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

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

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

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

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

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

Earl Buford
PRESIDENT BIDENโS TASKFORCE – WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. ADVISORY BOARD OF COUNCIL OF STATE GOVT

Eric B
HIP HOP LEGEND, WORLD RENOWNED DJ AND โBLUE BLOODSโ ACTOR. ALBUM PAID IN FULL NAMED BEST HIP HOP ALBUM OF ALL TIME BY MTV IN 2006

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

Sean Grant

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

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

Manny Lamarre

Bishop Mitchell Taylor
SENIOR PASTOR โ CENTER OF HOPE. FOUNDER OF URBAN UPBOUND. BROOKE ASTOR AWARD. NY MARTIN LUTHER KING AWARD

Willy T. Ribbs
FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO COMPETE IN THE INDY 500 AND TEST A FORMULA ONE CAR. FEATURED IN NETFLIX GROUNDBREAKING FILM โUPPITYโ ABOUT RACISM IN MOTOR SPORTS

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

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

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

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

Michael Murdoch
MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TWO OF THE WORLDโS 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

Glenn Best
NEW JERSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE CONSORTIUM FOR WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Sean McIntosh
GAINESVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. GAINESVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LEADER

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

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.

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

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

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