Size Agency
• Portia Blunt, VP of Apparel, Reebok
• April Dinwoodie, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Lead, Steve Madden
• Katherine Allen, Trade Marketing Manager, adidas
• Janice Tennant, CMO, Merrell
   

Noon – 12:20 pm: Intermission
 

12:25 – 12:40 pm: Black Genius

• Kevin Carroll, Founder, Katalyst; Author, Speaker
  

12:45 – 1:20 pm: Storytellers

• Tyrel Kirkham, Vice President, Brand & Marketing Strategy, Detroit Pistons
• Rick Williams, Entrepreneur, Artist, Creative Director & Co-Founder DISTINCT LIFE/CREAM BLENDS/BURN RUBBER
• Crystal Windham, Executive Director, Global Industrial Design, General Motors
• Che Pope, Grammy-winning producer, WRKSHP
• Jacques Slade, Owner/CEO, Fellows Avenue Productions, INC

1:25 – 1:45 pm: The Creator at the Center

• Jazerai Allen-Lord, Founder, True to Size Agency
• Cheresse Thornhill-Goldson, Director, Design Education & Growth | S.E.E.D, adidas
• Jessica Smith, Director of Strategy, adidas
• Liz Connelly, Manager, Design Education & Growth, adidas

1:50 – 2:20 pm: Kitchen Table | The Power of Empathy

• Kevin Carroll, Founder, Katalyst; Author, Speaker,Performance Coach
• E. Scott Morris, Pensole Lewis College of Business andDesign
• Damien Hooper-Campbell, Chief Impact Officer, StockX
• Lauren Guthrie, VP, Global Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action (IDEA), VF Corporation
• Malisa Bryant, Senior Vice President, Herman Miller Product

2:20 – 4:00 pm: Lunch by BFF Detroit

4:10 – 4:45 pm: TAPPEDIN | Career Pathways

• Dion Walcott, Director of Partnerships, Pensole LewisCollege of Business and Design
• DeLeyna Adkison, Director, Marketing – Brand Heat &Culture, North America, Puma
• Garry Thaniel, General Manager, Sneakers, eBay
• Sarah Waston, Sr. Color and Materials Designer, Ford
• Chuck Young, Franchise Operations Manager, US and The Caribbean, The Athletes Foot

​4:50 – 5:30 pm: BLACKLIGHTS | The Industry

• Jason Mayden, Chief Executive Officer + Creative Director, Trillicon Valley; Designer, Educator, Entrepreneur; Author of “A Kids Book About Design”
• Jeffrey Henderson, Founder, AndThem
• Scoop Jackson, Author; award-winning journalist, ESPN; Executive Producer of Facebook/andscape’s Legacy Series: Sneakers
• Sydney James, Interdisciplinary Artist
• Kenneth Anand, Co-Founder & Author, Sneaker Law
  

5:30 – 5:50 pm: Intermission

5:55 – 6:20 pm: BLACKLIGHTS | Awards

• Portia Blunt presents The Jazerai Allen-Lord Advocate Icon Award to Jazerai Allen-Lord, Women's Advocate Icon
• The James Whitner Entrepreneur Award presented to James Whitner, Retail Icon
• Scoop Jackson presents The Scoop Jackson Media Award to Jacques Slade, Media Icon
• D’Wayne Edwards presents awards to Kevin Carroll, Katalyst, April Walker, Legend–Apparel Design, Wilson Smith, Legend–Footwear Design, and Suzette Henry, Legend–Color & Material Design

6:25 – 7:15 pm: FREE GAME!

• James Whitner, American Fashion Entrepreneur; Owner of streetwear boutiques: Social Status, A Ma Maniere, and A.P.B.
• April Walker, CEO, Walker Wear
• Jalen Rose, ABC/ESPN Analyst, Puma Ambassador & Founder, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy

7:20 – 7:30 pm: CLOSING REMARKS

• D’Wayne Edwards, President & Founder, Pensole LewisCollege of Business and Design
• Matt Priest, President & CEO, FDRA

8:00 pm – Midnight: BFF Detroit Dinner & Mixer by BFF Detroit

Pensole Lewis College of Business and Design | PLC Icon Building | 200 Walker Street, Detroit**

Sunday, September 18

11:00 am – 2:00 pm: Black Women in Sneakers Brunch: Sisters in Sole

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX | 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit*

2:30 – 4:30 pm: adidas S.E.E.D Women's Creator Camp by adidas

PLC | FDRA | BFF Lounge by StockX | 1201 Woodward Ave., Detroit