NABWIC

NABWIC Talks

Clyde E. McElvene is a native Washingtonian, a product of DC public schools and a bibliophile for life. McElvene was formally trained at Virginia State University in Fine Arts Education. He is a cultural historian/lecturer who has taught African history and culture at the University of Virginia Saturday Academy, the Lorton Reformatory, City as School in New York, Bell Multicultural High School, Goding Elementary, and Amidon Elementary School in Washington DC. McElvene helped to establish and direct 17 African Centered Study Groups in the Metropolitan Washington area. He is the past financial secretary, director of marketing and co-founder of the African American Writers Guild in Washington, DC. He currently conducts African-Centered Field Trips of Washington DC, and rites of passage manhood training programs for African-American males. 

In 1990, McElvene co-founded the Hurston/Wright Foundation where he serves today as Executive Director and CEO. As the Executive Director/CEO McElvene has full responsibility for day-to-day operations of this non-profit literary arts/education institution.The Hurston/Wright Foundation develops programs that preserve cultural memory and honors the Black experience through literature. The programs of Hurston/Wright include annual weeklong creative writing workshops; Saturday creative writing classes for teens that run during the entire academic school year; the first national award presented to Black published authors by their peers; and the only award in the nation presented to Black college writers for excellence in previously unpublished works. In as much as a book/literature has little value without a reader, Hurston/Wright has also developed Project Read: An Active Literacy Program that teaches children to become proficient or advanced for their grades in language arts including reading, writing, critical thinking, and public speaking.

Clyde E. McElvene is a native Washingtonian, a product of DC public schools and a bibliophile for life. McElvene was formally trained at Virginia State University in Fine Arts Education. He is a cultural historian/lecturer who has taught African history and culture at the University of Virginia Saturday Academy, the Lorton Reformatory, City as School in New York, Bell Multicultural High School, Goding Elementary, and Amidon Elementary School in Washington DC. McElvene helped to establish and direct 17 African Centered Study Groups in the Metropolitan Washington area. He is the past financial secretary, director of marketing and co-founder of the African American Writers Guild in Washington, DC. He currently conducts African-Centered Field Trips of Washington DC, and rites of passage manhood training programs for African-American males. 

In 1990, McElvene co-founded the Hurston/Wright Foundation where he serves today as Executive Director and CEO. As the Executive Director/CEO McElvene has full responsibility for day-to-day operations of this non-profit literary arts/education institution.The Hurston/Wright Foundation develops programs that preserve cultural memory and honors the Black experience through literature. The programs of Hurston/Wright include annual weeklong creative writing workshops; Saturday creative writing classes for teens that run during the entire academic school year; the first national award presented to Black published authors by their peers; and the only award in the nation presented to Black college writers for excellence in previously unpublished works. In as much as a book/literature has little value without a reader, Hurston/Wright has also developed Project Read: An Active Literacy Program that teaches children to become proficient or advanced for their grades in language arts including reading, writing, critical thinking, and public speaking.

NABWIC Talks with Andromeda Monroe, an Associate in Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky, Abate & Webb’s Insurance Regulatory Law and Corporate and Transactional Law Divisions, has nearly 30 years of experience in insurance and reinsurance regulatory law and commercial reinsurance dispute management. The former Deputy Director of the Ohio Insurance Department, she also served in the corporate counsel capacity as Assistant Vice president of a U.S. Fortune 500 insurance company and Vice President of two of its subsidiary insurers.

Licensed to practice in both Florida and Ohio, Ms. Monroe advises clients on matters related to insurance holding company transactions, credit for reinsurance, transfer of risk, Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund commutation and related issues, and premium finance. She reviews and provides analysis to clients in regard to trust agreements, reinsurance contracts (including quota share, excess of loss and Industry Loss Warranty reinsurance contracts), letters of credit and managing general agent and general agency contracts.   In addition, she assists clients in their participation in captives and catastrophe bond reinsurance arrangements, in forming captives, obtaining and renewing their eligibility or certification as eligible or certified reinsurers and obtaining eligibility as surplus lines insurers. Ms. Monroe is involved with purchasing group registrations, risk retention group issues, self-insurance issues, corporate acquisitions and various Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and health insurance-related issues, and assists clients in resolving regulatory disputes with insurance regulatory agencies.   Ms. Monroe earned her Juris Doctor at Duke University School of Law. She actively raises funds and volunteers for various charitable causes throughout the community.

