Experience

The Melanin Summit: Conceived and produced business education summit series leveraging public-private partnerships to provide business education for underrepresented founders and advance municipal economic development policy. Featuring notable leaders in entrepreneurship, finance, and government, over 500 attendees have participated in this series. Private and non-profit sector partners include Mastercard, ForbesBLK, The Black Institute and the Office of the NYC City Council Speaker.

NYC Film Green: Created NYC Film Green, the first government sponsored sustainability program for film and TV industry in the U.S. The groundbreaking initiative forged strategic partnerships between government, industry and labor organizations - including network and studio executives (e.g., NBC Universal, CBS, HBO, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount, etc.), large soundstages, industry guild and labor leadership (e.g., Producers Guild of America- East, Teamsters Local 817, etc.). Innovative program resulted in over 20,000 pounds of food and 8,700 pounds of set dressing donated in first year of implementation.

“Made in NY” Media Summit: Conceived and spearheaded the production of the first-ever “Made in NY” Media Summit in Harlem (2018), highlighting workforce and economic development opportunities for NYC-based media industry professionals and small businesses. Full-day summit featured industry panels, networking lunch, a local business showcase and a screenwriters' showcase that provided $7,500 in grants to three emerging screenwriters of color. Over 1,000 guests attended.

Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation (WJSFF): Forged partnership with Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation to launch national entertainment industry workforce development initiative in New York City. Two-day initiative featured industry panel discussions, career fair and fireside chat with Jada Pinkett-Smith at Rockefeller Foundation headquarters. Responsible for recruitment and coordination of over 500 diverse New York City high school and college student participants.

Executive Communication: Advise senior executives with management of DEI-related crises, including facilitating internal staff workshops and communications strategy and support. 

Strategic Planning Services: 

• Conducted comprehensive internal DEI assessment for non-profit theater arts residency organization, including 30+ individual interviews and facilitation of several focus groups. Co-facilitated strategic planning sessions with Board of Directors that focused on report findings and resulted in Organizational DEI Strategic Plan. 

• Led team providing strategic planning services to anti-poverty policy and advocacy organization serving over 200 social services member agencies in order to improve member engagement efforts. Project involved internal organizational assessment, member interviews, focus group facilitation, and findings and recommendations report for senior leadership.

Public Relations: Provided branding and strategic communications support for education initiative family foundation. Advised on development and launch of groundbreaking $300M public-private partnership to advance educational outcomes in the State of Connecticut. Produced roundtable discussion and press conference at local school involving client, Governor's Office, and various state and local elected officials.

Social Impact Marketing Campaigns: Led social impact campaign for critically-acclaimed documentary film 17 Blocks. Facilitated brain trust convening of interdisciplinary stakeholders in advance of Tribeca Film Festival premiere screening. Partnered with Black Lives Matter DC to produce community screening. Prepared impact campaign strategy pitch deck for potential distributors.

Market Research & Advisory: Directed research efforts for leading global marketing research firm seeking to promote multicultural consumer spending report series. Research methods involved senior leadership interviews, industry environmental scan and desk research to gauge brand awareness. Prepared final report with recommendations for senior leadership.

Organizational Assessments & Strategic Planning: Conduct internal organizational assessments, stakeholder interviews & focus groups; facilitate strategic visioning and planning sessions for board, staff and executive leadership. Draft assessment reports and DEI strategic plan. 

Executive Support Services: Provide strategic counsel and communications advisory services to senior executives. 

Provided communications counsel for CEO and conducted AAA workshop for staff of corporate client around sensitive public relations crisis.

Strategic counsel for leading multicultural film, television and digital production company on establishment of initiative to advance multicultural content creation and diversification of the entertainment industry power structure.

Anti-Racism Agency & Awareness (AAA) Workshops: Facilitate customized Anti-Racism Agency & Awareness (AAA) workshops to facilitate trust and dialogue amongst team members to effectively combat institutional and structural racism.

Cohort Trainings & Events: Co-facilitated cohort training program for award winning service and advocacy organization supporting NYC’s theater community. Produced and hosted highly successful board diversity networking event featuring fireside chat with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and panel discussion with board members and senior staff of theater companies.

Inaugural Executive Director & Chief Development Officer, Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC): Appointed as Inaugural Executive Director & Chief Development Officer of Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC), a first-of-its-kind municipal initiative in a major American city to address the racial wealth gap by empowering Black entrepreneurs and business owners. Established key public-private partnerships, launched 9 programs to increase the health of Black-owned businesses in New York City - including the City’s first online Black business directory (Shop Black NYC). BE NYC hosted over 80 webinars and special events and provided over 6,000 entrepreneurs with business education, mentorship, and community.

Ken Thompson for Brooklyn District Attorney: Guided campaign victory for first African American Brooklyn District Attorney against 23-year incumbent in highly competitive primary election and 46-point general election victory. Recruited and managed campaign staff and hundreds of volunteers. Developed and managed relationships with key elected officials, clergy and community leaders. Formulated and led fundraising strategy that raised over $1.3 million during 2013 election cycle.

Moderator, MVP Lessons on Life and Leadership with Steve Nash, Harvard Club of New York City, May 30, 2023

Panelist, Black Entrepreneurship: The New Face of Small Business, The Mighty Dream Forum, Norfolk, VA, November 1, 2022

Keynote Speaker, Milken Scholars NY Recognition Ceremony, New York, NY, July 16, 2022

Keynote Speaker, The Future of Entrepreneurship is Inclusion, Columbia Business School Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center, New York, NY, June 17, 2022 [Video]

Panelist, Black Women Talk Tech “Roadmap to Billions” Conference, Building Effective Public/Private Partnerships, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY, June 17, 2022

Judge and Presenter, MasterCard Small Business Impact Awards, New York, NY, October 28, 2021 [Video (starts at 11:45)]

Moderator, COVID-19, Economic Justice and Communities of Color with Marc Morial (President & CEO, National Urban League), "CUP Conversations" Speaker Series, April 16, 2020 [Video]

Keynote Speaker, Running Together, NYC African Heritage Month Celebration and African Diaspora Town Hall, Brooklyn, NY, September 12, 2019 [Video (remarks start at 33:30)]

Presenter, Threading the SDGs: Global Citizenship, Business and the Media Industry Matrix, ICV Global Youth Summit at the United Nations, New York, NY, September 15, 2017  [Video]