Brunch, Bubbles & Bags

Brunch Bubbles & Bags

Chase for Business proudly supports

WCEO's Brunch, Bubbles & Bags

To see how our people and solutions can work for you, visit chase.com/business.

Chase Bank, Member FDIC.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Welcome to WCEO’s Brunch, Bubbles & Bags

These are remarkable times- challenging yet filled with promise. Black women and other beloved women of color are boldly out front, ready and willing to leverage the new opportunities, whether they result from the pandemic, the nation’s post-George Floyd/Brianna Taylor racial reckoning or our own personal awakening to the calling within us.

This event is a fun celebration of our power. We are a catalytic part of the economic engine of Central Ohio. With equitable access to tools, networks and capital investment, we can scale our business and advance our work and careers beyond the status quo. We will transform economies to breakthrough to levels of shared prosperity that will elevate us all. WCEO is a facilitator of economic progress and conduit for change.

Thank you for joining us. We are grateful for your support. My personal thanks to our Board of Directors, sponsors and WCEO planning team. Blessings!

Keena Smith | Founder & CEO The Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity

A 501c3 established in 2013

Our Mission

Our mission is to elevate and empower African American and other diverse women business owners, leaders and innovators with equitable access to the resources they need to create generational wealth and jobs that close racial wealth and gender wage gaps. We forge economic equity, inclusion & justice.

Brunch, Bubbles & Bags Program

Registration & Vendors

Keynote & Fireside Chat

Us All Awards

Our Board of Directors

Honorable Tracy Heard, Chair

Jerry Saunders, Sr., Vice Chair

Moniqua Spencer, Treasurer

Patrice Brown

Lisa Gutierrez

Our Team

Victoria Murray, Client Relationship Manager

Leticia Taylor, Designer (Event Theme & Social)

Grace Hunter, Chief Event Planner

Planners)

Lisa Gutierrez & the Dos Hermanos Team, Catering

Toni Cunningham, Consultant

Mabry, Designer (Event Program)

Minda Harts

Minda Harts is CEO of The Memo LLC, a career development platform that helps women of color advance in the workplace, since 2015. Before, The Memo, she had a successful 15-year career in fundraising.

In 2019, Minda became a bestselling author for her debut book The Memo: What Women of Color Need To Know To Secure A Seat At The Table. In 2020, she was named the LinkedIn Top Voice for Equity in the Workplace.

Since that time, she has written two new books- Right Within: How to Heal From Racial Trauma in the Workplace and You Are More Than Magic: The Black and Brown Girls’ Guide to Finding Your Voice.These works continue building on her career development advocacy for women of color in the workplace. She adds thought leadership as a Career Advice Columnist for the media platform Well & Good.

You can check out her podcast Secure The Seat—to hear about her grits and rap lyric obsession. She is socially active on LinkedIn, Twitter and IG.

When Minda is not fighting workplace inequity, she serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Wagner and has been featured on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Fast Company, The Guardian, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Minda resides in Los Angeles.

KIMBERLY BLACKWELL

Our Fireside Chat moderator is Kimberly A. Blackwell. Kimberly is Founder & CEO of PMM Agency, a new media, marketing and advertising agency. From the White House to the boardroom, she is recognized for her incomparable style, global brand perspective, financial savvy and give forward spirit. Kimberly currently serves a Director for WAG! Group, a publicly traded pet services marketplace and fintech corporation, the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), a network of the nation’s most influential African American executives of the Fortune

1000, and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

She also has over 10 years of nonprofit Board service. Appointed by its Global Chairman, Kimberly currently serves on the Gucci, Inc. Changemakers Council. Kimberly’s expertise in brand management of multiple global brands means she knows how to ask questions that matter and can draw out unique insights that have you thinking and keep you talking long after the interview is over. In other words, this will be a conversation to remember!

WCEO’s signature program is Ohio’s first business accelerator for women of color who want to grow or scale employer businesses that create community based jobs. The six-month program includes advanced level business instruction, mentoring and coaching for CEOs in business at least 3 years. Participants can win up to $25,000 in the H1A Pitch Competition. Thus far in 2022, H1A created 4 jobs and awarded $25,000 in grants.

The Wealth Accelerator helps Black women better understand how trauma informs their relationship with financial matters and money. It provides practical, easy to implement strategies for debt reduction, credit enhancement and investment. The cohort-based approach builds trusted supportive relationships with peers and financial coaches/mentors.

Money Mondays is the popular bi-weekly live webcast that is safe space for women of color to discuss all things financial that can increase their wealth.

