Agenda

Victor Ocando Finol is the Founder and CEO of Adapt the Game. Before starting Adapt the Game, he practiced international sports law as a Venezuelan attorney specializing in soccer law. Victor also graduated from FIFA CIES – Argentinian Catholic University Sports Law and Management Program, being awarded as a finalist for the FIFA CIES International University Network Award for a project to improve accessibility in CONMEBOL competitions. He has been a mentor at the Allan “Bud” Selig Master of Sports Law and Business at Arizona State University.

Frank Allnutt is the owner and pitmaster of Allnuttville Smoke Shack in Martinsburg, WV. Frank has been in business for three years, starting with a small pellet grill/smoker (820 sq inches) and has progressed to a wood water smoker (33 square feet). Frank primarily cooks for small catering jobs and is looking to expand into bigger catering jobs, as well as festivals and occasional pop-up events.

As Senior Small Business Advisor, Austin Breckenridge creates partnerships with local stakeholders, serves as the one of the primary business advisors, and helps to oversee the business advising program at PeopleFund. In his role, Austin works one on one with new and existing business owners on how to plan, launch, and expand their businesses and covers topics ranging from accessing capital to business planning to financial statements/projections. Before joining PeopleFund, Austin spent six years in small business and commercial banking and twelve years as business owner in the live music and recording industry.

https://peoplefund.org/

Adam David Jones, CEO/Founder of Zeer, has been a serial entrepreneur since he was eight. He was an actor, producer, director and founder of several businesses. Seven years ago, Adam was assaulted and nearly killed. He pivoted his acting career to creating a 21st Century personal and public safety product using existing and emerging technologies. Adam is solving problems of criminal violence and medical emergency responses at scale.

https://www.zeersafe.com/

Dr. Samantha Scott is the Founder and CEO of JuneBrain. Dr. Scott obtained her BS in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California. With more than 15 years of experience, she has dedicated her career to developing medical devices that diagnose and treat retinal diseases. Dr. Scott also uses neuroimaging and ophthalmic imaging techniques to track functional and structural changes that provide data for medical treatment. Dr. Scott’s passion for the eyes and brain stems from her own personal experience. In 2017, she was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder and experienced the challenge of communicating changes in her disease to healthcare providers between clinical visits. This inspired her to launch JuneBrain. She has since built a team of brilliant and diverse individuals who share her passion for improving the quality of life for neurological and retinal disease patients.

https://www.junebrain.com/

Diego Mariscal is a trailblazer at the intersection of disability advocacy and entrepreneurship. He is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether-International, the leading startup accelerator run by and for disabled entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, 2GI has supported more than 70 startups, helping them secure approximately $50 million in outside investments, acquisitions and revenue. His role has also enabled strategic collaborations with international organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, Organization of American States and Inter-American Development Bank, as well as corporate partnerships with Comcast NBCUniversal, Google, Blackboard, McKinsey and others. In 2022 and 2023, Diego engaged in high-level dialogues on disability and entrepreneurship with President Clinton and President Biden. He was featured as a panelist in a discussion moderated by Hillary Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative University annual meeting. Born with Cerebral Palsy and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Diego represented Nuevo Leon in the Mexican National Paralympics from 2004–2009.

https://www.2gether-international.org/

Ruby "SunShine" Taylor, M.S.W, is the CEO and Founder of Financial Joy School, a virtual educational platform and gaming company that empowers Black and Brown youth and their families through financial education and investment tools. A proud double HBCU alumna of Howard University and Virginia Union University, Ruby is a passionate advocate for closing the racial wealth gap and establishing financial equity. A survivor of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), Ruby identifies as a disabled Black, queer woman. She's a motivational speaker, a wife, mother, daughter, aunt, sister and friend determined to make the world more equal, joyful and just. Ruby has partnered with renowned financial brands including Wells Fargo, Trust & Will and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and has been featured in leading publications such as The Motley Fool, Inc.com, Fast Company, Forbes, Black Enterprise and Mashable.com. She resides in Baltimore, MD with her wife, Dr. Sheila Graham, and their two children.

