King Crush Thursday - The Interviews

Brian K. Oglesby  is the President and CEO of the Eastern Minority Supplier Development Council and an economics entrepreneur. An avid recreational athlete and “outdoorsy” type, you’ll probably run into Brian running, hanging in a gym, playing in any number of local sports leagues, hiking, or cruising along the river on his bike when he’s not in the office or traveling for work.  Brian is also a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan, loyally cheering on any team with “Philadelphian” written on the jersey and banner.

Brian resides in Philadelphia with his son Miles, who just may be the greatest and smartest kid ever. Most of the time, and most importantly, he is simply known as “Miles’s Dad.”

Tom Waters  is the founder and CEO of Men with Vision Inc., a non-profit organization he founded in 2012. Men with Vision primary mission is to lead men to God or back to God and then help them discover their God given purpose. They believe in Preparing, Restoring, and Empowering men. Men with Vision services include Outreach, Workshops, preached message and informational tools that are beneficial to all men. He is an ordained elder and a devout Christian who is dedicated to serving God will all his heart and mind.

Tom is also a Motivational Speaker whose focus is to motivate people to action thus allowing them to be the best version of themselves. He is respected for his ability to be authentic and candid with his audiences as well as his skill for getting them involved during one of his talks.

Tom spent thirty years in corporate America with the majority of that time as a trainer teaching new hire orientation and customer service skills. Tom also guest lectures on college campuses and teaches a class on reinvention to adult learners for the Temple University Pan African Studies Continuing Education Program (PASCEP).

Tom is the author of three books; it’s Only a Season a book that deals with the various seasons we all go through in our lives and Lessons I’ve Learned – A Guide to walking with and serving God, book The ABCs of Reinvention, and his soon to be released book entitled NO MIC NEEDED.

Max Rodriguez is the founder of the Harlem Book Fair, the nation's longest running African American book festival, and Publisher of QBR/The Black Book Review, named the "African American book review of record by Martin Arnold,  New York Times Culture Critic. He is the author of "Sacred Fire: The QBR Essential 100 Books", published by.John Wiley & Sons. He is blessed to be loved and believes mangos, flan, dark chocolate, Dominican cake, and pineapples prove the existence of God.

Episode 123 Atif Bostic, a Philadelphia native, is an accomplished leader in the areas of strategy, workforce development, community and economic development, business operations, finance, leadership development, reentry, and criminal justice reform; having worked with and for public and private institutions, nationally; developing comprehensive solutions, to solve complex problems that drive measurable results.

Atif Bostic is the President and CEO of Uplift Solutions, a workforce development organization focused on removing the barriers for justice-involved individuals and at-risk youth, helping them find pathways to long-term success.  Atif joined Uplift in 2015, leading the organization through the development of its placed-based community interventions to create access to fresh and healthy food, health care, and financial services.  In 2017, Atif pivoted the organization to focus on workforce development to support justice impacted individuals.  Uplift has since become a sought-after leader in workforce development and interventions for justice impacted individuals. 

In addition to his role as CEO of Uplift Solutions, Atif is the founder and CEO of Leadership in Business, a leadership development consulting firm.  Leadership in Business works with mid-sized to multi-billion-dollar companies to solve significant business problems.  

Over his 20-year career, Atif has held senior leader positions within for-profit and non-profit organizations to include Citizens Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Signature Financial and Uplift Solutions. His work includes the development of a 12-state, $100 million retail business development program, the development of a one-of-a-kind workforce development program for formerly incarcerated individuals, strategic leadership of several multi-million-dollar economic and community development projects nationally, and financial turnarounds for several multi-million-dollar organizations.   

Atif is very active in the community, serving in volunteer leadership roles for notable nonprofit organizations and government entities that include: The Urban League of Philadelphia, The American Heart Association, The Philadelphia OIC, the City of Philadelphia, the State of Pennsylvania, and PathWays, PA.

EPISODE 124 - Devon Walls grew up immersed in art and African culture in Chester, Pennsylvania. His whimsical abstract portraits incorporate elements of street art and a quirky visual style reminiscent of Basquiat and Picasso. As a multi-media painter, Walls’ unique geometric characters radiate, drip, and bend with energy. His uncle Bill Dandridge, a prominent artist and activist advocating for justice for people of color, was known as “the Father of Arts and Culture in the City of Chester”. Devon has dedicated his life’s work to continuing his uncle’s legacy: transforming Chester through art. Walls’ artistic inspiration is thematic and ideological––stemming from teachers, change-makers, and activists. Through art, he gives shape and texture to the culture of a community that is too often overlooked.

