A self-proclaimed “daughter of the South,” Valda Boyd Ford brings a homespun, down to earth informality to her presentations that make her one of the most intellectually disarming and humorous – yet effective -- presenters on leadership, cultural competency and vulnerability, in the nation. She uses a combination of self-effacement and “Can we talk?” attitude that can swing from virtual stand-up comedy (describing her first experience with a “public toilet” in a West African refugee camp) to lump-in-the- throat poignancy (explaining how to defuse rage and resentment when the arrogance of professionals contributed to the death of her baby boy.) She is a living library of cultural competency “case studies” because of the sheer expansiveness of her own personal travels and cross-cultural experiences. Ford has a must-be-seen-to-be-believed repertoire of story-telling, singing, and dramatic soliloquy that creates a relaxed intimacy in even the most staid conference settings.

Ms. Ford is President and CEO of The Center for Human Diversity, Inc., host and executive producer of Valda’s Place, a long-standing cable television talk show; alumni member of the Council of Public Representatives for the Director of the National Institutes of Health; member of The National Speakers Association; member of the Women’s Fund of Omaha; and Director of Refugee Initiatives for Unite for Sight. She created the annual Heart and Soul Red Dress Seminar and Dinner to bring women of all circumstances together to learn how to improve their health and their lives.

Valda has written book chapters for two medical textbooks, and is finishing her own book on her global experiences called Don’t Touch the Monk and Other Stories of Global Faux Pas. Valda delivers monthly workshops on improving customer service and care for diverse clients, public speaking, and training of trainers. She has created a series of DVDs on cultural competency, intercultural communication, and her work with refugees from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. She delivers more than 50 presentations a year to groups as diverse as CEOs, employee diversity groups, health science students, and international forums dedicated to policy formulation that improves the health of the most vulnerable groups on the planet.

Ford has a Master of Public Health in Health Policy Analysis and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Nursing Administration from Creighton University, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Winston-Salem State University. Her career includes nearly a decade of service in Saudi Arabia and the United States Virgin Islands, and presentations on leadership, public health, and cultural competency in at least 25 US states, as well as in China, Columbia, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, England, Wales, Poland, Ghana, Saudi Arabia, the US Virgin Islands, Denmark, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Australia.