Professional prowess and business savvy are necessary to succeed in the fast-moving and highly competitive global marketplace. Learn how these leaders have leveraged expertise and innovation to augment their knowledge base, expand to new markets and maintain leadership positions in their respective lines of business.
Matthew is the Founder and CEO of Kota Global Securities Inc. (KGS), a minority-women business enterprise broker-dealer (MWBE BD) with equity trading capabilities in 40+ countries and an Industry-leading commitment of 20% of operating revenues and investment banking underwriting fees to support reinvestment in local and global communities.
Prior to founding KGS, Matthew launched Anvil Global Partners, a Fund of Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) Funds focusing on China, India, and the Middle East North Africa (MENA), along with the marketing arm of the Wharton Global Consulting Practicum (GCP) in that Region. Anvil, founded in 2006, established a strong network and presence in China and India. Through investing in PE and VC funds, Anvil simultaneously created a vehicle to support GCP projects in China and India. Matthew has traveled to China and neighboring countries over 40 times in the last 5 years and to India over 20 times in the last 4 years to leverage a global network for Anvil and Wharton GCP helping Wharton GCP to establish strategic alliances with Beijing University, Fudan University, National Taiwan University, University of Sharjah, and to revive a robust partnership with India Business School. Through client sourcing, Anvil helped to sign the first 2 clients for the China Project in 2006 and advanced the India Projects by helping to source 1 of their clients in 2007—creating pipelines for China and Taiwan Projects in 2008-2009. This global network in the emerging markets continues to flourish and now enhances KGS’ global reach and capabilities.
Matthew serves on both the Board of Overseers of The Wharton School and the Board of Advisors of the Wharton Global Consulting Practicum. In addition to his University of Pennsylvania board leadership, Matthew remains an active participant and contributor to various Wharton affinity groups and global networks, including Wharton conferences, economic forums, career panels, along with his community service to support increased access to educational opportunities and positive youth development
Before launching Anvil and KGS, Matthew built a 25+ year track record in the financial services industry, including his early career in the computer science and technology space—with leadership positions at Utendahl Capital, Goldman Sachs (currently The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.), Drexel Burnham, and IBM. Matthew has deep experience in investment banking, investment management, capital markets, sales & trading, and he has participated in over 200 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the United States.
Matthew earned his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and his BS in Computer Science from Syracuse University. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63, 55 and 24. Matthew lives in New York City with his wife and two sons. He travels regularly between KGS’ NYC, Chicago and San Francisco offices.
Christopher Hollins is the Vice President, Account Development of the Global Client Group within Global Corporate Payments. In this role, Christopher is responsible for managing 50+ global commercial card accounts, in the Entertainment, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, and Professional Services industries. Mr. Hollins joined American Express in 2006 as Vice President of Retail Industry in Merchant Services North America. In this role, he and his teams implemented a comprehensive retail merchant strategy, deepened merchant relationships and successfully renewed many complex, high-risk contracts profitably.
Prior to American Express, Christopher worked for over 10 years at AT&T/Lucent Technologies where he led Lucent’s efforts to expand the market for technology and service solutions with global communications service providers through customer relationship building and account-specific marketing plans. Christopher holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from Grinnell College. He resides in New Jersey and enjoys golf, fitness training, and adventure travel.
Harold Martin is an Engagement Manager in the Atlanta office of McKinsey & Company, where he primarily serves Consumer clients on topics related to customer strategy, merger management, and retailer collaboration.
Building on a deep passion for education, Harold has led McKinsey projects in K-12 and higher education and serves as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council at Oglethorpe University, Renaissance Commission and Dean’s Advisory Council at Morehouse College, and LEAD Atlanta Class of 2012.
Born in Winston-Salem, NC, Harold graduated summa cum laude and Valedictorian from Morehouse College with a B.A. in Business Administration. He earned a JD from Yale Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Harold enjoys helping young people pursue their dreams, spending time with his family, and is an avid sports fan.
Tammee Thompson is Vice President and General Manager of Global Security and Fire at Johnson Controls, Inc. This global division offers a comprehensive selection of security protection technologies and services designed to provide safe, comfortable, and efficient facilities. JCI Security & Fire has delivered security solutions to over 50,000 companies worldwide in a variety of markets.
From 2006 — 2009, Ms. Thompson led the Asia division of GE Security, a subsidiary of the General Electric Company, focused on communication and information technologies for security, safety and lifestyle enhancements. Responsibilities included all operations in China, Australia, India, Korea, Japan, and Australia & South East Asia.
Ms. Thompson joined General Electric in 1999 in the Corporate Initiatives Group, focusing on cross-business sourcing initiatives. In 2001 she joined GE Energy Global Supply Chain Management as Manager, Business Development. Her role was further expanded in 2002 when she was appointed Manager, Business Development, Plant & Equipment and Inventory. The expanded position augmented her Business Development role with the responsibility for overseeing GE Energy’s Plant & Equipment expenditures and Inventory Management Practices. In 2003, Ms. Thompson assumed the P&L leadership role for the Intermodal Leasing Segment at GE Equipment Services. In this role she was a key member of the team responsible for turning around the Rail Services Division. Her responsibilities included sales, operations, CAPEX, product development and business planning.
