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Grace (Gealey) Byers

Grace (Gealey) Byers

Actress on the Hit TV Show Empire

Grace Byers is a talented actress, creative, and dedicated activist.

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Bio

Full Bio

Grace Byers is a talented actress, creative, and dedicated activist who first entered the spotlight with her breakout role as ‘Anika Calhoun’ on Fox’s smash hit series Empire.

Growing up in the Cayman Islands as biracial, multicultural and a Child Of Deaf Adults (CODA), Grace was constantly bullied throughout her childhood. Her experiences led her to write her first book, I Am Enough, which was released in March 2018 and instantly became a New York Times best seller. Since then, the book has quickly gone on to become a social and cultural phenomenon, also winning the 2018 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Picture Book. Her second children’s book, I Believe I Can, will be released in Winter 2020. Both books were born out of her impassioned desire to empower young children against the negative effects of bullying and to inspire them with the ideals of self-acceptance and love.

Grace attended college at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she received a B.A. in Theater Arts. Upon graduation, Grace was accepted into the prestigious University of California – Irvine’s graduate program and obtained her M.F.A in Acting. A successful showcase took her from California to New York City, where she performed professionally. Several theater productions, short films and national commercials led her to Chicago where she booked the smash hit, Empire.

Since Empire, Grace has been seen in Marvel’s popular TV show, The Gifted, Irv Gotti’s Tales on BET and the indie thriller Bent, written and directed by Robert Moresco opposite Karl Urban, Sofia Vergara and Andy Garcia.

In her spare time, she volunteers with the non-profit anti-bullying organization; “Saving Our Daughters,” and various deaf organizations. In 2015, Grace was honored by Glamour & Investigation Discovery with their annual “Inspire A Difference” award for her philanthropy work with “Saving Our Daughters.” A sought-after inspirational speaker, Grace moves audiences with her powerful anti-bullying message and teaches children the importance of self-acceptance. She lives with her husband, actor Trai Byers and their little malti-poo, Baron Byers, in Los Angeles.

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Topics

Topics

An Evening With Grace Byers

We Are Enough

Close Calls & Wake Up Calls

Phenomenal Wom(e)n

Videos

Videos

Grace Byers on Life Before Hubby Trai
"Empire" Star Grace Gealey on Concealing Her Cayman Accent On-Set! | The Meredith Vieira Show

Books

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The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

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U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

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The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

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