I was born in Strongsville, Ohio in 1998. When I was 21 months old I was dagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Growing up, I fell in love with the game of soccer and did everything I could to become the best soccer player that I could be. I broke 2 records at Strongsville High School and tied a third. I went on to play soccer at Ohio State University. I played one season for the Buckeyes before moving to Cleveland to pursue my entrepreneurial endeavors.I transferred to Cleveland State and started my first business with my long time friend and roommate. We started a social media marketing business and quickly gained some clients. We partnered with a larger agency and got the opportunity to work with some really amazing people. We loved the entrepreneurial spirit so much, that we decided to start another business. A public speaking agency. We teamed up with another member and called ourselves Deja Vu. We help others create a life that they dream of living, and I've loved the challenges and opportunities that public speaking has presented. I am 21 years old and I have never taken a sip of alcohol. I'm passionate about helping others, and I'm on a mission to make a difference. I like to speak about business and marketing, sports, adversity, and hard work. My main preference is speaking to middle school and high school students. I don't really have any time preferences and am pretty flexible. Local doesn't matter that much either, and I reside in Downtown Cleveland.

My name is Julie Brandle, President and Founder of Metis Construction Services, a female owned and operated commercial general contractor located in Kent working throughout Ohio. Metis performs facilities maintenance, building renovations and ground up construction. This year we celebrate our 10th anniversary! Julie enjoys speaking about marketing, advertising, public relations and how she started her business. She is open to speaking to students in school and after school programs across town depending on her schedule.

Elizabeth is an 82 year young entrepreneur creating a winning culture for tomorrow’s leaders where they can be happy, wealthy, charitable, and free. She is on a mission to stamp out childhood hunger as she teaches people how to make and save money when their essential service bills are paid. Elizabeth has always seen herself as the lender and not the borrower. Even though she was born and raised in poverty she always knew that there was something greater. So she became focused on being an entrepreneur. She has done this through ACN where she has set new records and broken her own records in customer acquisition. Leveraging the value of extensive networking has proven to be key in building strong relationships and promoting effective team building. Her new mindset, her strong desire for excellence, her passion to serve and help others learn to make money work hard for them rather than them working so hard for money. This coupled with her strong faith in God is allowing her to live a life that could only have been a dream 70 years ago. The journey of entrepreneurship is taking Elizabeth from project poverty to penthouse prosperity. She is determined not to travel solo. Elizabeth enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset and the art of the elevator pitch. She prefers to speak to students 3rd through 8th grade and can be available to speak to classrooms and out of school programs across town.

Carrington Chatman, affectionately called CJ by family & friends, was born in Akron, Ohio. Chatman exhibited entrepreneurial traits at an early age; he started a popsicle stand at age 4, collected cans from ages 9-11 and founded his own landscaping business by age 12. As a student in Copley-Fairlawn City Schools he was selected to be a People to People Student Ambassador, which granted travels across the globe. Chatman went on to graduate from Copley High School, where his athletic career earned him a full ride football scholarship at Walsh University. During his time at Walsh University, he was introduced to the financial world through his internship at Northwestern Mutual. Chatman earned his Life & Health Insurance license and was honored to be named one of the top 100 interns in the nation during his time with the company. After graduation, Chatman went on to State Farm where he was an Account Manager, during which he earned his Property & Casualty license. In his free time he planned and eventually founded Carrington Financials LLC in December 2017, fulfilling a lifelong dream. The vision for Carrington Financials stemmed from Chatman’s want to give back to his community and help those in need, while also using the financial knowledge earned and experience gained throughout his life. Carrington is currently involved with the United Baptist Church Scholarship Program, the Ready 2 Work Program, and many other business ventures that will come into fruition in the future. Carrington enjoys speaking about igniting the entrepreneurial mindset and how to start a business. He is available to speak to students 3-12th grade both in school and for out of school programs across town.

