Albania Rosario is the Founder and Executive Director of Fashion Designers of Latin America (FDLA). Rosario arrived in the United States at the age of 18 from the Dominican Republic to pursue her academic career and passion for fashion. She brings established and upcoming designers from across Latin America to have their work seen during the New York Fashion Week. She also created the FDLA online academy a non-profit organization which allows students to enroll in fashion-related courses, events and training at little to no cost.

Carlos Cubia is Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer for WBA. Since joining the company in 2017, Cubia has been instrumental in advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the center of all that we do. Among his achievements are launching the first global WBA Diversity & Inclusion Report; the formation of our Global Inclusion Council; the addition of our new corporate value of inclusion; and the linking of a portion of incentive pay to performance on our DEI goals. He has partnered closely with the divisions and functions of WBA as a champion for the racial equity movement and for affordable, accessible health care for all, regardless of post or zip code. Prior to joining WBA, Cubia served as Vice President, Sales and Account Management at Aetna, Vice President and Global Chief Diversity Officer at Covidien, a medical devices company, and also held VP level positions for Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Safeco Insurance where among other things he was responsible for driving the diversity agenda. Black Enterprise recognized Cubia as a “Top Corporate Diversity Executive” in 2018, and Career Mastered magazine honored him with a “Men as Allies Diversity in Leadership” award.

Jacinda Jacobs is a Media Guru with 20+ years in Radio & Television. Since 2014, she has graced the basketball court as an in-Arena Host for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. She’s also a 2x NBA All Star Host. She’s the Co-Host for, “The Flyty and Jacinda Show” on V1019-FM alongside her husband and forever co-host, Flyty. She’s appeared the Own Network in, “To Have Charlotte”. She is also the spokesperson for multiple regional businesses as well as hosted a slew of national events for large corporations from Truist Financial, Bank of America, ACC, CIAA, etc.

Jacinda is the author of an Amazon #1 Best Seller called, Uniquely Qualified. This book has since launched Jacinda into her divine calling as a motivational speaker, teacher and business coach. As a purpose pusher, Jacinda excels in seeing her clients say Yes to God, themselves and their God-given purpose.

Jacinda and her husband, Flyty also run a media company where they facilitate online Media programs to teach and share in their expertise of public speaking, hosting, radio, TV, and preparing the best speeches.

Jacinda is the Executive Director for a nonprofit ministry called, Stolen Lunches, which means to Steal Away & Be Fed By God. Stolen Lunches runs a monthly outreach called, Give Blessings Bags where they serve the local community. They lead weekly prayer calls and Faith Conversations, host annual spiritual Stolen Weekend Retreats and quarterly Cool Couples outings.

Jacinda is the bonus mom of 2 boys (Cam & Jordan) and they have 3 dogs Twix, Marco & Polo. She enjoys being in nature, loves birds, working out and a great cup of coffee. The one thing she knows for sure; the most beautiful things in life are absolutely free.

Born and raised in Detroit, Cortney knew early on in life that her love of Radio and TV would lead to a career in Media and it was nothing short of focused determination that helped push her dreams into reality.

In 1994 while attending Michigan State University, Cortney took an internship at WQHH that proved to be her introduction to a successful multi-media career. Cortney's natural delivery coupled with an ability to connect with listeners and viewers quickly provided an opportunity for her to join the full-time on-air staff well within the year. She came to be known and loved as "Lansing's Home Girl" and was well sought after and celebrated in the Lansing, MSU community. Cortney's memorable run as Night Host stayed top of mind with listeners as years later her younger brother, Jay Hicks, held the same position while working his way to Program Director under the guidance of his big sister.

In 1995 while completing her Communication studies at MSU, Cortney accepted an opportunity to join the WEJM staff as the new Midday Host in Chicago, the 3rd largest radio market in the country. After a very successful three year run she was invited to return home and serve as Co-Host for the legendary Mason & Company Morning Show on WJLB from 1997-2000. Cortney then returned to Chicago in 2001 to serve as Midday Host and assist in launching WPWX. Through hard work and dedication, she was promoted to the coveted Morning Show Host position in 2005 making her the first female jock in Chicago radio history to headline a morning show.

In 2007, Cortney relocated to Mobile, AL to join WBLX as Assistant Program Director and Midday Host. She was also picked up as the weekly entertainment and community affairs reporter for NBC 15. After a few years in these positions, Cortney made another career building move when she became the syndicated Midday Host at Radio One, Inc. for WMMJ in D.C. and WDMK in Detroit from 2010-2014.

Cortney’s career continues to expand to now include TV appearances, live vocal performances, along with commercial print modeling and acting. She made a guest appearance in the off Broadway production of The Color Purple, the Vagina Monologues, The Dr. Oz Show and a principle role in the Discovery Channel series "Who The Bleep Did I Marry". Cortney was a regular Pop Culture contributor for TV One, FOX 5, DC50, and WUSA9 while in D.C. She was a recipient of the CVS Mirror Mirror Award, a FLOTUS press core member for Michelle Obama's the "Lets Move" campaign and served as the Spokesperson for the YWCA National Capitol Area. From 20015-17, Cortney served as Music Director and Afternoon Host for V101.9FM and Entertainment Contributor for "Good Day Charlotte" on FOX46. Before fully transitioning to TV, she was apart of the line-up on 105.1 The Bounce in Detroit. Currently, Cortney can still be heard on the radio at KISS 103.1 in Central Texas and seen as the new Evening News Anchor on WFXG Fox54 in Augusta, GA

Molly Grantham is a two-time Emmy award winning journalist who anchors the evening news at WBTV News, was named “TV News Reporter of the Year” for both Carolinas, and honored as “Charlottean of the Year” in 2020. She juggles life with humor and poise, which makes her a popular speaker with corporate groups, and female-focused gatherings.

Her Tedx Talk in 2018, “The Real We Are,” questioned the importance of image in our society… not something you’d expect from a person on TV every night whose career is visual and harshly judged.

Molly has written two books, both which sold out on Amazon in their first weeks. They’re a series of funny real-life moments The Huffington Post described as, “A combination of raw truth—think author/comedian Nora Ephron—with the inner-monologue or Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones Diary.” (Signed copies on www.mollygrantham.com.

Molly has been in Charlotte since 2003. She has covered gangs, terrorism, and the fight to legalize cannabis oil in North Carolina, where she helped change state law. She is also actively involved in her cancer community and well-known for writing about children with a variety of uphill medical battles. She and her husband have a 10-year-old daughter, 7-year-old son, and a (surprise!) baby boy born in July 2020, during COVID.

She says in her next life, she wants to be a mermaid.

TBD

Stefanie Steward-Young serves as senior vice president and chief corporate social responsibility officer. She is responsible for leading the bank’s corporate social responsibility strategy, community giving, volunteerism, programs and alignment to the Bank’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership.

Stefanie is a community development professional with more than 20 years of financial industry experience, including leading corporate and regional community reinvestment act (CRA) and charitable giving programs. Before joining Fifth Third, Stefanie worked at PNC and National City Bank, where she led their CRA program for the Central Ohio market, and held roles in branch management, commercial credit and retail training.

Stefanie earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and marketing from the University of Cincinnati.

Stefanie serves on the board of Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI) and the Ohio CDC Association. She previously served on the boards of the Columbus Urban League, Homeport, Community Development Collaborative of Greater Columbus, Easter Seals, Homes on The Hill CDC and Franklinton Development Association. In addition, she volunteers and serves on advisory committees for numerous other community-based organizations.

Stefanie received the Business First Forty Under 40 award in 2004, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio, where she now lives with her husband and three sons.