https://financialjoyschool.com/

Shlok Shah currently serves as Operations Director at Synergies Work, where he helps disabled founders launch and grow sustainable businesses. Through his own startups, Shlok has worked with small-to-medium sized organizations in the healthcare, manufacturing, and promotional product spaces through management consulting, marketing strategy and product sourcing. Since joining Synergies Work, Shlok has helped grow the organization to become the largest startup hub for disabled founders in the country that has supported over 300 startups while also expanding the range of services provided to support founders at every stage of their business journey.

https://synergieswork.org/

Keisha Greaves is a motivational speaker and the founder of the fashion brand, Girls Chronically Rock, as well as her 501c3 nonprofits: the GCR Adaptive Project and the Trust Your Abilities Nonprofit for People of Color. At age 24, Keisha was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, at which point her life changed forever. Rather than be bogged down by her diagnosis, Keisha decided to channel her energy into celebrating those with Muscular Dystrophy and other chronic illnesses. Thus began Girls Chronically Rock and the founding of her other nonprofits: The GCR Adaptive Project and the Trust Your Abilities Nonprofit for People of Color. Keisha frequently presents to spread awareness about Muscular Dystrophy, work-life-chronic illness balance, raising money for causes, advocating for disability and other related topics. Keisha has been featured in several national media outlets including Good Morning America, The Today Show, ABC News and more. One of her proudest moments is when she was featured in Today Style Heroes 2018. Keisha has personally worked alongside Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and was successful in getting September 30th officially proclaimed as Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Day. Keisha earned her BA in Fashion Design and Merchandising from Framingham State University and an MBA from Cambridge College.

Philip DeVliegher is responsible for leading the strategy and execution of Disability:IN’s global supply chain and supplier diversity program. As a passionate advocate of innovative supplier diversity and inclusion, he has been actively involved with Disability:IN’s supplier diversity program since its inception in 2010. With more than 20 years of corporate experience in supplier diversity, human resources and talent acquisition, as well as nearly 10 years of entrepreneurship and non-profit leadership in supplier diversity, he brings a unique perspective to his role. Philip is a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®), the premier cross-culturally valid assessment for building cultural competence in individuals and organizations, and a graduate of Florida State University.

https://disabilityin.org/

Elizabeth Jennings has worked in the field of disability services for over 22 years. Elizabeth is passionate about disability rights as a civil rights issue and supporting the more than 61 million Americans with disabilities to realize the promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act; equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. She is skilled in multi-modal training and technical assistance with an eye on customizing materials and approach to address learner differences and facilitate knowledge gains and capacity building. She is recognized nationally for her knowledge on employment and economic advancement strategies that improve the financial stability of people with disabilities and the interplay of those strategies with public benefits. Elizabeth applies positive psychology to both NDI and its funded projects. She manages a national well-being text campaign that provides research-based tips that promote individual resilience; works with NDI's researchers to include well-being measures within project outcomes; provides training on resilience and hope building activities; and integrates positive psychology tools and strategies into NDI’s policies and practices. Elizabeth is most recently researching and testing (as a sample of one) measures that support cancer survivors and individuals with chronic illnesses. She earned her Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a certification in Work Incentives & Benefits Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Emerson Sekins is the Executive Director of Northwest Access Fund , a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) serving people with disabilities and seniors in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Northwest Access Fund offers customized loans, financial coaching, and other resources to promote access to assistive technology, independence, financial resilience, and life opportunities. Emerson is passionate about helping people with disabilities and their families navigate systemic and financial barriers due to disability, including asset and savings restrictions tied to public benefits, high medical debt and prescription costs, bankruptcies, and unscored or lower credit scores. Emerson has served as Northwest Access Fund's Executive Director since 2017 after having joined the organization as a program staff person in 2013. Emerson holds an MPA from UW’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. He is the Secretary of the Washington Community Investment Coalition and the Treasurer of the National Disability Finance Coalition.

