COLLABORATIVELY Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap

COLLABORATIVELY

Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap

FREE VIRTUAL Conversations

every 4th Thursday of every month | 4 - 5 PM ET

5 - 6 PM Networking for members only!

With an emphasis on connecting and educating with multiple focuses and events, this ABEPP Virtual Conversation provides education accessible to everyone and networking for members to economically transform the Black community.

6 MONTHLY INFORMATIVE CONVERSATIONS

Implementing Black Family Office

1/25

Black Wealth in America: Past, Present and Future

2/22

Empowering Generations: A Vision for Sustainable Growth and Impact

3/28

Building Businesses that Last: Mergers and Acquisitions

4/25

Real Estate Investments

5/22

Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap

6/20

June 20 - Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap - Our Panel Speakers

Tonia Wellons

CEO - Greater Washington Community Foundation

Tonia Wellons is the President & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the largest public foundation in the region with over $450 million in assets and $70 million in annual grants. Under her leadership, The Community Foundation developed a bold 10-year strategic vision that will leverage our resources and expertise to lead our community in addressing the most catalytic opportunity of our lifetimes: closing our community’s racial wealth gap.

Dr. Andre M. Perry

Jamal R. Watkins

Senior Fellow - The Brookings Institution

Senior Vice President of Strategy and Advancement - NAACP

Andre M. Perry's research focuses on race and structural inequality, education, and economic inclusion. Perry’s recent scholarship at Brookings has analyzed Black-majority cities and institutions in America, focusing on valuable assets worthy of increased investment. He is the author of the book, Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities, published by Brookings Institution Press in May 2020 and is currently available wherever fine books are sold.

Jamal R. Watkins currently serves as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Advancement at the NAACP. Jamal previously led the Association's efforts to maximize the African-American community's participation and representation in our democracy as the Vice President of Civic Engagement at the NAACP.

Mr. Watkins previously served as National Outreach Director for the AFL-CIO. In this role, he was responsible for strengthening and growing national strategic partnerships with the labor movement across a range of priority campaigns and program work.

HOSTED BY Dana J. Thompson

Partner and Co-Founder at
Fulcrum Public Affairs LLC

May 22 - Real Estate Investments - Our Panel Speakers

Brian Washington

Senior Mortgage Loan Officer - PrimeLending

My goal is to provide, fast accurate feedback to clients who are looking to purchase, refinance, rehabilitate, or construct a new home. I will use my years of experience in banking, finance and investments to benefit you from beginning to end. Whether it is for you, your clients or someone you know, I will be glad to provide my expertise.

In addition, I have served as a member of the Nation Association of Real Estate Brokers for the local boards. In positions such as Vice President, Treasurer and Board Member/ Advisor for local chapters.

Latresa McLawhorn Ryan

Founder and CEO - Blackbird Strategy Group

Latresa McLawhorn Ryan is the CEO of Blackbird Strategy Group. With a personal purpose and career focused on creating economic security and sustainable generational wealth, she has more than 20 years of experience as a trusted advisor with a unique ability to make complex ideas compelling by combining critical thinking with practical implementation.

Latresa also serves as a participant in Aspen Institute Germany's Transatlantic Townhall Project: Future Cities, Equity in Practice Advisor for New Growth Innovation Network, State of CDFls in Georgia Conference Task Force, Race and Equity in Philanthropy Group, and as a graduate of Boston Impact Initiative's Social Impact Fund-Building cohort.

Ebonie Alexander

Executive Director - Black Family Land Trust

Leatrice Moore

Lillian “Ebonie” Alexander is the Executive Director of the Black Family Land Trust, Inc. (BFLT). The BFLT is a niche land trust and one of the nation’s only regional land trust dedicated to the preservation and protection of African-American and other historically underserved landowners land assets.

Since joining the BFLT in 2009, Ebonie designed and implemented the African American Land Ethic and Wealth Retention and Asset Protection (WRAP) programs. Together these two programs have assisted landowners to retain family ownership and control of more than $12.5 million of their land assets and deployed more than $500,000 USDA-EQIP funding to landowners during the past five years.