TerDawn DeBoe has had an affinity for music, creativity, and entrepreneurship all of her life. After finding a passion for graphic design and marketing, she became a full-time entrepreneur starting InnovativEdge Marketing (now known as Creative Thought Solutions) which has provided services for NASCAR, Tyscot Records/Warner Music Group, Caesar’s Casino, and 100’s of other businesses all across the country. She has grown that business from a one-woman show to a team of six people specializing in finding creative solutions for companies and helping them accelerate their growth. She is considered the go-to expert when it comes to finding creative ways to bring a vision to life while assisting each company in reaching their goals. In October 2016, TerDawn founded the Creative Entrepreneur Academy which teaches entrepreneurs how to start and accelerate the growth of their businesses. The academy offers live classes, home-study courses, and mentorship. Through the Academy, she has been able to reach close to 1000 Entrepreneurs in over 9 different countries. TerDawn is also a partner of Dream Creative Complex, a creative co-working space located in Bedford Heights, OH. She is an active Marketing committee member for the Women of the NAACP and the NBMBAA as well as a preferred marketing provider for The President’s Council, Ohio’s leading business chamber. TerDawn enjoys speaking about creativity, the entrepreneurial mindset, marketing, advertising and how to start a business. She is available to speak to students 3rd through 12th grade both during the school day or for afterschool programs per availability. TerDawn prefers downtown or eastside locations.

Evan Delahanty is the Founder and CEO of Peaceful Fruits, a social good snack startup that employs people with disabilities to make healthy, delicious, rainforest-friendly fruit snacks. Peaceful Fruits has been featured on NPR and ABC’s Shark Tank and is focused on scaling sales and production locally and nationally. Evan graduated from Walsh Jesuit High School (2003), then Cornell University (2007), before working in private industry in operations management. Prior to launching Peaceful Fruits, he served as a Community Economic Development Specialist for the U.S. Peace Corps in the Amazon interior of Suriname, South America. Evan Delahanty enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset, the art of the elevator pitch and how to raise capital. He is available to speak to students 3rd through 9th grade during the school day across town.

Dr. Casen DeMaria gets to live out her dream job everyday as a chiropractor. As a registered massage therapist, Dr. Casen knew she wanted to continue to add value to the individuals she was helping each day, and enrolled at Life University where she received her Doctor of Chiropractic. Since joining The Drugless Doctors, Dr. Casen actively pursues new ways to reach and educate the community about the benefits of chiropractic, drugless care, and breast thermography, which includes successful partnerships with local businesses and women’s organizations. Dr. Casen enjoys speaking about how to follow your passion, what a career in health care looks like, how to represent your brand and simple strategies to improve your marketing and communication. Dr. Casen is available to speak to students at schools and non-profit organizations located in downtown and westside Cleveland.

Rick is an engaged learner curious about the world and seeks solutions to problems. He works in both the for profit and non-profit sectors laboring to unleash potential: improving operations, building into communities, and equipping people for success. Rick is a founder of small businesses, a school, and social ventures. Rick’s motto, “Invest in the City!” Rick is interested in speaking about igniting the entrepreneurial mindset, the art of the elevator pitch and how to start a business. He is open to speaking to 3rd-12th grade students across town, in classroom settings and out of school programs. Please contact Rick at Rick@Cleoramanagement.com to schedule an engagement.

Bob Gillingham is the President of Bob Gillingham Ford, a third generation family business. He is active in the community and volunteers for many organizations. He is a member of the Medina County Career Center school board, is on the advisory board for the St. Ambrose school in Brunswick. His primary passion, however, is teaching financial literacy. Starting out with Junior Achievement 30 years ago, Bob has been teaching the subject at schools around the country. About 10 years ago he developed a curriculum specifically targeted to students in high school and college. His 2-3 hour class has been taught to over 6000 students last year in over 25 high schools and several colleges. Unlike so many financial literacy programs, Bob’s class does not represent any business, nor sell any products. It is strictly to educate students how each of them can become a millionaire tax free in their lifetime without any complicated program or large investment. Students in 8th grade or older can get started with as little as $20.00 invested in the stock market with very little risk. This class teaches students not only how investments work but actually how to start investing tax free at a very young age. This program is so easy we call it couch potato investing. The program is part of a world wide nonprofit Finmango, which promotes financial literacy and entrepreneurship around the world.

