Nedra Cannon is a trauma expert, keynote speaker, author, and mental health advocate with over 20 years of experience providing culturally responsive mental health care. She specializes in racial trauma recovery, sustainable leadership, and emotional wellness for high-achieving women, helping Black women redefine strength, reclaim rest, and build lives rooted in alignment rather than survival.

Nedra is the creator of the Healing, Growing, and Thriving as a Person of Color journal card deck and co-author, with her daughter Chase Anderson, of Being in Harmony: Finding Hues of You. Her work has been featured on the PBN Business Podcast, and she is a contributing blogger for Clinicians of Color, where she writes about trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.

Through her writing, speaking, and clinical work, Nedra equips audiences with practical tools for healing, leadership, and sustainable wellness.

Dr. Taylor has been Professor and Director of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine since 2015. Prior to coming to UAB, Dr. Taylor was Chief of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Division at the Medical University of South Carolina from 2013 to 2015. He was a faculty member of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Tuscaloosa Campus, from 1991 to 2013, where he was Professor & Chair. He began performing medical evaluations of potentially abused children as an examiner for the North Carolina Child Medical Evaluation Program in Raleigh, NC, in 1982. He has over 30 years of experience in child abuse pediatrics. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 1976 and completed his pediatric training at UAB in 1979. He is board-certified in General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics.

Dr. Onick O. Lewisis the BSW Program Director and Assistant Professor at Troy University. Before his faculty appointment at Troy, he worked at Glenville State University as the Student Support Services Director, a TRIO program for first-generation, low-income, and students with disabilities. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology and his master’s degree in social work from West Virginia University (2008), followed by his Doctorate in Education from Grand Canyon University (2019). His primary research focuses on diversity and cultural competency, humanizing the workplace, organizational buy-in, and how leadership styles can foster more productive and happier employees. Lastly, after the tragic loss of his 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Dr. Lewis and his wife, Dr. Heather Lewis, started O’s Cook Bike Foundation, which donates balance bikes to low-income children in southeast Alabama and offers scholarships to Troy University students majoring in Social Work and Human Services.

Jan Bell co-founded and directs the Child Trafficking Solutions Project, affiliated with Children’s Aid Society of Alabama, a broad-based coalition working 7 collaboratively in the fight against human trafficking of minors in Alabama since 2016. Jan received her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and her Master of Public Health degree from UAB with a focus on Health Organization and Policy. She has been honored by the UAB School of Public Health as Alumnus of the Year for her work in furthering a variety of public health initiatives. She is a recipient of the National FBI Director Community Leadership Award, the Department of Homeland Security’s Outstanding Victim Protection in Countering Human Trafficking Award, and the City of Birmingham’s StrongHer Award in recognition of her work to improve prevention as well as outcomes for survivors of child trafficking.

Tesney Davis is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker-Supervisor and serves as the Administrator of Mental Health and Social Services for Tuscaloosa City Schools. She leads a team of 15 mental health and social services professionals and oversees several district initiatives, including the New Heights Community Resource Center, the Zone community growth initiative, the SOAR Mentoring Program, Behavioral Threat Assessment teams, and Neighborhood Bridges. Tesney’s work extends beyond the school district. She is a member of the Central Alabama Threat Team and serves on the boards of the Ability Alliance of West Alabama and the New Heights Foundation. She also serves on the Fundraising Committee for Ruby’s Rainbow and on advisory committees for the Kristen Amerson Youth Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Parents as Teachers. A dedicated educator and trainer, Tesney is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and CRIT for Schools Instructor. She provides clinical supervision to master’s-level social workers pursuing licensure in Alabama and frequently presents at state and national conferences, including the Model Schools Conference, SREB Conference, Alabama Association of School Boards Conference, MEGA, the PBSO Threat Management Conference, and the Alabama Judicial and Mental Health Summit. Outside of work, Tesney enjoys spending time outdoors, with her animals, reading, and watching