Prior to joining GE, Ms. Thompson has held a number of strategic positions at Morgan Stanley & Co., The Boston Consulting Group, Ernst & Young, LLC and ITT Corporation.
Ms. Thompson has been recognized by Essence Magazine as one of “The New Power Generation”, by The Network Journal’s annual “40 Under-Forty” list as well as Black MBA Magazine’s “Top 50 under 50”.
In additional to her corporate work, Ms. Thompson has been an active with several child advocacy organizations and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Philadelphia County. Thompson is also a chef, having recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of completing her professional culinary training at the French Culinary Institute.
Finding and seizing opportunity requires calculated risk-taking and the willingness to challenge convention. Christopher Whitfield, CEO of Batswadi Pharmaceuticals, will have a discussion with Tina Gilbert, Partner in the Life Science Strategy Consulting practice at Accenture, about the calculated risks that he has taken and how he has leveraged innovation at each step to do so successfully. Follow his story that began in Detroit, led him to the helm of a major pharmaceutical company as CEO, and inspired him to found his own pharmaceutical firm in South Africa.
Christopher Whitfield is the CEO of Batswadi Pharmaceuticals, a South African firm that sells cutting edge biotechnology products. Prior to starting his own company, Christopher was CEO of the multi-national pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly SA (PTY) Ltd where he had a 17-year career.
Christopher completed his MBA at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business focusing on global business leadership. Prior to earning his MBA, Christopher was the Manager of e-business at Eli Lilly responsible for CRM solutions for the US Oncology business. His experience as the Manager of Oncology Sales for nine east coast (US) territories and as Marketing Manager of the Endocrine Specialty Business Unit provided Christopher with a broad leadership platform. His career has been focused on pharmaceutical General Management, and he has established a proven record of leadership through successful team development, strong strategic planning, creative problem solving and troubleshooting, and development and implementation skills.
Christopher is a 2007 Endeavor Entrepreneur and a member of the Young Presidents Organization Golden City Chapter. He also sits on the boards of ZA Biotech and the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO). Christopher is the Chairman of Abazali Bio Ventures (Pty) Ltd. and consults widely in the Biotech commercial market place.
Christopher’s educational experience includes a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Wabash College, MBA from Duke University, Fuqua School of Business, Lilly’s Global Leadership Development Program (GLDP), and most recently the University of Cape Town/Duke University, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy Centre for Leadership and Public Values as a Fellow in 2006.
Tina Gilbert is a Partner in Accenture’s Management Consulting - Strategy Practice. She has over twenty years of business experience and 13+ years of Life Sciences consulting and outsourcing experience, working with major pharmaceutical companies, emerging biotech firms, and start-up companies. As a Partner, Tina has sold and delivered projects across a variety of Brand Management and Commercial Operations areas. She has created a successful track record of leading large, multi-disciplinary teams, consisting of consultants and client representatives, through complex programs to create value for organization. She is responsible for Accenture’s Evidence Based Insights and Adherence offerings, focusing on strategies that deliver differentiating services and capabilities to improve health outcomes for patients. She recently completed a project that brought together various stakeholders in the Health Ecosystem to improve non-medical services and adherence for oncology patients.
Beyond her client facing activities, Tina is the North America Management Consulting Senior Executive Lead for Inclusion and Diversity. She leads efforts to attract, retain, and advance diverse populations, and “move the needle” overall across audiences through inclusion opportunities. Tina is also currently working across Accenture’s Management Consulting practice, leading the work to embed diversity and inclusion best practices in the firm’s existing offerings and methodologies. She has also been integrating her experiences implementing D&I programs into broader organizational strategies for the firm’s clients.
Outside of Accenture, Tina is a Board Member on Pennsylvania Diversity Council and on the Steering Committee of Diversity Executive Network for the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. She is also a 2011 participant of Leadership Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange — two programs focused on enabling business leaders to become stronger community leaders.
She holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, an Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a BS from Spelman College. Tina lives in Lansdowne, PA; with her husband, Brian and their two daughters. Her hobbies include making digital scrapbooks, traveling with her family, and she is learning to play golf.
Uncertainty exists at every turning point throughout a career in financial services, each offering opportunities for success. This panel addresses how leaders in the financial services sector have capitalized on the uncertainty to deliver outsized returns and results. The identification of evolving trends in the global marketplace, as well as methods for navigating market tumult, will underscore the targeted dialogue.
David R. Jones is the Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of CastleOak Securities, L.P. CastleOak Securities is a leading boutique investment bank with a broad offering of financial services including equity sales and trading, fixed income sales and trading, and financial advisory services.
Since founding CastleOak Securities in 2006, Mr. Jones has overseen the substantial growth of both the firm’s business activities and personnel. Mr. Jones has led the firm as it increased its underwriting, distribution, and trading in a full range of securities while expanding its footprint into municipal finance and money market portals. Under Mr. Jones’ leadership, CastleOak has become one of the top underwriters of debt and equity securities in the U.S.