At the age of 15, Shaker Heights native Ethan Holmes launched Holmes Made Foods LLC with his grandfather’s applesauce recipe and ambitious dreams of entrepreneurial success. From humble origins in his family’s kitchen – acquiring raw materials as Christmas gifts – Holmes built his brand of all-natural applesauce through sweat equity and persistence. Over the past 10+ years, Ethan has diligently grown his operations and distribution by leveraging his personal network, pitching his product at every opportunity, and listening to the advice of business mentors. Along the way, Holmes and his company have won a number of entrepreneur pitch competitions, earning capital infusions to fuel business growth, including an investment from The Cleveland Foundation in 2017. Today, Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce is available in more than 250 retail locations throughout the midwest, including Kroger, Heinen’s, Whole Foods, Marc’s, Giant Eagle and more. All applesauce is manufactured by Ethan and his staff in Cleveland, Ohio, and was recently chosen by Chobani as one of their 8 incubator companies, receiving grant funding and advising in New York City starting 2021. Looking to the future, Ethan has his sights set on national and international markets for his products. In 2015, Ethan created the Young Entrepreneur Initiative, giving local students an opportunity to learn about small business operations and earn a wage by working in the production and sale of Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce. Ethan enjoys speaking to students in grades K-12 about business development, entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial journey, the entrepreneurial mindset, marketing, creativity, resiliency, and problem solving.

Anne is an Independent Personal Stylist with J.Hilburn Men’s Clothier. A versatile, high-energy and creative sales and marketing professional with a Passion for Fashion, Anne helps men in Northeast Ohio and across the country look great and get the proper fit for their body type ~ without traditional markups. Many men don’t like to shop, are frustrated by off-the-rack clothing, expensive custom wear and alteration costs. No matter the shape or size, big or tall ~ Anne does it all! She has an extensive background in various industries with C-level and marketing executives: Trade show, multimedia, commercial real estate, human resources and hospitality/event planning. Prior to joining J.Hilburn, Anne worked for Skyline Trisource Exhibits, Smart Business Network, Forest City Enterprises and Sheraton Hotels. Anne received the 2016 Excellence in Achievement Award from the National Sales & Marketing Executives Association, Akron/Canton Chapter. She studied business management and communication at Cleveland State University and attended business courses at Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management. Anne enjoys speaking to high school students about Marketing, Sales, Social Media, Fashion, Event Planning and Career Search.

Anna Kelberg-Kim is an entertainment lawyer and represents a diverse roster of clients in music industry as well as literary artists, filmmakers, visual artists, performers and performing arts organizations. Anna combines business and legal knowledge of the industry to offer comprehensive representation to entertainment professionals on matters pertaining to Copyright and Trademark; Clearance and Licensing rights; Formation of Business Entity; and Contract Drafting, Review, and Negotiation. Anna’s passion for helping people to build their careers in entertainment comes from her personal experiences as a musician and as being a parent of a music artist. Anna, classically trained violinist and pianist, grew up in an arts-rich environment – her family, professional music educators and music artists always stressed the importance and value of the arts as integral part of their lives. Recently, Anna has expanded her practice representing independent music artists and composers for sync licensing. Anna believes that with the rapid change in the music industry, sync can be very instrumental for independent musicians in fulfilling their creative purpose. Anna believes that one of the keys to professional success is continuous learning and keeping current with industry trends. She prefers to speak to students in 9-12th grade, and can be available to speak to classrooms and after school programs across town, depending on her schedule. To learn more, visit Anna’s website at www.KelbergLaw.com.

