ForbesBLK -- A Global Community For Black Professionals (2025)

Guerin Blask for Forbes

Jabari Young

Jabari Young is a senior writer at Forbes and covers sports business for Forbes.com's SportsMoney section. Previously, he covered sports business at CNBC ranging from professional league media deals, sponsorships, labor agreements, and athlete portfolios. Before joining Forbes, Jabari also worked at The Athletic and San Antonio Express-News covering the Spurs and NBA. A Philadelphia native, Jabari graduated from Temple University in 2008 where he majored in journalism and communications.

Jamel Toppin For Forbes

Ayisha Miracle Mendez

Ayisha Miracle Mendez is the Community Manager for ForbesBLK. In this role, she is focused on fostering spaces where innovation, collaboration & professional development can thrive. She manages communications, establishes Forbes’ presence on social media, vets members, acts as a liaison to chapter leads, and coordinates opportunities that harness the talents, skills, & capabilities of its members.

Courtesy: Jair Hilburn

Jair Hilburn

Jair Hilburn is an assistant editor at Forbes, monitoring the contributor network for ForbesBLK, DEI, C-Suite and Hollywood & Media. Jair graduated from Morehouse College in 2020 where he majored in international studies and minored journalism. He joined Forbes in 2021 as a part of the inaugural class of the Forbes HBCU Fellowship.

Guerin Blask for Forbes

Ali Jackson-Jolley

Ali Jackson-Jolley is the Assistant Managing Editor at Forbes, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. In this role she oversees initiatives aimed at cultivating a pipeline of diverse business journalists at Forbes and beyond. In addition, she oversee DEI content including ForbesBLK, the hub for Black and Brown professionals.

Jamel Toppin For Forbes

Seth Cohen

Seth Cohen is the Chief Impact Officer at Forbes. With more than 20 years’ experience, Seth's expertise is cultivating transformational communities, organizations and leaders, and enabling them to share purpose, knowledge, and wonder. Seth is helping to transform Forbes global audiences and philanthropic partners into global communities focused on igniting business, social and cultural impact.

Storehouse In A Box

Tamira Chapman

President & CEO, Storehouse In A Box, LLC

Tamira Chapman is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished attorney who has achieved success in both the corporate and business worlds. As the founder of a successful portfolio of businesses, she has built thriving companies that have collectively earned over $150 million, achieved #1 market-share, and maintained a remarkable 97% customer retention rate. Tamira's achievements have been recognized by industry experts, having been named as the 8th Fastest Growing Women- Owned Company in 2022 by organizations such as J.P. Morgan Chase and the Women President's Organization.

National Basketball Association

Grant Hill

Co-Owner of the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association

Hall of Fame basketball player, charismatic television personality, successful businessman, and philanthropist, Grant Hill is one of the most accomplished NBA and college players of his generation. A 1994 graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts in History, Grant was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot member of the 2018 class. The seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time NCAA Champion has made the successful transition from 19 years as a professional athlete to a highly successful business leader. Grant divides his time between his family, business interests, corporate boards, and philanthropy.

Grand Rising Talent

Giselle Phelps

Founder & CEO of Grand Rising Talent

Giselle J. Phelps (she/her) is the Founder & CEO of Grand Rising Talent. Marking a decade of media entrepreneurship, Giselle has proven to be a highly trusted, strategic, and creative client advisor. Giselle has extensive experience in the development of high-impact, results-driven media and communication strategies that elevate talent and brand awareness.

Isiah International LLC

Isiah Thomas

Chairman & CEO of Isiah International LLC

Isiah Lord Thomas, III, professional career spans more than three decades in business and sports. He has garnered worldwide attention for his contributions in all levels of professional basketball, including induction into the NBA Hall of Fame, and for his successful business initiatives and philanthropic endeavors. As a player, Thomas built a reputation as a tireless worker and formidable competitor. Considered one of the greatest “small men” ever to play professional basketball; he combined intelligence, court savvy, and physical gifts to attain true NBA superstardom.

