Ambassadors

BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVE

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Our Ambassadors are an accomplished group of diverse professionals that bring unique and seasoned insights to guide our mission of serving Black entrepreneurs.ย 

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AMBASSADORS

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Edward Lewis

CO-FOUNDER OF ESSENCE MAGAZINE AND ONE OF OUR NATION’S ESTEEMED BLACK ENTREPRENEURS

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Dr. Tonya Matthews

CEO OF INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM. PROVEN LEADER IN AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND STEM EDUCATION

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Lyneir Richardson

FORMER HEAD OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR CORY BOOKER. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF RUTGERS CENTER FOR URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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Cathleen Trigg Jones

ย EMMY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND ACTRESS (POWER, MADAM SECRETARY, HOUSE OF CARDS, HOMELAND). BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARD WINNER

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Gabriel Brodbarโ€‹

SOCIAL IMPACT LEADER. FORMER FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – NYU SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM

Earl Buford

PRESIDENT BIDENโ€™S TASKFORCE – WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. ADVISORY BOARD OF COUNCIL OF STATE GOVT

Eric B

HIP HOP LEGEND, WORLD RENOWNED DJ AND โ€œBLUE BLOODSโ€ ACTOR. ALBUM PAID IN FULL NAMED BEST HIP HOP ALBUM OF ALL TIME BY MTV IN 2006

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Kenneth Kelly

CEO – 1ST INDEPENDENCE BANK (7TH LARGEST BLACK OWNED BANK). CHAIRMAN โ€“ NAT. BANKERS ASSN

Sean Grant

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER & CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, THE COLUMBUS PARTNERSHIP, ONE COLUMBUS, & SMART COLUMBUS

Len Elmore

10-YEAR NBA VETERAN. BASKETBALL ANALYST (ESPN, FOX, CBS). PRESIDENT – NBA RETIRED PLAYERS ASSN. MEMBER – KNIGHT COMMISSION. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR

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Dr. Shango Blakeโ€‹

KNOWN AS THE HIP HOP PRINCIPAL. ONE OF NATION’S LEADING EXPERTS ON URBAN EDUCATION

Manny Lamarre

SENIOR ADVISOR. US DEPT OF LABOR. FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR NEVADA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF WORKFORCE INNOVATION
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Bishop Mitchell Taylor

SENIOR PASTOR โ€“ CENTER OF HOPE. FOUNDER OF URBAN UPBOUND. BROOKE ASTOR AWARD. NY MARTIN LUTHER KING AWARD

Ambassadors The Lonely Entrepreneur

Willy T. Ribbs

FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO COMPETE IN THE INDY 500 AND TEST A FORMULA ONE CAR. FEATURED IN NETFLIX GROUNDBREAKING FILM โ€œUPPITYโ€ ABOUT RACISM IN MOTOR SPORTS

Dale Moss

ย FORMER NFL FOOTBALL PLAYER. GLOBAL AMBASSADOR FOR THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS. FORMER “BACHELORETTE” STAR

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Oscar Frazier

GOAL TO POSITIVELY IMPACT 100,000 PEOPLE BY 2025. JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY 40 UNDER 40 CLUB. AUTHOR. 15+ CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROJECTS ACROSS AFRICA AND EUROPE. OFFICIAL FORBES CONTRIBUTOR.

Nolan M. McCants

CHICAGO BUSINESS AND RELIGIOUS LEADER WITH FIRST ENTREPRENEURSHIP MINISTRY. MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (MBDA) LEADER

Jason Fields

PRESIDENT – MADISON REGION ECONOMIC PARTNEERSHIP AND FORMER WISCONSIN STATE REPRESENTATTIVE
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Stephen Levi Carter

AMAZON BEST-SELLER DOUBLE YOUR SUCCESS. ACCOMPLISHED ENTREPRENEUR AND FORMER US COMBAT MEDIC

Barbara George Johnson

25 YEAR PROFESSIONAL SHAPING NJ POLICY. MANAGES NJ URBAN MAYORS ASSOCIATION. 1ST LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR OF NJ ACLU

Dr. Sterling Carter

FORMER CHAIRMAN – FORT BEND TEXAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. AMAZON BEST-SELLER – DOUBLE YOUR SUCCESS.

