Brenda Shockley

Deputy Mayor of

Economic Opportunity

& Chief Equity Officer

City of Los Angeles

Deputy Mayor Brenda Shockley was appointed as the Deputy Mayor of Economic Opportunity for the City of Los Angeles by Mayor Eric Garcetti in July, 2016. In addition, she was appointed Chief Equity Officer in June, 2020. The mission of the Mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity is the prevention of homelessness and poverty with compassion and inclusion, through education, training, and employment at a livable wage. The following policy and programmatic areas are under Deputy Mayor Shockley's purview: racial equity, workforce development, housing and community development, and several placed-based strategies, including two Federal Promise Zone designations. Prior to joining the Mayor's Office, Deputy Mayor Shockley served as the President of Community Build for over 24 years. The mission of Community Build, which was incorporated in 1992 in response to the Los Angeles civil unrest, is to revitalize South Los Angeles through human investment and commercial and economic development. During her tenure there, she oversaw the development of 16,000 square feet of commercial space in Leimert Park which serves as a center for the African American community, offering a coffee house, 99-seat theater, office space, and a park. Deputy Mayor Shockley's work to revitalize communities in South L.A. has led to more than $100 million of investment in education, employment and training programs for young people. Before joining Community Build, Deputy Mayor Shockley was a practicing attorney and the President of the Drew Economic Development Corporation.

Beth Ann Bovino

Managing Director

U.S. Chief Economist

Global Economics and Research

Beth Ann Bovino is the U.S. Chief Economist and Managing Director at S&P Global Ratings Services, based in New York. In this position, she develops S&P's U.S. economic forecasts and authors the quarterly U.S. Economic Forecast, the biweekly Financial Notes and the Business Cycle Barometer. Beth Ann has written timely research reports on longterm economic trends and has created industry drivers for analyst research. She is quoted regularly in the press and has appeared on many major television programs. Further, she has written many articles for popular and professional publications.

Before joining Standard & Poor's in February 2004, Beth Ann spent over ten years doing economic and market research with Sungard Institutional Brokerage, UBS Warburg, and the Federal Reserve.

The Wall Street Journal recognized Beth Ann as the most accurate forecaster of the U.S. economy in 2013, and the second most accurate forecaster of the U.S. economy in 2018. The YWCA honored Beth Ann for her work on women in the workforce, inducting her into their YW Academy of Women Leaders at their 45th Salute Luncheon in 2018.

Beth Ann holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a master's degree in International and Development Economics from Yale University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University.

Jessica Zweig

CEO & Founder of SimplyBe.

Jessica Zweig is the CEO & Founder of SimplyBe., a premier personal branding company based in Chicago.

Her accomplishments have garnered her extraordinary praise, with INC. titling her a 'Top Digital Marketer to Watch,' Forbes naming her a 'Personal Branding Expert,' and the Chicago Tribune calling her one of the '10 Entrepreneurs to Follow.' Distinguished accolades include the 2018 Gold Stevie® Winner for 'Female Entrepreneur of the Year,' and the 2019 Silver Stevie® Winner for 'Female Entrepreneur of the Year,' plus features in MarketWatch, Business Insider, Thrive Global and The Newsette, among others.

Zweig began her entrepreneurial career in 2008 as cofounder of CheekyChicago.com, the city's leading women's lifestyle magazine for seven years strong and developed notable partnerships with over 100 national brands, including Lululemon and Coca-Cola. She then went on to create head-turning ROIs for powerhouse brands like Skinnygirl® Cocktails and Nike.

In 2014, Zweig left CheekyChicago to start a business that would come to represent the next generation of authentic digital marketing: SimplyBe.

Fueled by the belief that personal branding isn't a vanity play, but an opportunity to make the world a better place, Zweig and her female-led team at SimplyBe. have gained a national reputation for defining and enhancing the personal brands of corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and creatives, transforming them into recognized industry experts and thought leaders.

A dynamic and highly sought-after speaker and presenter, Zweig has spoken on national and international stages including those of Google, Mindvalley, Microsoft, Kellogg School of Management, BumbleBizz, Pinterest, Blackstone Investments and Virgin.

Zweig has also facilitated workshops and masterminds, teaching the power of personal branding to corporations such as Heineken USA, Mars Inc., Nike, Red Bull, BBMC Mortgage Bank, Bank of America and Dornbracht to name a few.

In 2019, Zweig signed a book deal with SoundsTrue Publishing, a MacMillan imprint, for her book, Be. A No Bullsh*t Guide to Increasing Your Self Worth and Your Net Worth by Simply Being Yourself. The book will be published in February 2021.

Zweig currently resides in Chicago, IL with her husband and two dogs, Zooey and Don Julio.