Community & Guest List
Buwa Binitie is the CEO and Founder of Dumas Collective where he directs the acquisition, development, management, and financial activities of the firm. Under the development division Dantes Partners, Mr. Binitie obtained extensive tax credit financing experience (LIHTC, NMTC and HTC) and has closed on financing from nearly every public capital source available including HOME, HPTF, NSP, CDBG and NIF. Mr. Binitie maintains a narrow focus on creatively structuring deals that strive to address the need of his clients, community stakeholders as well as various government agency partners. By narrowly focusing on efficiently financing community development transactions, Mr. Binitie has been successful in adding value beyond the numbers. His career is underscored by a commitment to creating and preserving affordable and workforce housing. Since founding Dantes Partners, Mr. Binitie and the collective have closed nearly $1.6 billion of unconventional real estate transactions that utilize low-income tax credits, new market tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, and various other forms of alternative financing. Mr. Binitie is the former Chairman of DC Housing Finance Agency Board of Directors and a Board Member of DC Building Industry Association.
Brian defines success as growing more healthy, wealthy, and wise with time. He quit his tech sales job in Silicon Valley to pursue life on his terms, using entrepreneurship as the vehicle. He successfully maintains several businesses but mostly spends his professional time serving as a COO-on-demand for small business owners looking for more time and freedom. He's an avid health and fitness geek, spending his time at a CrossFit box or experimenting with the latest bio-hacks. He's also a Certified Bulletproof Human Potential Coach.
Brad Smith is the founder and CEO of Codeless, a content production company whose content has been highlighted by The New York Times, Business Insider, The Next Web, and thousands more. He is also the cofounder of uSERP, a digital PR company that helps connect its clients with leading SaaS, eCommerce, SEO, tech, business, and marketing sites to boost brand authority. Fast.
Brooke Brown is a female entrepreneur in the DMV area. She is the mid-atlantic battle of the bottle Champion (mixology competition). Her business Top Shelf Mixology, Mixology & Bar Consulting offers alcohol certification, mixology classes, bartending services and bar consulting.
Beth established SmartMouth in Salt Lake City in 2005 to offer Speaker Coaching, Presentation Skills Training, Media Readiness™ Training, and related services. Beth is the author of the award-winning book "Jock Talk: 5 Communication Principles for Leaders as Exemplified by Legends of the Sports World." She is also the creator of the iOS app, SmartMouth Public Speaking Toolkit, and a suite of Communication and Presentation Skills courses offered online through OpenSesame.com and GO1.com. Beth has lectured and taught at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, the University of Utah, and New York University. In 2015, Beth was one of Utah Business Magazine’s "30 Women to Watch.” She has been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, the BBC, The Wall Street Journal and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com.
Barbara Turley is an investor, entrepreneur, and Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub – a company that creates in-house trained and managed virtual assistants for businesses that need to free up time and energy so they can go to the next level. With a strong focus on customized training and ongoing career development, The Virtual Hub's team is trained in cutting-edge programs (like Hubspot, Ontraport, etc.) to best meet their clients’ unique needs in digital marketing, social media, personal assistant services, and administrative support. Barbara is also a mom of 2, wife to her best friend Eti and an adventure lover with a passion for horses, skiing, tennis, and spending time in nature.
Brian Meert is the CEO of AdvertiseMint, a Hollywood based digital advertising agency that specializes in helping successful companies advertise on Facebook. Advertisemint has managed millions of dollars in digital ad spends in entertainment, fashion, finance, and software industries. Brian is also the author of the best selling, The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising, and the innovative The Complete Guide to Digital Advertising Policies infographic. He is a 15-year digital advertising executive and a member of the Forbes Agency Council. Prior to founding Advertisemint, Brian built and sold Gofobo.com, an online ticketing system that revolutionized the entertainment industry and is now utilized by Warner Bros. and Disney.
Growing up in The Bronx, NYC, the middle of three first-generation kids, Brittany Pogue-Mohammed Acosta's mother (of Irish and Scandinavian descent) and her father (who immigrated from Trinidad), both extremely proud people, ensured they knew what their kids were mixed with and that they took equal pride in both sides. Now that her and her husband Daniel (Puerto Rican and Black) have a daughter of their own, Brittany found herself constantly searching for products for her--books, toys and apparel that depicted a variety of skin tones, that spoke to a child who is racially diverse--but all that she found were hair care products. So, she decided to create what she was looking for herself: a site that caters to biracial and multiracial individuals; a community where all mixed race people can share experiences, ask questions and just talk about the unique issues they face as racially diverse individuals. The goal at Mosaic the Label is to enable mixed race individuals to show pride in their mix, to feel seen, to be heard and understood. At Mosaic, they want you to know that it’s good to live in the in-between--you do not have to choose a side. Afterall, it’s the parts that make the whole.
Brian Dawson is the founder of District Flight Deals and DC Tech People. District Flight Deals helps people in the DC area save up to 75% off normal flight costs. DC Tech People is a new business that seeks to bring the DC area tech community together through stories and products made for them.
Beth Dessen Duffy was a Landscape Architecture major for two years before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Education from Cornell University. She began her career at Florida Power and Light Company educating homeowners about how to save money on electric bills. Beth transitioned and became involved in PA state politics and lobbying, educating and discussing pertinent issues. Beth is now a CEO and Entrepreneur and the creator of the Christmas Tree of Kindness App. Beth is sharing their family Christmas tradition with others and hopes to help individuals , families and groups teach and practice kindness by using this app activity.
