Global Intellect Summit 2025 Panelists

Ron Busby, Sr.​

President & CEO, U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.​

As the President and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), Ron Busby Sr. stands as a paragon of leadership and dedication to the progress of Black business and community advancement. His career, characterized by significant achievements as both a successful entrepreneur and an active community leader, reflects his deep commitment to these causes.

Ron’s influence and contributions reach far beyond USBC. He holds positions on numerous esteemed boards such as the MBDA Business Advisory Board, Bowie State Board, Alabama A&M Sports Council Board, Bayou Classic Board, Pfizer Small Business Council, National Newspapers Publishers Association Foundation Board of Directors, and the White House African American Leadership Council.

Ramiro A. Cavazos​

President & CEO, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Ramiro A. Cavazos is President and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), America’s largest business advocacy organization for Hispanics. He is a trusted economic development expert and champion for bipartisan solutions that generate wealth to advance economic opportunity for all Americans. Prior to his role at the USHCC, Ramiro was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (SAHCC), the nation’s first Hispanic Chamber of Commerce founded in 1929. During his tenure, he advocated for the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), achieved recognition as a 5 Star accredited chamber, and successfully led trade missions to Spain, Mexico, Canada, Israel, China, Japan, Cuba and Italy.

Mia Mends

Chief Executive Officer, Cushman & Wakefield (C&W Services)

As Chief Executive Officer, C&W Services, Mia Mends oversees operations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, with nearly 13,000 people serving clients across a variety of industries.

Prior to joining C&W Services, Mia spent a decade in senior leadership roles at Sodexo, including Global Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer and served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of North America. As CAO, she designed an integrated the target operating model for the $10 billion business while leading the productivity and performance of 160,000 employees. She also served as CEO of Impact Ventures, which included leading Sodexo Magic, a joint venture between Sodexo and Magic Johnson Enterprise. Mia also oversaw various P&L, growth and transformation initiatives for the organization, across various entities, including in Brazil.

Shelley Stewart Jr.

Managing Partner, BottomLine Advisory, LLC

Shelley Stewart Jr., CPSM, MBA, is the managing partner of BottomLine Advisory, LLC and a former vice president of sourcing logistics and chief procurement officer of DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware. Previously, he was a senior vice president of operational excellence and chief procurement officer at Tyco, where he led supply chain initiatives across the company in addition to working with Tyco’s India Business Council. Before Tyco, he served as senior vice president of supply chain with Invensys, as well as vice president of supply chain with Raytheon. He also worked at United Technologies in a variety of senior roles.  He currently serves as the Chair of the Executive Leadership Council Board of Directors. (ELC)

Mr. Stewart co-authored “Straight to the Bottom Line: An Executive’s Roadmap to World Class Supply Management” (J. Ross Publishing). He is the recipient of the prestigious J. Shipman Gold Medal Award from the Institute of Supply Management (2011).

Twila True​

Founder, True Family Enterprise​

Twila is an entrepreneur, CEO and President of True Family Enterprises: an investment firm comprised of entities including True Investments, True Fresh HPP, True Venture Capital, Twila True Fine Jewelry, Polished Perfect Studios, Twila True Beauty and her new entertainment company Volume.

Twila is an Oglala Sioux Native American from the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota- the second largest reservation in the U.S. and the poorest place in the country. The culture and heritage are rich in tradition and color holding true to Twila’s endeavors still today. Her Sioux name, means “Woman Who Walks Towards Future” and she has lived up to it in numerous ways. Twila believes that “the grace of a woman is not defined by the difficulty of her upbringing but rather the dignity and integrity she conducts herself with.”

Farryn Melton​​

President & CEO, Strategic Edge Advisories, LLC

With over 30 years of experience in leading transformative change across multiple industries, Farryn Melton is a seasoned healthcare executive and C-Suite strategic consultant. As the President and CEO of Strategic Edge Advisories, LLC, she provides advisory services in the areas of supply chain and commercialization, as well as non-executive board services, primarily in the healthcare industry.

Farryn has a proven track record of mitigating risk throughout the supply chain in regulated environments, driving digital transformation, and delivering product to patients. She has extensive experience in novel modalities such as biologics, cell and gene therapy, and played key leadership roles for the two largest healthcare integrations, as well as a major aerospace merger. Farryn is also a diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, who fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.

Pamela Prince-Eason​

President & CEO, WBENC

Pamela Prince-Eason is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a role she assumed in 2011. Under her leadership, WBENC has grown into one of the country’s foremost leaders in women’s professional development and has significantly expanded its work with the Fortune 500 as well as dedicated initiatives for underrepresented WBEs including Women of Color and LGBTQ+ communities.

Pam leads the way for WBENC collaboration with stakeholder organizations that align with the WBENC mission, including the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC), the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), WEConnect International, the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), and the United States Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC).

