About Our Panelists
Netta Dobbins
Netta Dobbins is a distinguished marketing coach, consultant, entrepreneur, and DEI strategist dedicated to uplifting small businesses and nonprofits. With nearly a decade of experience, she has collaborated with diverse organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to dynamic startups, implementing best-in-class DEI practices that fuel business growth. Netta's expertise and contributions have been recognized by Forbes, Fast Company, Nashville Biz Journal, The Tennessean, and more. She has contributed to outlets like Adweek and Worklife and received accolades including Adweek’s 2022 Women Trailblazers, the Jane Walker First Women Grant, and recognition as an entrepreneurial change maker by McDonald’s.
As the founder of Mimconnect, Netta led the company for over seven years, developing strategies to help organizations recruit, retain, and nurture diverse talent. In January 2023, she became Tennessee's Grow With Google Digital Coach, empowering diverse entrepreneurs and small business owners through free workshops. She established a marketing coaching and consulting agency to address the needs of small businesses, guiding them in building impactful brands. Her previous roles in New York City's entertainment PR and at a cultural marketing agency allowed her to craft campaigns for prominent brands like State Farm, Kaiser Permanente, and NIKE. Netta holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Middle Tennessee State University, DE&I certifications from Cornell, and is pursuing an MBA at Vanderbilt University.
Robert L. Wilson
Culture Shift Team founding partner, Robert Lawrence Wilson, leads CST’s Diversity, Inclusion and Equity division. With more than 15 years of experience in diversity management, multicultural marketing, customer experience strategy, and leadership development, Robert develops comprehensive strategy and training for corporations, non-profit organizations, higher education, and government agencies. In addition to overall inclusion strategy, Robert also provides racial equity strategy and deployment expertise.
Robert served in executive roles at Nissan North America, including Nissan's director of Customer Experience and Nissan’s first director of Diversity and Inclusion where he developed and led Nissan's diversity practice, spanning Nissan's operations in North and South America, as well as a multicultural marketing strategy.
Has served on the leadership boards of non-profit organizations promoting greater access to quality education for our nation's most at-risk student populations. Robert is the co-founder and executive director of the Tennessee Diversity Consortium and serves as an adjunct professor in Vanderbilt University's Leadership and Organizational Performance program. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from Duke University.