Mr. Jones has over 20 years of Wall Street experience, and prior to founding CastleOak was Head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets at Blaylock & Company, Inc. where he worked closely with many of the firm's Fortune 500 clients. Mr. Jones joined Blaylock from Merrill Lynch where he worked in the firm’s investment banking and equity capital markets areas. Mr. Jones has significant experience in evaluating equity and debt market trends within industry sectors, valuing and positioning public companies, and marketing and syndicating public security offerings to institutional clients.
Mr. Jones holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School and a B.S. from Boston University. He holds Series 7, 24 and 63 licenses. He is a member of the Board of the New Jersey All Stars Project, the Presidential Advisory Council of Hampton University, the Board of the New Jersey Chapter Young Presidents' Organization, and the Board of the Council of Urban Professionals. Mr. Jones was named as one of the 75 Most Powerful Blacks on Wall Street in 2011 by Black Enterprise Magazine.
Yusef Kassim is a senior member of the Investor Relations group at Eton Park Capital Management, a $13 billion multi-disciplinary investment firm. He shares responsibility for the global marketing and client service aspects of the fund. Prior to joining Eton Park, he was a Partner and Head of Marketing & Investor Relations for R6 Capital, a multi-strategy hedge fund with a focus on corporate and asset-based investing. Prior to joining R6 Capital, Mr. Kassim served in various capacities at Gerson Lehrman Group ("GLG") from 2001-2007, and was promoted to Senior Vice President in the Sales Division, where, he developed and managed the firm’s relationships with hedge funds, proprietary trading desks, private equity firms, mutual funds and investment banks. Prior to his role in the Sales Division, Mr. Kassim served as Co-head of the Technology, Media & Telecom research practice, where, from 2001-2004, he broadened the firm’s research coverage to encompass all publicly traded technology, telecom and media companies throughout the US, Europe and Asia. Throughout his tenure there, Mr. Kassim played an instrumental role in growing GLG’s client base to include over 400 of the leading buyside investment institutions.
Prior to joining GLG in 2001, Mr. Kassim worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. in the Prime Brokerage Sales Group, specializing in Merger and Convertible Arbitrage-focused hedge funds. Mr. Kassim graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and a minor in Mathematics from the College of Arts and Sciences. Mr. Kassim is a strong advocate of mentoring programs, and serves as a founding board member of New York Needs You (NYNY), a non-profit whose mission is to support the career aspirations of highly ambitious, low-income, New York City based college students, by providing mentoring, professional networking, and career development opportunities. Since 2000, he has served as a mentor for Student Sponsor Partners and iMentor, both New York City based non-profit organizations.
Wendell Mottley is a Senior Advisor of Credit Suisse, based in New York. He has responsibility for winning mandates in advisories, sovereign and energy financing, asset management as well as M&A in the Caribbean Basin.
Mr. Mottley was formerly Finance Minister of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago and was lauded in this capacity for restructuring the economy from state dominance to a free market model that launched the economy into ten years of continuing sustained high growth. He was a member of the Expert Panel constituted to advise the President of the Inter American Development Bank on strategies to lift the Latin American and Caribbean region out of its underperformance in the 1990s.
Mr. Mottley is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC where he is finalizing a book on Energy Industrial Policy in Trinidad & Tobago.
Mr. Mottley is a committed environmentalist, a former board member of the World Wild Life Fund, and present member of its National Council, as well as a member of the Leadership Council of the School of Forestry and the Environment of Yale University.
Mr. Mottley is a graduate of Yale and Cambridge Universities, as well as a former Olympian. His current interests are the consolidation of financial and manufacturing companies as a positional tactic for competitiveness in the evolving free trade block and advisory work on industrial policy for non-energy business sectors as a strategy in regional competitive survival.
Gary is responsible for business development and client servicing for Ariel’s institutional accounts, financial advisors and investment consultants across the West Coast. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Gary spent over five years with Rydex Investments. During this time, he held multiple positions within shareholder services and financial advisor sales before being promoted to regional vice president where he oversaw product development and distribution across nine states in the Midwest Region. Gary is a frequent conference speaker for the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Active Investment Managers. Additionally, he is chairman of the board of trustees for Chicago State University, vice-chairman of the board of Inner Voice, Inc., and a committee member for the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation in Oakland, California. In 2011, Gary was named a fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago. He earned a BA in economics from the University of Maryland.
Craig Vaughan is a co-founder of Clarkslyn Holdings, LLC. Since its founding, Mr. Vaughan has developed Clarkslyn’s investment banking and strategic consulting practices. Clarkslyn is licensed to execute mergers, acquisitions, private placements and capital raising transactions through StillPoint Capital, a member of FINRA and SIPC.
Prior to founding Clarkslyn Holdings, Mr. Vaughan was a Senior Executive at Creative Artists Agency (“CAA”), the largest entertainment talent agency in the world. Vaughan executed acquisitions, capital raising transactions, as well as, consulted Fortune 500 and early-stage entertainment technology companies. Highlights include:
Craig was formerly the Vice President of Business Development for Fox Mobile Entertainment, a division of 20th Century Fox. While at Fox, he launched a 24/7 mobile TV network accessible by over 140 million U.S. mobile subscribers. Prior to joining Fox, Vaughan worked in business development at Sony Pictures where he launched Sony Connect Video, a digital content download start-up for the first PlayStation Portable.
