Building a Brand: African-Americans Influencing Commerce and Culture

Shanel Campbell is an African American womenswear designer from the Bronx, New York. Her work references her experiences as a black woman, growing up within an Afro-Carribean family, and black history, culture, and advancement throughout the United States. Although she ultimately hopes to challenge the underrepresentation of black narratives throughout fashion, her work is and will always will be assessable to everyone.

Don Cornwell is a Partner at PJT Partners, based in New York. Mr. Cornwell joined PJT Partners in February of 2015 following an 18-year career at Morgan Stanley. At Morgan Stanley, Mr. Cornwell spent the majority of his time in Mergers and Acquisitions, and established a particularly focused area of expertise in media and entertainment, specifically in sports and gaming. Prior to leaving Morgan Stanley he served as Head of the Sports Banking. Mr. Cornwell also specialized in retail and apparel.

Mr. Cornwell has worked on some of the largest and most complex sports and entertainment deals in the industry, including the sale of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the sale of the Buffalo Bills, the sale of IMG to William Morris Endeavor, a recapitalization of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the acquisition of the Texas Rangers and the formation of Major League Baseball Advanced Media. In addition, he has served as a strategic advisor to the National Football League and the National Basketball Association on numerous occasions. Mr. Cornwell has also worked on several transformational transactions in the gaming space including the acquisition of Sky Betting and Gaming by The Stars Group, the acquisition of Double Down Casino by IGT and the sale of IGT to GTech. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Cornwell worked at McKinsey & Co. as a management consultant and in corporate development for the National Football League.

Mr. Cornwell sits on the Board of Trustees of the East Harlem Tutorial Program, an after school program for children in East Harlem; the Board of Directors of New York Cares, New York City’s largest volunteer organization; the Board of Advisors of the Brooklyn Museum; and the Management Board of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Mr. Cornwell received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and an AB in government from Harvard College.

Teri Johnson is an entrepreneur and adventurer who brings her experience to life through storytelling and luxury products. A life-long traveler, Teri has visited 68 countries learning about the rich cultures of the world while working as a travel and lifestyle expert for various television and digital platforms. During her travels, Teri experienced an array of different scents and developed a passion and obsession for beautiful and evocative fragrances that have the power to transport you to a different time and place. This sparked an idea to create a luxury home fragrance company inspired by her neighborhood of Harlem, specifically during the Harlem Renaissance period.  She founded the Harlem Candle Co in 2014 and now has ten exquisite fragrances in the collection.  Teri’s work with some of the world’s most innovative perfumers has helped her grow the brand’s popularity on an international level and has led to the brand’s launch in Bloomingdale’s in 2018.  She has also partnered with Kodak on a collection of candles and created a signature candle for the award winning film, “If Beale Street Could Talk”.  Harlem Candle Co products can be found at high-end boutiques in NY and LA and online at www.harlemcandlecompany.com.