As the Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Engagement for Mercedes‐Benz USA (MBUSA), Erica J. Bolden oversees internal and external relationships and designs strategies to attract, develop and advance the most talented individuals in support of Mercedes‐Benz Group AG’s commitment to foster a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. This includes ensuring that national employment, dealer development, training, marketing and media, purchasing and philanthropic outreach activities are implemented in ways that direct the strategic global direction of the company’s diversity, community and social engagement initiatives.

Prior to joining MBUSA, Erica was the Director of Diversity for Perkins Coie LLP where she focused on critical intervention strategies affecting more than 1K lawyers in 19 offices across the U.S. and Asia. She is also a 10‐year veteran of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), where she last served as the National Diversity Programs Senior Manager in the National Office of Diversity. In that role, Erica planned and managed signature earlier minority success programs and special projects to strengthen retention and advancement strategies and execute the firm’s national people strategy targeting 55K+ U.S. partners and staff. Erica has also been responsible for driving profitable revenue growth and leading business/relationship development efforts, while sharing winning practices across the firm network.

Erica has over 18 years of HR strategy consulting and change management experience in data analysis; communications; business issue identification; corporate social responsibility and employee engagement; as well as training design related to leadership development, teambuilding and cultural transformation/diversity nuances.

Erica is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where she earned a B.A. in Speech Communications and a B.A. in Spanish. In addition, she is a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) and serves as a member of the American Council on Germany’s German‐American Working Group on DEI, CNBC Workforce Executive Council, the Board of Trustees for Meals on Wheels Atlanta; as well as the Board of Directors for Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, National Diversity Council (GA Chapter) and the National Coalition for Racial Justice and Equity. Most recently, she was recognized in ELLE Magazine as a 2021 Empowered Women honoree; presented the 2020 Diversity Leadership in Action Award by Career Mastered Magazine; and featured in Savoy Magazine’s list of 2019 Most Influential Women in Corporate America.

Jasmine Crowe, an HBCU alumna who is working to make the world a better place. Jasmine launched her first company BCG in 2011. Thru BCG she partnered with celebrities across the nation in a host of cause campaigns to ensure their star-power was being used for good. Lead by Jasmine, BCG hosted activations in more than 20 US cities and the UK, South Africa and Haiti and has collected and donated over three million items to causes worldwide and fed over 80,000 people through the Sunday Soul Homeless feeding initiative. Jasmine also served as the creator and executive producer of Change Makers, a half hour docu-series profiling how celebrities use their star power for social change which premiered on Magic Johnson's network ASPIRE! In January of 2017, she launched Goodr, a sustainable food surplus management company that leverages technology to combat hunger and reduce waste.

“Plan your work and work your plan.”

TV Host & Fitness Expert

FITLIFE

Jody is the Host and Co-Producer of Jody’s Fitlife on Comcast. Fitness Expert for Live in the D-WDIV. She is a fitness lover, and mother of 2 boys. She has a B.S. in Sports Management. She enjoys teaching group exercise classes and believes in eating clean and living am active healthy life.

Joy D. Calloway is a charismatic, transformational leader with nearly 30 years professional health care and non-profit leadership experience. Currently serving as the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, JOY is a three-time graduate of The University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (BA, MBA, MHSA).

KeyAnna Schmiedl is the Global Head of Culture, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Wayfair. In this role, she has created the global strategy for weaving inclusivity into critical functions across the organization, enabling the organization to hire, inspire, assess and develop a diverse and engaged workforce. KeyAnna received the industry’s esteemed Diversity Leader Award granted by the Diversity Journal® due to her stand-out work in creating an open, equitable, and inclusive workplace culture. KeyAnna was also featured on Fortune’s 40 Under 40 a list and was named a DEI Trailblazer by Business Insider in 2021.

Mark S. Lee is President & CEO, The LEE Group (TLG), MI LLC, an independent integrated marketing consulting firm focused on providing marketing, branding and communication solutions to clients. Additionally, TLG provides training & development to organizations in the areas of branding, re-branding and communications and has advised on how to effectively implement in an integrated fashion.

Throughout his distinguished career, Lee has held marketing leadership positions locally, regionally and nationally where he was responsible for leading the strategic, marketing, communication and other-related areas focused on business strategy and growth. He has worked for such blue-chip organizations including AAA, Pepsico, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, et. al. Additionally, Lee was the Detroit Lead Instructor for the Emerging Leaders (formerly, e200), an initiative focused on business growth and developing entrepreneurial CEOs. Under Lee’s three-year tenure, Detroit became the #1 program in the country.

His column turned blog, “Small Talk with Mark S. Lee”, appeared in the Michigan Chronicle for three years and now appears via blog for Crain’s Detroit Business. It provides tips to businesses who are interested in growing their business and to individuals who aspire to become entrepreneurs. Lee also hosted a weekly radio show, “Small Talk with Mark S. Lee”, on Detroit’s WXYT 1270 and streamed via radio.com, and currently hosts “In the Conference Room with Mark S. Lee“, which airs on 910 am Superstation, in Detroit.

In addition to being a noted public speaker, he’s also an adjunct professor, Marketing, at Eastern Michigan University and has been invited to speak as guest lecturer at Boston University and the University of North Florida (UNF). Additionally, Lee was an adjunct professor of Marketing & Management, at Walsh College, in Troy, Michigan. Lee is also the past Detroit instructor for Interise’s Emerging Leader’s Program (formerly, e200)–an initiative focused on assisting entrepreneurs focused on growth.

Throughout his career, Mr. Lee has received numerous awards, been the focus of many articles and has been invited to speak on various Marketing and Branding topics across the country, including recently being named a Comcast Newsmaker. Lee also contributes on WXYZ, Channel 7’s (ABC affiliate in Detroit) “Spotlight on the News” and has been interviewed for Detroit’s Channel 56’s (PBS) “American Black Journal“, “Michigan Matters” (CBS, Detroit) and on Fox 2, in Detroit. Lee is also currently the creator and host of “EMU Today”, a general affairs program focused on Eastern Michigan University. Additionally, he has provided his perspective on local radio in New York City.

He holds a Master’s degree (MBA) in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (KGSM) at Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Eastern Michigan University.

For more information, go to www.leegroupinnovation.com and follow him twitter (@leegroup), Facebook and/or Linked in (www.linkedin.com/in/leegroup).

Sevetri Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Resilia, a SaaS technology platform that helps nonprofit organizations increase capacity, and enables funders to scale impact and provide on-demand technical assistance to their partners. Headquartered in New Orleans with a second office in New York, Resilia was named to Venture Beat’s top startups to watch out for in 2019. In 2020, Sevetri became one of the only 50 Black women in the U.S. to have raised over $15M in venture funding and was named a Rising Star on the Forbes Cloud 100 List. Sevetri’s second book, Resilient: How to Overcome Anything and Build a Million Dollar Business With or Without Capital was released in 2021 and became an instant Wall Street Journal bestseller.

In July of 2020, Sharon L. Gaber, PhD, became the fifth person – and the first woman – to serve as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A native of Southern California with a background in city and regional planning, she earned degrees from Occidental College, the University of Southern California, and Cornell University. Prior to her arrival at UNC Charlotte, she served for five years as the President of the University of Toledo. Earlier experience included leadership positions at the University of Arkansas, Auburn University, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her greatest accomplishments are her three adult children.

Success Quote:
"As the first woman in several roles that I have held, I have been very fortunate and -- through a lot of hard work -- have achieved success. Now, it is my responsibility to assist others, particularly women, as they continue to break through barriers to ensure they have opportunities for success."

Sheena Allen is the founder and CEO of CapWay, Inc., a financial technology company with the core product of digital banking services. The startup offers innovative products designed to create equal financial access and opportunities for all. Founder of CapWay at 27, Sheena is one of the youngest female founders to own and operate a neobank.

