Andre Whittingon, CEO, Growth Partners Arizona

Andre T. Whittington is an award-winning executive, organizational strategist, and founder of Opemia Consulting. Over the last three years he has assisted his clients in experiencing over $3M in revenue growth and supported small to mid-size companies in scaling their business. In 2022 Andre partnered with Isom Global Strategies to take on the role of Small Business Coach with the SBA in Phoenix, AZ, and Albuquerque NM. As a Small Business Coach, he provided mentoring, support, and advisory council to small business owners. He also served as the Associate Director for Our Village United, Inc. in Atlanta, GA. During his tenure he assisted in building critical small business programs that ensured BIPOC business owners received the necessary training to help scale their business and ensure they were capital ready. As the Associate Director he worked closely with the CEO to secure national partnerships with major corporations and expand program offerings across several states. The programs developed by his team provided direct impact to over 200 BIPOC small business owners across several states.

Prior to his work with small businesses, Andre worked in Corporate America leading learning & development teams, performance management strategies, and organizational development initiatives that directly impacted a workforce of over 30K employees. During his time in Corporate America, he successfully managed operational budgets of $4M+, managed remote teams of 30+ team members located both domestically and internationally, and implemented innovative operational solutions resulting in over $1M in cost savings.

Chelsea Smith, COO and co-founder of HUUB

Chelsea Smith is the COO and co-founder of HUUB. She is a former entrepreneur, having founded and run her own Pilates studio in Phoenix, Arizona. After transitioning away from her entrepreneurial roots, she shifted into community advocacy and led the grassroots nonprofit organization, the Urban Phoenix Project. Chelsea joined the CO+HOOTS team in February 2020 and transitioned to her role with HUUB during the pandemic. She brings her passion for purpose-driven work and love for supporting local businesses to the HUUB communities.

Chelsea has an extensive, first-hand understanding of the day-to-day challenges of running a small business. She is on a mission to help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and reach success. Drawing from her own experiences, Chelsea produces thoughtful and engaging programs for the CO+HOOTS and HUUB communities. She works closely with the HUUB product development team to ensure the platform is easy to use, data-driven and drives connection between government partners, community stakeholders and small businesses. Her commitment to advocacy has laid the groundwork needed to create a more inclusive and equitable ecosystem. She has played a critical role in the planning and development of HUUB, paving the way for future innovation and growth.

Carlos L. Velasco, Founder/CEO, Novle

Carlos L. Velasco is a dynamic force in multicultural marketing with over 18 years of dedicated experience. As the visionary leader behind Novle, a premier minority-owned marketing firm, he specializes in fostering

deep and meaningful connections between brands and diverse communities. Through Novle, Carlos has championed authentic engagement strategies, collaborating with major brands to amplify their presence within multicultural markets. His expertise bridges the subtle nuances of community relations with the broader strokes of brand strategy. Beyond professional milestones, Carlos's commitment extends to community service, advocating consistently for the multicultural communities in Arizona. A proud resident of the state for nearly two decades, Carlos’s passion and dedication illuminate every project, making him and Novle stand out in today's intricate marketing landscape.

Christina Cain, Chief Lending Officer, Peoples Advantage Federal Credit Union

For more than 15 years Chris Cain has been on the front lines helping people open businesses by educating them on business planning, helping navigate the business loan process, and creating a living, breathing entrepreneur ecosystem. Her experience running nonprofits and building rich ecosystems, driven by economic development, makes her uniquely qualified to raise the profile of any organization she works for and increase its impact. She knows firsthand how the power of community development can improve the lives of our neighbors. She sees education, support, and access to capital come together to help people become self-sufficient, while also giving them a sense of place and ownership side-by-side with those they care about most.

She is currently the Chief Lending Officer for People’s Advantage Federal Credit Union. PAFCU is a certified Community Development Financial Institution. We use traditional financial tools in nontraditional ways to help people build wealth.

