Anya Ayoung Chee

Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur & Activist

Anya Ayoung Chee is a Trinidadian fashion designer, entrepreneur, activist, and winner of Project Runway Season 9. In 2008 she competed at the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam for her native Trinidad and Tobago, during which she had the opportunity to design some of her wardrobe. In 2009 she launched her first collection Pilar, named after her younger brother. Several years later, Anya inspired millions when she won the 9th season of the popular US television series, Project Runway. She then launched her eponymous womenswear line geared toward the resort wear market.

In recent years Anya retreated from designing her own clothing line in order to open and manage a co-working space (HOME), boutique (Exhibit A) and cafe (HOME Cafe) in Trinidad. The Anya Ayoung Chee - Limited Edition brand, marks her return to designing a line of her own. 

Kalilah Wright

CEO, MESS in a Bottle

Kalilah Wright, born in Jamaica W.I., migrated to the United States at the tender age of 4 and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. As an accomplished designer and trained architect, she used her Masters degree from Morgan State University and Bachelors of Arts from Penn State University to establish the brand in January 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. 

The Mess in a Bottle brand was established to evoke change, question Kalilah’s audience and allow individuals wearing their messages to be vocal without saying anything at all. Mess in a Bottle has collaborated with numerous brands and created limited edition capsule collections with Warner Brothers Studios for their movie The Kitchen, YouTube, Roc Nation artist Rapsody, The TLC Network, BET, Google, and Target for their Black History Month collection. Celebrities such as Viola Davis, Serena Williams, Luvvie Ajayi, Lena Waithe, Yvonne Orji and more are all proud supporters of Mess in a Bottle.

Jude Bernard

Real Estate Developer, Consultant & Philantropist

Over the last two decades, Jude Bernard has become a well-documented entrepreneur through his impressive real estate portfolio and other successful businesses. With over $100M of personal real estate transactions under his belt, his name is highly recognized and respected in the real estate industry and his local community.

Jude Bernard currently wears the multiple hats of a Licensed Real Estate Broker, Licensed General Contractor, Real Estate Developer, Business Consultant, Landlord, Public Speaker, Philanthropist and Financial Empowerment Educator. He has received numerous awards and accolades for not only his community work, but excelling in business. Jude recognizes that his personal journey has not been a straight elevator ride up. He prides himself on learning from mistakes and bouncing back from numerous setbacks.

Wanda Tima

CEO/Founder, L’UNION SUITE

In 2011, Wanda Tima co-founded “The Haitian-American” the Facebook page quickly grew to over 100k fans while averaging 5 Million views weekly. Today, L’union Media Group, LLC’s “L’union Suite” is home to the largest internet media company and website serving the Haitian community and one of the leading platforms for Haitian diasporas and millennials with over 450,000 subscribers and a reach of 5-15 million weekly. The platform offers trending, celebrity, lifestyle and local news on an hourly basis, yearly celebrity fundraising events, monthly Facebook live shows, a celebrity and entertainment YouTube series titled “FAVZ,” monthly podcast shows, and her team have traveled inside and outside of Haiti covering events working with Haitian celebrities like Karen Civil, Pierre Garcon, Andre Berto, Mackenzie Alexandre, Mona Scott-Young highlighting the best of the best of Haiti and the Haitian culture. L’union Suite have also covered or partnered with brands to cover events such as the Super bowl, HBO/Showtime Boxing Matches, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, BET Hip-hop Awards, The Oscars Griot Gala and the Emmys. Wanda Tima and L’union Suite have been featured on Forbes, Black Enterprise, Polo Lifestyle, WLRN, NPR, BET, VH1’s Black Ink New York and more.

Camille Hastick

Office of the State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli

Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Camille Hastick is a proud NYU graduate who has served in various industries including over 15 years at the Bank of New York Mellon, subsequently at NYC Department of Small Business Services and for a short while she was also employed at the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce as Vice President of Programs and Services/Chief of Staff.  She sits on the Brooklyn Navy Yard Board and is currently employed at the Office of the State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli as the Brooklyn Regional Director. Her territory covers 2-7 million people in the borough.  

She is also a Minority Woman Business owner and Entrepreneur leading a management consultant business, Camille Hastick Consulting, which focuses on small business owners in the not for profit and private business sectors across industries helping businesses build capacity and scale up to the next level.   

