Ambassadors
BLACK ENTREPRENEUR INITIATIVE
Become an Ambassador
Our Ambassadors are an accomplished group of diverse professionals that bring unique and seasoned insights to guide our mission of serving Black entrepreneurs.
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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
EMMY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST AND ACTRESS (POWER, MADAM SECRETARY, HOUSE OF CARDS, HOMELAND). BLACK WOMEN IN MEDIA AWARD WINNER
Gabriel Brodbar
SOCIAL IMPACT LEADER. FORMER FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR – NYU SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
Earl Buford
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S TASKFORCE – WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. ADVISORY BOARD OF COUNCIL OF STATE GOVT
Eric B
HIP HOP LEGEND, WORLD RENOWNED DJ AND “BLUE BLOODS” 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 – 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
Dr. Shango Blake
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
Bishop Mitchell Taylor
SENIOR PASTOR – 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 “UPPITY” ABOUT RACISM IN MOTOR SPORTS
Dale Moss
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
PRESIDENT – MADISON REGION ECONOMIC PARTNEERSHIP AND FORMER WISCONSIN STATE REPRESENTATTIVE
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 · DEPUTY BOROUGH PRESIDENT. FORMER VP CSR – TF CORNERSTONE. EXEC. DIR YMCA NEW YORK.
Michael Murdoch
MANAGING DIRECTOR AT TWO OF THE WORLD’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
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 DIEGO
Elder Jerome B. Lane Jr.
CMO AT THE PRESBYTERY OF NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY
Travis Reid
ACCOMPLISHED COMMUNITY LEADER – 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 DOYLE
Sheila Borges
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR – NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, STEM EDUCATOR
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