Nepherter Estrada

CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL 40 UNDER 40 HONOREE. CHARLOTTE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARDEE

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Ebony Young

OFFICE OF THE QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT ยท DEPUTY BOROUGH PRESIDENT. FORMER VP CSR – TF CORNERSTONE. EXEC. DIR YMCA NEW YORK.

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Michael Murdoch

MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TWO OF THE WORLDโ€™S LEADING INSURANCE CORPORATIONS. HIGHLY RECOGNIZED CONSULTANT TO GLOBAL FAMILIES AND FAMILY OFFICES

Collin Price

ONE OF THE NATION’S LEADING CONSULTANTS TO THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION

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Glenn Best

NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE CONSORTIUM FOR WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Sean McIntosh

GAINESVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. GAINESVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADER

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Jonah Cooper

NATIONAL WORKFORCE EXPERT. STRATEGIC CONSULTANT NATIONAL MINORITY SUPPLIER DIVERSITY COUNCIL, AND NJ REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Barbara Whittaker

AWARD-WINNING DIVERSITY EXECUTIVE. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS FROM GM, AFRICAN ANCESTRY NETWORK AND ARIBA

Gregory D. Tolver Jr

FORMER NFL RECEIVER. FOUNDING MEMBER – BLACK SAN DIEGO AND STARTUP SAN DIEGOย 

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Elder Jerome B. Lane Jr.

CMO AT THE PRESBYTERY OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY

Travis Reid

ACCOMPLISHED COMMUNITY LEADER โ€“ OVERSAW CITY-WIDE NEWARK 2020 PROJECT

Mark Lawrence

20 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP IN PROVIDING UNDESERVED COMMUNITIES ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE LIFE CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES

Diana Canada

STATE SENATE CANDIDATE, TENNESSEE. HOST OF DIANA CANADA LIVE TALK SHOW

Linda Wellbrook

FOUNDER OF LEADING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS. ESTEEMED NJ WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR ADVOCATE

Pilar Nava-Parada

PHILANTHROPIST AND LEADER FOR WOMEN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS WITH MEXICAN ORIGIN

Dr. Tina Alton

FORMER HIGH COMMISSIONER TO GHANA FOR THE WORLD BUSINESS ANGELS INVESTMENT FORUM. MENTOR OF 500 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Yvette Donado

FORMER CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER OF ETS. HISPANIC MAGAZINE, 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL HISPANIC

Sadiq Shariff

COFOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN MUSLIM CONSUMER CONSORTIUM

Rupa Dash

CEO OF WORLD WOMAN FOUNDATION. FIRST INDIAN AMERICAN DIRECTOR OF NETWORK RECOGNIZED BY WHITE HOUSE

Catherine Milone

PRESIDENT OF JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NEW JERSEY

Josh Morby

FORMER SPOKESPERSON TO WISCONSIN GOVERNOR JIM DOYLEย 

Sheila Borges

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, STEM EDUCATORย 

Vladimir Paul-Blanc

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER FOR ACURE ACNE, WITH SEVENTEEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN MEDICAL DEVICES

Chad Williamson

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FLUID EDUCATION. PURPOSE DRIVEN EDUCATION LEADER.

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Ariel Deney

AWARD WINNING URBAN FAMILY ACTIVIST SERVING URBAN MOMS. AWARDS FROM MAYOR AJA BROWN, CITY OF COMPTON, BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT ERIC ADAMS, OBAMA FOUNDATION AND WNBA CHICAGO SKY

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Tifair Hamed

HEAD OF SOCIAL MEDIA – BURRELL COMMUNICATIONS. TOP 40 UNDER 40 MARKETER

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Geno Brooks

FOUNDER & CEO – THE ARTISTIC STANDARD

Keena Smith, MPA

FORMER FRANKLIN COUNTY OHIO CHIEF ECONOMIC EQUITY AND INCLUSION OFFICER. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, WORKFORCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND DIVERSITY OFFICER

Our Ambassadors are an accomplished group of diverse professionals that bring unique and seasoned insights to guide our mission of serving Black entrepreneurs