Chris is also on the Board of Directors for the Virginia CDFI Coalition, Startup Champions Network and Forward Cities. Chris is committed to social justice and has a mission to inspire people to take action through storytelling and by painting a vivid picture of how we can all be better together

Chris Miller, Founder & Chairperson, Nation Coalition for Community Capital, Principal & Founder, StreetSense Consultants, Special Projects Consultant, PlaneWave Instruments

Chris Miller is chair and one of the founding board members of the National Coalition for Community Capital, a 501c3. NC3’s mission is to empower local communities and community members through investment and ownership and thereby to create a more democratic economy. Chris has been working on economic and entrepreneur development for nearly 20 years in a variety of roles, including as an appointed and elected city official, and as a community economic developer. He introduced and championed Michigan’s MILE - investment crowdfunding law, and has spoken across the state and nation on local investment. Chris is the lead and developer of NC3’s Community Capital Accelerator which is now piloting NC3’s Diversified Community Investment Fund in six communities across the country.
Chris served as a 2021 Innovation Fellow for the Michigan State University EDA Center for Regional Economic Innovation, as a connector for the Council of Michigan Foundations Impact Investing HUB, as a Consultative panel member at the MSU Community and Economic Development Office, and as an advisor and collaborator with the University of Michigan Ford School for Public Policy and Ross School for Business.

Demetrius Lester, Director of Youth Entrepreneurship, Hustle PHX

Demetrius Lester, a Southern Girl was born in New Albany, Mississippi. After completing high school, she went on to graduate from Northwest Community College of Nursing and went on the discover the vast skills that she hold in order to be a blessing to others. She has always knew of her passion for business and helping others along the way and Hustle PHX has been a vehicle to exploring what that looks like in under served communities.

Hustle PHX is a 501c3 non profit organization founded in 2013 on the belief that some of the best natural entrepreneurs in the United States are in under served urban communities. At Hustle PHX, we want to let the hustlers hustle – for the common good. Through our program, we provide a number of carefully selected entrepreneurs with intellectual, social, and financial capital. Through these three different types of capital entrepreneurs gain proper training and access to the relationships and capital they need to get their business ideas off the ground.

Diana Vowels, Startup AZ

Diana Vowels is a community builder with a passion for driving the tech ecosystem forward in Phoenix.

She is the CEO of StartupAZ, the organization created to catalyze Arizona’s technology and innovation ecosystem by connecting and empowering entrepreneurs. Diana, who has long been at the forefront of Arizona’s technology and startup community, joined StartupAZ in 2021 to help expand the organization’s talent attraction and development mission. Prior to joining the team, she served as VP/Community and General Manager of Galvanize, where she led the launch of the software engineering and data science bootcamps and built the co-working space into a vital part of Phoenix’s startup fabric. She currently serves on the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley and Venture Madness board of directors, and was the 2021 chair for the Venture Madness conference.

Eli Chmouni, CEO - Founder, NEON

Eli is a serial entrepreneur who has launched 5 companies where 2 were acquired and 1 failed. He is also an entrepreneurship faculty at ASU helping students launch startups every semester.

Neon helps businesses convert their TV screens into digital signage displays for messaging and customer engagement.

Hamid Shojaee, Founder & CEO, Savvy Trader, Inc., Founder, AZ CoWork, Founder, AZDisruptors.com

Hamid is a seasoned software expert. He has a track record of building and selling multi-million dollar SaaS products. With successful ventures like Axosoft and Pure Chat under his belt, he's been a guiding force in Arizona's startup scene for nearly a decade. Currently, he is the founder and CEO of Savvy Trader, he's empowering users to navigate the world of stocks and crypto with his latest venture. Hamid is an active advisor and investor in the tech community. He also serves on the board of StartupAZ and chairs the Venture Madness conference.