After completing his MBA, Mr. Vaughan joined the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs in the Communications, Media and Entertainment group in New York. Goldman highlights include:
Mr. Vaughan began his banking career in 1996 at Bank of America (then “NationsBank”) in Charlotte, NC. He worked in the middle market commercial lending division closing loans for companies with $50 million to $200 million in annual revenue.
In 2009, Mr. Vaughan founded the all-volunteer, non-profit, SPACE Program. The mission of SPACE (Scholarship, Purpose, Access, Community and Empowerment) is to help talented, inner-city high school students prepare for college and their post-college careers. The SPACE Program funded $25,000 in college scholarships in its first year.
Vaughan graduated with a B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin, and earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School.
The term “social impact” often conjures up images of innovative strategies for delivering capital and making a difference in developing countries. This panel will discuss the degree to which domestic minority communities have been affected by the growing focus on social impact and the merits of social impact capital allocation to needs both domestic and abroad.
Jesse Chancellor is President of Calvert Foundation subsidiary Community Investment Partners and has been active in affordable housing finance for over 20 years, most recently as a Principal at Prudential Mortgage Capital Company. At Prudential, Jesse created and managed the Affordable Housing Investments Group, which became a major provider of capital to the industry. Before that, he worked at MuniMae as a Senior Vice President, responsible for originating tax-exempt multifamily bonds on a national basis. Prior to joining MuniMae, Jesse was the Director of Field Operations at The Enterprise Foundation. Prior to this, he was the Director of Housing Finance for Enterprise where he was responsible for managing the loan funds of the Foundation and delivering financial services and expertise to the Enterprise network of organizations nationwide. Jesse began his finance career with Citicorp Real Estate in New York as a relationship manager in the Metro commercial division.
Jesse received his bachelor’s degree in history from Washington University in St. Louis, his MA in Public Policy Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a MS in Real Estate Development from Columbia University.
Della Clark is President of The Enterprise Center; an entrepreneurial center that provides access to capital, capacity building, business education and economic development opportunities to high potential minority entrepreneurs. During her 16-year tenure, she has cultivated relationships with key corporate and industry leaders from the wider business world, representatives from educational institutions, and high-ranking government officials at the city, state and federal levels.
A native of Texas and a graduate of Washington, DC’s American University in Business Administration, Ms. Clark is a recognized leader. She was selected for and completed participation in the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship’s Philadelphia International Leadership Initiative. Through the Fellowship, Ms. Clark explored international entrepreneurial activities in Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic in 2002 and Ireland in 2004. Ms. Clark also served as a Senior Policy Fellow (1998-2000) at the George V. Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University.
Ms. Clark has received many awards and today, Della Clark demonstrates her active involvement in the community by serving as a board member for the University City District, and St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children as well as a member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission.
Biniam Gebre is currently a Principal at McKinsey & Co. with over 11+ years at the firm. He works out of the Washington, DC office where he has acquired extensive experience serving public sector clients. Biniam is a graduate of Williams College.
Bonnie is the Director of the InVenture Foundation. InVenture is a social enterprise comprised of two entities, the InVenture Capital Corporation (ICC) and the InVenture Foundation, both working together to provide the capital, guidance and financial tracking needed to empower micro-business owners to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. The mission of InVenture Foundation is to support the InVenture Capital Corporation by by providing micro-entrepreneurs with excellent business training and support services through our fellowship program and monitoring the success of the community re-investment programs.
Bonnie has worked with micro-entrepreneurs in different capacities, from assisting with writing business plans to financial planning, budgeting and hiring employees. She has worked as a Bilingual Business Specialist for Empowerment Group, an SBA Women's Business Center in Philadelphia, and as a Program Manager for the New York City Department of Small Businesses Services.
Bonnie received a BA in International Politics from Wesleyan University. She is a StartingBloc NY '09 Fellow and a 2011 Echoing Green Fellow. She also serves as the Secretary and Alumni Representative on the Board of Trustees at De La Salle Academy in New York City.
The entertainment industry is evolving as media is used in new ways to reach a proliferation of seemingly disparate audience segments. We will discuss ways that digital media has forced audiences and industry constituents to negotiate the cost-effective and dynamic marketing strategies designed to reach targeted segments and meaningfully engage the African American community on an individualized basis.
Lawrence E. Adjah currently serves as the Co-Founder and Principal of Catalyst (Media LLC) a new generation production company that will enable content developers to realize the full economic potential of content through both an in-house predictive analytics platform and a real-time consumer demand platform that allows us to crowd-source feedback on content that audiences actually want to watch.
