OUR TOP GlOBAL SPEAKERS
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Psychiatrist | Founder | Mental Health Equity
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, stands alone in American medicine.
He is the only Black male psychiatrist in the United States with both an MD and a PhD who has founded and led a national institute dedicated to confronting racial trauma and reducing mental health disparities—particularly as they affect Black men and marginalized communities.
Dr. William Lawson, MD, PhD, DLFAPA, is a nationally and internationally recognized psychiatrist, author, and leader in advancing health equity. As the Founder and Director of the Institute for Reducing Disparities, LLC, he has dedicated his life to addressing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health diagnosis, care, and treatment.
Kenny Barnes
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Chairman | Cultural Architect | National Voice on Gun Violence Eradication
Kenny Barnes has spent more than five decades building platforms that keep communities alive—first through culture, then through conscience, and now through coordinated national action.
Known nationally as Chairman Kenny, Barnes is a Washington, D.C.–rooted civic leader whose life’s work sits at the intersection of culture, community safety, and moral leadership. Long before “gun violence prevention” became a national talking point, he was already doing the work—using music, media, and movement-building to create safe spaces, restore dignity, and unite people across lines of age, race, and ideology.
Ashley Shackelford
Dr. William B. Lawson, MD, PhD
Ashley Shackelford
Real Estate Expert | Personal Wealth & Wellness Coach