Before starting CapWay, Allen successfully created and ran Sheena Allen Apps. The photo focused mobile app startup included Words on Pics that allowed text overlay on photos, cloning app Dubblen, and giant square photo splitter, PicSlit. Sheena started Sheena Allen Apps during her senior year of college and bootstrapped the startup to generate millions of app downloads.

In 2016, Allen made her premiere in She Started It, a documentary film that follows five women around on their startup journey. In 2017, she released her first print book, The Starting Guide, about her early tech journey, being a non-technical founder, and business 101 tips she learned as a young entrepreneur.

Allen has been featured in various publications, including Inc. Magazine and ESSENCE. She is a 2018 Business Insider Under 30 Innovator, member of the 2019 class of Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30, and the 2019 Inc. Female Founders 100 list.

A Terry, Mississippi native, Allen graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology (B.S.) and Film (B.A.). She currently lives in Atlanta.

Simon Boag, CTO of Kensington Capital Acquisition Corporation and Managing Partner of IncWell Venture Funds. He is a board director, board observer, active advisor and investor with numerous enterprises.

Prior to Venture Capital, he served as EVP of Global Manufacturing for Case New Holland and was an Officer at Chrysler Group holding positions including President of Mopar (Global Service & Parts), EVP of Procurement, Logistics and Supplier Quality and VP of Assembly & Stamping Operations.

Boag’s international experience includes his role as Daimler VP of Production Planning with the Mercedes Car Group in Stuttgart, Germany, President and Managing Director for General Motors Argentina, Paraguay & Uruguay and President of the General Motors-Suzuki Canadian joint venture CAMI Automotive.

Born in Georgetown, Canada in 1965, Boag has a University of Toronto BASc, Mechanical Engineering and a Stanford University, Graduate School of Business, Sloan Fellowship, Masters in Management Science. In his spare time, he travels with his wife and five daughters, actively supports several philanthropic organizations and reduces stress through ultra-marathons, Ironman, Double-Ironman triathlons and has qualified for both Boston and Kona.

Tonya Rivens is an award-winning Journalist 30 years in Radio, ten years in television and is a feature writer for a monthly publication. Tonya received the 2021 Chan Zuckerberg Grant from the National Association of Black Journalists and is a 2021-2022 North Carolina Equity Media Fellow. She has a BA in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her family. After a lengthy career in Airline Management Tonya developed a passion for all things radio. As a radio veteran, Rivens has worn the titles of Program Director, Music Director and Community Affairs Director. Her current show, Sounds of Inspiration With Tonya Rivens, is featured on Praise 100.9 FM. Her radio career also includes stints at WPEG (Power 98 FM), WBAV (V101.9) and WPZS (100.9) and Streetz Charlotte. Tonya is a small business owner, TRivens, LLC and the founder of a 501c3, Ausie & Martin Rivens Scholarship Foundation. She has a weekly podcast, Canceling COVID, and is the host of a gospel entertainment segment, TTIME. Tonya is a member of Life Center International.

Supriya Jha is the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at SAP. Supriya has been an architect of impactful and successful Diversity & Inclusion programs for over 14 years at various organizations. In her current role at SAP, Supriya is key in ensuring all stages of the employee journey are inclusive of all employees with focused efforts to attract, retain and motivate a diverse talent pool. She is also responsible for enabling leaders to take accountability for building and maintaining an inclusive organization and culture.

Prior to joining SAP, Supriya served as the Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) for Nasdaq. As the first leader of this practice, she helped shape the strategic direction for DIB globally, with special emphasis on Nasdaq’s diverse and inclusive workplace and the firm’s stand on Diversity and Inclusion in the public arena.

Under Supriya’s leadership Nasdaq has been recognized by various organizations and media around the world and received many notable awards, including the Best Places to Work for Multicultural women and Best Places to Work for Dads by Seramount (Working Mother Media), Best Companies for Women to Advance by Parity.org, being named to Bloomberg’s Gender Equality Index in 2020 and for several years in a row receiving a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index which evaluates companies on LGBTQ inclusion.

Her other work experience includes roles at Mercer, Merrill Lynch, and Credit Suisse.

Supriya has a Masters degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, USA, and a Post Graduate degree in Communications from Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad India. She has been awarded the 2018 Consortium of Urban Professionals Catalyst award, a New Jersey State Proclamation, and other accolades for her contributions to the community. Supriya lives in Connecticut and works out of Hudson Yards, NY once SAP office reopens. She is married and has 2 daughters. Supriya enjoys gardening and cooking in her spare time.

Vanessa Tyler is an Emmy award winner and SIX time Emmy nominated reporter/anchor. After graduating from Syracuse University’s renowned Newhouse School of Communications, she started her career in one of the toughest news markets in the country at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C. Along the way, she reported in Rochester, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina. In Dayton, Ohio, Vanessa was ‘the most watched’ solo weekend anchor for the CBS affiliate. She then came home to New York City where she reported and anchored at New York’s iconic PIX11 News for more than a decade. She also solo anchored for a regional news network covering the New York tri-state area. Currently she is the inaugural anchor on the new 24/7 national radio network: The Black Information Network. BIN brings news of interest to the black community by award winning black journalists. It can be heard on iHeart and BIN affiliated stations nationwide. Vanessa is also President/CEO of VT|TV Productions. Under her company she co- produced and made extremely popular the show What’s Eating Harlem which explores life in her hometown. Her mission is to continue elevating her company in the creation of unique, relevant, and compelling programming content.

Venita Fields is an Independent Corporate Board Director and Financial Services professional with over forty (40) years of experience as a corporate lender and as a private equity investor. Ms. Fields is currently a General Partner with Pelham S2K Managers LLC providing private debt capital to middle market business throughout the United States. During her career she has invested over $2.0 Billion in middle market companies. She was recognized for 5 consecutive years (2017-2021) by Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine as one of “The Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A”.

Ms. Fields serves as an Independent Director on the boards of four (4) privately held companies and one (1) public company.

Ms. Fields believes in giving back to the community. Over the years she as served on the boards of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital Board and the Ravinia Festival Trustee Board. Currently she serves on the board of the Moran Center for Youth Advocacy (Evanston, IL).

Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” John Wesley

Lisa is a seasoned human capital strategist and an employee engagement expert with extensive global automotive manufacturing experience. She has a strategic perspective and knowledge of industrial manufacturing industries, multi-million dollar big-box retail, hospitality organization capital allocations and licensure/gaming management. Lisa is respected as a credible voice in decision making, finding strategic business and investment partners while establishing governance boundaries. She earns a seat at the table wherever she serves.

With over three decades of HR experience, Lisa is currently a member of the Advisory Board for STOPIt, a $20M start-up emerging technology company, specializing in risk mitigation software. Formerly a member of the Lowe’s $21M Charitable & Educational Foundation Board and a member of the Stilman College Board of Trustees and Chair of the Audit Committee. Lisa also served on the White House Steering Committee on Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) during the George W. Bush Administration. Voted “One of the most successful business women in Detroit" by the Detroit News, a recipient of the 2018 Charlotte Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women Award, a 2015 Black Enterprise Magazine Top Executives of Diversity Award, UPTOWN Professional Magazine’s 2012 Top Executives in America, 2011 Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence Award, 2003 Career Communications National Women of Color in Technology Professional Achievement Award. A native of Greenville, Mississippi,

Lisa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Labor Relations from Michigan State University, Master’s Degree in Management from Central Michigan University and Ph.D., Cum Laude, in Management from California Coast University. She attended the University of Michigan’s Executive Business School and the International Institute Advanced Executive Program for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is married and the mother of two sons. She loves to golf, write, and mentor girls.

