NSB Logo Toni Morgan Toni Morgan

Toni Morgan

Speaker

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Social Justice, AI and Innovation Technologist & Personal Resilience Leader

Tonika “Toni” Morgan is an award-winning educator, leader, and social entrepreneur. She has successfully launched and led initiatives that address issues of justice, injustice, organizational change, and inclusion in numerous sectors including education, housing, arts, and most recently, tech. Touted by CNBC and Now Magazine as “one to watch”, her incredible story about her transition from  – homeless high school dropout, to youth advocate, to international role model, Harvard graduate and responsible innovation and AI leader at trend setting organizations like Salesforce, Bytedance, TikTok and more – provides audiences with a thrilling and inspiring peek into the world of a leader continuing to rise.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
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Do the Right Thing | How to be an Ally (Part 1)

Anyone can become an ally. In this interactive, 2-part talk, Toni shows you how. Drawing from her work as a team leader for Harvard University’s Race, Education, and Leadership (REAL) Institute at Harvard University, as well as her current teaching work for Harvard’s most popular course on race, community, and justice, Toni walks audiences through her refreshing take on what it means to be an ally today. By the end of this talk, audiences will know how to recognize and adopt the thoughts, ideas, and actions that will make anyone an effective ally.

Do the Right Thing | Connecting Allyship to Action (Part 2)

You’re an ally, now what? In this talk, Toni builds on DTRT part 1, using audience answers to connect theoretical allyship to real life scenarios. Toni’s knack for community building is on full display, as this talk ends with a crowdsourced statement, created by the audience that serves as the guiding statement for any person and organization who is ready to begin their allyship journey with a commitment to action.

The New Digital Divide | Emerging Ideas at the Nexus of Tech and Social Justice

How does technological innovation impact our ability to fight for social justice? In this talk, Toni forecasts emerging issues at the intersection of social justice, innovation, and technology and provides strategies to address them. From algorithms that discriminate to racial bias in face recognition software, she draws from her current role as the managing director of the Center for Law, Innovation, and Creativity, a legal innovation research center that amplifies important ethical and human rights issues in intellectual property and technology law. Toni’s background as an activist, educator, and entrepreneur makes this talk especially interesting and accessible to broad audiences who want to get beyond the “legalese” and cut straight to the heart of important social issues.

Grit and Perseverance | How to Overcome Impossible Odds and Win

What does it take to accomplish big goals? In this high-energy talk, Toni takes audiences through her incredible story of determination and resilience from homelessness to Harvard, crowdfunding $50,000 overnight, and becoming the world’s most successful viral education campaign in history. During this talk, Toni walks audiences through her success method with case studies from her work and life. By the end of this talk, audiences will have a new method that makes winning possible for anyone who wants to accomplish an important goal.

Audience reviews:

  • Toni was fantastic! I heard the delegates referencing her presentation for the duration of the conference. She is very easy to relate with and is motivating. Her use of questions, video and interaction was appreciated.

    - Education Department, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
 

Speaker Biography

Toni’s message: Live like your future depends on it. 

Her story of struggle and triumph in the education system shows people of all ages, that with a bit of imagination, an appetite for change and an unwavering compassion for others, we can be the architects of a better tomorrow. But Toni is more than a speaker– she’s a doer, and a prolific one, at that. Toni’s track record includes creating Canada’s first pay-what-you-can university courses for low-income students. She managed her first million dollar education program for single mothers at the age of 22, and launching the world’s most successful viral education crowdfunding campaign by raising $100K in 48 hours from people in 16 countries and 26 cities, to pursue graduate education Harvard University.

Toni Morgan, Director of Product Management for Responsible AI and Technology at Salesforce, embodies the transformative power of perseverance and education. Her journey from a homeless high school dropout to a Harvard graduate and tech industry leader is nothing short of extraordinary, earning her recognition from CNBC and Now Magazine as “one to watch.”

With over 15 years of experience in tech policy, product inclusion, and AI ethics, Toni has become a beacon of inspiration and a driving force in shaping ethical AI solutions. Her current role at Salesforce involves developing governance frameworks that ensure AI systems remain fair, accountable, and aligned with societal expectations.

Before joining Salesforce, Toni played a pivotal role in establishing TikTok’s first Responsible Innovation team within its Global Trust and Safety organization. Her expertise in crafting strategies for product inclusion and platform fairness set new standards in responsible tech practices.

Toni’s academic achievements, including degrees from Harvard University and MIT Sloan School of Management, are made even more impressive by her background. Her studies, focused on the intersection of AI, policy, and business strategy, provide a robust foundation for her leadership in AI governance.

As AI systems become increasingly integrated into critical decision-making processes, Toni advocates for a paradigm shift in AI governance. She pushes for it to evolve beyond compliance, becoming a strategic enabler for trust, innovation, and long-term AI sustainability.

Toni’s expertise spans AI Governance & Compliance, Agentic AI & Product Safety, Product Strategy & Execution, and Cross-functional Leadership. Her work in developing risk mitigation frameworks, designing AI guardrails, and creating responsible AI roadmaps is shaping the future of ethical AI.

From youth advocate to international role model, Toni Morgan’s story is a testament to the power of resilience and determination. Her journey provides audiences with an inspiring glimpse into the world of a leader on the rise, proving that with passion and perseverance, one can overcome any obstacle and make a significant impact on the world.