He is also the Founder and CEO of Adjah, an entertainment advisory firm which consults for companies across primarily film, sports and media, working more recently with the Urbanworld Film Festival sponsored by HBO and BET, which has, over a 15 year period, premiered more number one films (based on opening weekend box- office receipts) than any other domestic film festival, some of these include Collateral, Love and Basketball, Hero, Barbershop and academy award winning documentary features like Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001).
Prior to founding Adjah, Lawrence served as the Senior Director of Business Development at a leading sports and entertainment marketing agency in New York. In this role, he led a division that negotiated secured over $100M of gross sponsorship revenue, from clients that include the LPGA, Ironman, Manny Pacquiao and other sports properties. Before this role, Lawrence worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company in its New York office. He advised clients in the Media & Entertainment practice, helping to serve some of the world’s largest professional sports organizations and media companies including the NFL.
Prior to joining McKinsey, Lawrence received a Masters in Sports Management from the University of Texas at Austin and was a member of the Men’s Track and Field team and completed the two year program in one year, with academic distinction. Before becoming a Longhorn, Lawrence received a B.A. from Harvard University, where he entered as a high school All-American and National Champion in the multi-events in Track and Field. and later achieved multiple All-Ivy League and All-East Honors in the triple jump.
Lawrence serves on the National Board of the Harvard Black Alumni Society (HBAS) as President and is also completing his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business where he serves as the President of its Black Business Students Association (BBSA), an Arbuckle Leadership Fellow and a Course Assistant with Dean Garth Saloner for the first year MBA Strategic Management course.
Liz Burr is the Managing Director of Moguldom Studios, the production studio for Moguldom Media Group. In this role, she oversees the development and production of original video content across Moguldom's portfolio which includes Bossip.com, MadameNoire.com, HipHopWired.com, StyleBlazer.com and 24Wired.TV.
Prior to working at Moguldom, Liz worked as a new media consultant where she advised startups and entrepreneurs on web development and technical strategy. A digital native, Liz is no stranger to storytelling online and is regarded as a leader in tech. She was recently named by Clutch Magazine as one of 10 Black Women Taking the Tech World by Storm, and HP named her one of the Top 50 Women Tastemakers in Tech. She is also the official Social Media Blogger for The Recording Academy and GRAMMY.com.
Liz received her B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds an M.A. from the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California.
Dominique DeLeon is New York based writer and director from Washington, DC. He is also President and Founder of Special Boy Films Inc, a film company which specializes in short, medium and long format content. Most recently, DeLeon has been at work developing the feature length film Rez, the short version of which he’s currently completing as part of his thesis requirement at NYU's Tisch Graduate School of Film and which was awarded a 2011 Spike Lee Production Award by Spike Lee himself.
Prior to NYU DeLeon attended Harvard University, where he studied writing under Jamaica Kincaid and was a published poet and author. To date, DeLeon's work has been featured on MTV, CNN and ESPN.
Issa Rae is a producer/director/writer striving to make her mark on the entertainment industry. She received her B.A. from Stanford University, where she produced and directed four theatrical productions, including two stage adaptations of Spike Lee films. Because film was her true passion, she took time off from Stanford to attend the New York Film Academy where she honed her filmmaking skills. Upon graduating, Issa Rae has worked on various music videos and shorts. “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” often referred to as ABG, is Issa Rae's third web series. It has been featured on several sites and publications, including Vibe, Clutch magazine, Huffington Post, The Root, Shadow & Act, AOL, and an upcoming issue of Essence magazine. Rae recently signed with UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment with plans to turn ABG from a web series into a cable half-hour comedy. In addition, she has two other web series, which include, "Dorm Diaries" and her award-winning series, “FLY GUYS present the F Word.”
A Jack of all trades, Al Thompson wears the hats of actor, writer, producer, and director in his projects. Since entering the entertainment industry, Thompson has worked hard to experience success not only in film, but also in television and online media. In 2007, he founded ValDean Entertainment, a production company dedicated to creating high-quality and original content that resonates across multiple entertainment platforms. Through ValDean Entertainment, Thompson pays homage to the popular television programming of the late 80’s/early 90’s he enjoyed as a child. He creates content that contemporizes the traditional television sitcom rather than simply remaking it.
This year, Al Thompson & ValDean Entertainment will be rolling out a slate of Web series that are already garnering a buzz in the industry. This includes the premiere of Lenox Avenue, a compelling drama that follows three friends navigating through the rough terrain of love and relationships while living in Harlem, NYC. Lenox Avenue stars such actors as Jamie Hector (The Wire) and Michael K. Williams (Boardwalk Empire, The Wire), and Victor Williams (The King of Queens).
Most recently, Thompson launched the award-winning comedy series Johnny B. Homeless, which received rave reviews at the New York Television Festival, winning the “People’s Choice Award” and premiered onAtom.com in June. Both Johnny B. Homeless and Lenox Avenue been featured in major publications such as Wall Street Journal, Fast Company and Variety.
Other upcoming projects include a new comedy with producer Brian Rolling (Johnny B. Homeless), as well as an original comedy Web series “Tilt-A-World” shot in Ocean City, MD.