Jacqie McWilliams is in her 9th season of serving as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Commissioner. First female to serve as Commissioner for the CIAA and first appointed African American female Commissioner representing NCAA Division I, II and III.

Ms. McWilliams spent nine years at the NCAA managing NCAA championships to include both the men’s and women’s Division I Basketball tournaments. She started her career in coaching, compliance and administration at Virginia Union University with career growth opportunities at the CIAA, Norfolk State University and Morgan State University prior to the NCAA.

Ms. McWilliams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hampton University, a Master of Arts in Sports Management and Administration from Temple University. She was two sport athlete at Hampton and was a member of the Hampton University 1988 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship team and Freshmen player of the year in 1988 and Player of the year for CIAA Volleyball in 1990. She was selected as a member of the 2013 class for Women in Sports Business Journal Game Changer. She was inducted into Hampton University Hall of Fame, Temple University’s Gallery of Success, and the Sierra High School Hall of Fame.

She is the past President for Women Leaders in College Sports (2019-2020) and current member of the board. She serves on the board of directors for the John B. McLendon Scholarship Foundation Board, Samaritans feet International and the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force. Additionally, she served as the chair of NCAA DII Management Council, a member of the NCAA Board of Governors and NCAA Cultural Diversity Committee. She has received numerous awards for her leadership and contributions to the community.

Ms. McWilliams is a woman of faith, motivational speaker, an active member of the Charlotte Crown Jewels Links Chapter of Charlotte and Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Temple (VA). Ms. McWilliams is the proud mother of Samone, age 16 and wife to Shaun Parker.

Felicia Hall Allen CEO of Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, brings unique depth to specialties of leadership, team building, organizational development, executive coaching, and sports management. She is also the co-founder along with her husband Johnny Allen of A STEP UP, Inc. Professional Development Symposiums.

A native of Shreveport, Louisiana, this former student athlete was fortunate enough to earn a basketball scholarship to The University of Iowa where she played for Hall of Fame Coach, C. Vivian Stringer winning three Big Ten Championships. Felicia was conferred two degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Juris Doctorate from The University of Iowa, College of Law. She also completed an Executive Education Program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

Felicia is a former Manager for NIKE'S Women's Basketball Sports Marketing department and a Team Executive for the WNBA Charlotte Sting where in her second season, the Sting won the WNBA Eastern Conference Championship and competed for the WNBA Championship. For several years she served as the Executive Director of Leadership America North Carolina - a statewide women's leadership organization.

In addition to serving as an Organizational Development Consultant and Change Agent for several businesses, Felicia facilitates leadership development and team building trainings nationally. She regularly presents at national conferences, association meetings and on college campuses around the country. Highly sought after, Felicia worked on various projects with Federal Court Systems, Fortune 500 companies, the NFL, NCAA, NBA, and the United States Olympic Committee.

Mrs. Allen was recently honored alongside President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump, Stacey Abrams, LeBron James, and Coach Dawn Staley among others as one of C.O.R.E. Magazine’s (2021) 100 Most Influential Black’s Today. Allen is recognized as a national and local community leader, having received several recognitions including The Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Award presented by the UNCF. During the NCAA Final Four hosted in Nashville, Tennessee, the Advocates for Athletic Equity awarded her with its first ‘Woman of Impact Award.’ She has also been honored as one of Charlotte’s ‘Women of Inspiration’ by the Girl Talk Foundation at their annual Pass the Purse Empowerment Tea. A Child’s Place acknowledged Felicia as one of the "First Ladies of Charlotte" and the Charlotte Post recognized Allen as one its People of Prominence. More than a decade ago, the Charlotte Business Journal's included her among its Top 40 under 40 honorees.

Mrs. Allen currently serves as a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Health Authority Board of Commissioners and as a board member for Atrium Health’s Wake Forest Baptist. She also serves as Vice Chair of Programs and Outreach for the Advancement of Blacks In Sports (ABIS) and is a member of the South Carolina Arts Commission. For several years, Felicia served on the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and past President of The Crown Jewels (NC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Felicia resides in Rock Hill, South Carolina with her husband, Johnny Allen, President of The Allen Leadership Group.

Dr. Shante Williams is currently the CEO of Black Pearl Global Investments, a $25M venture capital fund. She is a distinguished Venture Capitalist, business owner, Inventor, Intellectual Property Strategist, and Private Investor. In her career years, she has used her wealth of scientific knowledge as well as her passion for innovation to solve multiple complex problems across the industries of health, finance, and real estate. Best known for her creative problem-solving approach, Dr. William’s impressive professional qualities and ethics make it easy for her to transition into various career paths seamlessly. Her proven track record of excellence and leadership has been an integral part of growth for many individuals and businesses.

Before her current position, she worked fully in the medical field and is widely recognized for her stellar discovery of innovative chemotherapy treatments for high-grade invasive brain tumors. As soon as she discovers how to apply her innovative prowess to other facets of her industry, she earned numerous leadership positions. Shante was formerly the Vice President of Technology Acquisition in the Healthcare sector, the Director of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Consumer Healthcare Industry, even the Director of Intellectual Property in the Electric Drive Vehicle Industry. Having enjoyed remarkable years of accomplishment in Corporate America, she founded her first company, RW Capital Partners, which became an industry-leading firm specializing in Real Estate, Technology Development, Start-up/Stand-up, and Business Disputes Resolution. Her knowledge remains pivotal to helping entrepreneurs evolve and become more informed.

She is a proud graduate of Winston-Salem State University (BS, Chemistry), The Ohio State University (PhD, in Integrated Biomedical Science specializing in Neuro-Oncology and Pharmacology), Queen’s University of Charlotte (MBA). Dr.Williams has received numerous awards for her business and entrepreneurship efforts including 2020 Charlotte Inno Opportunity Champion award, 2019 Charlotte 50 Most Influential Women recognition, 2018 Athena International Young Professional Award, 2017 Alumni Achiever Award- Winston Salem State University, 2017 Charlotte Chamber Young Professional Entrepreneur Award Winner, 2017 Charlotte Business Journal 40 under 40 Award.

In the venture capital sector, Dr. Williams continues to break barriers with Black Pearl’s fund focused on reducing health disparities across the globe. Black Pearl is an advocate for those that continue to experience inferior outcomes and reduced access. Black Pearl’s tag line “Be Well. Do Well.” captures the firm’s mission to invest in transformative companies around the world. Dr. Williams and her partners are seeking to change healthcare worldwide.

Dr. Williams also serves the community as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce and Heal Charlotte, a non-profit dedicated to holistic community change. Also, she is a Community Advisory Board Member for the local NPR affiliate WFAE 90.7, and a Community advisor for Shelter to Shutters a non-profit that deploys marketplace solutions to solve homelessness.

As Parker Poe's Chief Talent, Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Shalanna Pirtle is the firm’s executive charged with overseeing all aspects of talent management, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She sets the strategic vision and oversees implementation of the firm's efforts related to DEI, professional development, and recruiting and retention. She also cultivates strategic partnerships with organizations and individuals outside the firm to help further DEI in the legal profession and the broader community.

In addition, Shalanna is trusted mediator and partner in the firm’s employment practice. Shalanna is also a certified mediator by the North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission and serving on the panel for Alterity ADR, and mediates disputes of varying subject matters at the state and federal levels, both before and during litigation. She has deep experience identifying key areas of dispute, building bridges to better understanding between parties, and helping them find common ground. She is also a practicing partner in the employment practice at Parker Poe where she provides human resources counseling, litigation defense, and employment regulatory advice to firm clients. Shalanna is an active member in many local professional and community-based organizations and enjoys sharing her volunteer time with her teenaged son.