Renee Hastick-Motes

Vice President of External Affairs & President of the St. John’s ICARE Hospital Foundation

Renee Hastick-Motes is the Vice President of External Affairs and President of the St. John’s ICARE Hospital Foundation.  Ms. Hastick-Motes is responsible for developing and implementing the hospital’s government and external relations strategy, and oversees marketing, communications, philanthropy, grant acquisition efforts and Pastoral Care. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Hofstra University, teaching in the Lawrence Herbert School of Communications in the department of Journalism, Media Studies and Public Relations. Throughout her career, Ms. Hastick-Motes has held various leadership positions including Associate Vice President of Community and Government Affairs for one of New York City’s largest human service agencies. In this capacity, she led an advisory committee that was pivotal in changing the NYC Health Penal Law, worked with local community groups to advocate and resolve issues around the stigma of mental health, and created programming to heighten the agency’s profile. Ms. Hastick-Motes also served as the Special Assistant & Policy Analyst at the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.

Roxie Digital

NYC Radio Personality

Roxie Digital is currently a syndicated host on SoundChat Radio Networks which broadcasts live on 93.5FM NY's Caribbean Voice, Adjunct Professor at Iona College in New Rochelle , & Doctoral student at her alma mater, St. John's University Queens Campus. From her time at the legendary platforms WWRL 1600AM to WBLS 107.5FM, she has most sought out NYC event host, keynote speaker, and leader in community activism. Growing up in a strict Caribbean household, Roxie proudly embraces her culture and uses that proud to catapult her into her lifetime work of owning media in her family's native country of Haiti. In 2017, Roxie was awarded a citation from the Brooklyn Borough President, Eric L. Adams recognizing her work with her initiative the #NoDisrespectCampaign motivating her work with youth in public speaking and entrepreneurship, and leading to the creation of her own nonprofit called “Self-I-See.” Additionally, Roxie is a recipient of the Power Women in Business, Top 25 Women in Sales and Marketing and Rising Star B.E.L.L (Bring Excellence at a Local Level) Award.

Furthermore, Roxie is a former on-air personality and has been heard on legendary New York radio stations like 95.5 PLJ, Radio 103.9, WBAI 99.5, 107.5 WBLS, WWRL 1600AM, 102.3 WBAB and 106.1 WBLI just to name a few. With her 15+ combined years of experience in the radio and public speaking arenas, Roxie continues to use her voice to be the change she wants to see.

Marc Farrell

CEO, Ten to One

Marc Farrell is a proud Trinidadian, and the Founder and CEO of Ten To One Rum. Marc’s unique combination of deep cultural ties to Caribbean culture and intimate knowledge of the U.S. consumer market, have propelled him to help elevate the conversation around rum, and bring an inspired, award-winning product to market. Prior to launching Ten To One Rum, Marc most recently held a number of roles at Starbucks as its youngest Vice President, leading the eCommerce business, U.S. Retail Lobby and Beverage Innovation, during his tenure. He was recruited to join the executive team after a serendipitous meeting with Howard Schultz, the company’s Founder and CEO. This followed earlier professional stints at Fidelity Equity Partners and Bain & Co. Farrell attended MIT at age 16, followed by Cambridge University and Harvard Business School. Throughout his career, Marc has been focused on bringing unique products and experiences to life through a combination of digital and real-world channels, and continues to put this in practice in his entrepreneurial ventures today. Today he is an active angel investor and on the board of Wheels Up.

Ronnie Tomlinson

CEO, Destine Media

Ronnie Tomlinson is the CEO of Destine Media, the premier Caribbean artist Public Relations and Management Company, which has emerged as a PR powerhouse for her innovative perspectives on Public Relations and Media Management.

Living in New York City, the proud Jamaican spends her time serving as a mentor for new artists looking to gain exposure in the early stages of their career through teaching them strategies and techniques on how to create, build an expand their personal brand. Managing the narrative for artists such as Mavado, Jimmy Cliff,  Konshens, Shaggy, Kabaka Pyramid, Hoodcelebriyty, Taurus Riley, Buju Banton, Ghetto Youths Intl (label of Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley) and recently added Sean Paul. Ronnie has been able to package and promote artists through creating strategic opportunities of cross-promoting the artists as well as reggae music in different markets. Through this unique approach of public relation she has been able to secure regional endorsement deals with Pepsi, Monster and Johnnie Walker valued at over $1 million dollars.