Katie Vliestra Wonnenberg

Principal, Public Private Strategies

Katie Vliestra Wonnenberg is a public policy strategist with a track record of navigating the legislative and regulatory environment at the federal, state, and local level. Over the course of a 20 year career, Katie has learned a lot about how to remain agile, relevant, and optimistic, especially in chaotic political environments. The key to her success is maintaining relationships, always striving to learn new things, and setting clear goals and objectives.

Over the years, Katie has been a part of some amazing “wins” that have had a measurable impact on the lives of millions of entrepreneurs and their families. This includes legislative victories on topics ranging from economic security, financial reform, labor policy, and securing billions of dollars in investment to create jobs and drive recovery efforts following Hurricanes Katrina, Ike, and Dolly and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jim Casselberry

Co-Founder & CEO, Known

Jim has over 30 years of experience in investing, impact investing, investment management and investment consulting. He has an extensive managerial background in family and entrepreneurial businesses across industries of waste management, food manufacturing and financial services. Most recently, Jim served as the Chief Investment Officer at 4S Bay Partners, LLC, a single-family office focused on social impact, where he remains a Senior Advisor.

Jim is a board member at the Julian Grace Foundation, where he sits on its investment committee, and at Arc Chicago, LLC, the appointed board of Benefit Chicago. Benefit Chicago is a collaboration between The Chicago Community Trust, the John D, and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Calvert Foundation. He is the board chair of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). Jim has authored several white papers, including “Why Not the Best? Capturing Alpha from a Long-Neglected Market”.

Jennifer Jeronimo

Chief Operating Officer, Gaingels, Inc

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience in finance and banking working at large institutions such as Credit Suisse, Bear Stearns and JP Morgan earning the coveted position of Executive Director.

She has a wide array of experience, both local and global, servicing institutional and hedge fund clients by running the collateral management, pricing, portfolio accounting and restricted securities departments. Jennifer was also integral in helping JP Morgan lift the consent order by working in the Compliance Operations organization.

Some of her more notable accomplishments include building a KYC organization in India across all the lines of business at JP Morgan, leading the global roll-out of the transaction monitoring system, creating and implementing operational efficiencies for each organization saving millions of dollars a year and reducing friction for clients.

Greg Horner, MD

Managing Partner, Untethered Investing

Gregory Horner, MD, is an Orthopedic Surgeon, entrepreneur, and investor with deep expertise in healthcare innovation, particularly musculoskeletal care, diagnostics, and value-driven care models. After successfully managing a surgical practice generating €20M annually, Greg founded Healthpoint SCM, achieving over 35X DPI through strategic investments in surgical facilities.

At Silicon Valley-based Sand Hill Angels, Greg serves as a board member and has led numerous life sciences investments, driving multiple successful exits. He co-founded Pulzaid, Inc., a rapidly expanding company applying AI to streamline triage and logistics of industrial injuries. Additionally, he serves on the board of biotech startup Nanochon, Inc., which is approaching FDA clinical trials in 2025.

Currently, Greg is the Managing General Partner of Untethered Ventures, a $50M venture capital fund dedicated to investing in early-stage companies that leverage AI and other frontier technologies to transform healthcare.

José Luis Silva Vázquez

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Dux Capital

Passionate for growth, finance, startups and golf, José Luis is the co-founder for Dux Capital. His main role in the fund is undertake the Investor Relations team, Portfolio Management, part of the Investment team, part of the Startups’ Funnel, and responsible for portfolio investments (Refly, Atexto, Trato, Épica, Mozper Koomkin, Boundless Robotics and Fintonic).

Before Dux, José Luis was a corporate and investment banker at HSBC’s Global Banking team in Mexico. José Luis was part of landmark transactions within Mergers and Acquisitions, Debt & Equity Capital Markets, Structured Finance, and Treasury for AAA names in Latam.

José Luis holds an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid where he specialized in Private Equity/Venture Capital and obtained a dual diploma at Singapore Management University. Additionally, he holds a BA in Finance from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City.

Marlan K. Hardie

Chief Digital Officer, World Wide Technology​

Marlan is a driven digital experience evangelist with more than 26 years in the across Service Provider and Financial Services industries. He works with global multinationals on strengthening their brand by engaging their customers and empowering their employees. As a certified CX practitioner and technologist, Marlan brings a consultative and practical approach to business evolution.

Prior to his current role as Chief Digital Officer at WWT, Marlan was the Chief Experience Office at WWT for nearly four years. Before joining WWT, Marlan was a digital CX/EX sales leader – financial services – for Salesforce, and he held multiple positions at Cisco Systems, including CX/EX business development manager, US service provider CX leader, and, most recently, Chief of Staff and National Strategy.