As vice president of the Mahogany brand at Hallmark, Alexis Kerr is growing Mahogany, a beloved brand that has built a relationship of trust with the Black community by honoring, celebrating and supporting emotional connections among Black families, friends and loved ones for more than 30 years. In this role, Alexis is responsible for elevating how consumers see and experience the brand, as well as expanding into new spaces in the marketplace. Within her first year, Alexis has created meaningful connections with Black women across a variety of touchpoints: an all-new www.mahogany.com website that is a place for women to uplift and empower one another through a writing community centering the voices of Black women and a marketplace where shoppers will easily find Mahogany products; community activations that celebrate Black excellence; timely, socially relevant, and authentic social media posts that have dramatically grown Mahogany’s followers; and a partnership with Crown Media Family Networks that will bring Mahogany to life on television in 2022.

Before Hallmark, Alexis was Cadillac’s Head of Multicultural Marketing, leading the organization’s efforts to increase opinion, consideration, and market share amongst diverse consumers. She also managed Corporate Social Responsibility and Music efforts, which are directly aligned to the brand’s global marketing strategy. She was responsible for managing and leading the creative agency execution of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade reveal short film with Academy Award Winning Filmmaker, Spike Lee. This was the largest reveal in Cadillac’s history. She is also strategically leading the internal and external efforts around the Diversity Equity and Inclusion, DEI for the brand.

Prior to that, the New York native served as the luxury brand’s Head of Operations of “BOOK by Cadillac” at the New York City global headquarters. “BOOK by Cadillac” was the first-ever mobility start-up in the industry’s subscription service space. In 2016, she was asked to create and lead the Customer Experience team in General Motors Middle East Operations, managing Dubai’s expansion of culture throughout the entire organization. Moreover, this experience led to her to training the dealer body of eight Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Before joining General Motors, Alexis managed a Business Development portfolio at Delphi exceeding $750m. Kerr holds an undergraduate degree in both Engineering and Computer Science. She also holds an MBA in Marketing.

In her personal time, she enjoys jewelry making, blogging, and she has traveled to over 60 countries. She is a Deacon at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and has led Vacation Bible School as the Director. Mentoring young girls and women has always been a part of her life as she is very active and passionate about wellness, community, and youth.

“We all have something to contribute to this world and our imagination is the only thing that limits what that contribution can be. -Alexis Kerr

Director, Corporate Citizenship Ally Financial
Natalie J. Brown joined Ally in 2018 as the Director of Corporate Citizenship in Charlotte, NC and is responsible for leading a team that manages Ally’s charitable giving and community affairs initiatives, while also positioning Ally as a corporate social responsibility leader in the community. She leads Ally’s community programming and spearheaded the launch of “Moguls in the Making”, an entrepreneurship pitch competition that helps build the next generation of diverse business leaders from HBCUs.

Previously, Natalie worked at Duke Energy as a Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager, where she was responsible for development of the diversity recruiting strategy, D&I learning solutions, diversity related executive development programs, and the consultant to the line of businesses D&I councils and the Foundation.

In 2000, she joined Bank of America and held a range of positions in Global Human Resources, Global Supply Chain Management, Global Risk and Compliance, Consumer Banking, and Global Marketing and Community Affairs. Prior to joining Bank of America, she worked for several fortune 500 companies such as Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., Haworth, Inc., Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. and International Business Machines (IBM).

Natalie actively promotes the company’s commitment to philanthropy and diversity and inclusion, through her work inside and outside of the company. She was recently awarded the “Difference Maker Award” from For The Struggle, Inc., a Charlotte based nonprofit focused on community awareness and advocacy in the West Charlotte corridor. She was also the recipient of the “2021 LEADing the Way Awards”, one of the highest recognitions an employee can receive at Ally. In 2016, she received The Consortium’s Peter C. Thorpe Corporate Leadership Award for her dedication and advocacy to diversity and inclusion. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations such as Central Piedmont Community College Foundation, Beds for Kids, Supportive Housing Communities (Chair), T.A.S.T.E. Foundation Advisory Board, UNC Charlotte Women + Girls Research Alliance Advisory Board, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Charlotte Executive Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Charlotte Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, she received her bachelor’s degree in Transportation Management from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and currently pursuing her Corporate Social Responsibility Leadership Certification with Boston College. She is married and has two daughters.

Jada Grandy-Mock M.B.A. serves as the chief corporate community and economic development officer. She is responsible for leading the Bank's Community Economic Development Program, Community Engagement, C.R.A. Program Compliance, and C.R.A. Lending and Investment Strategies.
Jada previously served as a region group director in the community and economic development group. She led the Bank's community development and Community Reinvestment Act (C.R.A.) strategice program initiatives throughout 13 regions. Jada's leadership was instrumental in the Bank's efforts to improve its C.R.A. performance levels to an "Outstanding" and strengthen communities by implementing innovative, comprehensive community development strategies and partnerships. She was also instrumental in establishing and executing the Bank's $32 Billion 5- year Community Commitment.
Before joining Fifth Third, she held various banking roles, including commercial lending, credit risk management, client relationship management, and community development banking. Her professional experience also includes working as a bank examiner and providing regulatory oversight to ensure banks' safe and sound operations throughout the national banking system.

Education Jada holds a B.S.B.A in Finance and an M.B.A. in Management, both from Robert Morris University, and is a 2018 graduate of the A.B.A. Stonier Graduate School Of Banking. She also earned a Wharton Leadership Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania, Aresty Institute of Executive Education.

Professional and Civic Jada serves on the boards of Carolinas Small Business Development Fund, the Foundation of the Carolinas, and L.I.S.C. Charlotte.

Jada has been recognized numerous times for her professional and civic contributions and thought leadership throughout her career. She was named a 2019 Charlotte Business Journal 25 Women in Business Awardees. One of the Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women in 2015 received the 2017 Career Mastered Women's Leadership in Action Award, 2017 Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Young Leader Award, amongst others.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jada currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband, Lionel.

Bob Dickerson has spent his career finding ways to get money into the hands of people. For years, he did it as both a commercial and consumer lending officer, working at several large financial institutions. Today, he does it as the Executive Director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center and Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Capital, a Small Business Administration Certified Development Company.

After discovering that no small business development program in Birmingham integrated lending, capacity building, and advocacy – three things any business needs to flourish – Bob launched the Birmingham Business Resource Center in 1996. The BBRC and its initiatives have produced over $1.5 billion dollars in loans to small firms. Bob is a business mogul, influencer and an industry expert in small business and entrepreneurship.

Vice President Director, Supplier Diversity Fifth Third Bank, N.A.

Marsha Thornton serves as vice president and director, supplier diversity. She is responsible for leading an integrated and intentional strategy of infusing the Bank’s supply chain with Minority, Women, Veteran, LGBT+ and Disability-owned businesses. Her efforts influence economic equality, equity, and inclusion by increasing the Bank’s diversity spend, expanding the number of diverse suppliers, and continuing our commitment to invest in small businesses.

Marsha’s 21-year professional experience is in the areas of inclusion and diversity, employee engagement, talent acquisition and leadership development with organizations including Cintas Corp., INROADS and the Kroger Company.

Education
Indiana State University B.S. in Business Administration and Africana Studies.
Graduate of Leadership Cincinnati and the Urban League’s Urban Leader Institute.
Certified PROSCI Change Management, LUMA Human Centered Design and Intercultural Development Inventory practitioner.

