Community & Guest List
Dr. Roshawnna Novellus is the Founder and CEO of EnrichHER, a FinTech platform that is disrupting traditional and predatory lending terms through its credit model and lending environment. EnrichHER connects revenue-generating women-led companies seeking up to $250,000 with accredited, non-accredited and institutional lenders who want to earn cash flow while fueling the growth of women-led businesses. Roshawnna served on the Commission on Women for the City of Atlanta and was honored as one of the Women Who Means Business by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, one of the 40 Under 40 by Georgia Trend, a Halcyon Fellow for Social Impact, one of the Top 25 Disruptors and Innovators in Tech, and one of the 27 Black Founders and Investors to watch in 2019 by PItchBook.
Patrick Harrison is a Kinesiologist and designer of the CoreChair. His first successful business focused on the design of specialized seating solutions for individuals who were dependent on wheelchairs for mobility. In 2008, Patrick leveraged this experienced-based knowledge to create the CoreChair, an active sitting solution for deskbound employees. He has become a source of knowledge for individuals and corporations to identify health risks manifesting as back pain and metabolic disorders and to implement solutions in the workplace
Anna Lundberg is the founder of One Step Outside, where she helps experienced professionals around the world design a career, a business and a lifestyle that brings them more freedom, flexibility and fulfilment - outside of the conventional 9 to 5. Ex-Oxford, ex-P&G, today she combines her experience in global branding and digital marketing roles with her training in coaching and positive psychology techniques to help people reimagine the next phase of their career. She is the host of the Reimagining Success podcast and author of Leaving the Corporate 9 to 5: Stories from people who’ve done it (and how you can too!).
Crystal is the owner and Principal Attorney at The Gaines Firm, LLC, a boutique law firm offering services in family law and business law for the entrepreneur and small business. She is a Virginia native, yet no stranger to the DMV area. She is a two-time graduate of The Norfolk State University and received her law degree from The University of Baltimore School of Law. Outside of work, Crystal is a member of The First Baptist Church of Glenarden and enjoys community service, spending time with her family, and having brunch with her friends.
Anela Malik is the food writer and advocate behind local blog Feed the Malik. Anela is best known for her advocacy for restaurants owned by marginalized peoples, particularly Black-owned restaurants. She created a widely used directory of Black-owned restaurants open in the DC area and has been working to match Black-owned restaurants with free services to help them survive and thrive during the pandemic.
Halelly Azulay is CEO & leadership development strategist at TalentGrow LLC. An expert in leadership, communication skills, emotional intelligence, and authentic networking, Halelly develops leaders that people *want* to follow. She is the author of two books, Employee Development on a Shoestring and Strength to Strength. She offers actionable leadership insights and advice as a sought-after speaker and workshop leader as well as on her blog and her leadership podcast, the TalentGrow Show.
Marcia Moran has written over fifty business plans and helped entrepreneurs strategize over how to differentiate their companies in changing environments. Her twenty-plus years of experience helping other entrepreneurs caused her to found her own firm, Performance Architect, in 2012 and co-founded Positive Business DC that same year. After suffering a major stroke in 2014, Marcia applied her skills in planning and strategy as she strived to become whole. Over time she learned to walk again, but Marcia struggled with aphasia, a language disorder. She joined Toastmasters International hoping to regain her speaking abilities, and it helped some, but in August 2017 she discovered a technological breakthrough that minimized her speaking disability. Let's hear from Marcia what coming back from the stroke was like.
Summer Shine found her calling when she had just six months sober from a life long addiction to drugs and alcohol; a juice bar. Luna Juice Bar in Waco, TX had humble beginnings with low start up capitol and one employee. Shine worked hard to turn her small business into a thriving food truck located at Magnolia Silo's, a hip store front on Austin Ave and over half a million dollars in sale last year. She now employees women in the early stages of recovery. In 2015, she and her husband, Ronnie started a recovery house for women in Waco and now serve between 25-30 women annually. Shine is the mother to her best friend and road dog, 21 year-old, Haigon.
Ron Curtis is a author, Credit Repair Consultant , and Co-Founder of a Non- Profit called First Base Inc. He is natural born leader and also a serial entrepreneur who has a passion for helping others. He aspires to teach as many people as he can about financial Literacy.
Graduate of Winthrop University with bachelors in Political Science, Economic, and Social Science. Started out as a bookkeeper for my father's recycle bumper-cover business; which, is now 6 figures with projections of 7 within the next 1-2 years. Learned more about accounting and finance while working at an investment firm ran by foreign investors who invested in the federal government through the EB 5 program. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and have been in business for myself since 2018! My goal is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs build a recession-proof business while financial strategizing multiple business endeavors.