Rondel Holder

Senior Vice President of Content & Diversity Initiatives, NYC & Company

Rondel Holder is Senior Vice President of Content & Diversity Initiatives at NYC & Company, where his main function is developing content around the stories of Black and Brown New Yorkers and leading DEI strategy across departments. Aside from his role here at the company, Rondel is also CEO and Founder of Soul Society 101, a content platform dedicated to a community of over 100,000 Black travelers. Rondel has been featured in the New York Times, New York Daily News, BET, Essence Magazine, TV One and more.

Jasmine Lawrence

CEO/Founder, EDEN BodyWorks

Jasmine Lawrence serves as a Senior Product Manager at Everyday Robots. Prior to this, she held a number of positions creating consumer-focused products for companies like Facebook, Softbank Robotics America, and Microsoft.

Jasmine is also the Founder of EDEN BodyWorks. Devastated by the harsh chemical products, 11-year-old Jasmine sought to develop her own solution to losing most of her hair. Jasmine used her allowance and love of math and science to create a hair oil to help regrow her hair. At the age of 13, after attending an NFTE BizCamp, Jasmine founded EDEN BodyWorks to share her creations with the world and meet the need for affordable, natural hair and body care products that really work.

Over the years the company has expanded from her original creation to over 50 products to meet the needs of curly-haired women across the globe. After more than 17 years in business, the products are available at retailers nationwide including Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Amazon.com, HEB, and Sally Beauty Supply Store just to name a few. She’s been featured in news outlets such as the New York Times, the Oprah Winfrey Show, on the Forbes 30 under 30 List, and recently on Inc Magazine’s 2021 Female Founders list.

Helena Faustin

Food Entrepreneur & Digital Creator, That Nurse Can Cook

In her day job, Helena Faustin is a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse living in Freeport, New York. In her off hours, she’s spent the past four years running That Nurse Can Cook, a hugely popular food blog.

Her passion for cooking developed at the age of 15 and she has since spent years perfecting her craft. On her blog, she shares video recipes full of traditional herbs and spices native to the Caribbean.

“JAY UPSCALE” MAGRAS

CEO, JUMP

“Jay Upscale” is the founder of an umbrella firm that overseas several ventures across marketing, event production, education, building services and more.  His event and marketing firm JUMP curates, and produces large scale events globally alongside assisting event brands increase their scale of production and overall profitability.  To date, he continues to produce some of NYC’s largest urban events at premier venues such as Capitale, Terminal 5, Brooklyn Mirage and Coney Art Walls. A few of his most notable clients and artistes include: Wiz Kid, Cardi B, Shensea, Machel Montano, Bounty Killa etc.

He is also the Co-Founder of the Gateway Academy network - two schools located in NYC serving students from diverse communities. 

In 2019 Jermaine was the recipient of the YGB Business Man of  the Year Award and a City Proclamation from the Borough President of Brooklyn, NY. Before becoming an entrepreneur,  Jay served as an analyst at financial giant Goldman Sachs for 6 years where he honed numerous skills. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Finance,  Economics and Business Management from Pace University. 

DJ SPICE

DJ & Founder, TEAM SOCA

DJ Spice currently plays around the world promoting Soca and Calypso, the music of his country Trinidad and Tobago. When in Trinidad, you can find him on the Slam 100.5fm & vibe ct 105.1 fm, and in New York City you can find him at various clubs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens (Tri-state area). DJ Spice is the creator of TeamSoca.com; the #1 Soca radio station & clothing line in the world and the CEO of the Mills Brothers Sound System DJ Service. The Mills Brothers Sound System is a full service disc jockey entertainment company providing entertainment for the world with over 40 years in the business.

Kadion Preston

CEO, Caribshopper

Kadion Preston is the Co-Founder and CEO of Caribshopper, an ecommerce platform that allows Caribbean merchants to sell their products to consumers globally. Before devoting his work full-time to Caribshopper, Kadion served as co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at tech company Sonicloop Networks.

In addition to being a Techstars Graduate of the Atlanta program in 2018, Kadion also holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Hunter College. Kadion’ s technology tenure also spans decades of providing solutions for various industries from Wall Street to Healthcare including, Spectrum Capital Partner, TD Waterhouse, Plaza Health Network, and Yahoo. Kadion also sits as chair of the Miami Dade Trade & Logistic Committee.

Since its launch in January 2021, Caribshopper has shipped over 9,300 products to 48 states in the USA, as well as Quebec and Ontario in Canada. The platform proudly features over 6300 SKUs from 450+ brands representing both Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown

Founder, Breadfruit Media & Carry On Friends The Podcast

Jamaican-born Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown is known for her trail-blazing work in the Caribbean podcast community. She is founder of Carry On Friends The Caribbean American Podcast which she uses to bridge the gap between the two cultures that have shaped her and so many of her listeners. The Podcast has been featured in Apple Podcasts and has the distinction of being the only show featured that specifically targets the Caribbean American audience. Carry On Friends is where "Caribbean Culture. American Life." is explored and celebrated.