Emma Bowen Foundation

Nikki Bethel

President & CEO of Emma Bowen Foundation

Nikki Bethel is a dynamic, results-driven senior leader with over 20 years of experience in strategic planning, diversity, equity & inclusion, talent management, leadership development, and public speaking. She is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation (EBF).

Vaunt

Roger Mason Jr.

Former NBA Player & CEO of VAUNT

As a veteran professional basketball player both in the NBA and abroad for over 12 years, Mason has a unique perspective of the sports world from the inside. Drawing from his experience on the court starting as a Division 1 athlete, an NBA player, a player internationally and NBPA First Vice President, Mason has made it his priority to protect players, create opportunities for them and ensure their voices are heard.

NYU

Dr. Lisa Coleman

Senior Vice President for Global Inclusion and Strategic Innovation at NYU

Dr. Lisa M. Coleman, Ph.D is New York University's (NYU) is the senior vicepresident for global inclusion and strategic innovation. In this role, she works with seniorleaders, internal stakeholders, external partners, and constituents to advance, promote, andbuild capacity for strategies for Global Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Access(GIDBEA) and strategic innovation initiatives across NYU.

Courtesy: Len Elmore

Len Elmore

American Sportscaster, Basketball Analyst & Lawyer

Len Elmore is a retired attorney, an experienced business leader, television sports personality and educator whose professional experience spans a rich career in athletics, law enforcement, several prestigious law firms as well as significant business and public interest endeavors.

Edward Jones

Terri Broussard Williams

Head of State and Local Government Relations at Edward Jones

Terri Broussard Williams has built her career on a solid reputation as an authentic, courageous, and impactful change agent. Throughout her journey as an award-winning non-profit executive, lobbyist, and public speaker, Terri has transformed public and community service into a professional art form, positively impacting the lives of millions of people.

Lobus

Andre “Dre” Lyon

Grammy Award Winning Producer/Songwriter

Andre “Dre” Lyon is one half of the 3x Grammy Award winning producer duo Cool & Dre. Over the last 2 decades Dre has crafted some of music’s biggest hits alongside music’s biggest icons. He’s worked with Beyoncé,Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Linkin Park, Drake, Queen Latifa, Meg The Stallion, CARDI B, 50 Cent, Lady Gaga and Puff Daddy to name a few.

Omnicom Global

Emily Graham

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Omnicom Global

A lifelong advocate of advancing Black women and underrepresented communities, Emily K. Graham embodies being a first, only, different (F.O.D.) as coined by Shondra Rhimes. In 2018, Emily was profiled in Forbes for being the only Black woman Partner at one of the oldest and largest PR firms in the world, FleishmanHillard, “breaking the Black ceiling.” Her career ascent has centered on being authentic, honoring the space she holds and making room at the table for those voices who have not been heard and identities that have been undervalued. Before age 35 Emily had held two C-suite roles, serving as a trusted Millennial executive who works across generations, geographies and communities.

Courtesy: Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan

Okieriete "Oak" Onaodowan

Grammy Award Winning Broadway Actor and Singer

Okieriete Onaodowan is a Grammy Award-winning stage, film, and television actor known for his acclaimed performances on Broadway including originating the roles of 'Hercules Mulligan' and 'James Madison' in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning production, Hamilton. Since making his Broadway debut in 2012, Onaodowan has also starred in productions of both Cyrano de Bergerac and Rocky. He was last seen on stage playing ‘Pierre’ in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. His Off-Broadway work includes Hamilton at the Public, Luce, Neighbors, and Young Jean Lee’s The Shipment as well as the first national tour of American Idiot.

Morgan State University

Jacqueline "Jackie" Jones

Dean of the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University

Jackie Jones is a veteran journalist and dean of the School of Global Journalism & Communication at Morgan State University. Previously, she was assistant dean for programs and chaired the Department of Multimedia Journalism. Throughout her industry career, Jones worked in a variety of capacities in newsrooms around the country, including the Evening Sun (Baltimore), Detroit Free Press, New York Newsday, The Philadelphia Daily News, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Washington Post.

Courtesy: Kasim Reed

Kasim Reed

Former Mayor of Atlanta

Kasim Reed is a litigator and politician who served as the 59th Mayor of the city of Atlanta for two terms from 2010 – 2018. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, as well as public policy, and he brings his formidable experience in both areas to bear for the benefit of his clients.