Al Thompson & ValDean Entertainment enlists rising stars and high-caliber talent in current and upcoming projects, including actors Kenan Thompson (SNL), Quentin Aaron (The Blind Side) and Dorian Missick (Luck Number Slevin, NBC’s The Cape).
As an actor, Thompson has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Royal Tenenbaums, A Walk to Remember, Love Don’t Cost a Thing, ESPN’s A Season on the Brink, Sidney Lumet’s 100 Centre Street, Law & Order. Al also won acclaim for his performance as Derrick, the troubled protagonist of Larry Fessedan’s Liberty Kid. He currently has a development deal with the SyFy Channel. Recently Al has won the Best Actor award in the New York Television Festival, and was a finalist at the NBC Diversity Program event. Thompson is represented by George Ruiz of ICM. He currently resides in Harlem, New York.
Professional athletes, celebrated for their on-the-field achievements, are often the centerpiece of complex business transactions. In the era of the lockout, they are represented by friends, family, and professionals to navigate the challenges of balancing their passion for a game with the need to act in accordance with their personal interests as business people, teammates, and career-oriented professionals. We will discuss ways that the stakeholders in the sports business assess and navigate conflicts of interest in the business.
Allan Boomer is the Vice President of Fiduciary Management Group (FMG). In this role, he serves as an investment advisor and financial planner to professional athletes and entrepreneurs. Prior to joining FMG, Allan spent seven years at Goldman Sachs, where he was a Vice-President in the Private Wealth Management Group. At Goldman, he managed $450mm in investments for a select group of Fortune 500 CEOs, entrepreneurs, college endowment funds, and several of the top members of management at Goldman Sachs. Allan began his Wall Street career at Merrill Lynch in 1995.
As a financial advisor to professional athletes, he advocates transparency and financial literacy for his clients. He challenges each client to take an active role in their financial lives, not just knowing how their money is invested, but also understanding how each investment factors into the “big picture” of their financial plan.
Allan earned a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance, Accounting and Entrepreneurship from New York University’s Stern School of Business, where he was a recipient of the prestigious Robert Toigo Fellowship. He also has a BS in Marketing from Morgan State University in Baltimore MD.
Moises is a starting Outside Linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was born in Cameroon and raised in Potomac MD, after moving to the United States at age 5. Moses rose from a walk-on to becoming the starting strong-side Linebacker at the University of Maryland. He was drafted by the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2009 draft and quickly emerged as an outstanding special teams player. He earned the starting job by the end of his rookie campaign and has since retained the role with the Eagles.
Hayes Grooms IV, founder and president of Grooms Athletic Management and Entertainment is a former athlete, sports enthusiast, and pioneering professional—all in one.
He played point guard at the University of Michigan and upon graduation concentrated his passion and drive toward the sports business. Based on extensive experience and a respected reputation in the industry, Grooms has amassed a network of clients across the sport, corporate, and entertainment sector. He has fostered relationships with diverse media outlets like HBO, ESPN, USA Today, Essence Magazine, GQ, and more. He has created partnerships with numerous companies such as Nike, 5 Hour Energy, GMC, Fat Head, Visa, and Glaceau to name a few. Additionally, Grooms devotes tremendous efforts toward philanthropic endeavors. He has played a vital role in the conception and execution of the Braylon Edwards Foundation, which now has an endowment of over $1.5 million, especially toward the Advance 100 program.
Hayes fits a new breed of sport mavericks and G.A.M.E. progresses in its pursuit to fuse vision with strategy, target goals with action, and execute winning combinations for every client.
Thane C. Martin is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Born and raised in New York City, Thane received an Associates of Art degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences from the State University of New York Hudson Valley Community College. Thane then moved to Maryland where he graduated from Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. Thane is also certified as a Specialist in resolving Tax Controversies (STC) by the National Center for Professional Education and has completed the United Way’s Young Leader’s Board Orientation Program.
Thane began his accounting career as an intern for Joan M. Pratt, CPA and Associates P.C. in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked there for two years before moving to Philadelphia. In 1995, Thane joined Mitchell and Titus, LLP, a member of Ernest and Young Global and the largest minority controlled CPA firm in the United States. There he worked for three years in their accounting, auditing and tax departments. His experience includes manufacturing, insurance, non-profits, pension plans, health care, Fortune 500 companies and international industries. Thane later joined Smart and Associates, LLP one of the fastest growing firms in the United States, where he worked in the tax, auditing and management consulting departments.
As CEO of Thane C. Martin, CPA, The Financial Consulting Firm, Inc., Thane is responsible for the firms strategic direction, day to day operations, staff training and client relationships. The Firm is a regional CPA firm with offices in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Some of his current clients include the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, the South African Enterprise Development Fund, the City of Philadelphia and several athletes, entertainers and executives.
Thane’s professional activities include membership in the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. His community activities include serving as a member of the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission which oversees the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Michael Stone is the Executive Director and Founder of the Professional Athlete Franchising Initiative, an organization which provides a centralized platform for franchisors and athletes seeking to get involved in the franchise industry. Mr. Stone is also the founder of Allied Athlete Group and Co-Founder/ Chief Executive Officer of Coliseum Enterprises.
