Thrive 2026October 11, 2026 – October 13, 2026

Schedule

6:00 PMto 10:00 PM

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

THRIVE 2026 Welcome Walk/Run Powered by Run it up DALLAS

All day

Expo Hall + Career Hub Open · 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM · Gilley's Dallas

6:30 AMto 7:20 AM

2 options

Morning Devotion

Virtual

Morning Yoga

Hyatt Regency Dallas - Room 2

8:00 AMto 9:00 AM

2 options

Registration Opens

Gilley's Dallas

VIP

Bites and Brew powered by Starbucks

VIP Gilley's Dallas

9:00 AMto 9:15 AM

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

THRIVE Opening Experience

Mainstage

9:15 AMto 10:05 AM

9:15 AM – 10:05 AM

We Are a Not a Monolith: Exploring Intersectionalities of the BLK Man

Mainstage Kham Ward, Pastor Don Johnson, Eric Williams, Javaughn Langlois, Thomas Beaufort

10:10 AMto 11:00 AM

10:10 AM – 11:00 AM

Future of Everything - How Technology Is Reinventing Every Career

Mainstage Monica Bowie, Kenny Hill, Brian Nwannunu, McEdward Laguerre, Khendr'a Reid

11:00 AMto 11:20 AM

11:00 AM – 11:20 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

11:10 AMto 12:00 PM

Workshop

WebMCP: Building Websites for People and Agents (Required Claude Code or OpenAI Codex Account)

Workshop 3 Sean Dees, Keith Hutchinson

The Promotion Playbook: What Actually Gets You to the Next Level Powered by TIAA

Mainstage Kiarra Balom, JR Roland, Sterling Rowe, Tieisha Smith, Di-Keisha Peoples

Corporate Politics Without Losing Yourself

Workshop 2 Bianca Flowers, Ken Frazier, Willie Henry, Teejay Momoh, Troy Dennis

When Anger Isn’t Really Anger: Recognizing the Hurt, Stress & Emotions Beneath the Surface

Workshop 1 Jason Phillips, Dr. Joe Johnson, Quentin R. Jiles, Stevon Lewis, Robert Johnson Jr.

11:20 AMto 11:40 AM

11:20 AM – 11:40 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

11:40 AMto 12:00 PM

11:40 AM – 12:00 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

12:00 PMto 1:30 PM

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

THRIVE Lunch Experience - Food Truck Alley Powered by EzCater

Gilley's Dallas

12:40 PMto 1:10 PM

9 options

VIP

Navigating the Corporate Landscape

VIP Workshop 3 Kevin Burch

Table Talks

Strong Black Man Trap

Table Talks Mainstage Steven Anderson

Table Talks

What If I Never Get Promoted?

Table Talks Mainstage Marcus Roberts

Table Talks

Loneliness of Leadership

Table Talks Mainstage Rod Thomas

Table Talks

Cost of Entrepreneurship: What Nobody Posts

Table Talks Mainstage Jarrett Albritton

Table Talks

Are We Ready for What's Coming?

Table Talks Mainstage Khendr'a Reid

Table Talks

Who Taught You to Be a Man?

Table Talks Mainstage Pastor Don Johnson

Table Talks

Who Takes Care of Me?

Table Talks Mainstage Stevon Lewis

Table Talks

The Creator Diversification Playbook

Table Talks Mainstage Jhante Charles

Now

1:30 PMto 2:10 PM

Tech Talk

Zero Trust: Modern Security Architecture (Course Level - Intermediate)

Workshop 1 Destini Simmons

Understanding Data Privacy & Cybersecurity: A Technical Deep Dive (Course Level - Advance)

Workshop 2 Eric Williams

From Commit to Cloud: Ship a Containerized Application on AWS Level: Intermediate

Mainstage Damien Burks

The AI-Native Engineer: How Great Engineers Build in the Age of AI (Course Level - Intermediate)

Workshop 3 Keith Hutchinson

2:00 PMto 2:20 PM

2 options

Transition / Room Reset

Gilley's Dallas

Career Acceleration Hub

2:10 PMto 3:00 PM

Workshop

Boardroom Ready - From Executive Leadership to Board Leadership

Workshop 3 Larry Quinlan

Behind the Title: A Live Q&A on Career Strategy, Culture, and Executive Success as a Professional powered by EzCater

Workshop 2 Lily Otu, Herm Scriven, Rod Thomas, Keith White

Who Does The Strong Black Man Call? Powered by The Good Dad Tribe

Mainstage Steven Anderson, Matt Naylor, Jay Foster, Robert Weaver, Markeith Day

Clearance to Career Capital: Building a Resilient Career in Federal Tech Consulting

Workshop 1 Iris Same, Dr. Fed Kongnso, Dupree Gray, Kunmi Akingbade

2:20 PMto 2:40 PM

2:20 PM – 2:40 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

2:40 PMto 3:00 PM

2:40 PM – 3:00 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

3:10 PMto 3:50 PM

3:10 PM – 3:50 PM

Stop Playing Small: Breaking Through Fear, Doubt & Self-Imposed Limits

Mainstage Danny Davenport, Pastor Bryan Carter, Damion Wright, Brittany King, Troy Hill

3:55 PMto 4:45 PM

3:55 PM – 4:45 PM

The New American Dream: Ownership Over Titles

Mainstage Daylon Goff, Kevin Kelley, Dr. Rosetta Bryson, Chad Harper

4:45 PMto 5:00 PM

4:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Closing

Mainstage

6:00 PMto 8:00 PM

3 options

Driven by Purpose - Talent Mixer Powered by Cambridge Mobile Telematics

Executive Mixer Powered by Intuit (Invite Only)

Student Mixer powered by Penn State University

7:00 PMto 11:59 PM

7:00 PM – 11:59 PM

THRIVE & Vibe, a Networking Social for founders and entrepreneurs. Powered by Cynsus