Kerry-Ann is also the founder of Breadfruit Media, which she launched in 2018. Breadfruit Media develops and produces content on a variety of topics that reflect the interests, diversity and experiences of Caribbean Americans. Breadfruit Media produced shows include Strictly Facts: A Guide to Caribbean History & Culture as well as Style & Vibes Podcast. When Kerry-Ann isn’t producing or recording episodes, she’s building a community with the Caribbean Podcast Directory —a growing list of podcasts created by people of Caribbean heritage whether in the region or in the diaspora.

Nicole & Mike Nicholas

Co-Owners, DIEM & Aunts et Uncles

Married couple Nicole and Mike Nicholas are serial entrepreneurs with extensive experience in fashion and hospitality industries. Drawing from Nicole’s background in hospitality and music as a former bartender and concert promoter, plus the couple’s vegan journey over the past three years, they opened Aunts et Uncles last October. Aunts et Uncles is a Flatbush oasis which offers vegan cuisine and a retail experience with clothing, books, indie mags, candles, stationery and other lifestyle items, all encased in warm, bright interior design and eclectic music.

They previously owned the Flatbush retail store and clothing brand Brooklyn Sky before they launched their current fashion line DIEM in 2014.

Paula Edgar, Esq.

CEO, PGE Consulting Group LLC

Paula T. Edgar, Esq. is CEO of PGE Consulting Group LLC, a firm that provides training and education solutions at the intersection of professional development and diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Paula is an engaging keynote speaker and facilitator, conducting live and virtual presentations for clients across industries using her Engage Your Hustle™ method.  Paula develops customized programming, and her areas of diversity expertise include unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, and allyship. Her professional development skill set includes personal branding, relationship building, and mentor/sponsor best practices. 

Paula received her B.A. in Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton, and her J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law. 

Abby Charles

CEO/Founder & Creative Director, Bene Caribe

Abby Charles is a senior public health professional who currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Trinidad & Tobago Diaspora Association’s Network, a network of associations and organizations aimed at advancing the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora in the US and propelling Trinidad and Tobago toward its National goals.

She is also the Founder/Creative Director of Bene Caribe, a fashion brand born in Trinidad and Tobago and made in the Caribbean for people who want to make an impact. In her full-time role, Abby serves as a Director at the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI), The public health institute for Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Representing the Caribbean at all times, Abby founded and serves as curator of "District of the Caribbean" where she highlights the contributions of Caribbean people and businesses to the advancement of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

She also presently serves on the board of The Well Project, the Bishop Anstey High School Alumnae Association of Washington, DC, as the co-chair of the Ending the HIV epidemic scientific working group of the DC Center for AIDS Research, and on the community advisory board of GW Cancer Center.

Christopher Williams

Founder, Heart, Body & Soul (The Black Man’s Health Festival)

Christopher Williams is Founder of Heart, Body & Soul (The Black Man’s Health Festival) and Associate Publisher of WhereItzAt Magazine, a NYC based, family-owned media company. He has over 25 years of experience in media, financial services, recruitment and project management. He began his career as a radio engineer alongside his father, who mentored him in the media and communications industry. He continues to provide expertise in the areas of media and event production via his company Rockstone Media Group. He also serves as an advisor to various New York startups and recently served as a board member of Digital Diversity Network (DDN), a non-profit, whose mission is to advance diversity, create access and champion inclusion within the digital and technology sectors. In addition to his work with DDN, Chris is an advisory board member of the Jumaane Omar Stewart Foundation, a local nonprofit which provides scholarships to graduating high school students of Black/African descent, majoring in architecture at an accredited college/university.

Robert Fortune

CEO/Founder, Fortune Advisory

Fortune Advisory was founded by owner Robert Fortune in 2017. He was born in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrant parents in 1981. He saw his parents build their own American dream from hard work, dedication and continued education. Robert was brought up to know right from wrong, treat everyone how you want to be treated and learn from not only your mistakes but those of others. Today his Investment Advisory & Consulting businesses focus on financial literacy, generational wealth & financial freedom. He’s worked at major firms such as JPMorgan & HSBC Securities as well as brokerage houses on Wall St.