Professional and Civic
As a Financial Services Roundtable for Supplier Diversity (FSRSD) Board member, Marsha serves as the Supplier Development Committee co-chair (2020 FSRSD Impact Committee of the Year). She is also a steering committee member of the Women’s Business Enterprise Council Ohio River Valley (WBEC ORV) and serves as Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (OMSDC) Local Advisory Committee co-chair. She was recognized as 2021 WBEC ORV and 2020 OMSDC Advocate of the Year. In addition, Marsha serves as the Fifth Third Cincinnati African American Business Resource Group co-chair.
Her Community Service includes serving as Co-Founder of Gems for Life afterschool program at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy; former Board President UC Lindner School of Business Fellows; and Founder of Girls Who Rock Workshop for the YWCA Mamie E. Sells Scholarship participants. She also serves on the First Impression Team Captain at Every Nation Cincinnati Church.

“Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” ― Madam C. J. Walker

“When we are committed to serving a bigger purpose, all things are possible.” – Marsha Thornton

Nikki Pounds is an accomplished Human Resources expert with more than 20 years of comprehensive HR experience and more than 10 years of Executive Leadership and coaching experience.
Nikki has led a team of Human Resources, Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Purchasing and Logistics professionals to strategically provide day-to-day support to the business.
Nikki prides herself on empowering others to succeed by providing the necessary training, support and expertise needed to meet and often exceed their goals.
She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of South Carolina Upstate and a Master of Human Resource Development from Clemson University.
Nikki is a member of the John Maxwell team for coaching, training and speaking and holds the following certifications:

• Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
• Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP)
• DiSC® Facilitator
• Emotional Intelligence certified administrator; EQ-i 2.0® and EQ 360®
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) Certified Practitioner
• Civil Treatment training with a focus on diversity and inclusion
• Development Dimensions International
• ProfileXT pre-employment assessments

Lisa is a Career + Leadership Consultant who partners with executives to create career advancement opportunities and cultivate high-performing, supportive, human-centered teams. She is the CEO and Lead Consultant of Love Your Niche, an agency she founded to equip leaders to own their career journeys and expand equity in the workplace. With over 14 years of career and executive coaching experience and fluency in 3 languages, Lisa brings a global perspective to her work, and she loves helping people define their unique worth and communicate it with confidence.

Sherrell Dorsey is the founder and CEO of The Plug—a digital news and insights platform covering the Black innovation economy. Her work has been featured in VICE, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, The Information, and more. Sherrell has been a contributing writer for notable publications like Columbia Journalism Review, Fast COmpany, Black Enterprise,, and others. In 2018, she was named an inspiring woman in tech by CNET, and most creative people in business by AdWeek in 2021.

Prior to launching The Plug, Dorsey served as a marketing manager for companies like Uber and Google Fiber. She holds a Master's degree in data journalism from Columbia University.
She is the author of Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us published by Wiley.

Meet Tisha Hammond, affectionately called “The Small Business Cheerleader” for the energy and attitude shown to the inquisitive and prospective entrepreneur, the enthusiastic hobbyist, and the existing business owner or social enterprisers who are experiencing growing joys and pains. Her experience as a Business Consultant, Motivational Speaker, Disability Employment Expert and Law Enforcement Officer can certainly benefit those who desire to hear an encouraging word and can discipline themselves mentally and financially to succeed in business. Tisha is the founder and CEO of Accent Pass Media and Chief Community Activator at Career Mastered Magazine and the Best-Selling Author of Daily Devotional for Entrepreneurs: Your Season to Grow.

Byna Elliott is the Managing Director, Head of Advancing Black Pathways, a nearly two-year-old strategy aimed at strengthening the economic foundation of the Black community. Byna oversees JPMorgan’s $30 billion commitment to intentionally close the racial wealth gap. She also works to support Black talent in the company. She is responsible for executing a strategy that aims to help Black people achieve sustained success through targeted investments and programs in four key areas under the firm’s DEI framework: Careers & Skills, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Business Growth & Entrepreneurship, and Community Development. Byna joined JPMorgan Chase from Fifth Third Bank, where she served as the Chief Enterprise Responsibility Officer, overseeing the firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) efforts. Byna is trustee emeritus for St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and Eastern Michigan University Foundation.

Founder | Managing Director | Global Diversity Collaborative
Founder | Executive Producer | Diversity Academy Awards
Sherry Snipes is a dynamic leader and entrepreneur who is passionate about the changing face of the world and changes facing the world. She has lead diversity and HR initiatives at public and non-profit organizations with responsibility for all aspects of programming including design, implementation and re-engineering.
She founded Global Diversity Collaborative and the Diversity Academy Awards in 2014, which are committed creating a global network diversity change agents and celebrating organizations and individuals making a difference by creating a more diverse and inclusive world.
Sherry has worked closely with organizations such as the National Organization of Minority Architects, Women in Conservation Leadership, Federal Executive Institute, FX Collaborative, Perkins + Will, MG2, Robert A. Stern Architects, Dattner Architects and Diller, Scofidio & Renfro to help them build a better tomorrow for their employees and constituents. She collaborates to drive diversity, equity and inclusion strategic business planning with leaders and develops and facilitates DEI workshops focused on creating equitable and unbiased work spaces and places.
Previously she led diversity and inclusion at the American Institute of Architects, a role where she worked very closely with volunteer leaders and chapter executives to drive progress towards more diversity in the architecture profession. Prior to that she was the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) where she was responsible for expanding diversity recruitment, fostering inclusion, employee engagement and leadership development for over 12,000 employees. She has held Human Resource leadership roles with MSC Direct, Inc. (NYSE: MSM), John Kaldor Fabricmaker and the Society for Human Resource Management
Sherry has been honored by The Network Journal as one of the “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business” and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources Greater New York with a Leadership Award. She has been featured in publications such as The Network Journal, Newsday, Diversity Careers, Diversity Executive, Uptown Professional and Savoy Professional. She conducts leadership workshops and has been a featured speaker at programs in the US, Austria, Great Britain, Hungary & Belgium.
She has served on the Advisory Boards of Uptown Professional, PGA Glow Golf, American Lyric Theatre and Partnership with Children. She is a graduate of Hampton University.

Sallie Jarosz FNB Corporation Vice President Investment Real Estate

Sallie Jarosz is a Vice President and Commercial Banking Relationship Manager with First National Bank. In this role, Sallie manages a portfolio of existing client relationships and works to develop new business opportunities throughout the Charlotte Metro Region.

Prior to joining First National Bank, Sallie spent four plus years at Park National Bank working in Commercial Lending, specifically in the Commercial Real Estate finance space. Her past experience also includes single tenant credit financing and commercial mortgage banking.

Sallie is a graduate of The University of North Carolina in Charlotte where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications. Sallie was a co-founder of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, one of the largest commercial mortgage banking firms in the United States. Sallie is the former President and Board Member of CREW Charlotte. Sallie is an active mentor to young professionals and routinely volunteers at several charities within the region.

Candice McPhatter is the Head of University Relations at Fifth Third Bank. Candice is based in Charlotte, NC and is responsible managing the strategic implementation of early career programming and relationship building at the bank’s core universities. Candice also focuses on strategic diversity initiatives such as the bank’s 1st HBCU Leadership Conference and the partnership with Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC) in the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. Candice attended FAMU and UNC-Charlotte and holds an undergraduate degree in International Studies/Spanish and an MBA with an HR Management focus. Candice studied abroad in Costa Rica and Spain and is fluent in Spanish. She spent time honing her craft in the Talent Acquisition and Early Career space at organizations such as: TIAA, Duke Energy and Lowe’s Home Improvement before joining Fifth Third Bank. Candice has a passion for early talent identification and professional development, mentorship and helping students understand how to navigate the transition from college to career.