Isha Cogborn, Founder, Epiphany Institute

Isha is the founder of Epiphany Institute – a personal development firm that helps people connect their purpose and passion to their profession. She specializes in helping coaches, consultants and other experts build their platforms and personal brands so they can make a bigger impact on the world. She’s the author of personal branding primer, 5 Rules to Win Being You, On Purpose: Practical Strategies to Live Your Best Life and a contributing author to Own the Microphone.

Tried by fire, Isha operates with resilience birthed from being a teenage mother on welfare, corporate layoffs and a bout of homelessness after a failed business venture. Determined to find purpose in her struggles, Isha founded Startup Life Support in 2017 to help entrepreneurs overcome the fear, frustration and isolation of starting a business.

Ita Udo-Ema, Founder, View from Above Entertainment LLC

Ita Udo-Ema is a seasoned entrepreneur and a master storyteller with over 15 years of experience in the digital media industry. As a Video Strategist, Media Consultant, YouTube Expert, Editor, Artist, 3D Animator, and Producer, Ita has honed the craft of creating compelling narratives that captivate and inspire.

Jamie Gloshay, Co-Director & Co-Founder at Native Women Lead

Agnetha Jaime Gloshay is a Co-CEO of Native Women Lead, leading initiatives in Capital Strategies, Program Design, Partnership Development, and Data Sovereignty. Jaime serves on UpTogether’s and New Mexico Women.Org’s Board of Directors. She is a Fulcrum Fellow with the Center for Community Investment focused on systems change, racial equity, and activating capital. In 2022, Jaime was appointed to serve on the National Women's Business Council with the core mission to provide advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the Small Business Administrator.

Previously, Jaime was a fellow with Purpose Foundation, New Mexico Tribal Data Champions, and Opportunity Finance Network. In 2020, Jaime was appointed by the Governor of New Mexico to lead the Tribal Subcommittee for the New Mexico Statewide Complete Count Commission which activated ecosystems with an $11.5MM state investment to ensure a complete count. Prior to her work at Native Women Lead, Jaime began her career in access to capital when she developed Dreamspring’s (formerly Accion) Native Lending program and supported the development of Nusenda’s Co-Op Capital relationship-based lending initiative. Jaime attributes her leadership and liaison experience to leading the 2010 Census for the Navajo Nation, the largest mobilization effort of over 3,000 staff on one of the hardest-to-count and largest Native American reservations in the United States.

Jason Lowry, Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Local First Arizona

Founded in 2003, Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization committed to community and economic development throughout Arizona. Our work connects people, locally-owned businesses, and communities for meaningful actions that build a diverse, inclusive and prosperous Arizona economy and community.

Jason received his bachelor's in International Affairs and Spanish, and his master's in Sustainable Communities from Northern Arizona University. He worked as a community organizer with the Industrial Areas Foundation for 9 years. He returned to Arizona in 2020 to make it his family's home. Since joining Local First Arizona in 2022 as the Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Jason has worked to increase the reach and impact of Local First Arizona’s statewide sustainability programs — the Green Business Boot Camp, Green Business Certification, and Green Lending Products, which support businesses and rural communities to save money by adopting sustainable practices.

Jason Wong, Founder & CEO, Asian Corporate & Entrepreneur Leaders (ACEL)

Jason founded Asian Corporate and Entrepreneur Leaders in 2006, because he saw a need for a support system to develop leadership and professional growth in the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Mentoring is a key component of ACEL. These higher level mentoring relationships close the generation gap and strengthen the AAPI community as a whole. As the founder and President, Jason is leading ACEL to become the premier professional organization for AAPI. His goals include encouraging more active participation from members and promoting more collaborative projects and activities with other national AAPI community organizations. He aims to create stronger brand recognition for ACEL through opportunities for increased leadership & professional development, cultural awareness, mentorship and community participation. National and local organizations have recognized Jason’s commitment to leadership and community, awarding him the National Asian/Pacific American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship’s Business Leader Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Leadership Award, DLA’s Diversity & Inclusion Leader Award and the University of Arizona Alumni Association Chapter President Award. Jason has served on multiple national and local boards and committees. He currently serves as Trustee for the Vitalyst Health Foundation and member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Council for Maricopa Community Colleges. Born and raised in Hong Kong. Jason moved to the United States when he was 13. He attended the University of Arizona and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. While a student at the U of A, Jason founded the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs.