PR2Politics

Raven Robinson

CEO of PR2Politics

Raven Robinson is a young, innovative political strategist and public relations consultant fromthe Bronx, New York. She is also CEO of PR2Politics, a PR consulting firm that provides publicrelations and governmental affairs services to political candidates, public figures, non-profitorganizations, and business owners. Since its inception in 2009, PR2Politics has been a part ofseveral NYS Senate, Assembly, and NYC City Council campaigns, helping some of the mostprominent leaders secure political seats such as NYS Senator Kevin Parker. Raven’s bottomline is to bridge the gap between government, business, and community.

Courtesy: Kelly Beaty English

Kelly Beaty English

Communications Strategist

Kelly Beaty English is an accomplished communications strategist and champion of women andgirls. Kelly’s current work with leadership communications in the private sector rounds out her more than 20-year career in strategic communications, through which she has served the public sector as Director of Strategic Engagement for the City of Atlanta under the leadership of Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and the nonprofit sector as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Dress for Success Worldwide, where she oversaw brand strategy for the international organization which serves women seeking to reenter the workforce in more than 130 cities and 15 countries.

NBEC

Darius Jones

Founder & President of the National Black Empowerment Council (NBEC)

Darius Jones is the Founder & President of the National Black Empowerment Council (NBEC). Formerly, Darius served as the Deputy National Political Director for Michael Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign. Prior to the campaign, Darius spent a decade as National African American Constituency Director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Darius served earlier as the Southeast Region African American Outreach Director at AIPAC.

Howard University

Ingrid Sturgis

Department Chair of Journalism at Howard University

Ingrid Sturgis is Department Chair and an associate professor specializing in new media in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film in the Cathy Hughes School of Communication at Howard University. Firmly rooted in traditional as well as digital journalism, she has worked as a reporter and editor for newspapers such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Times-Herald Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal as well as managing editor for magazine start-ups BET Weekend and Savoy. She has worked online since 2001 in positions such as editor-in-chief for Essence.com and senior programming manager for AOL's Black Voices, and more recently as a web strategist for fierceforblackwomen.com.

HerAgenda

Rhonesha Byng

Founder & CEO, HerAgenda

Rhonesha Byng is the founder and CEO of Her Agenda— a digital media platform bridging the gap between ambition and achievement for millennial women. The site provides access to content and community that gives millennial women access to information and inspiration to help them get started or to move to the next level of their career. Rhonesha is an Emmy award-winning journalist and entrepreneur whose philosophy in life is established by her acronym of N.E.S.H.A. No one Ever Slows Her Agenda. This motto served as the inspiration for Her Agenda. Rhonesha was named to the 2017 Forbes 30 Under 30 list and ESSENCE magazine named her among 50 Founders To Watch. Rhonesha is also the co-founder of the newly formed nonprofit org The Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute (BOMESI).

A16Z

Kofi Ampadu

Partner at Andreessen Horowitz

Kofi Ampadu is a partner at Andreessen Horowitz where he leads the Talent x Opportunity Initiative (TxO). TxO aims to identify entrepreneurs who have the talent, drive, and ideas to build great businesses, but lack the typical network and resources to do so. Prior to joining a16z, Kofifounded SKU'd Ventures, a venture fund specializing in investing in consumer packaged goods companies and also worked as a venture advisor with Yale University's Tsai Center of Innovative Thinking. Kofi's previous experience includes working as a strategy consultant and engineer, before transitioning into the world of venture capital and entrepreneurship.

Cheryl Jackson

Cheryl Jackson

Founder & CEO of Minnie’s Food Pantry

Dr. Cheryl “Action” Jackson is a keynote speaker, award-winning social entrepreneur, author, television host, and producer. She is a woman that has persevered from experiencing hunger to providing more than 27 million meals through her award-winning organization, Minnie’s Food Pantry. She has been described as “relentless” by Oprah Winfrey and grammy winner Rihanna said “Cheryl is about it”. Dr. Jackson was the first African American woman to be elected President of the Plano Chamber Women's Division, in their 50 year history.