ElevateUS/ALL (EUSA) is a multi-channel intersectional economic research hub that will add to the body of evidence-based research on women of color in Central Ohio to promote closing of racial and gender wealth gaps. EUSA is a data repository, evidence-based researcher and convener. EUSA will publish actionable economic insights to uplift the entire Central Ohio region.

Seeded in 2019, Ascend is the capital funding source for the Hire 1 Accelerator Pitch prize. In Q4 2022, Ascend will make its first micro-loans to participants of the business and wealth accelerator. Our goal is to grow the fund to at least $250,000 in 2023 to serve more of our members with credit-building loans of up to $50,000.

Presented by WCEO in collaboration with Forever Free Fitness CEO and certified personal trainer LaTanya Settles, WWJ is inspired by our own CEO’s wellness journey after she, like many of us during COVID and working from home, experienced weight gain, spiking A1C and cholesterol levels. Targeted to women CEOs, WWJ is fun, vigorous exercise to old and new school jams plus uplifting coaching, positive vibes, nutritious food and a women’s vendor fair. This year’s quarterly WWJ has been attended by over 65 women of color business owners and career professionals.

GalaBid Instructions

Scan QR code or log in use link https://app.galabid.com/wceo

Credit cards accepted

US Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, OH-3 Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus

First African American woman to represent Columbus, Ohio in the United States House of Representatives

For the interview Joyce ditched her overstuffed, large, designer bag for a more sophisticated, sleek, classy designer bag—look closely and you will see American fashion designer Kate Spade’s logo. With purse on arm, tailored suit and high heels, she walked into the interview, placed her purse on her lap, unzipped it, took out her ink pen. As she zipped the bag—the interviewer said— “nice bag”. It was then, with a smile, she nailed the interview—and got the job. The Joyce has been in the Congresswoman’s handbag portfolio throughout her days in Congress and through the terms of three American Presidents including President Barack Obama and currently, President Joe Biden.

Christie Angel President & CEO | YWCA Columbus

Imagine that you have just been chosen to lead one of the most impactful organizations supporting women in your community. You need a bag that is strong, resilient and able to stand the test of time all while looking fabulous! The Christie has been on an historic journey manifesting economic equity and inclusion at the YWCA. This bag served as a trusted companion to the CEO as she fought to uphold the mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, evermore passionately in the COVID and George Floyd era. The Christie has been there, safeguarding everything from a change of clothes pivot to gym shoes for a much needed self-care break, and of course TV-ready lipstick and missionachieving tech tools. Now, The Christie is ready for her next adventure! Will it be with you?

Luxe Levels

Eclectic Fashion Boutique Easton Town Center & Polaris Fashion Place | Columbus

Lean into fall’s hottest hue with The Luxe. This new Italian leather bag (retail $350) is ready to blaze new trails and find new paths as your trusted confidant. The Luxe is designed for the ones that are looking for practical bags, without sacrificing beauty and fashion; working people who ask their bags be user friendly, resistant to the daily stress of a person on the go. Ready to make a little history with The Luxe? Let’s go! You might be our next named auction bag!

Thank you to all our donors. Bidding will open at approximately 11:00am, closing TBA. All bidding will start at $50.00. Most credit cards accepted. Sorry no checks or cash. Winner assumes responsibility for transporting their handbags from the event. Declared winners and sales are final. No refunds or exchanges permitted. Bags will be displayed for viewing at the event.

Winner of the 2022 Legacy Builder of the Year Gayle Saunders, APR Founder & CEO, The Saunders PR Group

The Elevate Us All Legacy Builder of the Year Award recognizes an individual who is a role model for other women business owners. Ms. Saunders business growth and savvy while empowering other women through sharing her time, treasure and talent, breaking through the Million Dollar revenue milestone and selection as the current President of Twin Rivers (OH) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated are outstanding achievements towards the economic advancement of all Black women in Central Ohio.

Winner of the 2022 CEO’s ElevateHer Award

Sandra Moody Gresham Founder & CEO, Dehan Enterprises

The CEO’s ElevateHer Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates unwavering commitment to the economic advancement of Black women. Mrs. Gresham’s outstanding service to our community as an engaging insurance expert has protected the businesses, health and wealth of women of color and our families for many years. She has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in assets and safeguarded priceless lives.

Winner of the 2022 Equity Champion Award Courtney Falato and Team JPMorgan Chase

The Elevate Us All Corporate Champion Award recognizes a corporate or organization employee or team that demonstrates bold, courageous and measurable commitment to catalyzing innovative solutions that create an equitable economy and eradicates the intractable issues that women of color, particularly African American women, navigate at the intersection of racism and sexism. At WCEO, we believe what uplifts those with the greatest needs will elevate us all.