Executive Director - BCDG (Black Community Developers Group)

I am a well-respected Executive Program Leader with a longstanding track record of success in building highly effective, mission-driven programs and strategic business and community partnerships to advance organizational goals. I clearly understand community needs related to youth, adult, and at-risk populations, resulting in intelligent recommendations and a keen ability to set the strategic vision.

As an empathetic and inclusive leader, I deliver transparency, accountability, and integrity while carrying out the mission and initiatives of new and existing programs

Moderated by Karmia Lewis

Executive Director of ABEPP

April 25 - Building Businesses that Last: Mergers and Acquisitions - Our Panel Speakers

Melvin M. Coleman, MBA

President & CEO
Atlanta Black Chambers

Melvin M. Coleman is the President & CEO of the Atlanta Black Chambers, an organization of more than 1000 entrepreneurs and growing rapidly. Known throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area as the ABC, the Chamber’s mission is the creation and growth of competitive, profitable, and sustainable Black owned businesses.

Under Melvin’s leadership, since January 2017, the ABC has seen explosive growth. With an innovative modern structure, the ABC focuses on the powerful demographics that already exist in the Black community. The Women’s League, The Young Entrepreneurs Collaborative, and the Veteran Entrepreneurs Group are all components of this innovative model built for today’s entrepreneurial world.

Kristina A. Daniels

Senior Associate
Alston & Bird LLP

Kristina Daniels provides legal guidance to public and private companies and has experience drafting and negotiating various corporate transactional agreements and licensing deals. She also counsels companies on SEC reporting, disclosure requirements, and corporate governance. Kristina successfully maintains an active pro bono practice, assisting small businesses and serving low-income residents of Washington, D.C.

Maria Randall

Vice President-SBA Lender

American Momentum Bank

Maria Randall has spent the last 17 years of her 25+ years in the banking industry as an SBA lending specialist. Throughout her banking career, she has worked primarily with small businesses, providing both loans and cash management services. Ms. Randall is an ardent advocate of the SBA’s loan programs as she has utilized them over the years to help numerous business owners start and grow their businesses, creating countless jobs along the way.

Moderated by Langston Washington

Agent - Transworld Business Advisors

This Months Spotlight Partners

March 28 - Empowering Generations: A Vision for Sustainable Growth and Impact - Our Panel Speakers

Carí Jackson Lewis JD, LLM, TEP, CSPG, AEP, CAP

Director - Saint John's Health Center Foundation

Seasoned trusts and estates, tax and nonprofit lawyer with over 20 years of experience in estate, tax and charitable gift planning and development across diverse, international and domestic organizations.

Work with UHNW and HNW individuals to facilitate estate planning and transfer tax minimization utilizing charitable gift planning.

Elena Thandiwe Pullen-Venema, MBA, CAP®

Director - Philanthropic Advising at GiveTeam

For the past 20+ years, Elena has worked extensively in the fields of philanthropic, financial, and estate planning as well as in the nonprofit sector and with micro-lending institutions in the US and South Africa. She has her MBA in Finance from Temple University, her CAP® designation, and is currently working towards obtaining her CFP® from the American College of Financial Services.

Most recently, Elena worked with the Community Foundation of Snohomish County in Everett, WA. As Director of Gift Planning, she partnered with financial planners, attorneys and accountants, helping them create tailored philanthropic plans for their clients in order to meet financial, estate, charitable, and tax goals.

Desiree C. Boykin, ESQ.

Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of the Corporation at United Negro College Fund, Inc.

Desireé Boykin is the senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for UNCF. She joined UNCF in 2002 and provides advice and counsel to the UNCF Board of Directors, senior staff and member presidents in the areas of higher education, insurance, constitutional law, intellectual property, corporate compliance and corporate governance.

She was elected secretary of the corporation in October 2017. Additionally, she practices probate, contracts, employment and nonprofit law. Desirée manages UNCF’s legacy portfolio (testamentary gifts), which has resulted in more than $67 million in revenue during her tenure.

Moderated by Karmia Lewis

Executive Director of ABEPP

This Months Spotlight Partner

February 22 - Black Wealth in America: Past, Present and Future - Our Panel Speakers

Marcia Dukes, M.B.A.