Kiko Davis Snoddy is a global entrepreneur, orator, advocate, and author. Kiko is the trustee of the Donald Davis Living Trust. The Davis Trust is the majority shareholder of First Independence Bank, the 7th largest African-American owned bank in the United States, controlled by the Davis Family. She is also the founder and president of the Don Davis Legacy Foundation, established in 2016 to perpetuate legacy building efforts and initiatives that support the community at large. In addition, Kiko is the managing director of Groovesville Productions & Publishing LLC which controls the Grammy Award- winning music catalog of multiple gold and platinum selling hit records.
Prior to her role as foundation founder and president, Davis Snoddy worked as a real estate professional facilitating multiple development projects which includes building and rehabbing multiple affordable single-family residential properties and several commercial real estate projects throughout the country.
Kiko Davis Snoddy is diligent at maintaining a historically significant empire while forging yet another path all her own. Always creating opportunities, she is currently developing products for the beauty industry, along with collaborating with a production company to produce a documentary to be released early next year. Kiko recently co- authored her first book A Widow’s Resilience – Wisdom Keys for Moving Forward in Life and Love After Death Do Us Part.
Her philanthropy extends to the support of other great causes and organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Covenant House, United Negro College Fund, NAACP, and many other organizations that serve the community.
A respected investor, highly sought national speaker and passionate mentor, Davis Snoddy has received numerous accolades for her work including the Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence Award, the prestigious Ebony Magazine Power 100 honor and Café Mocha’s Salute THEM: Business Legacy Award. Late 2020 she completed the Women’s Executive Leadership program at Yale School of Management. Recently, Kiko became a multi-year fellow selected by the Salzburg Global Seminar, a non-profit organization that challenges global leaders to shape a better world by fostering partnerships for creative, just, and sustainable change. She continues to speak across the nation with a special focus on empowering women in business.
Guided by faith and divine order, Kiko wed international manufacturer Anthony L. Snoddy in late 2019. The couple lends their combined philanthropic efforts by serving as Music Hall Board of Trustees and the Chairman’s Circle. The Snoddy’s are devoted parents to five children around whom their world revolves.

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland is a senior corporate affairs and business executive who currently serves as an Executive Consultant with TVA. She serves on the board of directors of RTI International, a scientific research firm as Chair of Governance and Nominating and Chair of the Audit/Risk committees, Southwest Water Company-Chair Audit and Risk Committee and the Advisory Board of 8 Rivers Capital, an energy technology company focused on global sustainable infrastructure. Hilda served in auditing, financial, operating and regulatory/compliance roles with Duke Energy and Progress Energy, including Vice President, Northern Region, with management of the construction and distribution of electric service with P&L responsibilities and as Vice President, Energy Delivery Services with oversight/management of financials-controller, industrial, commercial, governmental, regulatory and environmental compliance responsibilities. She also served as an External Auditor and Accountant at Arthur Andersen and Colgate Palmolive. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for NC A&T State University, and is a NACD fellow, member of Women Corporate Directors and the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). In 2018 she was recognized as one of the Directors to Watch and was inducted into the 2020 NCA&T Business School Hall of Fame. This month she was honored with the Greater Triangle Women’s Lifetime Achievement Award by Cary Magazine. Hilda is a NACD Certified Board Director.

Hilda is married to Al Ragland and has a daughter and granddaughter

Native Charlottean, West Charlotte High School graduate, Holly Alexander is a commercial real estate broker with New South Properties of the Carolinas who dedicates herself to promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion. As a broker, she specializes in assisting clients with leasing, relocations, acquisitions, dispositions, and land development. Holly’s areas of expertise are office, light industrial and investment transactions. Holly serves on the DEI task force for CREW Charlotte and has been instrumental in designing programs for the organization that reflect the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace and community partnerships. A signature achievement is a program she spearheaded with Dr. Tom Hanchett (Community Historian, Levine Museum of the New South, retired), a fun and interactive presentation capturing the impact of women and CREW members over the last 30 years on Charlotte’s built environment to celebrate the non-profit’s 30th anniversary. In 2014, Holly established the CREW Charlotte mentoring program which has paired hundreds of women over the past 7 years. Her 2022 project is putting together a Diversity Panel from various organizations in the community to encourage partnerships, alignment, and networking for professionals in the real estate community. Holly was appointed to serve on Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont Board of Directors this past January. This opportunity allows her to further expand her passion to assist the purpose of Goodwill which is “to help people see possibilities, seize opportunities, and prosper.”

Jack Howard manages the operational processes of the Wealth Advisor business for Ally Invest. She is also responsible for the Inclusive Wealth strategy that is part of the Ally enterprise Financial Social Inclusion efforts and serves as secretary for the Ally Charitable Foundation.
Before joining Ally Invest, Jack served as senior director of Ally Corporate Citizenship. She was responsible for the creation and execution of strategic programs for the organization’s financial literacy program, corporate giving initiatives and employee giving/volunteerism programs.
As a passionate advocate for financial social inclusion, Jack recognizes the significant wealth disparities and is committed to be a change-maker by creating programs that help prepare Brown and Black communities with tools for wealth creation. Jack has had numerous opportunities to serve as a corporate spokesperson and expert on financial education and economic mobility, including features on CNBC, Essence Magazine, and TV One Women of Power, to name a few.
An active professional, Jack is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She serves on the national board of directors for the American Bankers Association Foundation and Society for Financial Education and Professional Development, and the Boys and Girls Club of SE Michigan.
Jack’s personal life is also grounded in giving back. She is a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed at the age of 30. She completed chemotherapy, double mastectomy surgery, radiation, and breast reconstruction. This experience led her to mentor recently diagnosed young women and be an advocate for the Young Survivors Coalition. Howard’s Relay for Life Team, Jack’s Joy Warriors, raised more than $30,000.
In 2018, Jack was recognized as a Leading the Way recipient at Ally. She also received the Woman of Excellence Award from the Michigan Chronicle in 2019 and earned a spot as one of 15 women on Next list - an extension of the American Banker Most Powerful Women in Banking program.  Most recently, Jack was recognized as a 2022 Outstanding Alumni by the Communications Arts and Sciences College of her undergraduate alma mater, Michigan State University. She is currently completing a master’s in communications management degree from Syracuse University.

Darlene Brown has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. Her experience includes operations, recruitment, sales leadership and human resources management. Currently as Senior Vice President, Darlene is Head of Truist Diversity Recruiting . She has served as Corporate Enterprise Leader of Black Organizers Leaders and Doers (BOLD) Business Resource Group.
In 2010, Darlene graduated from the premier Truist Banking School at Wake Forest University. She is most proud of her alma mater Bowie State University where she received a Masters of Arts in Administrative Management concentration Human Resources Management and a Business Administration degree with a concentration in Accounting. She serves as the chair of the Bowie State University College of Business Alumni Advisory Council and The Center for Financial Advancement Advsiory Council. Darlene is a mentor to many and enjoy seeing their careers grow. Her passion lies in assisting others to meet their personal and professional goals.

