Brandon is the CEO and Founder of Parkes Philanthropy, a social impact consulting firm, managing over 90+ years of collective experience. Parkes Philanthropy is dedicated to equip the non-profits, corporations and individuals with the ideas and resources and support they need to positively impact the world.
He previously served as a Senior Consultant for Bridge Philanthropic Consulting LLC, nations largest African-American fundraising firm. Prior, he was the Nonprofit Engagement Manager at CariClub, an AI tech company that connects young professionals to leadership roles on nonprofit boards.
He has formerly worked in a corporate philanthropic capacity for companies such as Morgan Stanley and Toyota.
Through these professional titles, he gained experience supporting effective philanthropic strategy that increases social impact, external/internal engagement and nonprofit capacity building. He was humbled to be named one of CauseArtists’s “20 Inspiring African Americans Impacting the World Through Social Impact & Social Innovation,” named one of Startup Boost’s NYC 33 under 33, and has been featured in several publications such as Black Enterprise, Blavity, Nonprofit Technology News, and Blacks in Technology. It’s Brandon’s passion to empower any constituent looking to make a positive social impact on the world.
He previously served as a Senior Consultant for Bridge Philanthropic Consulting LLC, nations largest African-American fundraising firm. Prior, he was the Nonprofit Engagement Manager at CariClub, an AI tech company that connects young professionals to leadership roles on nonprofit boards.
He has formerly worked in a corporate philanthropic capacity for companies such as Morgan Stanley and Toyota.
Through these professional titles, he gained experience supporting effective philanthropic strategy that increases social impact, external/internal engagement and nonprofit capacity building. He was humbled to be named one of CauseArtists’s “20 Inspiring African Americans Impacting the World Through Social Impact & Social Innovation,” named one of Startup Boost’s NYC 33 under 33, and has been featured in several publications such as Black Enterprise, Blavity, Nonprofit Technology News, and Blacks in Technology. It’s Brandon’s passion to empower any constituent looking to make a positive social impact on the world.
Bofta Yimam is an Emmy® & Murrow Award-Winning Journalist, DC-based News Correspondent, International Speaker and Executive Coach. She was recently honored with the Asian-African Chamber of Commerce & Industry International Leadership Award and the Black Business Review’s Top 40 Under 40 Professionals Award. From London to Africa, Bofta has also captured global crowds with her dynamic style and presence.
From teenage depression to an award-winning broadcasting career — including reporting from the White House and Capitol Hill — to building a successful business from scratch, Bofta works to inspire others that anything is possible. She firmly believes that adversity has its advantages and there’s incredible power in owning your story — that’s what her clients learn to embrace, too. Bofta helps change agents and industry transformers increase their confidence, develop their compelling story, deeply connect with audiences and speak their mission!
From teenage depression to an award-winning broadcasting career — including reporting from the White House and Capitol Hill — to building a successful business from scratch, Bofta works to inspire others that anything is possible. She firmly believes that adversity has its advantages and there’s incredible power in owning your story — that’s what her clients learn to embrace, too. Bofta helps change agents and industry transformers increase their confidence, develop their compelling story, deeply connect with audiences and speak their mission!
Brittany Diego is a fashion stylist based in Los Angeles with extensive experience working with a diverse range of A-list celebrities and companies including JustFab, MTV, Fox Studios, The CW and more.
However, it wasn’t until she established herself as a stylist, that she saw an opportunity to serve millennials in need of career development and professional guidance.
By applying the same strategies Brittany used to get hired at top fashion companies, Fashion Mentor provides aspiring stylists and designers with the tools, resources, and knowledge to lead successful careers in the fashion industry.
However, it wasn’t until she established herself as a stylist, that she saw an opportunity to serve millennials in need of career development and professional guidance.
By applying the same strategies Brittany used to get hired at top fashion companies, Fashion Mentor provides aspiring stylists and designers with the tools, resources, and knowledge to lead successful careers in the fashion industry.
Brian is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and angel investor. Brian currently serves as Chairman of Gillware, which provides cyber risk assessments, data recovery, incident response, and digital forensics services. He is a co-founder of Phoenix Nuclear Labs and served on PNL’s board from inception to when it decided to spin-off SHINE Medical Technologies. Those two companies have raised over 100 million dollars of venture capital and employ hundreds of people in Wisconsin.
Bethany Quinn is the Founder and CEO of Street Investors Exchange (SIEX), which aims to move the needle on diversity in early-stage investment by enabling institutional investment in startups. She also runs SIEX (SIGH-ex) Paths, where she helps clients achieve wild success in the gig economy. Before that, she worked at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on their private equity campaign and as a Legislative Assistant, and did a fellowship at SoGal Ventures. She has a BA from the University of Miami and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University.
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.
Barbara Wittmann, The Trusted CIO Advisor, makes IT simple, sage, and strategic. The award-winning author of Meetings in Moccasins, Barbara helps organizations with effective digital transformation, smarter global expansion, and leveraged IT. Today’s IT Leaders need to communicate well among departments & teams… AND do it with a sensitivity to culture, values, marketing, and customer-centricity. Barbara supports them to balance operational excellence and innovation. She helps mitigate risk in digital change and establishes a Shared Mental Model for sustainable growth.
Bobak Emamian is the CEO of Prolific Interactive, a mobile product agency based in Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Durham. Through an innovative approach to creating products, Prolific has delivered mobile experiences for leading brands including SoulCycle, American Express, Saks Fifth Avenue, TB12, Gap, CrossFit, and Sephora. Founded in 2009, Bobak's mix of technical capabilities and business acumen has been integral in Prolific's rapid growth. He graduated from the School of Business at Quinnipiac University, where he studied Entrepreneurship. He also played on Quinnipiac's baseball team, where he met co-founder Eric Weber.
Brianna is the cofounder of CrewBloom. They're disrupting the outsourcing space by connecting the top 2% of sales and support talent with roles at growing companies.
Oasis Day Spa owner Bruce Schoenberg is living proof that you can make a major career change work successfully. Bruce for over twenty years was involved in the event marketing and trade show industry, producing major events both locally and nationally.
In 1997 seeing the emergence of the wellness and spa industry going mainstream he saw the potential to bring his vision to New York City. After writing several business plans, conducting numerous focus groups and visiting dozens of spas Bruce was convinced the industry was growing and could support another spa in the crowded Manhattan spa business. One of Bruce’s golden rules is: “numbers don’t lie, only people do”. If you do the math fairly and honestly, you can fairly predict what it will take to create a successful business
In 1997 seeing the emergence of the wellness and spa industry going mainstream he saw the potential to bring his vision to New York City. After writing several business plans, conducting numerous focus groups and visiting dozens of spas Bruce was convinced the industry was growing and could support another spa in the crowded Manhattan spa business. One of Bruce’s golden rules is: “numbers don’t lie, only people do”. If you do the math fairly and honestly, you can fairly predict what it will take to create a successful business