Following a dynamic, robust, and awardwinning career as a public relations executive and communications expert in-house for numerous reputable organizations including Nationwide Insurance, Columbus Public Schools and The Ohio State University where she was a White House liaison during President Obama’s 2013 commencement address, Gayle Saunders launched her own full-service PR firm in 2014. At The Saunders PR Group she continues to lead as a nationally renowned thought leader and expert in reputation management, media relations, crisis communications, community engagement, stakeholder outreach, and media buying. With a portfolio of high-profile clients, Gayle delivers strategies from conception to execution that transform organizations from within and have a ripple effect across communities. Her clients include the City of Columbus, Franklin County and Ohio Lottery.

As Founder & CEO, Gayle now leads teams to deliver comprehensive, grassroots, and strategic PR projects that reach beyond bottom lines as they were selected to create and execute culturally rich campaigns to address infant mortality which disproportionately impacts Black women and continue the city’s Safe Sleep education.

For her work, Gayle has received numerous recognitions and awards including; 2022 Telly Award and 2022 Central Ohio PRSA Prism Award, PRNews Public Relations Changemaker, Business First CEO of the Year (2021); Central Ohio’s PR Society of America’s (COPRSA) Prism Award for Excellent PR Strategy (2019, 2020, 2021); YWCA’s Women of Achievement Award (2020); and, most notably, she was the first person of color to receive Central Ohio’s PR Society of America (COPRSA) Practitioner of the Year Award (2018). She serves on COPRSA’s

board as the Ethics Chair, and she cofounded COPRSA’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee where she was nationally recognized for increasing the board’s diversity and creating a D&I position on the board, a first for a regional chapter

A graduate of the University of Louisville with a degree in Communication & Journalism, she is an Accredited Public Relations (APR) Professional, recognized by the Public Relations Society of America.

Gayle’s Inspiration:

“

If I can help somebody, as I travel along; If I can help somebody, with a word or song; If I can help somebody, from doing wrong; No, my living shall not be in vain.

- Alma Bazel Androzzo

Sandra is a motivated and energetic insurance expert, educator, and leader who is passionate about serving a range of clients, from families of modest means to multimillion-dollar organizations. Her life work has been to further the financial wealth and economic literacy of individuals, businesses, and organizations which she accomplishes through financial education and the delivery of high caliber insurance and financial products. As the owner of Dehan Enterprises Insurance & Financial Services, the company’s goal is to assist clients in the

creation, accumulation, and protection of wealth. In an industry with fewer than 3% African American insurance agency owners, Sandra is a trailblazer. She represents leadership as a business owner, an industry thought leader, an employer, and a mentor. She has nurtured numerous female insurance stars who are impacting the industry today. As an Adjunct Professor of Insurance and Risk Management at Franklin University (Columbus, Ohio), Sandra introduces students to opportunities in the insurance industry and how this product

is the foundation to create financial security. She has been recognized with many accolades over the years for her work and service to the community and is a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.

Sandra’s Inspiration:

Courtney’s dedication, and that of her team, to these ideals are evident in JPMC’sr investment of resources in the Central Ohio small business development ecosystem, WCEO’s Hire 1 Women’s Business Accelerator, the new Women of Color Equity Design Institute led by Zora’s House, Columbus Urban League’s Equity Now Coalition, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s new Emerging Developers program and much more.

Courtney Falato has dedicated her career to disruptively innovating systems and processes so all individuals have equitable access to the opportunities needed to flourish in life. Ms. Falato is currently the Vice President for Global Philanthropy and Program Officer at JPMorgan Chase, setting the grant-making strategy in Ohio and Kentucky as a member of the firm’s Global Philanthropy team. She previously served

as the Director of Smart Cities at The Ohio State University, leading the university’s engagement for Columbus’ $550M smart cities initiative. Ms. Falato has deep love for education and experience as a school administrator. As a researcher for over a decade, Ms. Falato focused on the implementation, spread and sustainability of innovative school models and programs in K12. Ms. Falato served as Associate Project Director at the University of Chicago’s Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education, Associate Director of STEM Projects at the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy at The Ohio State University, and an education researcher at American Institutes for Research in Washington DC. Ms. Falato received her B.A. in Political Science from The Ohio State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Virginia.

I am here to receive all that life has to offer, by giving and receiving love, all to the glory of God.

Courtney’s Inspiration:

“ ” “

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they’re not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Steve Jobs

Sandra Gresham

Courtney Falato

Hire

1

Joyce Beatty

Angel

Brown (Table Captain)

Jerry Saunders, Sr. (Table Captain)

Lisa Gutierrez (Table Captain)

Tracy Heard (Table Captain)

Monica Womack (Table captain)

Fennyl