Jennifer McDonald, Assistant Director of Activism & Cities Work Director, Institute for Justice

Jennifer regularly engages policymakers, advises state and local governments, and empowers people to become their own advocates. Prior to joining the Activism team, Jenny was an IJ senior research analyst, where she conducted original social science research on entrepreneurship, home-based businesses, municipal fines and fees, government transparency, and civil forfeiture. Her work has appeared in multiple academic journals and her research results have been cited in national media outlets such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, and Los Angeles Times.

Jenny Poon, founder of CO+HOOTS and HUUB

Jenny Poon is a serial entrepreneur and founder of CO+HOOTS and HUUB. As a self-made entrepreneur and the first minority and the first woman to receive the Phoenix Business Journal’s 2016 Phoenix Businessperson of the Year, she continuously advocates safer entrepreneur ecosystems for women and people of color.

John Giles, Mayor, City of Mesa

John Giles is the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona, first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He oversees a growing economy that has added tens of thousands of new jobs, billions of dollars in capital investment, and employers like Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta.

Under his leadership, Mesa adopted a nondiscrimination ordinance, implemented a Climate Action Plan, and established the Mesa College Promise, connecting qualified high school graduates with free community college education.

Giles is Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ Immigration Task Force, Co-Chair of Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment, Chair of the Mayor’s Alliance to End Childhood Hunger, and is the only mayor appointed to the national Electric Vehicle Working Group.

Jonatan Amastal, Community Assistant and Designer, CO+HOOTS

Born in Puebla, Mexico, Jonatan migrated to the United States at the age of 7 with his family in search of a better life. The journey was long and challenging, as they faced language barriers, cultural differences, and the struggles of adapting to a new environment. However, they were determined to make the most of their opportunity and worked hard to achieve their goals.

With the help of CO+HOOTS Institute for entrepreneurship, Jonatan was able to launch his own graphic design company focus on providing branding and graphic design services to immigrant’s self-starters. He has also worked with the Downtown Mesa association to design banners that demonstrates the city everchanging environment.
Jonatan works with CO+HOOTS as their community assistant and designer. Working alongside the Community and program manager to help students in their entrepreneurial journey as well as provide any other assistance they may need to help them reach success.

Keisha McKinnor, Founder/CEO, MKUU

Keisha A. McKinnor is an entrepreneur, nonprofit and community leader. Living by the mantra that our experiences, skills, and gifts are not solely for individual benefit but for contributing to others, she is passionate about giving back to the community and founded a nonprofit, MKUU.

In the native language Swahili, MKUU means chief. The nonprofit offers programs for girls which take a wholistic approach to developing our next generation of female leaders, inspiring them to lead with confidence and conviction.

Kristin Slice, Director of Community Entrepreneurship, Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, Senior Program Manager, Peoria Forward, Community Entrepreneurship, Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, Communications Strategist, Empowered Lab Communications

Kristin and her team are doing incredible work in building a thriving community of entrepreneurs, providing them with incubation opportunities that ignite their entrepreneurial journey. They believe in connecting humans to create thriving communities of entrepreneurs.

M Ali Nervis, Director, Archwood Community Resource Empowerment Strategy (ACRES)

Ali is an entrepreneurial activist who previously worked in the financial services industry before leaving to focus on various business and community initiatives full-time. He serves as Director of Community Impact for Archwood Community Resource Empowerment Strategy (ACRES) formely known as Archwood Exchange. He is also the co-founder of Straw and Wool Hat Store and Grassrootz Books and Juice Bar. Ali is a firm believer in using every tool at our disposal, including entrepreneurship and investing, to empower ourselves economically in order to fund liberation work and build new institutions that serve the interests of the people.