NABWIC Talks with Andromeda Monroe, an Associate in Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky, Abate & Webb’s Insurance Regulatory Law and Corporate and Transactional Law Divisions, has nearly 30 years of experience in insurance and reinsurance regulatory law and commercial reinsurance dispute management. The former Deputy Director of the Ohio Insurance Department, she also served in the corporate counsel capacity as Assistant Vice president of a U.S. Fortune 500 insurance company and Vice President of two of its subsidiary insurers.

Licensed to practice in both Florida and Ohio, Ms. Monroe advises clients on matters related to insurance holding company transactions, credit for reinsurance, transfer of risk, Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund commutation and related issues, and premium finance. She reviews and provides analysis to clients in regard to trust agreements, reinsurance contracts (including quota share, excess of loss and Industry Loss Warranty reinsurance contracts), letters of credit and managing general agent and general agency contracts.   In addition, she assists clients in their participation in captives and catastrophe bond reinsurance arrangements, in forming captives, obtaining and renewing their eligibility or certification as eligible or certified reinsurers and obtaining eligibility as surplus lines insurers. Ms. Monroe is involved with purchasing group registrations, risk retention group issues, self-insurance issues, corporate acquisitions and various Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and health insurance-related issues, and assists clients in resolving regulatory disputes with insurance regulatory agencies.   Ms. Monroe earned her Juris Doctor at Duke University School of Law. She actively raises funds and volunteers for various charitable causes throughout the community.

NABWIC Talks with JocCole “J.C.” Burton realized she had an aptitude for engineering when, at nine-year old she took apart, then reassembled the family tv set. J.C.’s parents nurtured her analytical skills, developing her into a first-rate problem solver creating family game night, called “the calculus challenge”. A California native, J.C. has a degree in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley, post grad of Georgia State Univ. and is a Licensed Realtor. She merged her talents under her leadership of Woodline Solutions, a Construction Consulting Firm. The focus of the firm is threefold: Construction Consulting, Energy + Water Consulting (also known as Sustainability Consulting), and Facility Management. Woodline provides services from Texas to Virginia.  She has been recognized my many organizations as a global leader in sustainability and has been recognized by the White House as a “Champion of Change – Clean Energy”.  She has spoken at the White House on green technologies and environmental issues in the construction industry.  Among other industry awards, she has received most notably are: Associated Builders’ & Contractors Eagle Award; Enterprising Woman of the Year, 2012; Atlanta Tribune Woman to Watch 2011. She has chaired several industry advisory boards including Urban Land Institute, US Green Building Council, United Negro College Fund Advancement for Sustainability to name a few. Her community involvement includes Board of Director’s participation of women’s rights organizations and children’s organization. She is the chair of NABWIC’s Corporate Diversity Committee.  J.C. is a frequent speaker/educator on the subject of sustainability and is launching Pure Green Education in the fall of 2012. A devoted mother of one, J.C. is a true believer in generous payback and giveback! Contact JC at [email protected] or 800.434.3585 ext. 601.

NABWIC Talks with JocCole “J.C.” Burton realized she had an aptitude for engineering when, at nine-year old she took apart, then reassembled the family tv set. J.C.’s parents nurtured her analytical skills, developing her into a first-rate problem solver creating family game night, called “the calculus challenge”. A California native, J.C. has a degree in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley, post grad of Georgia State Univ. and is a Licensed Realtor. She merged her talents under her leadership of Woodline Solutions, a Construction Consulting Firm. The focus of the firm is threefold: Construction Consulting, Energy + Water Consulting (also known as Sustainability Consulting), and Facility Management. Woodline provides services from Texas to Virginia.  She has been recognized my many organizations as a global leader in sustainability and has been recognized by the White House as a “Champion of Change – Clean Energy”.  She has spoken at the White House on green technologies and environmental issues in the construction industry.  Among other industry awards, she has received most notably are: Associated Builders’ & Contractors Eagle Award; Enterprising Woman of the Year, 2012; Atlanta Tribune Woman to Watch 2011. She has chaired several industry advisory boards including Urban Land Institute, US Green Building Council, United Negro College Fund Advancement for Sustainability to name a few. Her community involvement includes Board of Director’s participation of women’s rights organizations and children’s organization. She is the chair of NABWIC’s Corporate Diversity Committee.  J.C. is a frequent speaker/educator on the subject of sustainability and is launching Pure Green Education in the fall of 2012. A devoted mother of one, J.C. is a true believer in generous payback and giveback! Contact JC at [email protected] or 800.434.3585 ext. 601.