Ginger's

All day

Expo Hall + Career Hub Open · 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM · Gilley's Dallas

6:30 AMto 7:20 AM

3 options

Morning Devotion

Virtual

Morning Yoga

Hyatt Regency Dallas - Room 2

Bootcamp

Hyatt Regency Dallas - Room 1

8:00 AMto 9:00 AM

2 options

Registration Opens

Gilley's Dallas

VIP

Bites and Brew powered by Starbucks

VIP Gilley's Dallas

8:15 AMto 8:35 AM

8:15 AM – 8:35 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

8:35 AMto 8:55 AM

8:35 AM – 8:55 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

9:15 AMto 10:05 AM

9:15 AM – 10:05 AM

Check Engine Light: The Signs We Keep Ignoring

Mainstage Yarlie R. Nicolas, Dr. Joe Johnson, Quentin R. Jiles, Stevon Lewis, Jason Phillips

10:10 AMto 11:00 AM

10:10 AM – 11:00 AM

HerS.P.A.C.E: Creating Community and Spaces for Women and the Culture

Mainstage Monica Bowie, Lisa Armstrong, Jenni Lewis, Tonya Sisco, Jackye Clayton

11:00 AMto 11:20 AM

11:00 AM – 11:20 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

11:10 AMto 12:00 PM

Workshop

Your Environment Is Either Growing You or Holding You Back

Casandra Talmadge, Jocelyn Bennett Garraway, Donovan Bethea, Terrance Bowman, Marcus Roberts

Close the Gap: Why Tech Sales is the Fastest Path to Six Figures

Chantel George, Jeanelle James, Miyah Mitchell

Beyond the Salary: Turning Tech Income into Long-Term Wealth

Jarrett Albritton, Mario J Payne, Bola Ranson

The First 100 Days: Taking Over a Team, Function or Organization

Jackye Clayton, Rob Potter, Joshua Tye, Patrick Felder, Rob Bass

11:20 AMto 11:40 AM

11:20 AM – 11:40 AM

Career Acceleration Hub

11:40 AMto 12:00 PM

11:40 AM – 12:00 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

12:00 PMto 1:30 PM

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

THRIVE Lunch Experience - Food Truck Alley Powered by EzCater

Gilley's Dallas

12:40 PMto 1:10 PM

9 options

VIP Lunch & Learn - Good Corporate citizenship: The blueprint to deployment of corporate power and influence to elevate communities & Build generational wealth. Powered by Cummins (Only for VIP Badge Holders)

Curated Lunch Areas Teejay Momoh, Tonya Sisco

Table Talks

Burden of the only one

Table Talks Mainstage Rob Potter

Table Talks

How Much Are You Willing to Sacrifice for Your Career?

Table Talks Mainstage Damion Wright

Table Talks

When Leadership Requires You to Be the Bad Person

Table Talks Mainstage Keith White

Table Talks

When Do You Stop Betting on Yourself?

Table Talks Mainstage Terrance Bowman

Table Talks

What If AI Can Do What You Do?

Table Talks Mainstage Troy Hill

Table Talks

What Are You Still Trying to Prove and to Whom

Table Talks Mainstage Ken Frazier

Table Talks

Why Do We Wait Until Something Is Wrong?

Table Talks Mainstage Robert Johnson Jr.

Table Talks

When Your Life Becomes Content

Table Talks Mainstage Dennis Riddick

1:30 PMto 2:00 PM

Tech Talk

Secure by Design: Think Like an Attacker. Build Like a Defender. (Course Level - Intermediate)

Dennis Riddick

Design It Like an Architect: Can Your System Handle 10 Million Users? (Course Level - Advance)

Jhante Charles

Quantum Computing: Beyond the Hype (Course Level - Foundational)

Dannielle Eason

Think Like a System Engineer: System Design, Tradeoffs & Technical Decision-Making (Course Level - Advance)

Teejay Momoh, Uche Ugeh

2:00 PMto 2:20 PM

2:00 PM – 2:20 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

2:10 PMto 3:00 PM

Workshop

Get the Deal. Keep the Value. The Brand Partnership Playbook

Ashley Miller, Dennis Riddick, Jhante Charles, Ifeanyi Ifediba

Standing Out in a Crowded Market: Advice Straight from Recruiter

Tab Hadley, Nate Wylie, Ralfiel Wright, Rochelle Rawls, Tomika Sanders

The World Wide of Gaming & Tech Powered by BCGA

Yemi Akisanya, Robert Ola, Chris Watson, Harrison Dean, Kevin Burch

FIT FOR LIFE Small Moves. Stronger Body. Better Life.

Damion Wright, Theo Murdaugh, Thomas Beaufort

2:20 PMto 2:40 PM

2:20 PM – 2:40 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

2:40 PMto 3:00 PM

2:40 PM – 3:00 PM

Career Acceleration Hub

3:10 PMto 3:50 PM

3:10 PM – 3:50 PM

The Career Chessboard: Knowing When to Stay, Pivot or Leave

Mainstage Ken Frazier, Tabitha Hadley, Teejay Momoh, Javaughn Langlois, Jackye Clayton

3:55 PMto 4:45 PM

3:55 PM – 4:45 PM

The Executive Blueprint: Leading with Influence, Purpose & Power

Mainstage Kevin Burch, Rob Potter, Keith White, Herm Scriven, Patrick Felder, Rob Bass, Dr. Robert Lee, Yemi Akisanya

4:45 PMto 5:00 PM

4:45 PM – 5:00 PM

Closing

Mainstage

8:00 PMto 11:00 PM

8:00 PM – 11:00 PM

THRIVE Afterparty - BLKOut Featuring Trap Orchestra Live