Archwood Exchange was established in 2016 by a group of entrepreneurs and organizers with a goal of increasing the presence and vitality of Black-Owned businesses in Arizona. In May of 2017, Archwood Exchange began hosting monthly community gatherings known as “The Buy Black Marketplace”. Through the monthly marketplaces, educational opportunities and growing network, Archwood Exchange has been able to support the growth and development of over 200 black owned businesses in the Phoenix Metro Service Area.

Nishia Slater, Owner, Star Life Wellness Group

Nishia T Slater is a visionary, purpose-driven, life coach and speaker dedicated to fostering holistic growth and development for women. She empowers them through her five pillars of Empowerment: Personal Development, Health and Wellness, Financial Literacy, Business Bootcamp, and Leadership. Her organization is community based, specializing in being supportive, providing tools and resources that educates women on learning, growing, and empowering them to live a well-balanced life.

Odeen Domingo, CEO & Founding Partner, CO+HOOTS

Odeen Domingo is the president and founding partner at CO+HOOTS, Phoenix's purpose-drive workspace. Ranked #4 coworking space in the nation by Inc.com, CO+HOOTS currently houses 280+ scaling entrepreneurs and small businesses and has been an integral role in creating hundreds of jobs locally. Odeen has helped his wife Jenny build CO+HOOTS into the #1 most innovative coworking space in the world. He speaks regularly on entrepreneurship and leadership as an ethnic minority, husband, father and former corporate cog. His mission is to provide access to networks, capital, technology, knowledge and circles of power to those who don’t have the privilege of naturally possessing it.

At CO+HOOTS, Odeen nurtures and curates a community of local-minded and business-focused professionals who collaborate on projects, share resources and generate more successful businesses. From high level and partnership strategizing to on-the-ground grunt work, Odeen make sure CO+HOOTS continues to be a globally-recognized coworking space that has the largest collaborative coworking community in Arizona and a major driver of local economic
development.

Odeen also co-founded nonprofit CO+HOOTS Foundation, sits on several committees of local nonprofits and serves as a mentor for young and experienced entrepreneurs. He transitioned to the entrepreneurship realm after his 14-year career as a content strategist and award-winning journalist at The Arizona Republic, Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times.

Oye Waddell, Founder, Hustle PHX

Oye Waddell is the Executive Director of Hustle PHX. Waddell grew up in inner city Los Angeles and has a long track record in urban education and entrepreneurship. He attended the University of Washington on a full athletic scholarship to play football. He later earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Education from Arizona State University. He is the founder of Gameplan International and serves as a pastor at New City Church in downtown Phoenix.

Pamela Slim, Author and Co-founder of K'é Community Lab

Pamela Slim is an award-winner author, speaker and agency owner who has spent three decades helping business owners scale their businesses and IP. Pam’s team specializes in the design and development of certification and licensing programs. Pam is the author of Escape from Cubicle Nation (Penguin Portfolio, 2009), Body of Work (Penguin Portfolio, 2014) and The Widest Net (McGraw Hill, November, 2021, winner of Best Sales and Marketing Book of 2021 from Porchlight Books). Pam and her husband Darryl co-founded the K’é Community Lab in Mesa, Arizona, where they host scores of BIPOC entrepreneurs and contribute to the local social, health and economic development of their community.

Paulo Gregory, Designer, Inventory, Community Builder

Paulo serves as Chair of our Intercultural Unity (ICU) committee at SCN. He is the inventor of Cohado, a flexible design structure and tool to understand collaborative and sustainable design. Paulo is also the President of Cohado Consulting, a social enterprise dedicated to leveling the economic game through developing models and vehicles for economic ascension of economically starved communities, and the Director of Ignoma Foundation, whose mission is to develop sustainable solutions to poverty. He recently launched the Black Butterfly Network and Exchange in Baltimore.