Lolalisa DeCarlo King is one of the first one hundred African-American women in the entire United States licensed to practice architecture. She serves as President of a green consulting and sustainability corporation providing full-service holistic deliverables with projects in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. She recently received reciprocity in Colorado andMassachusetts with a newly formed Denver address. She has served on various boards including the AIA, YWCA, Assisted Living, Christian Message through Art and more. She served as Board Chair of the Orlando Technical Community College downtown campus. Her dynamic negotiation skills have proven successful throughout the different environments and venues. At the one-time largest architectural-engineering firm in the southeast United States, approximately 1600 employees, she made her

mark by establishing a benchmark for dealing with clients and contractors. She used her technical expertise and business savvy to negotiate the best deals and conduct the most productive meetings. She had a gift for calming the most irate contractor or the most difficult client. Some of the buildings for which she was a major contributor include Emerald Point Water Park, Sears Customer

Service Center, Airport Business Park, the Greensboro Municipal Building Conference Room, the third floor addition to FourSeasons Town Center, the Molecular Biology and Glaxo Research Laboratories at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,plus numerous aviation, office, educational, commercial, industrial, medical and manufacturing facilities throughout the state of

North Carolina.

Lolalisa DeCarlo King is one of the first one hundred African-American women in the entire United States licensed to practice architecture. She serves as President of a green consulting and sustainability corporation providing full-service holistic deliverables with projects in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. She recently received reciprocity in Colorado andMassachusetts with a newly formed Denver address. She has served on various boards including the AIA, YWCA, Assisted Living, Christian Message through Art and more. She served as Board Chair of the Orlando Technical Community College downtown campus. Her dynamic negotiation skills have proven successful throughout the different environments and venues. At the one-time largest architectural-engineering firm in the southeast United States, approximately 1600 employees, she made her

mark by establishing a benchmark for dealing with clients and contractors. She used her technical expertise and business savvy to negotiate the best deals and conduct the most productive meetings. She had a gift for calming the most irate contractor or the most difficult client. Some of the buildings for which she was a major contributor include Emerald Point Water Park, Sears Customer

Service Center, Airport Business Park, the Greensboro Municipal Building Conference Room, the third floor addition to FourSeasons Town Center, the Molecular Biology and Glaxo Research Laboratories at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,plus numerous aviation, office, educational, commercial, industrial, medical and manufacturing facilities throughout the state of

North Carolina.

Marisa Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Rutgers University and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Construction Management from Drexel University.  She has been involved with life-cycle engineering and construction projects for well over a decade.  As Lead Cost Engineer for a major international engineering and construction management firm, Marisa was part of the team that recently completed a $315 million, 214,000-square-foot vaccine manufacturing facility.  This facility went on to receive the Facility of the Year Award for Facility Integration from The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE). In addition, Engineering News-Record (ENR), a leading U.S. trade publication providing news, analysis, commentary, and data for the construction industry, selected the project for the 2011 Best Industrial/Manufacturing Award. The project was completed in two years, 40 percent faster than industry benchmarks.   As Marisa enters into a new venture within the construction industry, she encourages other women to consider a career in the industry because it is a challenging and rewarding business.  Marisa’s new venture capitalizes on her entrepreneurial spirit.  Her next undertaking is to revamp the safety toe construction boot.  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must fit properly in order to be most effective.  Marisa often finds it difficult to locate safety toe construction boots that fit properly and offer an esthetic appeal; this difficulty thus gave birth to Tailleur Couture Co.  Marisa is proud to create a company that embraces and caters to the footwear needs of women in construction. To see the latest styles, visit www.TailleurCouture.com.   Contact email  [email protected]   Web address www.TailleurCouture.com