https://www.nwaccessfund.org/

Lisa Jones currently serves as the Director of Economic Inclusion for Northwest Access Fund. In her role, Lisa leads a dynamic financial coaching team, integrating financial coaching, benefits planning and credit building for individuals identifying with a disability. Lisa has over two decades of program design experience promoting economic and community development She started in this work as Justine Petersen’s first Rural Loan Officer, providing CDFI services to rural areas in the Midwest considered service deserts, then moved over to SBA to help create and implement the Rural Strong program. Lisa left the SBA to start a rural microlending program at New Growth, including starting one of the few all rural Women’s Business Centers in the nation. Lisa focuses on asset development and financial empowerment in all her work, appreciating the value of all people regardless of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait, as valued members of community.

https://www.nwaccessfund.org/

Andrew Porter is Operations Manager of the National Disability Finance Coalition. He has worked in the financial services industry for 14 years including 4 years in the CDFI industry. He has extensive experience underwriting CDFIs and other impact investments on behalf of wealth management firms, banks and other investors.

https://disability-finance.org/

Pam Porter is Executive Director of the National Disability Finance Coalition. She has worked over the past 15 years in the CDFI industry, previously as EVP at Opportunity Finance Network. She is an experienced consultant working with CDFI practitioners and CDFI investors including banks, foundations, and individual investors and their advisors. Prior to joining the CDFI field, Pam had a distinguished career in the private sector at a global consulting firm and Wall Street Bank.

https://disability-finance.org/

Mai Ling Chan is a speech-language pathologist, industry historian, global connector, keynote speaker and technology entrepreneur. Building on a lifetime of successful ventures, she focuses on supporting disability-focused thought leaders and building a global ecosystem to support innovative and assistive technologies. As an executive consultant, and through Exceptional Lab, she facilitates national and international partnerships with disability experts and supports strategic business development. In addition, after publishing three Amazon best-selling books in 18 months, Mai continues to spotlight industry leaders on the Xceptional Leaders podcast, now in its sixth year reaching listeners in more than 80 countries. Mai is driven to empower individuals, educators and innovators in the disability space, guiding them to transform their visions into impactful realities.

https://www.exceptionallab.co

Caroline Selia leads Strategic Partnerships and Content for SMBX. She has 12 years of financial marketing experience on Wall Street, most recently at the Quant Strategy Hedge Fund, R.G. Niederhoffer. Caroline began her career working with the Adam Dell Venture Capital Fund. She also has vast digital media experience as a consultant (including social media, content writing, video production and podcasts) with clients such as Spotify, Fireball Network and 5 Senses Tasting. ⁠Caroline is a passionate advocate for music education and higher education. She has worked with the Statement Arts organization for a decade (which helps underserved NYC high school kids get into college) and volunteered for the Sing for Hope Pianos in the city project. She also trained as a professional singer and can be heard doing regular vocal concerts at the American Cancer Society at the Hope Lodge in New York City.

https://www.thesmbx.com/

Mariah Barber is a seasoned public health professional with a strong background in health education and diversity, equity and inclusion consulting. Holding an MPH in community, social and behavioral health, along with a B.S. in public health and a B.A. in international studies, Mariah's expertise includes cultural competency. She is also fluent in Spanish. Her dynamic career spans roles as a radio personality, spoken word artist, content curator, mentor, writer, researcher advocate and more. Mariah is deeply passionate about inclusive design in tech products and recently launched Invisible Strengths, a hiring platform dedicated to those with invisible disabilities. In a notable achievement, Invisible Strengths was recognized in 2023 as one of the "10 Startups to Watch" by the Washington Business Journal. Mariah has successfully navigated through Halcyon, 2gether International and the Entrepreneur Development Network Program while diligently developing their business, Invisible Strengths. They take immense pride in being trailblazers for other intersectional individuals, empowering them to authentically show up as their full selves every day. Mariah's guiding mantra: "Some People Do, Some People Never Do, Some People Overdo, How Do You Do?" reflects her thoughtful approach to challenges. She is dedicated to amplifying unheard voices and making a positive impact in public health on a global scale.

