Available to Help Grow a Business

Stephanie has spent the last 25 years working in finance and accounting in Corporate America, and at Universities in Europe and America. Most recently, she spent the last 8 years working in private for profit education as a Chief Financial Officer in Switzerland and for the last two years for a Health Sciences University in the U.S. Stephanie holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Management with a concentration in finance  from Walden University; a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance and accounting from Vanderbilt University;  and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fisk University.  Stephanie is also a  Certified Public Accountant.

Available to Help Launch a Business

Leonides is a Product Development and Design Leader with global ecommerce and retail experience with a proven track record in the fashion business. Accomplished brand builder with speed-to-market expertise, capable of analyzing runway, market trends, customer research data and competition in order to deliver a customercentric approach to fashion design.

Available to Help Launch or Grow a Business

Kelly has a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science and he has 30+ years experience in information technology. He enjoys sharing his experiences to empower small businesses.

Available to Help Launch or Grow a Business

Delvin has two decades of experience working in sales and marketing, and helping re-structure businesses for profitability through partnering organizations with resources to take the next step in their evolutionary process.

Available to Help Grow a Business

Nicole has a MBA and she is an innovative, collaborative and process driven Senior Program Manager. She has expertise in business operations and project/program management, organizational change management, IT management, and business process improvement.  Nicole also has consulting experience and she welcomes the opportunity to support Black Connect members with: 

• developing a strategy or plan to accomplish a business goal 

• streamlining your operation, to help you scale

• optimizing your operational processes

• mobilizing your team around a goal via organizational change management best practice

Available to Help Grow a Business

Kiritu is the owner of retail-luxury nail salons and he has a master’s degree in education.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Renato is both an attorney and an entrepreneur. He is a partner at Barclay Damon LLP, where he practices in the IP and corporate areas of the law, assisting clients with contracts, licensing, complex business transactions, IP strategies, patent and copyright applications, and dispute resolution. As a registered patent attorney with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, Renato has represented innovators in the areas of software, hardware and electronics in a wide array of industries. Renato has a passion for helping in the launch of startups and new technologies. In addition, Renato is a serial entrepreneur and inventor named on multiple patents.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Kim is a results-driven tech marketing and operational leader with demonstrated success and a solid reputation for driving actionable, measurable programs that grow customers and revenue.  Kim has domestic and international experience in strategy, planning, general management and all areas of marketing.

Available to Help Grow a Business

Peter is a highly motivated business and strategic planner with a proven track record of quantifiable results in the field of sales, marketing, merchandising, on premise promotions, and global account development. Peter has a dual MBA in Marketing and International Business for Marketing with over twenty five years’ experience in strategic marketing, sales development, sales training, logistic training, event planning, procurement development, implementation management and entrepreneurial business development to increase revenue and profitability.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Philiph has owned and operated and operated 3 companies, two of which are currently in operation MVP Services and M. Godoi Official. He has extensive experience in building and managing teams, operations and strategic growth. Philip has more than 12 years of experience with leading and building business strategy for his own businesses, and 3 years working at booking.com helping to develop regional strategy.

LOCATION: CALIFORNIA

MENTORING AREAS: ACCOUNTING, FINDING PARTNERS/BUILDING A TEAM, PLANNING/STRATEGY, MENTAL HEALTH/EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

AVAILABLE TO HELP GROW A BUSINESS

Jason currently is an assurance manager at Ernst & Young in the LA office. He's had experience working in various industries including technology, entertainment, airlines, and CPG. He also previously worked at a start-up in the LA area and has experience growing a business from the financial side. Jason graduated from the University of Notre Dame with an accounting degree.

LOCATION: ILLINOIS

MENTORING AREAS: MANAGEMENT/OPERATIONS. PLANNING/STRATEGY/ BANKING

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Amanda manages a group of technical procedure writers at one of the top 5 banks in the United States. She can mentor in English or writing, training, procedures, process improvement, problem solving, and networking.

LOCATION: MASSACHUSETTS

MENTORING AREAS: MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS/ADVERTISING, TECHNOLOGY, PLANNING/STRATEGY, PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Shannon has a MBA with a focus in Product Management and Entrepreneurship from Boston University. She is a start-up founder and a mentor for MIT’s global entrepreneurship program where executive leaders come from all around the world for one week to build startups.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Daisy has a M.S.Organizational Management and a Business Coaching Certificate.  She currently owns a podcast and has previous experience in tech support, human resources and restaurant management.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Mawuli is the Founder and CEO of Tartplus, a decorative artifact manufacturing business enterprise. He is also the Founder and Manager of International Development Opportunity Initiative, a social enterprise that is into capacity building, training and mentoring of entrepreneurs and young graduates who want to build and or grow their own business or social enterprise.  Mawuli holds Master of Arts Degree, Postgraduate Diploma in Governance and Advanced Executive Certificate in Project Management.  Mawuli is an award winning entrepreneur from Tony Elumelu Foundation.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Christopher is a small business banker at Wells Fargo with over 100 clients in his book of business. Christopher enjoys helping his clients start their businesses and reach their financial goals. He helps his clients manage their cashflow and Christopher works hand in hand with other partners who help his clients grow their businesses.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Arnaldo is a financial and business advisor.  He has experience helping business owners in the United States develop strategic plans to maximize profits while remaining in compliance in laws and accounting regulations.

AVAILABLE TO HELP GROW A BUSINESS

Kanak is a Product Manager with experience in the consumer electronics, autonomous vehicles (AVs), and semiconductor industries. He holds a BC in Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Certified in Business Analytics and Change Management, Kanak is well-versed in business strategies, project management, data analytics, marketing, and operations/execution to meet team objectives. Moreover, Kanak’s experiences while living in 3 different continents have shaped his diverse, multi-perspective approach to problem solving. Consult with Kanak if you seek advice for developing winning products and services.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH A BUSINESS

Dwight is an accomplished interdisciplinary engineer and successful entrepreneur with over 18 years of technical, project management, business plan development & execution, intellectual property and product life cycle (concept to market) experience.

AVAILABLE TO HELP LAUNCH OR GROW A BUSINESS

Mary graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with majors in Marketing and Management and minors in Leadership and Entrepreneurship. She has helped build and grow several businesses in addition to full time working in several corporations, including in the marketing technology space and programmatic advertising space.