As a Vice President and a Banking Advisor in the Cleveland market, Joseph LaPlaca works with you, your family and your Wealth relationship team to help deliver insightful banking solutions. Whether complex lending solutions or day to day banking needs, he provides a differentiated experience and executes services seamlessly to assist in delivering financial peace of mind. Joseph has the knowledge, experience and desire to help bring about successful outcomes as your trusted advisor. Joseph has an extensive background in the banking industry spanning more than 15 years. While most of his career has been concentrated in Private Banking, he has also served in a Branch Management capacity. Prior to joining PNC Wealth Management, Joseph was a Relationship Manager with the PNC Private Client Group. Joseph has always felt the importance of actively participating in the community, which led to his pursuit of a local city council seat almost immediately after finishing school. Currently, Joseph serves on the Board of Directors of the Cleveland ChristianHome which strives to be a haven of hope and healing for children, youth and families struggling with mental illness, abuse and neglect. Joseph LaPlaca enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset, the art of the elevator pitch, how to start a business and how to raise capital. He is available to speak to students 3rd through 12th grade during the school day across town.

Marisa’s background in education spans over 30 years. From her days teaching in New York City to the last 19 years as an Artist in Residence in the Shaker Heights Public Schools, she has conceived, developed and enacted her unique storytelling curriculum for young children – supporting each classroom that she visits. Marisa works closely with educators to thoughtfully develop ideas that will elicit classroom discussion and participation. Her use of puppets gives children a safe avenue to explore their feelings. Each child’s opinion and viewpoint are respected as a conversation develops over the course of their time together. Characters in “The Magic Bag” emerge to become familiar friends – endeared by each student from the time they first meet and beloved over time. Marisa’s creative, imaginative and personalized approach to storytelling through the medium of puppets has cultivated conversations in perseverance, problem solving, trying new things, and how one can show caring and kindness to others. The goal is to provide a supportive environment for thought provoking reflection giving children the tools to navigate their world. Marisa enjoys speaking about creativity, problem solving, empathy, cooperation, listening skills, imagination, perseverance, resiliency. Marisa is available to speak to students in Pre K through 3rd grade.

Rich Mazzola is a leader and co-creator of Skoda Minotti’s Emerging Companies practice, a start-up company advisory service. The practice is focused on removing the barriers most founders face from product launch to exit. The Emerging Companies team works with start-ups of all sizes to assist in strategic pivots during periods of accelerated growth and investment. He is also a member of the firm’s Exit Planning and Transaction Advisory niche practices. These practices focus on the succession and successful sale of privately-owned businesses. Skoda Minotti is a top-100 business and financial advisory firm dedicated to helping clients grow and achieve financial success. Prior to re-joining the firm, Rich worked as the Director of Finance for a technology SaaS start-up where he focused on accelerating growth in operations and finance. Rich also dedicated much of his time in strengthening relationships with investors, strategic partners and banks. Rich graduated from John Carroll University (2013). He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, Exit Planning Institute and the Ohio Captive Insurance Association. Rich serves on the board of advisors for BackDraft, the leadership council of Engage! Cleveland, and serves on the finance committee of the Art Therapy Studio. Rich is also a licensed CPA in the state of Ohio. Rich enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial spirit and how that fosters out of the box strategic thinking, the art of pitching your unique value proposition, the impact your idea has on financial opportunities and the overall development of solving a problem in a specific vertical. Rich is available to speak to students in 3rd through 12th grade during the school day or for after school programs per availability.

I’m the host of EntrepreNerd, a weekly live stream where we build small startups, companies, or projects in front of you to break down the barriers to entrepreneurship! I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and studied business and entrepreneurship during my time there. However, at the end of my sophomore year in college, I realized that the base business classes weren’t teaching me what I wanted to learn, so I started emailing local founders. I sat down with a few and picked their brains on how to build a company, on what makes a startup idea viable, and on how to get started. I went on to interview over 100 founders in the next year about how they built the companies they’re running and eventually began experimenting myself. I hosted local events, I started a newsletter at my university to help students find internships locally, and I ended up running a company with one of my best friends. While doing all of this, I realized that experimentation is by far the best way to learn entrepreneurship, and so I started publishing videos and articles on what I was trying. After about a year, I started live-streaming what I was learning, and that eventually evolved into EntrepreNerd! I enjoy speaking about product creation, marketing, content creation, and social media to high school students. Please contact me at maxmirho@gmail.com for my availability.