https://www.invisiblestrengths.com/

Sarah Nakintu leads partnerships for Verizon Small Business Digital Ready, the company's free resource platform to support diverse and underrepresented small business owners with tools to help them succeed in the digital economy. In this role, Sarah identifies opportunities to partner with nonprofits, advocacy organizations and other companies to amplify support for small businesses. Prior to Verizon, Sarah was at Meta, working to build an ecosystem of technology and financial partners to support Meta's impact partners. Previously, Sarah was a Global Partnership Lead at Unreasonable Group, an impact fund running growth stage accelerator programs for impact entrepreneurs in partnership with Corporations, Governments, Foundations and Multilateral Organizations like the U.N. Sarah also co-founded Kintu, a sustainable leather brand producing goods in Kenya, Uganda and Italy for the luxury goods market in the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Asia. Sarah earned her M.S.C from Columbia University in New York and is originally from Uganda.

Kristin Gross, at the beginning of her career, embraced contract work in a variety of medical settings and specialties in the Boston area. Kristin continued to witness and solve a wide range of healthcare challenges when she transitioned into healthcare sales and business development nationally. Working with providers, patients, caregivers, hospital networks, payors, diagnostic laboratories, pharma and biotech over the years, Kristin was not limited to a single portfolio or therapeutic area. Understanding the healthcare system on a variety of levels, Kristin decided to launch her own startup, Navdee, which is a digital health platform focusing on empowering patients and family caregivers to better advocate for themselves in a complex healthcare system.

https://navdee.com/

Dr. Felicia Kelso has a Doctorate in Business in Quality System Management and is a U.S. Army (Retired) Veteran. She is the author of Employer Practices When Approving and Denying Reasonable Accommodations in the Federal Executive Department. After completing her dissertation and publishing it in 2022, Dr. Kelso has dedicated her passion to training and coaching federal and private sector employers, frontline managers and Service-Disabled Veterans to navigate the complex landscape of reasonable accommodation (RA) and Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Dr. Kelso has 30+ years of RA and DEI lived experience and 35+ years of Administrative and IG, EEOC Compliance Experience. Dr. Kelso has a unique combination of expertise that she brings to bear on the problem of RA and DEI. She has developed holistic, practical, employer specific RA & DEI compliance solutions to increase awareness and competency, employee retention and productivity when assessing and implementing accommodations in the workplace. Dr. Kelso has also put her expertise and lived experience into her books: Coming Soon: The Dirty Dozen: Reasonable Accommodation Mistakes Frustrated Employers Make and How to Avoid Them and The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion B4 Leadership Series.

https://idiveb4.com/

Heather Lawver is the Founder and CEO of Perfectly Pitched, the creators of Ceemo.ai, your friendly automated CMO. In just her first two years in business, Heather helped startups raise over $20 million, which went to 97% underrepresented founders. Now she's automating and scaling that impact with Ceemo, which generates custom data-backed brands for startups, and in a single click, automatically applies them to all needed marketing materials. As a life-long entrepreneur, Heather started her first community organization at age 7, her first non-profit at 13, and her first successful international human rights campaign at 16. Heather is especially passionate about expanding inclusion and diversity across venture capital for women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled founders.

https://www.perfectlypitched.co/

Marcela Shine is a seasoned builder with 25 plus years of experience in optimizing operations, transforming marketing processes and improving company culture. She has held CEO and COO positions in martech and venture-backed SaaS startups, working with Fortune 500 companies and innovative startups alike. Marcela began her career in fintech at Refinitiv, where she led global product teams providing data and technology solutions to financial institutions worldwide. In addition to her professional pursuits, Marcela is deeply committed to advocacy work. She supports cancer patients through her involvement with The Tutu Project, securing six-figure corporate partnerships and driving awareness for the foundation. As a board member of Gift of Adoption, Marcela fundraises to alleviate adoption costs for families. With a strong connection to her Colombian roots, she founded Grupo Alegra, a travel company, and advises private-equity firms on investments in Colombia. Marcela's tech expertise has also benefited the Colombian Film Festival and nonprofits focusing on early childhood.

