Atlanta, we’re headed your way! Join us on March 3rd for a Networking Reception and March 4th for a full-day of workshops. Want to know who’s leading you down the path of opportunity? Check out our confirmed facilitators and speakers below.

Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail: The Art of the Business Plan

Facilitator: Ann Provo, MBA, COIL Enterprise

Ann Provo, MBA

Ann Provo is the owner and CCEO (Chief Customer Experience Officer) of COIL Enterprise (Creating Opportunity, Investing in Legacies). COIL Enterprise exists to establish a cohesive network of business owners and service providers by providing business solutions that will improve sourcing, costs, and operational effectiveness and efficiency of their organizations. Through this cooperative network, COIL Enterprise substantially improves competitiveness and growth for owners and entrepreneurs who reflect the ethnicity, values, and culture of the communities in which they serve.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from South Carolina State University and an MBA from Mercer University, Ann chose this particular entrepreneurial endeavor to bring economic opportunity and financial strength to the underserved black communities and to positively impact the imbalance of product supply and distribution in the industries most used in the black communities

Ann has proven her leadership as a manager, director and business consultant, through her work in market research, consumer intelligence, and account relationship management in both non-profit and corporate industries for some 20 years. She has lead and participated on project teams for clients such as Macy’s, Regal Entertainment, Cox Communication, Lowe’s, Unilever, US Development Group, Fluor Corporation, UPS, Bank of America, BJ’s, Cartoon Network, Jeep, Charles Schwab and Michael’s to name a few.

The Real: Structuring and Funding Your Business to Remain Financially Secure

Facilitators: Justin Norman, Esq., HBCU Wall Street, and Angelia White, MBA, EA, Bobby Robinson, Esq., Serena Nowell, Esq.

Justin Norman, Esq.

Justin has joined Robinson Law Group in an Of Counsel Position, where he assists the firm in it’s business law practice as it expands to Florida and Georgia. From identifying potential legal issues to teaching business owners how to grow their business, Justin is focused on finding the obscure and demystifying the complex, all while providing personable & quality service to his clients.

A champion advocate for small businesses, Justin works with start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses that are looking to start or grow their business. Whether it’s assistance in developing a business plan, company formation, or help with structuring a contract, Justin is committed to helping entrepreneurs protect their assets while growing their brand.

HBCU Wall Street – Torrence Reed & William Smith

HBCU Wall Street is a grassroots organization that seeks to groom the next generation of business owners, entrepreneurs, community leaders and thought-leaders by shaping the way they think about money, finances, and accumulation of wealth and ownership. Through events, panels and workshops on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, investing and group economics, HBCU Wall Street’s mission is to be an advocate for the promotion, growth, welfare and creation of African-American, HBCU student and alumni-owned businesses, entrepreneurship and economies.

Angelia White, MBA, EA

Angelia is Founder of AcctPier Business Solutions, a full-service accounting and consulting firm providing a variety of offerings including personal financial planning, tax services – preparation, planning, filing, audit representation and more, business services – business planning, new business formation, non-profit certification, payroll, cash-flow management and more, as well as QuickBooks set-up and training.

Before founding AcctPier, Angelia provided nearly 20 years of administrative, operational, and accounting support to business organizations across Georgia. Her passion in helping add value to business entities through enriched analysis, collaborative business acumen, and professional service delivery fuel her desire to offer enhanced service solutions to small businesses and individuals.

Bobby Robinson, Esq.

Bobby is Founder and Managing Attorney of the Robinson Law Group, a multidisciplinary business and real estate law firm. After being admitted into the bar, Bobby joined CBRE, Inc., a full service Global Commercial Real Estate company, as a Compliance Manager serving a Fortune 500 financial institution, for the purpose of providing facility management services. In this role, Bobby is responsible for providing contractual guidance as to the parties master agreement, as well as work closely with Supply Chain Management and other functional teams in the management of third-party suppliers (to include General Contractors), OFAC/AML regulations, privacy & information protection, contract compliance/review, operational risk and business control matters, and legal/claims handling. Bobby also contributes to the development and implementation of its Supplier Diversity Program.