Robin Reed, Business Strategist, Executive Performance Consultant, Professional Speaker

Sima Ladjevardian, Chairperson, National Women's Business Council

Sima Ladjevardian is a lawyer, a mother of two, a small business owner, and a community and political activist. After leaving political upheaval and revolution, Sima’s family arrived in the United States and, through her journey as an immigrant, she saw first-hand the power and promise this country can provide. She has since worked extensively to ensure that hardworking families have all the opportunities to strive and be healthy. She was one of the first Iranian-American major party nominees for Congress. She ran in TX-2 on providing affordable access to health care for all. She was named as Houston’s Most Influential Women 2020-2021.

For the last 2 years, she was appointed as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, serving as HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s representative responsible for guiding and coordinating HHS policy initiatives as they related to state, local, and tribal governments in Region 6 covering Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, as well as 68 federally recognized tribal nations.

Stephanie Bermudez, Financial Inclusion Strategist at Startup Unidos

Stéphanie, a dynamic force in binational business opportunities and cultural inclusion, boasts 15+ years of experience cultivating deep local relationships and earning respect across society. She focuses on fostering entrepreneurial communities and networks through events, training, consulting, and research, extending her impact beyond Southern Arizona. Specializing in the region's binational business ecosystem, she offers tailored services, particularly for Spanish-speaking individuals and organizations, embodying a servant's dedication to radical inclusion and cultural competence.

Stéphanie's track record reveals her passion for dismantling systemic barriers and supporting diverse small businesses in their entrepreneurial journey. As a sought-after collaborator, she provides invaluable guidance on executing transformative cultural inclusion initiatives, utilizing innovative approaches to engage "hard-to-reach" participants.

Her impact is palpable through her work with organizations like Startup Unidos and Still Good, where she excels in bridging cultures and fostering collaboration, catalyzing transformative change in communities.

Subash Yadav, Owner, Mr. MOMO

In 2007, our founder (and original momotarian) Subash Yadav moved from Nepal to America to study medicine. Soon, he missed his favorite Nepali flavors from home: especially the momo. So, he decided to merge his passion for cooking with a devotion to health, and brought Mr. Momo to life in 2019.

“I wanted to use my love of Nepali cooking to create a healthy and exciting alternative to this fast food world. I believe in eating to feel good – you don’t have to compromise flavor!”

From the top of the world to the Valley of the Sun, and beyond, we make the happiest food on earth!

Victor Hwang, Founder & CEO, Right to Start, Founder & CEO, Victor & Company 

Victor is an economic growth expert. His ideas have shaped the economic lives of millions of people worldwide. His work has helped over 300 communities, cities, states, companies, and even entire countries in creating greater economic prosperity.

His economic development clients have included the World Bank, Ford Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has also worked with corporate clients seeking to grow entrepreneurial innovation, including Accenture, IBM, and Microsoft.

He is founder and CEO of Victor & Company, an economic growth consultancy.

He is founder and CEO of Right to Start, a campaign fighting to expand entrepreneurial opportunity for all. Right to Start seeks to level the playing field by lifting the voices of everyday entrepreneurs, grassroots mobilizing and organizing, and engaging with policymakers at all levels.

Previously, he was Vice President of Entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, the world’s leading philanthropy supporting entrepreneurs with an endowment of $2 billion. At Kauffman, he led initiatives that impacted over 200,000 entrepreneurs, including efforts in catalyzing capital formation, transforming economic development practices, launching a national policy roadmap, and breaking barriers for underserved entrepreneurs.

Vincent Orleck, President, Social Media Club PHX

Vincent is the President of Social Media Club PHX, a contributor to and evangelist for the #yesPHX startup and entrepreneurial community, and manages social media planning and strategy full time for Arizona State University Knowledge Enterprise. Residing in Greater Phoenix for the last 15+ years, he's honed his methodology through time spent in social media marketing with IO Datacenters, Plexus Worldwide, Gannett Inc., and Facebook as well as partnering in an agency.