https://www.zenbusiness.com/

Mai Ling Chan is a speech-language pathologist, industry historian, global connector, keynote speaker and technology entrepreneur. Building on a lifetime of successful ventures, she focuses on supporting disability-focused thought leaders and building a global ecosystem to support innovative and assistive technologies. As an executive consultant, and through Exceptional Lab, she facilitates national and international partnerships with disability experts and supports strategic business development. In addition, after publishing three Amazon best-selling books in 18 months, Mai continues to spotlight industry leaders on the Xceptional Leaders podcast, now in its sixth year reaching listeners in more than 80 countries. Mai is driven to empower individuals, educators and innovators in the disability space, guiding them to transform their visions into impactful realities.

https://www.exceptionallab.co

Aanuoluwapo Omoleye is a 2nd-year graduate student at Gallaudet University and the 2023 winner of the 6th annual Bison Tank for her enterprise, AbleBoos Africa. She believes in the power of creating inclusive and representational products as pivotal drivers of positive change, especially for underrepresented persons in the educational system.

https://ablebooksafrica.com/

Jesse Magee is an upbeat, easy-going musician whose musical career developed rapidly during his teen years when he discovered that he excelled in many types of musical endeavors. Later, he began performing songs at local coffee houses and asking local bands if they would mind a walk-on. The crowds roared for this young man who shook the venue without any warning! At 16 years old, Jesse was already an accomplished drummer even though his drum instructor said he could not play without proper use of his right side. As a self-taught drummer, he was the envy of his peers and now one of the best drummers and drum instructors for children of all ability levels, specializing in children with disabilities. The guitar playing began in his teens. Jesse had to play the guitar upside down and without the fancy finger work. This helped him to write incredible, catchy soulful songs with lots of hooks. As he grew to be a man, Jesse kept writing more and more original songs, practiced singing with is four plus octave vocal range and perfected his craft. With now more than 60 original songs written with power and emotion, Jesse is the singer/songwriter of several bands, speaks at elementary, middle and high schools with his program, Rock-Able, performs in front of thousands, wins global music awards and looks forward to making more music magic.

Andrea Freedman started her entrepreneurial journey while still in high school. After a short internship at a candy store, she started her first business at age 17. Andies Candies was a small candy business that began selling wrapped candy in a mall kiosk stand and graduated to shared retail space and finally her own store. She then transitioned to a licensed sports gear store called The Sports Nut, turning a large profit when the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2012. The Sports Nut experienced several moves and, in 2017, with sales declining, she created Puppy Luv Dog Boutique, selling dog food and treats, gear, supplies and gifts. Later, Andrea added dog bathing and became a professional dog groomer, renaming the business Puppy Luv Dog Boutique and Spa. Andrea now owns a thriving dog grooming business that is booking six months in advance, employing a groomer and grooming assistant. Andrea has paid all her loans back and is now paying herself and turning a profit!

https://www.puppyluvshop.com/

Jasmin Duffey is a spoken word artist and a music engineer with more than a decade of experience creating, producing and mastering music. Her music career started after she lost her vision while being one of the top basketball prospects in the country. This led to a radical shift for Jasmin as one passion was replaced with another. She learned how to produce without sight and adopted her spoken word persona Ambition. Since then, Jasmin has performed for crowds throughout the U.S. and recently launched her own apparel and printing business, Blinded By Ambition, where she creates her own line of streetwear and provides the same service for other businesses, artists and individuals.

Nikki Powis has over 30 years’ experience advancing economic opportunities for underrepresented and underserved populations at the local, regional, statewide, and national level. Currently Nikki is the Director of Small Business Programs for National Disability Institute (NDI). Nikki is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of NDI’s multiple small business initiatives serving entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities. Her role includes championing NDI’s efforts to expand Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within the entrepreneurial eco-system and supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities to start, build and grow their businesses. Nikki brings experience and passion into her work toward supporting positive change efforts.