MassMutual Diversity - Equity & Inclusion Lead

Throughout Marcia’s tenure she held various roles in technology, marketing, social media and DEI. As a community leader first, her passion to give voice to others helped her to find her true purpose.

Marcia held many key roles in the healthcare industry such as Medco Health Solutions. Marcia obtained her Six Sigma certification which she qualified for a green belt.

Professor Hanif Omar, M.B.A.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center - Director

Thought Leader, Advocate & Entrepreneur

MBA trained banking, financial and accounting leader who leverages 20+ years of experience gained in the financial and banking industry to foster a productive, profitable, team-focused, and growth oriented environment. Innovative leader of teams, serving as coach, mentor, and supervisor for all aspects of operations

LeKiesha French

The Future In Color - Founder

Certified Business, Executive Leadership, and Success coach

LaTanya White, Ph.D., M.B.A.

LeKiesha is a certified business, executive leadership and success coach. A passionate change-maker, she has a background in psychology, business, design thinking, education, program development and economic development. She believes in the power of design, entrepreneurship and technology to bridge communities and drive personal and societal change.

Dedicated to disruptive innovation, LeKiesha is also a public speaker, consultant, wife and proud mother of two.

Concept Creative Group - Founder
Author, TEDx Speaker, Leader & Strategist

Dr. LaTanya White is an inclusive scholar-practitioner working at the intersection of racial equity and entrepreneurship curriculum design. Over the course of her professional career, she has coached and consulted more than 600 Black urban entrepreneurs.

A 2x author, TEDx Speaker, leader, and strategist, Dr. White is the founder and principal consultant for Concept Creative Group, a technical assistance firm focused on business development, capacity building, and Dynastic Wealth™ transfer for Black entrepreneurs.

Moderated by Karmia Lewis

Executive Director of ABEPP

This Months Spotlight Partner

January 25 - Implementing Black Family Office - Our Panel Speakers

Victoria Watkins

Founder & Managing Partner - Inrichmint

Victoria R. Watkins is an attorney in Chicago, specializing in business, legislative, and creative industry law. As Founder and Managing Partner of Inrichmint, she uses her experience in business, private investing, law, and civic engagement to source and manage curated deal flow for high-net-worth individuals and families

Jabari H. Turner

Growth & Development Director - Northwestern Mutual

As a financial advisor, my mission is to move the needle on creating generational wealth. As a leader in my firm, I'm equally passionate about changing the trajectory of the industry and developing the next generation of financial advisors.

I am FINRA Series 6 and 63 registered and a member of CHIP, a network of Black and Latinx Financial Professionals whose mission is to empower you to increase your overall financial acumen and build the legacy you want.

Omar Woodard

Kisha Ward

Vice President of Solutions - Results for America

Founder & Principal of K. Ward & Co.

Omar Woodard has 18 years of expertise driving profitability and innovation across government, business, and social impact investing. His background reflects a progressive career with extensive global, federal, state, and local government relations experience, and nearly a decade of full-cycle impact investment management and investor relations expertise.

With more than 20 years of experience, Kisha is a proven and trusted advisor in providing comprehensive income, estate and gift tax compliance and planning services with a special interest in wealth transfer. She seeks to be a co-conspirator in the process of her clients achieving their goals. With a holistic approach and utilizing coaching techniques, clients uncover their "why" to better understand and meet these goals.

Moderated by Karmia Lewis

Executive Director of ABEPP

This Months Spotlight Partners

About ABEPP

The Association of Black Estate Planning Professionals, Inc.

The Association of Black Estate Planning Professionals, Inc., (ABEPP) is a nonprofit organization committed to educating and empowering financial professionals and the community to the strategically collaborate and economically transform the Black community.

Advocates and Agents of Black Asset Creation & Protection.

OUR FOCUS IS ON MAINTAINING AND GROWING BLACK WEALTH

Although there are more successful and wealthy Black Business Professionals and Black-Owned Businesses today than in any previous generation, we still recognize and understand that Black wealth has not been accumulating at the same pace as many other groups. That is why we aim to provide a comprehensive array of tools and resources to help Black Business Professionals and Families to secure their financial futures.

Education.

Collaboration.

Inspiration.