Bobby holds a Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Public Administration, and a Juris Doctor.

Serena Nowell

Serena is the Founder and Managing Member of Nowell Sparks LLC, a law firm specializing in local government, startups & small businesses, as well as employment. She is an accomplished attorney with over twenty-five years of diverse experience. Serena is a respected municipal finance professional, having served as bond counsel, disclosure counsel, underwriter’s counsel and issuer’s counsel in a wide variety of municipal finance transactions with a value of more than $4.4 billion.

Controlling the Narrative: The Impact Story That Scales

Facilitator: Miguel Lloyd, CEO/Chief Strategist of Lloyd Media Group

Miguel Lloyd

Miguel has had a distinctive media career spanning corporate media as a business development executive for Norfolk Trust, Clear Channel (now iHeart Media) and Albritton Communications. He later transitioned to the ad agency business where he managed multi-million dollar international non-profits and ministry accounts in the areas of marketing, media planning and buying.

Beginning in 2009, Miguel created his own marketing and media agency, P2P Media Consultants, now known as Lloyd Media Group. At Lloyd Media Group, Miguel and his associates assist clients in marketing program development, media planning and buying, audio and video production, as well as traditional and digital marketing. Miguel has also used this company as a platform to launch other ventures in broadcasting and media distribution including MyWordCentral – a platform that curates inspirational content.

Power Play: What to Expect for the Road Ahead

Speakers: Byron Stewart, Terrance Johnson, and (2) Confirmations Pending

Byron Stewart, CEO and Founder of Mr. Purpose LLC

Byron is a motivational speaker that helps people discover their true purpose in life and provides them with the tools to navigate the road ahead. Inspired by his own journey through a career that left him unsatisfied, Byron believes that the people with whom he speaks are usually in one of four places in their life’s purpose: (1) Discovery (choosing a destination), (2) Navigation (figuring out how to get to a destination), (3) Reroute (dealing with obstacles along the way), and (4) Arrival (you’ve made it to your destination, now what?)

Byron has inspired a variety of audiences including local high schools, colleges, and groups of young professionals. Specifically, he has served as the 2012 Howard University School of Communications Commencement Speaker, the 2013 Kennedy High School Graduation Speaker, the 2014 Springbrook High School Graduation Speaker, as well as an assembly speaker at Anacostia High School, KIPP DC, SEED School, and Cesar Chavez Public Charter School. In addition, he has served as a panelist during the 2016 Congressional Black Caucus Youth Issue Forum week on the “State of the Black Middle Class.” Through a partnership with the Montgomery County Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Aunt Hattie’s House, and the National Center for Children and Families within the EMBODI program, Byron meets on a bimonthly basis to discuss topics affecting youth in their communities. In 2014, Byron was selected as a Top 30 under 30 by 93.9 WKYS for his involvement in the community.

Through Mr. Purpose LLC, Byron has found a way to directly speak into the minds of others while also making a measurable impact on his listeners’ lives. As a graduate of Howard University and Syracuse University, Byron is a native of Silver Spring, MD that currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Lindsey and their cat, Stokely Carmichael.

Terrance Johnson, CEO, TCJ AeroTech

Pitch Prep: Knowing the Ropes for Pitching Your Venture

Facilitator: Dr. Roshawnna Novellus, The Wealthy Yogi & Bootstrap Capital

Dr. Roshawnna Novellus

Roshawnna Novellus, aka “The Wealthy Yogi” is a finance expert, author, investor and yoga enthusiast on a mission to help people achieve their goals through wealth building, entrepreneurship, and staying balanced while juggling it all. As co-founder of Bootstrap Capital, Roshawnna and her team work to create financial returns while connecting high potential entrepreneurs tot he innovation ecosystem through access to opportunity, resources and capital. Roshawnna holds a Doctor of Science in systems engineering, with a minor in finance from George Washington University, a Master of Science in information technology emphasizing information systems engineering for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Bachelor of Arts in business management economics, and a Bachelor of Science in computer engineering from the University of California, achieving Summa Cum Laude in each. Her prior experience includes risk management consulting, engineering analytics, design,and program management at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.