SPEAKERS
Baltimore
Operation Ten City
Dr. Bill Winston
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3:00 PM - 3:55 PM
The God Factor
Saturday, November 18
Dr. William S. Winston is the founder and senior pastor of Living Word Christian Center (LWCC), a multicultural, non-denominational, 20,000-member church, LWCC–Tuskegee, Joseph Business School, two shopping malls with multiple retail establishments, Bill Winston Ministries (BWM), a partnership-based global outreach ministry, the Believer’s Walk of Faith TV broadcast, reaching over 800 million households worldwide, and more than 800 national and international churches and ministries under his spiritual covering through Faith Ministries Alliance (FMA).
Dr. Deloris Thomas
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1:45 PM - 2:30 PM
Power to Get Wealth
Saturday, November 18
Dr. Deloris S. Thomas, Ph.D. serves as President of The Joseph Center® executing the vision to eradicate poverty through entrepreneurship. Her responsibilities include the strategic and global operational leadership for the nationally accredited Joseph Business School and its related entities. Dr. Thomas traveled to over 60 countries expanding the flagship entrepreneurial program to 22 locations across six continents, and empowering people to become successful entrepreneurs. Dr. Thomas was selected for a Notable Woman in Education Award in the May 28, 2018 edition of Crain’s Chicago Business among many other honors.
Ray Lewis
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12:50 PM – 1:40 PM
Greatness Unlocked
Saturday, November 18
In 2000 and 2013, Ray Lewis led the Ravens to two Super Bowl titles and took home the 2000 game's MVP honors. Lewis received multiple awards and honors, and achieved several all-time records. He is considered one of the greatest defensive players of all time and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. Lewis is widely considered to be the greatest middle linebacker in NFL history. He was a 13-time Pro Bowler and 10-time All-Pro. Over the course of his career in the NFL, Ray has been able to build several successful businesses as well as being heavily involved in charitable activities. In 2015, Ray became a New York Times Best-Selling Author for his memoir, I Feel Like Going On. When he is not working on his businesses or mentoring youth, Lewis makes guest appearances across all major television networks. In 2022, Lewis competed on the CBS hit show Beyond the Edge to raise money for charity.
Cheryl Jackson
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9:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Youthpreneur
Friday, November 17
Cheryl Jackson, one of the nation's leading media personalities and a trailblazer in the Inspiration brand, created the first Urban Inspiration Radio Station in the United States while programming Heaven 1580 in Washington, DC. (Urban inspiration is a lifestyle-driven music format that fuses Pop, R&B, Gospel and Contemporary Christian music with today's trending news and current affairs, all with an inspirational twist.) As a champion for the gospel and urban inspiration brand, Cheryl has been instrumental in breaking some of the major gospel artists in their quest to establish their careers while coming to the DMV. A 2x Stellar Award winning radio personality herself, Cheryl is the Executive Producer for the nationally syndicated radio show, “Get Up Mornings with Erica Campbell.” Cheryl can be heard on Praise 104.1 FM in Washington, DC and Praise 106.1 FM in Baltimore, MD during her highly-rated radio show, "Cheryl Jackson in the Midday;" and worldwide on Urban One's Inspiration Network.
Mary Denise Davis
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10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Expungement Clinic
Saturday, November 18
Mary Denise Davis has been with the Baltimore City Office of the Public Defender for over 20 years. She has held various positions within the office. She is currently the chief attorney of the pretrial unit. She has worked in the last decade and a half to advocate for reform of the expungement statute. Mary initiated a weekly expungement clinic in the Park Heights neighborhood. She has filed and litigated expungement matters across the State, including filing appeals to the Appellate Court of Maryland. Mary hosted a yearly all day expungement event in East Baltimore that brought service providers together and provided assistance to hundreds of attendees through the assistance of pro bono attorneys.
Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Economic Transformation (powered by the Joseph Center)
Saturday, November 18
Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever is a Media Commentator, Award-Winning Author, Global Speaker, and Race and Gender Empowerment Expert. Dr. Avis is the co-founder of MAXBLACK Media (forthcoming 2024) a digital streaming network focused on maximizing Black political and economic power, and the founder of Media to Millions, a business and media training organization. Formerly, Dr. Avis served as the youngest ever Executive Director of the National Council of Negro Women. She’s also had the honor of being the keynote speaker for President Obama’s Inaugural President of the United States Young African Leaders Summit and has served as a Featured Speaker before the World Bank. She’s also conducted numerous workshops on women’s economic empowerment, political representation, leadership and entrepreneurship on behalf of U.S. Embassies across the globe. Her distinct perspectives have been shared through a variety of major media platforms. She is a prolific writer and author of numerous publications and a member of multiple boards.