GLEN E. WRIGHT, II, CFP ®, AIF ® Chief Executive Officer Glen Wright, Il founded Worth Advisors to serve the complex financial needs of his clients by providing a single, comprehensive source for financial planning and investment management. As a fiduciary, Glen is a highly trained professional who is committed to working in the best interest of his clients. For over 15 years, Glen has been assisting high net worth individuals, retirees from Fortune 500 companies, business owners, coaches and professional athletes with protecting their assets and estates, increasing their income, and investing wisely, while helping them cut their taxes by as much as 50%. With a proven system of developing strategic solutions to protect his clients' assets and ensure they are investing wisely; Glen has a keen understanding of how to preserve assets and increase incomes. Glen created CoachNetWorth, a financial planning platform specifically for college basketball coaches. CoachNetWorth focuses exclusively on the needs of the college coach and is designed to help coaches save on taxes, develop a desirable investment portfolio, and prepare for a prosperous retirement. Glen and the Worth Advisors team meet the highest standards for professional competency. He earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree in Finance from the University of Memphis. In addition, he has earned an Executive Management Certificate from Christian Brothers University and a Certificate in Financial Planning from Belmont University in Nashville

Manuel is the Founder and CEO of ASPIRE Community Capital, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering entrepreneurs from underserved communities through business training, coaching, development and access to capital. He is responsible for organizational growth through securing and activating community partnerships, fundraising strategies, board development and program development. Manuel is also a leading local voice on diversity, race and inclusion in entrepreneurship and a community advocate for low-to-moderate income business owners through participation on panels and partnerships with a diverse range of for-profit and nonprofit organizations. He is often asked to share his perspective regarding the issues that challenge small businesses and the affects of these challenges on economic and social development.
Manuel held the positions of senior risk manager, financial analyst and investment banking analyst for Bank of America Securities and Wachovia Corporation and is the founder of Anderson, Campbell and Associates, a consulting firm focused on assisting small business owner’s in accessing capital through private placement, SBA financing and private equity transactions.
His leadership roles include Past Chair of Jazz Arts Initiative; serving on the Executive Committee of the 100 Black of Black Men of Charlotte; a member of the Morehouse Alumni Chapter of Charlotte and is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte. He is currently a participate in Class 20 of American Leadership Forum (ALF)
Manuel earned a B.A. degree in Philosophy and Economics from Morehouse College. He also engaged in post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics and obtained a Certification in Finance from the Harvard University Extension School where he was a Research Analyst. Manuel also has Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.

Ann Marie Williams is an Executive Director and Client Advisor at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Charlotte, North Carolina. She provides banking, investing, estate planning and philanthropic advice to the region’s wealthy families, corporate executives and accomplished entrepreneurs.
Ann Marie helps her clients identify and achieve the long-term goals they have for their wealth, finding creative solutions for the challenges they face. She draws upon her own knowledge as well as J.P. Morgan’s global resources in helping them realize their vision. A self-described “Type A” personality, which she credits to her own family of entrepreneurs, Ann Marie is an organized, meticulous, and tenacious problem- solver. Clients trust her advice as both strategically sound and designed around their specific interests.
Ann Marie has spent the majority of her career in a series of increasingly senior positions in public accounting. Prior to joining the Private Bank, she was most recently a tax partner at Grant Thornton LLP, leading both the Southeast region and the international team for Private Wealth Services. Though she began her career as a trust and estates attorney, she spent the last several years advising domestic and international families on business succession planning and wealth transfer strategies, a key part of her responsibilities today.
Ann Marie earned a J.D. from Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She also received an M.S. in Professional Accountancy from Walsh College and a B.S. in Accounting from Michigan State University. She holds Series 7 and 63 licenses. An active and well-connected member of the Charlotte community, Ann Marie has served on the board of Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas for the past 15 years. She is also a member of the Michigan and North Carolina Bar Associations, the Society of Trust and Estates Planners, NC Association of CPAs, the AICPA and the Women’s Impact Fund. With five grown children, Ann Marie and her husband are recent “empty nesters,” and now spend their free time traveling, golfing and entertaining family and friends at home.

TBD

Being Great means being an “outsideboxer”. That’s who Monique Stubbs-Hall is! She is a native of Nassau, Bahamas and resident of Charlotte, NC. Her fresh approach to life is a result of her belief that “despite life’s ups and downs we must take time to enjoy life’s journey, because happiness truly is a choice”! Her life’s motto is to “Stop...Smell The Roses…Pick One…And Pass it On”. She is dedicated to a life of serving others professionally, spiritually and through community service.

Monique is a business consultant, keynote, author and poet. Her goal is to uncover potential from within and then groom those whom she has the privilege of working with to greatness.

As former CEO of Clear Communication Consulting she is now a Partner with her husband in CBK Branding & Consulting Firm LLP and enjoys identifying ways to help professionals understand the connection between their personal and business brands. She enjoys curating clear, dynamic and consistent messaging surrounding her client’s personal brands to help them make a “splash” in the marketplace.

Monique has over 30 years in cosmetic and hospitality sales and management. She has led teams to over ½ million dollars in annual sales continually. Maintaining a standard of excellence in hospitality, leadership and community service has resulted in numerous awards including her induction in 2018 into the Women’s History Hall of Fame at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, NC.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors and is the Director of Community Engagement for The Brooklyn Collective.

As a result of her commitment to youth and their families, Monique founded the Grooming Greatness Foundation in 2014 a non-profit organization non-profit focused on bonding parents, guardians, mentors and their youth through the grooming process. The goal of the foundation is to groom them into well-rounded productive members of society as they educate, enrich and expose then to the endless possibilities for their future success.

Engaging with Monique results in you walking away refreshed and invigorated as a result of her positive mindset and genuine love for people.

Throughout Neeti’s career, she has leveraged her deep understanding of accounting, finance, strategic planning and tax to positively impact the success and growth of companies. Currently with Club Car, which is owned by Platinum Equity, she has responsibilities as Global Head of Tax across US, EMEA and ASIAPAC. In her prior experience as Global Practice Leader for Ryan LLC, the largest firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes, she had P&L responsibility for the global indirect tax compliance practice.

Previously with KPMG (2013-2017), Neeti was the Practice Leader and Chief Operations Officer for two compliance outsourcing centers, Chicago and Atlanta. Her goal with this new acquisition was to improve margins by double digits and stabilize the business with strong profitability through strategic cost reduction measures and top line growth. She exceeded the revenue goal by 100%, closing $14M+ in business. As a global finance and tax executive, Neeti utilizes her in-depth understanding of how to run and grow a business. Her tax expertise was built upon her nine years with ARAMARK as an Officer and AVP of Taxation. She worked closely with the C-suite and Executive Committee in budgeting, reserve analysis, tax reporting, and M&A analysis. She had responsibility for strategic business and tax planning in state, local and international tax operations in over 22 countries. All along the way she oversaw SOX compliance. One of her key accomplishments was bringing tax to the forefront of business decision making, which produced savings of over $125 Million.

Her deep level of accounting, tax, and M&A knowledge was built through her years with PWC and Arthur Andersen. In addition, one of her success attributes is her engaging personality. At PWC she was known as “Chief Motivational Officer” through her positive energy and affirmative leadership. Her management style was mentoring others and that produced excellent results. In fact, upon leaving PWC, Neeti was selected to serve on the PWC Alumni Advisory Board

Additional corporate board service includes four companies in differing software and technology areas: SunRay Enterprise Inc; SYMMR; Banyan Way; and Sycamore Solutions. Neeti often serves on the Audit or Finance Committee.

For many years throughout her career, Neeti served on non-profit boards: NAWBO LA; and Tax Executives Institute, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Currently also served on the Harvard University, Women’s Leadership Board, Kennedy School thru 2021 and she is a Founding Atlanta Chapter Member of the Private Directors Association, a national governance organization.

Neeti achieved a Master’s in Taxation from Villanova University and a BA in Economics from California State UniversityNorthridge. Over the years Neeti has received numerous awards and recognition for her leadership, including Industry Era Magazine, “10 BEST WOMEN LEADERS OF 2020”; National Diversity Council, “Most Influential Women in Business”; Directors & Boards Magazine, “Directors to Watch”. Neeti is the Author of two innovative business books: “From Executive to Yogi in Sixty Seconds” and “High Level Leadership, Low Level Stress – How to Win in Business Without Losing Your Mind”