Dr. Kofi Nyarko​

Director, Center of Equitable AI & ML Systems, Morgan State University

Dr. Kofi Nyarko is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Morgan State University. He also serves as Director of the Data Engineering and Predictive Analytics (DEPA) Research Lab. Under his direction, DEPA has acquired and conducted research from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Army Research Laboratory, NASA, Department of Homeland Security and Purdue University’s Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability Environments (VACCINE), a DHS Center of Excellence.

Dr. Nyarko’s expertise lies in automating complex systems through computer vision and machine learning as well as scientific/engineering simulation & visualization, predictive visual analytics, complex computer algorithm development, and computer network security. In 2020, he was a recipient of the US Black Engineer HBCU STEM Innovation Award for contributions to innovation that furthered economic development and entrepreneurship at Morgan State University.

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson​

President, San Jose State University​

Cynthia Teniente-Matson assumed the role of president of San José State in January 2023. This marks a return to the California State University system for Teniente-Matson, who served as vice president for administration and chief financial officer at California State University, Fresno from 2004 to 2015.

Prior to her appointment as president at SJSU, she led Texas A&M University-San Antonio from 2015 to 2023. As the second president in the university’s history, Teniente-Matson spearheaded the growth of the campus into a comprehensive master’s university while earning the U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution designation and the Seal of Excelencia, awarded to just 24 universities nationwide.

Carol R. Dixon

Chief Human Resources Officer, Bridge 2 Technologies

Carol R. Dixon is a universally recognized Human Resources executive focused on organizational leadership, strategic HR initiatives and diversity and inclusion. Her forward-thinking world-class approach to business management makes her very well suited for her current position as Chief Human Resources Officer for Bridge 2 Technologies. Prior to joining B2T, she served as Chief People Officer for Overland Tandberg. In addition to her professional career, she has been an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, where she taught Human Resources Information Systems.

Carol has won numerous awards for her executive leadership, dedication and commitment to community service. She currently serves on the following nonprofit boards: YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley African American Cultural Center, and the Ivy & Pearls Foundation.

Chelsea Celistan

Principal Head of Independent Sponsor, Avante Capital Partners​

Chelsea Celistan is a Principal at Avante Capital Partners. Based in New York, Chelsea is responsible for identifying, underwriting, executing and managing investment opportunities. Chelsea joined Avante in 2024.

Chelsea has 10 years of middle-market investing experience. Prior to Avante, Chelsea worked as a Vice President at Providence Equity Partners, where she focused on technology, media, and telecom leveraged buyouts. Prior to Providence, she spent time in software and healthcare investing at Vista Equity Partners and The Vistria Group, respectively. Chelsea began her career at Citigroup.

Sean Alex Gardner​

Managing Director, Financial Sponsors Group, William Blair & Company​

Gardner is a Partner and Managing Director in the Financial Sponsors group at William Blair, based in the United States. He has been with William Blair since January 2015. Prior to joining William Blair, Sean served as Director in the Financial Sponsors and Leverage Finance group at Credit Suisse from 2004 to 2015.

His earlier experience includes roles as a Private Equity Associate at American Securities from 2000 to 2002 and as an M&A Analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. from 1997 to 2000. Sean Gardner brings extensive expertise in financial sponsorship and leverage finance to his current role.

Charnae Supplee

Associate, Holland & Knight LLP​

Charnae Supplee is a corporate attorney in Holland & Knight’s office in Philadelphia. Ms. Supplee focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation matters. She represents public and private clients in a large number of industries, including financial services, energy, consumer products and technology, and advises them on various matters concerning employee benefits and executive compensation.

She regularly advises compensation committees, executive management, private equity firms and banks in connection with a large assortment of compensation and benefits issues. She also frequently advises private and public companies in Asia and Europe on U.S. compensation and employee benefits laws. Ms. Supplee’s degree in International Relations provides her with a profound academic foundation and enables her to manage the intersection of multinational businesses, law and policies.

Amy Wollensack

Partner, Private Equity Transaction, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP​

Amy represents private equity and other corporate clients in a wide range of complex transactions including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, divestitures, recapitalizations, joint ventures, going private transactions, PIPEs, venture capital and growth equity investments and other transactions. Amy also advises on corporate governance matters.

She has extensive experience representing clients in domestic and cross border transactions in a broad spectrum of industry sectors, including health care, life sciences, technology, entertainment, logistics, media, consumer products, food and beverage, franchise, automotive, software, manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, defense and hospitality.

Jarvis Stewart

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Highland Poe

With nearly 30 years of government and public affairs experience, I have worked diligently to provide innovative strategic counsel to publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as to C-suite and nonprofit executives, on critical issues impacting their desired growth.