Walls is an artist, entrepreneur, community-activist, and proud Chester, PA native. Passionate about creating accessible, community-based art spaces and programs, he recently founded and built The Artist Warehouse in downtown Chester, a community art space that continues his uncle’s legacy. Additionally, Walls facilitates artistic and educational collaborations with the PA Humanities Council, local colleges, businesses, and nonprofits in Chester and beyond.

EPISODE 125 - Mel Wells is the President and Chief Executive Officer of One Day At A Time, Inc. (ODAAT). For 39 years, ODAAT has been dedicated to serving low-income and homeless men and women and their families in the Philadelphia area who are afflicted by addiction and HIV/AIDS.

One Day At A Time was founded by Mel’s father, the late Reverend Henry T. Wells, in 1982. In 2005, Mel was appointed President of ODAAT and has worked tirelessly since to continue his father’s legacy. Under Mel’s leadership, ODAAT has built and strengthened stronger communities through their anti-violence, mentorship and recovery initiatives. ODAAT continues to serve thousands of residential clients annually at its facilities supplying recovery, addiction and homeless shelter services. Mel has expanded ODAAT’s work to include peer support and the promotion of healthy, positive lifestyles within the city of Philadelphia through a holistic array of services; including addiction recovery counseling, linkage to health and social services, transitional housing, and community outreach. ODAAT also provides HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care outreach programs through its prevention and outreach teams who connect with thousands of people annually and boasts an alumni community of over 10,000 graduates and their families.

As a thought leader and advocate on issues such as gun violence, the opioid epidemic and economic disenfranchisement, Mel has become a voice for those who have become marginalized by their circumstances. Ensuring that the low-income and recovery population do not go overlooked or unserved, Mel prides himself in his ability to negotiate contracts for homeless shelters, provide resources for the poor, request funding for increased recovery services, and lend a loving hand to those afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

Mel strategizes with policy makers to address the real issues Philadelphia is faced with, such as removing illegal drugs and guns from the streets, providing HIV/AIDS programming, offering support services to the homeless and providing safe havens for our city’s youth. He is no stranger to the world of movers, shakers and policy makers – Mel is known to U.S Governors, Mayors, Senators and members of Congress alike. Yet, Mel still maintains the ability to walk through the dark and dreary tunnels of the SEPTA concourse, seeking out the homeless to offer them a hot cup of coffee, a meal, and even a bed at one of ODAAT’s facilities.

Mel is a Philadelphia native where he works every day to change lives and save lives, one day at a time.

Welcome to the 126th Episode of King Crush Thursday, the Podcast Interview.  Dr. Wesley Tyrone Proctor @drwesleyproctor was born to Catherine Proctor and the late James Proctor on July 28, 1971. He is a graduate of George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science and is a proud member of the White-Williams Scholars class of 1989. After high school, he received a scholarship to attend the University of Delaware. At Delaware, he received numerous awards and served on several university and community related committees - including the University of Delaware’s Board of Trustees.

Adding to his outstanding commitment at Delaware, he received his Bachelor’s Degree in English with a concentration in Business and Technical Writing 1993. After Delaware, he attended Temple University and received his Master’s Degree in 1994. Shortly after obtaining his Master’s in Education, he was awarded the Dr. Marcus Foster Fellowship. This fellowship funded his doctoral education at the University of Pennsylvania. At age 26, he obtained the degree of Doctor of Education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1998. His dissertation was entitled: A Piece of the Ivy: A Case Study of Black Student Retention at the University of Pennsylvania and his final defense merited distinction by his committee.

While at Penn, Wesley worked for Dr. Judith Rodin, who was the first female President of the University of Pennsylvania, as her Speech Writer. Dr. Proctor is also well-known and respected across the country because of his expertise in helping hundred of churches and other non-profit organizations obtain their 501c3 status from the IRS. Currently, Dr. Proctor serves on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations including: the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for AIDS Research and Philadelphia Futures, Inc. Also, he serves as Teaching Professor at Villanova University in the Department of Public Administration specializing in nonprofit management. Dr. Proctor was awarded the Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement by the University of Delaware – which is the institution’s highest alumni award. In addition, he received the 2018 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Involvement Award by the University of Pennsylvania for his educational excellence and commitment to the community. Wesley published four books entitled: How to Give Your Pastor A Happy Anniversary, Footprints of the Future: A Youth Journal Vol.1, Footprints of the Future: A Christian Guide to Sexual Issues Vol. 2, and Footprints of the Future, the Complete Edition. In addition, he is the CEO/Founder of Wesley Proctor Ministries, Inc. which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting spiritual and academic excellence. Dr. Proctor was featured in Gospel Today as one of the “Most Loved Youth Pastors” in the nation.