Named in honor of legendary businessman and civil-rights benefactor A.G. Gaston, the annual conference explores how ownership, governance, and strategic use of capital create lasting economic freedom for families and communities. This year’s program blends scholarship, business leadership, culture, and family history to examine how wealth becomes a tool for liberation across generations.
National thought leaders and institutional builders are among the featured speakers and includes
Cheryl McKissack Daniel, Chair of the Board of McKissack & McKissack, the nation’s oldest continuously operating Black-owned design and construction firm. A fifth-generation leader, McKissack Daniel will reflect on legacy, institutional control, and the responsibility of sustaining family-owned enterprises at national scale—demonstrating how Black families can lead major institutions without compromising values or ownership.
The conference will also feature
Michael V. Roberts, a legal and global asset-management strategist whose work focuses on structuring, protecting, and deploying capital across borders and generations. Roberts will explore how law, finance, and disciplined governance function as essential tools for leveraging assets into long-term economic freedom.
A scholarly dimension of the conference will be led by Stephen Glaude, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.–based
The Coalition, formerly the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development. Glaude is authoring a forthcoming scholarly article titled “Accumulating the Assets that Lead to Wealth.”
Conference organizers describe the paper as a bridge between A.G. Gaston’s era of institution-driven wealth creation and modern nonprofit, housing, and policy frameworks shaping today’s economy.
Adding cultural insight to the program is
Roy Wood Jr., the acclaimed comedian and longtime contributor to CNN. Wood will share reflections drawn from his newly released book,
The Man of Many Fathers, exploring identity, family, and generational influence—themes that align closely with the conference’s emphasis on legacy and inheritance beyond wealth alone.
Engineering and infrastructure leadership will be represented by Everett Fennell, P.E. and Shauna Fennell Hawkins of
ECF Engineering Consultants.
Honoring the Gaston Family Legacy
A signature panel will honor Minnie Gardner Gaston, whose stewardship and influence were integral to her husband’s success. The panel will feature her nieces—Tamara Harris Johnson, Minnie Washington Finley, and Carol Jenkins, author of
Black Titan—offering personal reflections on family, history, and the often-unrecognized role of Black women in sustaining generational wealth.
A Forum for Wealth, Freedom, and the Future
Organizers describe the A.G. Gaston Conference as more than a gathering—it is a forum for strategy, scholarship, and action. By bringing together leaders from culture, finance, housing, engineering, and family legacy, the conference reinforces a central message: wealth is built intentionally, leverage must be disciplined, and liberation is achieved through ownership and control of institutions.
As Birmingham continues to shape its future, the 2026 A.G. Gaston Conference stands as both tribute and blueprint—demonstrating how legacy, when leveraged wisely, becomes a durable instrument of freedom across generations.