Ted Carter
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Economic Transformation (powered by the Joseph Center)
Saturday, November 18
Ted Carter is the Founder/CEO of The SI3 Group, a consulting company focused on creating value at the intersection of government, community, and business. SI3 builds on his 25 years of leadership experience at the highest levels of government, business, and non-profit sectors. With a multi-sector background that spans seven mayors across six major cities, Ted elevates teams through collaboration, communication, and commitment. His unique ability to produce results with teams in complex environments has contributed to more than $2 billion in real estate, economic, and community development projects. Ted has extensive experience in the public sector, having served at the federal, state, and local levels, and is the recipient of multiple awards. Ted served as Deputy Mayor for Community and Economic Development for the City of Baltimore in which he oversaw 14 agencies and a $1 billion budget. He led equitable neighborhood development and revitalization for the City, overseeing housing, planning, workforce, tourism, and economic development.
Shelonda Stokes
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Economic Transformation (powered by the Joseph Center)
Saturday, November 18
Shelonda Stokes is the President of Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Executive Director of the Downtown Management Authority. She leads these two, multi-million-dollar organizations with the common goal of making Downtown Baltimore a destination of choice. Under Shelonda’s leadership, Downtown Partnership has more than doubled the organization’s revenues and served as a catalyst for the State of Maryland’s relocation of 12 Agencies and $50M commitment to the Central Business District. Shelonda is also credited with the creation of BOOST, a new minority business program that fosters small business growth while increasing equitable occupancy in vacant storefronts. Shelonda has co-chaired a number of Mayor’s task forces and community initiatives, and is the recipient of more than 85 community and professional awards. As a respected thought leader, she serves as a critical advisor to an elite list of Fortune 100 CEOs, elected officials, and other dignitaries.
Antoine Thompson
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Economic Transformation (powered by the Joseph Center)
Saturday, November 18
Antoine M. Thompson is a nationally recognized leader and housing, diversity, and urban policy expert. He is the Executive Director of Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition, a public-private partnership of the Washington, DC Metro Area promoting the use of clean, American transportation fuels for homeland security, improved air quality, equity and environmental justice. He has had a significant public service career in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. His positions have included election to Buffalo Common Council where he authored the Buffalo’s Fair Housing Law, the Minority and Women Business Enterprise Inclusion Law and secured over $75 million for community development projects. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 2006 and 2008 and served as the Senate Deputy Majority Whip and the first African-American Chair of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation, and Co-Chair of the Senate Minority and Woman Business Enterprise Task Force. He authored the NYS MWBE Mentor/Protégé Law.
Orville Bailey
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Unlock the Power of AI for Your Small Business
Saturday, November 18
As Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of EqualLevel, Orville Bailey is responsible for overall company strategy, business development, and sales and marketing. Orville has an extensive background in eCommerce, B2B spend management, and corporate leadership. Prior to EqualLevel, he co-founded and served as CEO for B2eMarkets, a pioneer and leader in the enterprise eSourcing market. During his tenure at B2eMarkets, Orville helped raise over $60 million in venture investment, across four rounds of funding, and led the company to a successful exit to VerticalNet in 2004. Prior to B2eMarkets, Orville served as Vice President of Commercial Operations for GE’s joint venture with Thomas Publishing, TPNRegister, an early leader in B2B Spend Management. As an executive with GE, Orville led many early eCommerce initiatives, most notably in the areas of procurement, supply chain management, and strategic sourcing.
Troy Stovall
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Unlock the Power of AI for Your Small Business
Saturday, November 18
Troy A. LeMaile-Stovall, CEO of TEDCO—Maryland’s $200M+ AUM, 60M+ operating budget, $2.5B impact, 1.4 TVPI, economic engine for technology companies—leads the organization’s mission to support economic empowerment through the cultivation of a diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. An accomplished and award-winning Chief Experience Officer with significant experience in leading and implementing strategic plans via strong coaching and a focus on metrics, Troy has led or co-led over $3B in debt and equity offerings. Troy founded the management consulting firm LeMaile-Stovall, LLC and co-founded GulfSouth Capital, the family investment/venture capital office for U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and SkyTel founder John N. Palmer, where he served as the first President and CEO. His previous positions include serving as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the University of the District of Columbia, Interim President of Zenith Education Group; Principal at Butler Snow Advisory Services; Executive Vice President and COO of Howard University; and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Jackson State University, where he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall HBCU CFO of the Year.
Minh Nguyen
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Unlock the Power of AI for Your Small Business
Saturday, November 18
Minh Nguyen, Founder, President and CEO, Millennium Enterprise Corp., leverages key technology to offer solutions to Federal and state governments, and academia while maintaining vigilance of broad spectrum of technological advances from visualization tools and cyber security to blockchain and bitcoin. Minh also leads R&D efforts to capture potential and opportunities for public, private, and academic sectors, and supervises a staff of 40. He created STEM pathways of study for pre-K through 12th grades, focusing on virtual reality, aerospace fabrication, and FAA-certified drones. Minh possesses five patents, and has been recognized by the media for inventiveness, technology management, and service quality. Minh created an augmented reality application, ForeverBlu, to connect, educate, and engage potential voters for Stacey Abrams in Georgia State’s 2018 governor’s race. The app brought in more voters, including 15,000 new voters. The app was also used to help Justin Fairfax become the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2018.
