PHLDiversity Annual Luncheon

From left: Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of the mayor's office of LGBT affairs for the City of Philadelphia, Rudy Flesher, Samantha Giusti, Delaware Valley Legacy Fund, Jeffrey Jordan and Katrina Robinson, Philadelphia Fight.

From left: Ken Valles, Dave Batista, Alexis Lundeen, Rob Gary and Amanda Dana, all of Capital Grille.

From left: Mike Sheridan, Temple University, and Dan Stevenson, Sugarhouse Casino.

Heike Rass, PAFA, and James Claiborne, Visit Philly

Mohammad and Gabriella Nemati, both of Nature's Gallery Florist.

From left: Wes Franks and Loraine Ballard Morrill of I Heart Media, Paul Patel, Pennsville Hospitality Group and Bob Nelson, Philadelphia OIC (retired).

From left: Paul, Diane and Richard Lee of Media Copy, Paul Fontaine, Frank Baer and Nellie Fitzpatrick, director of LGBT affairs for the City of Philadelphia.

From left: Tiffany Tavarez, Exelon, Javier Suarez, Hispanic Choice Awards, Mei Q. Ren, Deno International Education Consultant, LLC and Tiffany Lawson, Pa office of Governor.

From left: D. D'Ontace Keyes, Philadelphia Black Pride, and Eric Thomas, City of Philadelphia.

From left: Tonya Herskovitz, Audrey Johnson Thornton, executive director at American Women's Heritage Society, and Jack Ferguson, PHLCVB President + CEO.

Temple students, from left, Andrew Han, Oreoluwa Adeniyi and Karankumar Patel were on hand for the luncheon.

David Gloss of Here's My Chance.

Guests enjoyed a performance by Grammy-nominated singer Kathy Sledge, as well as a gospel choir.

The emcee for the luncheon was Cynthia Gouw, Emmy award-winning journalist and spokesmodel, who kept the program on time as most people had to return to work afterward.

Jack Ferguson thanks PHLDiversity for naming a scholarship fund in his name (the PHLDiversity Jack Ferguson PAMPI Scholarship Fund), where up to $15,000 will be awarded to a minority meeting professional to attend the Annual MPI World Education Conference. Behind Ferguson, from left: Greg DeShields, executive director of PHLDiversity, Tiffany Tavarez, Exelon, and Cynthia Gouw.

The Bring it Home Award was given to Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Congressman Bob Brady, and former Governor Ed Rendell for their efforts in bringing the 2016 Democratic National Convention to Philadelphia. Rendell started his thank you speech with a joke: he had Alexis Lundeen of Capital Grille drink from a water bottle and then asked if Congressman Bob Brady was in the audience and wanted it. (He wasn't, and had taped his thank you speech.) Rendell went on to talk about the efforts of the other two awardees, and how DNC2016 is going to be magnificent for the city.