Join us for our June CTC Friday Conversation: "Celebrating Juneteenth: Honoring Freedom and Heritage."

Juneteenth represents far more than a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. This pivotal day embodies resilience, perseverance, and the continuing journey toward true equality and justice for all. As we honor this historic milestone, we recognize Juneteenth as both a time to commemorate our past and an opportunity for meaningful reflection and education. Looking into our communities today, we in the credit union movement must intentionally foster deeper collaboration to advance an equitable and inclusive future for everyone. Across the nation, credit unions are using this significant day to reaffirm their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles. At AACUC, we steadfastly uphold our pledge to champion these DEI values in everything we do. We invite you to join us in celebrating Juneteenth with our distinguished panel of speakers who will share insights on how we can collectively honor this important day while working toward a more equitable society.

Together, we can transform commemoration into action and build the inclusive future we all deserve.

Our esteemed panelists are:

• Damaris Carroll, Lead DEI & Employee Experience Partner, Velera
• Emma Hayes, Chief Learning & Development Officer, SECU
• Opal Tomashevska, Director of Multicultural Business Strategy, TruStage
• Sedric Brinson, Director of Councils Membership and Engagement, America's Credit Unions

Kevin Martin, Executive Vice President, Strategic Integration & Member Experience for SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union will moderate this conversation. 

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Keep reading to learn more about our panelists and moderator. 

Damaris Carroll
Lead DEI & Employee Experience Partner
Velera

Damaris Carroll is a visionary senior leader with over two decades of experience driving Workplace Equity & Experience (WEX) and Inclusive Leadership & Engagement (ILE) strategies for Fortune 50 companies. A recognized thought leader and strategic advisor, she integrates equity, access, and belonging into core business operations, fostering high-performing, inclusive and engaged workplaces that drive innovation and growth.

With deep expertise in navigating complex, global organizations, Damaris is known for influencing C-suite leaders, shaping Equitable Business Practices (EBP), and leveraging data-driven insights to drive measurable impact. She collaborates across functions to equip leaders with strategies that attract, retain, and develop diverse talent while ensuring business decisions reflect a broad range of perspectives.

A champion of Authentic Leadership & Belonging (ALB), Damaris leads initiatives that align global frameworks with localized execution, embedding fairness, access, and opportunity into learning, talent development, and employee experience. She establishes key performance metrics to assess progress, transparently reporting outcomes to executive stakeholders and boards. Her expertise, vision, and commitment to fostering workplace cultures that prioritize People, Purpose & Progress (P3) have positioned her as an industry leader, driving systemic change and advancing inclusive leadership as a business imperative.

Emma Hayes
Chief Learning & Development Officer
SECU

Emma Hayes is the chief learning and organizational development officer for the Raleigh, North Carolina-based State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU). In her current role, she oversees learning and organizational development, leadership development, and enablement. She has over 25 years of experience serving in various roles. Her focus on relationship-building and service is what sets her apart.

Her experience includes her role as the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) for the African American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC). There she provides guidance and support to credit unions, business partners and affiliate organizations.

Emma is a two-time graduate of North Carolina State University receiving an undergraduate degree from the Poole College of Management with a concentration in Finance, minors in English and African American Studies, then returning to receive a Masters of Education in Training and Development.

Opal Tomashevska
Director of Multicultural Business Strategy
TruStage

Opal Ellyse Tomashevska is the Director of Multicultural Business Strategy for TruStage.  Opal is responsible for leading the development, direction, and execution of the company’s Consumer Insights & Multicultural Engagement.

Opal holds a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Edgewood College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Opal also holds a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE) designation.

Sedric Brinson
Director of Councils Membership and Engagement
America's Credit Unions

Sedric Brinson is the Director of Councils at Americas Credit Unions, and he lives his life by the simple standard of the Golden Rule of treating others how he would like to be treated. A born leader who wants nothing more than to see others succeed and to see their goals accomplished. His passion for people is what fuels his desire to see communities thrive financially. Sedric’s purpose in life is simply to bring awareness to the Credit Union mantle of people helping people. He is a huge advocate for Financial Literacy and helping to meet the needs of members in the community.

Kevin Martin
Executive Vice President, Strategic Integration & Member Experience
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union

Kevin joined SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union in May 2013 as the Senior Vice President of Organizational Performance and Strategic Planning. His responsibilities included leading the Credit Union’s strategic planning and implementation functions, as well as monitoring overall performance, anticipating concerns and leading the change needed to ensure enduring financial strength. In the EVP role, Kevin’s responsibilities expanded to overseeing Member Experience, which includes identifying ways to continue and advance world-class personal service delivery and integrating those service insights and improvements across the enterprise.

Prior to joining the Credit Union, Kevin held multiple consumer and commercial banking roles within Bank of America, including multi-product reward strategy, mortgage process improvement, product management, and merchant services performance management. In addition to financial services, he also has multiple years of consulting and entrepreneurial experience.

Since joining the Movement Kevin has become a Credit Union Development Educator, Credit Union Executives Society (CUES) CEO Institute graduate, and Certified Diversity Professional. Kevin sits on the board of the CURQL Collective (the first credit union-led fintech fund and incubator) and was the founding president of the African-American Credit Union Coalition’s West Coast Chapter. Kevin has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion and is regularly asked to speak and write about the topic. In 2022, he was selected as one of the “100 Most Influential African American Leaders in Business” and received the CUES Exceptional Leader Award.

Kevin has a Bachelor’s of Applied Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering & Applied Science, where he also played football, and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He brings a combination strategic vision, creativity, and catalytic change to the SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union executive team.