I’m Shanté R. Roody. I am a mastermind, disruptor of the status quo, a master collaborator and advocate for women with the desire to see all women WIN! My motto is We’re Better Together! I am the founder of She Epic Media and host of She Boss Talk, an international talk show and podcast; co-founder of Brown Girls Media. We shine the spotlight on business women, their gifts, stories and voices to educate, empower and elevate women to dream bigger and live bigger. As the CEO of SHE Epic Consulting, I manage a team of experts who help women market themselves and their brands boldly and fiercely to achieve greater reach, impact, results and make more money with a success team and access to the She Boss Network. I am an event producer who teaches other women to leverage events to elevate their platform, take center stage and go from hunter to hunted when it comes to attracting and converting their ideal clients. Under She Epic Conference, I host and co-host a number of events including my signature events She Boss Extravaganza and Elevate Women Business Summit. I’m proud to lead an online community of over 25,000 black women in business; facilitating several initiatives and events to bring us together, break barriers, create opportunities for collaboration and success.

Lee Schwebel is an experienced marketing professional with a record of achievement and results. He is skilled in Brand Management, Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Market Research, Public Relations and Event Management. Lee is the great-grandson of Schwebel Baking Company founders, Dora and Joseph Schwebel. He has spent the past 25 years as Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, setting new company standards for excellence in advertising, promotions, event marketing, product development, and digital marketing. Lee enjoys speaking about developing good interpersonal communication skills and how to be better organized and prepared for school and for life. Lee can work with students to help reinforce basic life skills and the keys to being happy, positive, and productive, including accountability to oneself, to family, to others. Lee’s special areas of achievement he can share about with students include cultivating your creative spirit, strengthening writing skills, grassroots marketing, advertising, social media, current events, and arts/theater/music. He is available to discuss what is necessary to achieve personal and professional success, to students of all age ranges. Lee can describe how creativity and marketing are linked, and how he used those skills in tandem at Schwebel Baking Company, his family’s business. He has an exciting story to tell about the baking business, its founding, history, operation, what makes Schwebel’s bread so good, and how the Schwebel family has stayed in business for 114 years.

Anne (Catherine Skoch) is the owner of Anne Cate, a made-in-America accessories boutique specializing in skyline silhouette purses and pillows. A Cleveland girl with a love for creating and a proud Kent State graduate, she has scaled her business from a sewing machine in her dorm room to a manufacturing studio and strong team of 5. Anne Cate not only distributes directly to their customer base, but is selling in over 80 accounts small and large across the country including the Art Institute of Chicago and Wayfair.com. Anne has been an entrepreneur since she was 13 and loves bringing joy to people through her products. Anne enjoys speaking about starting a business at a young age/throughout college, finding profitable success in a creative product-based business, pursuing a venture as my a first career.

Teri is the CEO and Owner of Athena TMS, Inc. – Challenge Island Cleveland. She has an extensive background in business and is skilled in the areas of business strategy, program development and implementation, change management, training, communications, process improvement, and tool development. Teri believes that, with the right context and coaching, even very young children realize they are capable of creating and implementing solutions to address challenges in their day-to-day lives, because they are naturally innovative and inventive. Challenge Island is an award-winning enrichment program aligned with academic standards, that provides cross-curricular STEAM experiences to elementary and middle school children, helping them build essential 21st century skills. Through Challenge Island’s STEAM Tank Entrepreneurs programming, Teri helps children discover their entrepreneurial spirit and hone their entrepreneurial thinking so that they can apply it to many aspects of their lives. Teri facilitates interactive problem-solving sessions in which the children can understand, develop and practice various aspects of the entrepreneurial mindset such as: generating ideas for solutions, building out plans, articulating the unique aspects of their solutions, connecting with those who can help them succeed, and overcoming obstacles as they execute their visions. Teri enjoys speaking about cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit, creative problem solving, resilience and grit, building strong teams, and recognizing opportunities. Teri is available to speak to elementary and middle school students.

I am a dynamic after school coordinator that constantly ignites the creativity of the youth I serve. I am the Site Coordinator of the Heritage site. I have over 10 years of professional and personal experience. I am a recent college graduate who enjoys reading and volunteering for community programs when I am not thinking of strategies to keep young minds engaged. Brandy enjoys speaking about the art of the elevator pitch, marketing, advertising and public relations. She is available to speak to grades 9th through 12th grade during the school day and 3rd through 12th grades afterschool in downtown and east side locations.