As Chairman and CEO of Highland Poe, a Washington, DC-based holding company, I lead a team that offers integrated corporate advisory services in strategic communications, crisis management, and public affairs at Cover Communications. Additionally, our firm, HP Global Advisors, provides corporate strategy, organizational development, and global political intelligence advice to private equity firms, asset managers and industries interested in enterprise growth and securing greater market share.

Eric L. Kelly

Founder & President, Bridge 2 Technologies

Eric is a high-performing, senior executive with a 40+ year career growing and turning around technology companies ranging from pre- public startups to Fortune 100 organizations ─ achieving consistent success running companies in CEO, President, and COO roles. He has served on boards of public companies trading on the U.S. and Canada stock exchanges, private companies, universities, and foundations for the past 20 years. His specific areas of expertise include cybersecurity, complex M&A strategy/execution, international corporate finance, government affairs, business transformations, and leading the strategic visions and product development of software, SAAS, cloud, and artificial intelligence technology companies. Of significant further value in today’s environment, Eric is a thought leader in developing the culture of the companies and senior management in digital and equity divide.

Dr. Trisha Bailey

Chief Executive Officer, Bailey’s Medical Equipment and Supplies

Dr. Trisha Bailey, is a Jamaican-born entrepreneur, philanthropist and public speaker. Life for many entrepreneurs has not been a crystal stair, and for Dr. Trisha Bailey, there is no exception. Her gritty background makes her no stranger to hard work, but it is her passion and kindness that have led to her success, making her the wealthiest Jamaican woman to this date.

Dr. Bailey has taken over the home medical equipment industry as the only black woman in this arena, establishing pharmaceutical and durable medical equipment facilities across the country. In 2021, she was nominated for HME (Home Medical Equipment) Woman of the Year! An award recognizing woman globally for their leadership in the market. Additionally, Trisha’s company, Bailey’s Medical Equipment & Supplies, placed as a finalist in the HME awards.

James Carter

Managing Partner, The Cochran Firm

James Carter is a nationally recognized and accomplished civil trial attorney who is responsible for recovering millions of dollars on behalf of clients, both personal and corporate. His practice also includes commercial transactions, mergers/acquisitions, intellectual property, cyber security, banking, complex commercial litigation, and governmental relations. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, he was recognized by Law Dragon 500 for excellence and leadership in the legal profession and is a member of the elite Litigation Counsel of America. He is a Civil Trial Litigation Adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Law and sits on the Howard University School of Law Board of Visitors. For his accomplishments as an attorney and public servant, Mr. Carter was awarded Honorary Doctorate degrees from Grambling State University and the University of New Orleans.

James H. Lowry

Senior Advisor, BCG; CEO & Founder of James H. Lowry Associates

James H. Lowry, a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group, is a nationally recognized workforce and supplier diversity expert. He currently leads the firm’s workforce diversity, ethnic marketing, and minority business development consulting efforts. Prior to joining BCG in 2000, Jim founded his own firm, James H. Lowry & Associates, which, in 1978, prepared the first major study on minority business enterprise development for The Department of Commerce. He continues to head his firm while serving as a senior advisor at BCG.

In 2011, Jim co-wrote the book, “Minority Business Success: Refocusing on the American Dream.” His new book, “Change Agent: A Life Dedicated to Creating Wealth for Minorities,” is a memoir that demonstrates the power of mentorship and opportunity amid a widening wealth gap.

Steve Robinson

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Supply Chain Project

Steve Robinson, CEO of The Supply Chain Project, is dedicated to capacity building within the nonprofit sector. Under his leadership, the organization pioneers transformative solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency and tackle critical global challenges such as access to logistics technology, skilled talent, and reliable logistics capacity. Steve’s professional journey is driven by a profound belief in the transformative potential of supply chain management—not only to reshape industries, but to uplift communities and improve lives around the world. At the helm of this advisory and investment firm, he draws on his extensive experience to foster innovation in technology, logistics, and leadership development. Through strategic connections and expert guidance, The Supply Chain Project empowers organizations to overcome complex supply chain obstacles across all process domains and geographies.

Shelley Stewart III

Senior Partner & Global Leader, McKinsey & Company

Shelley is a senior partner with McKinsey’s Growth, Marketing & Sales Practice, serving clients across a range of sectors including private capital; advanced industries; and telecommunications, media, and technology. In addition to his client service, Shelley is Global Leader of Reputation & Engagement (R&E) and Chair of the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, a think-and-do tank focused on catalyzing cross-sector action to build a more inclusive, dynamic economy.

As leader of R&E, Shelley oversees global marketing, communications, publishing, and reputation at McKinsey, focusing on increasing awareness of the firm’s impact and capabilities and engaging with clients and stakeholders across diverse industries in over 65 countries.