Mr. Stone is a former professional NFL football player turned entrepreneur. During his 7 years in the NFL, Mr. Stone played for the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, and New York Giants. Upon retirement Mr. Stone founded Allied Athlete Group, the premier private membership organization for professional athletes. Mr. Stone’s ability to reach professional athletes coupled with his ability to identify business opportunities, has allowed him to bring a new way of thinking to the athlete community.
Mr. Stone holds a BA in Architecture from University of Memphis and participated in Executive Education Programs at Stanford, Wharton and Kellogg Business Schools.
An early hurdle for any entrepreneur to traverse is transitioning his or her business plan into an actual startup. Learn about avoiding common pitfalls while maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit that has galvanized your interest in starting your own business. Further, understand public and private resources that can help maintain your venture and potentially be the difference between success and failure.
Neil Blumenthal loves helping people see. Determined to radically transform the eyewear industry, Neil and three friends launched Warby Parker. Warby Parker designs and sells vintage-inspired frames and prescription lenses for $95 whereas comparable quality glasses cost $500. And, for every pair sold, a pair is given to someone in need.
Neil had been the Director of VisionSpring, a non-profit social enterprise that trains low-income women to start their own business selling affordable eyeglasses to individuals living on less than $4 per day in South Asia, Africa and Latin America. He was responsible for developing VisionSpring’s award-winning strategy (Fast Company Social Capitalist Award ‘08, ‘07 and ‘05) and expanding VisionSpring’s global presence from one to 10 countries. In 2005, Neil was named a Fellow for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at NYU Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service. Prior to joining VisionSpring, he worked with the International Crisis Group and attended the Institute for International Mediation and Conflict Resolution in The Hague, Netherlands. Neil received his BA from Tufts University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was both a Social Enterprise Fellow and a Leadership Fellow. Neil, his wife, jewelry designer Rachel Leigh, and son live in NYC.
Reuben Canada, an intellectual property attorney in Philadelphia, is finding success in a perhaps unlikely venue. In addition to his patent procurement and litigation work, he is growing a business based on his spicy green tea beverage, Jin-Ja. Canada first conceived of the idea for Jin-Ja as he searched for a new mixer to go with cocktails. But the beverage, a mixture of cayenne pepper and ginger, along with a blend of green teas and lemon juice, is now a hit on its own. What began as an informal business venture with word of mouth-driven sales can now be found in several restaurants in one of the city’s main cultural and business districts. Jin-Ja is produced at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Bridgton, New Jersey for Canada Enterprises LLC, the creators of Jin-Ja.
Canada received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Swarthmore College and his J.D. from Howard University.
William Crowder is a Managing Director with DreamIt Ventures, a venture firm and startup accelerator for tech companies. DreamIt currently runs accelerator programs in Philadelphia and New York City. At DreamIt, William helps to run the Philadelphia program (15 startups) and is responsible for the oversight and operation of the newly created Minority Entrepreneur Accelerator Program sponsored by Comcast.
He has over 14 years of strategy and operations consulting experience, many of them with technology and digital media businesses. Throughout his career he has advised senior executives at media companies such as AOL, Radio One, Interactive One, Time Warner Cable, Comcast and Thomson Reuters. He has also been involved in the acquisition and integration of several technology-focused companies including Third Screen Media (acquired by AOL), Community Connect (acquired by Interactive One), and Transaction Network Services (acquired by GTCR). Prior to DreamIt, he founded Growth Strategy Advisors, a strategy consulting and business development firm. He has also worked directly with AOL leading strategy and business development activities, as a consultant with Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman), and in a previous life as a software developer and core member of the Prodigy Internet development team.
William received his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He also holds BS and MS degrees in Computer Science from North Carolina State University where his research efforts focused on the performance evaluation of high-speed data networks.
Mr. Menkiti is founder and CEO of The Menkiti Group, a values-based real estate services company dedicated to enhancing the fabric of America’s urban communities. He is also the CEO and founding partner of Keller Williams Capital Properties, Washington DC fastest growing residential real estate brokerage.
Prior to forming The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties, Mr. Menkiti served as Chief Operating Officer of College Summit, a national non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the college enrollment rate of low-income students where he oversaw the organization's growth into a multi-site national organization. Mr. Menkiti’s work has been featured in David Bornstein’s book on social entrepreneurs How to Change the World, and in Stephen Goldsmith’s The Power of Social Innovation. Mr. Menkiti also serves on the board of City First Bank, Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors, and Dance Place. Mr. Menkiti is also the chair of the Public Policy Committee for Washington, DC Association of Realtors. Mr. Menkiti is a Graduate of Harvard University.
Politics have been at the center of debate for years in the African American community and openly discussed in various organizations, including churches and educational institutions. The election of the first African American President and the financial crisis has created a new set of challenges. The panel will address these issues, ranging from emerging trends in the American political landscape, the 2012 Presidential Election, and the current state of the Republican Party.