Christopher Smith serves as the senior onboarding resource for applicants seeking services and/or investment from JumpStart and its network of partners. His role involves engaging with early-stage and small business clients, identifying their service needs, providing value-added feedback, maintaining continued engagement with clients and partners to track continued progress made and making referrals within JumpStart, within the NEO ESP Network and to our other external services partners. Chris enjoys speaking about the art of the elevator pitch, how to start a business, and raising capital for a business. He is open to speaking to students grades 9-12th in school and after school programs across town depending on his schedule.

Rani Thakkar is a Client Associate for The Shultz Group at Merrill Lynch in Brecksville, OH. She is also a Youth Regional Lead for the Midwest Chapter of BAPS. BAPS is an spiritual, volunteer driven organization dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service. Rani uses her passion, positivity, values, and leadership skills learned through her role as a lead for BAPS and brings it into the work environment in her role as an client associate to build, nurture, and maintain client relationships. Rani enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset, marketing, advertising, public relationships and how to develop leadership techniques in business. Rhani is available to speak to students 3rd through 9th grade across town, but only during the school day.

Speedy iRepair was originally started in 2014 by CEO and Founder Monte Vales at his mothers kitchen table in Akron, Ohio. With less than a few hours of repair knowledge and a few Youtube videos, Monte had fixed his girlfriends iPhone 4 and found a new business venture. Over the next two years, Speedy iRepair would operate out of a book bag and become known as the mobile iPhone repair company fixing phones all over Northeast, Ohio. Customers would call and drop their device off at Monte’s home, or he would meet customers anywhere that he could fix a phone. We have fixed iPhones inside of customers homes, jobs, our own vehicle, and even McDonald’s. We opened our first location in the Fall of 2016, and our second location in Barberton, Ohio was opened February 2019. Our goal is to fix every phone our customers bring into our locations, and we are always gaining experience within the cellphone industry. Our team is continuously growing, and seeking the most efficient ways to fix our customers smartphones. We only use high quality replacement parts, and offer a lifetime warranty on repair parts. We have fixed over 1,000 smartphones and counting. We really love what we do, and we go above and beyond for every customer! Monte enjoys speaking about igniting the entrepreneurial mindset, how to start a business, marketing, advertising, and public relations. He is available to speak to students 3rd-12th grade during the school day in downtown Cleveland.

Jacinda Walker, MFA is renowned for her work in design, diversity, research, and strategy. She is the founder and Creative Director of designExplorr, a social enterprise whose mission addresses the diversity gap within the design profession. Her research on Design Journeys: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Design Disciplines has been hailed as breakthrough work. This solutions-based thesis explores diversity in design disciplines and investigates effective strategies to expose Black and Latino youth to design careers. Ms. Walker’s future goals are to help scale diversity in design initiatives within education institutions, corporations, organizations, and museums. Jacinda enjoys speaking about marketing, digital marketing, creativity, problem solving, design thinking, empathy mapping. Jacinda is available to speak to students 4th through 12th grade virtually.

Brian Weisfeld has been building businesses his entire life. As a kid, he bought gummy bears and hired his friends to sell them. As a teen, he sorted baseball cards, babysat, and sold mixtapes. As an adult, he helped build well-known, billion-dollar companies including IMAX Corporation and Coupons.com. But after watching his oldest daughter struggle to sell Girl Scout cookies, Brian decided to write a novel series to inspire kids to open their first businesses and to empower them with an entrepreneurial mindset. Brian is the co-Author of the Macmillan-published THE STARTUP SQUAD book series and Founder and Chief Squad Officer of The Startup Squad, an initiative dedicated to helping students reach their potential and follow their dreams, whatever their passions. Brian lives in Silicon Valley with his wife and two daughters. Brian enjoys speaking about the entrepreneurial mindset, resiliency, embracing risk, creativity, problem solving, and the publishing process. Brian is available to speak to students 3rd through 7th grade virtually.