ACTIVIST
THOUGHT LEADER
MISS BLACK AMERICA

Ryann Richardson made history when she was crowned the 50th Anniversary Miss Black America. Before that, the tech executive and diversity & inclusion advocate spent a decade building brands and culture for companies spanning early-stage startups (Victor) to billion-dollar "unicorns" (Uber)  to the Fortune500 (T-Mobile).

Her work earned her a spot as the youngest honoree on Savoy Magazine’s list of Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America, and set her on the path of discovering her unique purpose as a champion for underrepresented voices. 

As an activist and social entrepreneur, Ryann champions diverse participation in the political process and public policy that better serves long-marginalized and exploited communities. She was appointed as a national campaign surrogate for (now US Secretary of Transportation) Pete Buttigieg's 2020 Presidential campaign. She also serves on the boards of non-profit organizations, Secure the Ballot and Climate Power, guiding efforts focused on voter registration in underrepresented populations and environmental justice, respectively. 

Today, as a keynote speaker, Ryann travels the US giving talks on diversity and inclusion, ethical technology, and the intersection of social equity, racial justice, and culture.  She’s graced stages (in-person and virtual) for clients including LinkedIn, SXSW, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Wonder Women Tech, the US Black Chamber of Commerce, and Citibank. Her 2020 TEDx Talk offers a sociological perspective on the relationship between beauty and power and argues the feminist case for women weaponizing beauty against patriarchal society. ESSENCE Magazine called it  “...The best 16 minutes you’ll have this year”.  

Ryann stars in the feature documentary, Subjects of Desire, exploring the politics of race and beauty while exposing the deliberate, and often dangerous portrayals of Black women in the media. The critically acclaimed film premiered to audiences in the US and Canada at SXSW and the Toronto International Film Festival and is available to stream now on STARZ.