Chike Aguh was born in New Jersey to immigrant parents from rural Nigeria. He attended Tufts University and graduated in 2005 with a degree in Political Science. While at Tufts, he served as student body president as well as a board member of various black student organizations.Upon arrival in New York, he worked in the New York City Department of Education as a New York City Urban Fellow. He worked on alternative high school environments for underprivileged students. From 2006-2008, he taught 2nd grade at Excellence Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the only all boys elementary charter school in New York City as a corps member for Teach For America. Following that, Chike taught English As a Second Language to high school seniors in Thailand as a Fulbright scholar.
In 2010, Chike graduated with a Master’s degree in Education Policy and Management student from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). At HGSE, he was the Coordinator for G.I.V.E.S. (Graduate students Involved in Various Efforts of Service), a policy intern for the Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville and a research assistant on education and innovation for best selling author, Dr. Tony Wagner. In 2010, he worked in the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the United States Department of Education. Currently, he is a joint MBA/MPA student between the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he focuses on strategic management, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he focuses on globalization and innovation. This summer, he was a summer associate with the Washington D.C. office of McKinsey and Company which houses the firm’s Public Sector Office, Social Sector Office and Education Practice.His focus is on how to reimagine the American education system so that all children and citizens, particularly the poorest, are prepared to be innovators in today’s global economy.
Shomik Dutta is a first-year MBA candidate at the Wharton School of the School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to Wharton, Mr. Dutta served as the Special Advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, where he managed the Chairman’s business outreach and executive branch politics. Earlier in his career, Mr. Dutta served as a Special Assistant in the West Wing of the Obama White House. Prior to that, Shomik served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team and had earlier served as Mid-Atlantic Finance Director to the Obama for America campaign. In that capacity, Mr. Dutta oversaw all fundraising operations in the Mid-Atlantic States and raised over $80 million for the Obama Campaign over a two-year period. Prior to that, Mr. Dutta worked for Martin O’Malley’s successful gubernatorial campaign in Maryland and for Matt Brown’s U.S. Senate Campaign in Rhode Island. Mr. Dutta received his bachelor’s degree from Williams College in Economics and Political Science.
Jamal Simmons is one of the most experienced communicators of his generation. He is currently a principal at The Raben Group, a Washington, DC consulting firm, where he provides communications and strategic counsel to corporate and non-profit clients. Regularly featured in the political coverage of every major news organization since 2004, during the 2010 congressional election he was the Democratic political analyst for CBS News and before that a fixture on CNN during the 2008 election.
Traveling with candidate Bill Clinton during his successful 1992 campaign catapulted Jamal into national politics and government and helped him land a political appointment during the first Clinton Administration with U.S. Trade Representative and Commerce Secretary Mickey Kantor. In 2000, he was a communications aide for Vice President Al Gore during his presidential campaign and served as a Gore spokesman in West Palm Beach, Florida during the recount. He has also served as traveling press secretary to presidential candidates Bob Graham and Wesley Clark, campaign communications director for U.S. Senator Max Cleland, and chief of staff to U.S. Representative Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick. Simmons was an advisor to Nevada Democrats and the Democratic National Committee for the 2008 Obama/Biden campaign.
Jamal has extensive international experience. He planned events for the Clinton White House in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, and represented major corporations in China and Latin America. He worked on charity concerts in Rome, Italy and Hamburg, Germany, was a French American Foundation Young Leader, former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been on sponsored educational tours of Indonesia, Taiwan, France and Israel. As a public speaker, organizations across the United States, Canada and Europe, including the German Marshall Fund have invited Simmons to address their members.
A graduate of Morehouse College, where he recently received the Presidential Award of Distinction, Jamal Simmons has a master in public policy degree from Harvard University. His views and opinions have been featured in several major publications such as GQ Magazine, the New York Times and Politico.
Mayor Anthony A. Williams is a Senior Strategic Advisor and Independent Consultant for the Government Affairs practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. He focuses on providing government affairs services to public and private sector clients nationwide.
Mayor Williams served as the fifth mayor of Washington, DC from 1999 to 2007. During his two terms, he was widely credited with leading the District’s financial comeback and improving the performance of its government agencies, all while lowering taxes and investing in infrastructure and human services. Prior to his election, he was the independent chief financial officer of the District, working with and on behalf of local officials, the DC Financial Control Board, and the U.S. Congress. Mayor Williams also worked in a variety of positions in federal, state, and local government, including serving as the first chief financial officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President Bill Clinton.
Mayor Williams is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and former President of the National League of Cities. He currently serves as a Lecturer and faculty member in Public Management at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and as Executive Director of the Government Practice at the Corporate Executive Board. His extensive private sector experience includes serving as CEO of Primum Public Realty Trust and as director of the state and municipal finance and management practice at a law firm.
In addition to his work on company boards, Mayor Williams devotes his attention to education and the environment, serving on the board of Fight for Children and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. He holds numerous honorary degrees and awards, including Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year in 1997.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Mayor Williams is a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church and several social service organizations, including 100 Black Men, Leadership Washington, and the Washington Urban League.
Mayor Williams received his B.A. from Yale University where he graduated magna cum laude. He also holds a M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
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Sponsored by the African American MBA Association of the Wharton School