Sharon Stewart
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Unlock the Power of AI for Your Small Business
Saturday, November 18
Sharon Stewart has served as the Information Technology Director at Living Word Christian Center and its related entities for the past 17 years. With 25 years of computer systems experience, Sharon has also worked as a Systems Financial Analyst, Network Analyst, Systems Manager, and Information Technology Director at other companies before joining Living Word in 2006.
Luke Cooper
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Pathway to Prosperity: Principles of Wealth Building
Saturday, November 18
Luke Cooper is the General Partner and Founder of Latimer Ventures. A JD/MBA from Syracuse and Babson, he is a multi-exited founder and M&A specialist. Early in his career, he achieved more than a quarter of a billion dollars of transactions as a corporate attorney at DLA Piper and in-house counsel with State Farm. He went on to build two, VC-backed enterprise software companies, exiting both for 8-figure, all cash deals to Fortune 300 buyers, the most recent one occurring in late 2020. Mr. Cooper is a product of abject poverty growing up in Bridgeport Connecticut with a father in prison. He knows firsthand the importance of wealth creation and how to achieve it for the diverse unicorns he interacts with daily. One of Mr. Cooper’s core values can be summed up in the Latin phrase... Esse Quam Videri... which means ‘to be, rather than to seem.’
Sherri Reid
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Pathway to Prosperity: Principles of Wealth Building
Saturday, November 18
Sherri Reid, Educational Services Director & Lead Faculty of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, oversees and manages a dynamic business education program that focuses on nurturing, empowering, and providing growth-oriented entrepreneurs with the skills and training required to successfully grow their businesses to the next level. In addition, she is Founder and CEO of Roots & Bloom, a successful skincare venture that was established in 2020 during the pandemic. Prior to this, Sherri held several prominent roles within the financial services industry, raising assets and managing clients for leading money management firms, including Old Mutual Investment Management, INVESCO, Denver Investments, and Advent Capital Management. She was also Vice President of Institutional Research Sales at Merrill Lynch’s World Financial Center in New York where she marketed the firm’s Research, IPO’s and secondary offerings to Portfolio Managers and Analysts.
Syreeta Johnson
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Seven Steps to Winning Government Contracts
Saturday, November 18
Syreeta Johnson, CEO of Redd Solutions, leads the organization with a strategic vision that has propelled it to remarkable financial success. With a career spanning over two decades in the IT field, Syreeta's journey is characterized by her unique ability to blend analytical rigor with creative ingenuity. At the helm of Redd Solutions, Syreeta is dedicated to advancing technology modernization initiatives across federal, state, and local government agencies, while fostering productive collaborations with private sector partners. Recognized as a subject matter expert in Microsoft Solutions, Syreeta possesses a remarkable talent for distilling complex business requirements into cutting-edge technological strategies and solutions. Throughout her career, she has led high-impact projects ranging from multimillion-dollar to half-billion-dollar ventures, significantly enhancing the operational capabilities of the U.S. federal government's three-tiered structure. Syreeta Johnson is not only a trailblazer in the corporate world but also a transformative force within the technology and government contracting sectors.
Chris Hollingsworth
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Seven Steps to Winning Government Contracts
Saturday, November 18
Chris Hollingsworth is the Director of the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) at the Joseph Center. Previously he was responsible for overseeing NORBIC’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center. NORBIC was a regional economic development organization that promoted job growth through professional and technical services to small businesses with a particular focus on manufacturing Chris assisted Northern Illinois companies with improving their current government procurement initiatives; including, solicitation/RFP analysis, proposal creation assistance, market research, contract administration assistance, and customized computerized bid matching service. With an extensive background in sales and marketing in the consumer product goods and foodservice equipment sectors of business, he gained knowledge of developing and implementing government marketing strategies within these market segments through initiating and negotiating General Service Administration (GSA) contracts and pricing with a variety of government agencies.
Antonio Doss
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Seven Steps to Winning Government Contracts
Saturday, November 18
Antonio Doss, Director, Field Policy Office of Field Operations, U.S. Small Business Administration, serves as a principal advisor to the Associate Administrator for the Office of Field Operations where he formulates strategies and policies that strengthen small business support and promotes economic impact. He works closely with the Agency’s 68 district offices and 10 regional offices providing guidance and oversight in the development of equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems. Prior to this role, Mr. Doss served as Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development where he advocated for procurement policy changes that supported equity-based contracting reforms and was a catalyst for strategic changes in programs that contributed to record highs in federal spending with small disadvantaged businesses.
Paul Taylor
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4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Seven Steps to Winning Government Contracts
Saturday, November 18
Paul E. Taylor, Director, Small Business Resource Center, Mayor’s Office of Small and Minority Business Advocacy & Development, serves on the Mayor’s cabinet and manages the strategic direction and daily operations of the Center. Paul has worked to build the ecosystem to support the small business community by supporting access to capital initiatives, technical assistance support systems, programs to provide access to markets and human capital development. Paul also advises the administration on policies that support minority, women, and small business development. Through his leadership, he has worked with the past administration to double the resources of the Small Business Resource Center and launched Baltimore Source Link (an online resource) to connect entrepreneurs to the City and State programs. Paul has received many prestigious awards and served on numerous community boards.