#SmartBrownVoices - Learning from Diversity

Darell Austin, Jr was born and raised in the nyc area throughout Brooklyn,Queens & Long Island. Darell was an English major at Livingstone College and graduated class of 2002. Prior to being a co-founder & CMO at Bluurp, Darell worked in the financial services industry in positions ranging from Financial/Business Analyst in Project Management,Business Intelligence & financial advisory sectors.

Bluurp is Live at Bluurp.com

http://Facebook.com/bluurp

linkedin.com/in/darellaustinjr

https://bluurp.com/darellaustinjr

https://angel.co/darell-austin-jr

11 HBCU Alumni In Tech to Follow

 

Dennis D. Buchanan a marketing professional with a passion for helping others. He knew for sure there was a better way to for Start-Up & Small Businesses afford marketing advice and consultations. Dennis is a visionary marketer and consummate professional. His unparalleled work ethic, combined with his knowledge of the market and laser like ability to focus. With his innovative and results oriented temperament he is the perfect choice to take any business to the next level.

He isthe founder of OneRecourse.com which he established in 2014, which is the premiere marketplace for business owners marketing advice and mentoring. They inspire and help start-ups and small business owners by connecting them to marketing mentors in their industry of business. All businesses deserve affordable marketing services. allowing business owners to get the marketing advice they need from marketing mentors all over the US.

LINKS:

* OneRecourse.com

* twitter.com/onerecourse

* linkedin.com/dennisdbuchanan

 

Joshua Chestang is a software developer, serial entrepreneur, and the Founder of Threadest.com, a social shopping marketplace.

LINKS:

* Threadest

* JoshuaChestang.com

* Joshua’s Email

* Digital Fash (Group Me)

About Dr. Paula Watkins:

For more than 30 years, Dr. Paula Watkins has spent her professional career focusing on improving the student achievement gap in the core academic areas of mathematics, writing, reading and languages for school districts in the State of Michigan.  Realizing that every facet of the education process from recalibrating the learning environment to staffing, administration, managing governance, updating curriculum, instruction and analyzing testing metrics, Watkin has found all of these elements crucial and a fundamental framework for academic excellence.  Watkins previously worked as CEO of Vision Education Center, an Education Management Organization for several charter schools in the Michigan areas.  Watkins received her PhD from Oakland University.

So, when Watkins learned several years ago, the State of Michigan had expanded the Charter School legislation to include virtual education, she knew that finally after researching and studying methods for distance learning, coupled with core strategies for academic success at brick and mortal institutions, it was a perfect time for her company to put their knowledge in place to create a technological infrastructure. Virtual Schools are full time online schools of choice options that deliver all curriculum and instruction via the internet. Online charter enrollment has more than quadrupled since the Michiganlaw went into effect, demonstrating the allure of cyber schools for some Michigan students. According to the National Education Policy Center, in 2011 there were approximately 320 virtual schools in the United States.

Today, Dr. Watkins is CEO of The Cyber Education Center located in Redford, MI., making her the first African American female and founder of a Virtual Education institution in the United States.  “Our goals are to improve the graduation rates of urban, suburban and rural children and we have recognized that in order for us to improve these statistics educators have to look at intervention strategies.  The Cyber Education Center provides an option for students.  We are graduating students.”

The Cyber Education Center is a K-12 school that reaches a segment of students who need solutions to their unique education challenges.  Whether they are disabled, gifted, or normal students, Cyber Education is committed to providing support services and maintaining high levels of achievement among their students. In 2016, CEC will expand and serve domestic and international students seeking a postsecondary education.

Links:

www.cyberedcenter.org

ABOUT SEVEN BROWN:

It’s been said that beauty is only skin deep. Skin care and Beauty expert Seven Brown has done much to demonstrated otherwise—“Skin is the Truth,” her motto, reveals that truly beautiful skin starts from the inside and glows on the outside. In fact, in the over fifteen years, Brown has created a holistic skin-centric empire that not only speaks but shows the power of personal care on the skin. Her multi-tiered approach to skin care doesn’t begin and end with a simple slather of cream. The term “expert” often has many faces, and Brown embodies them all: she is an educator, an esthetician, an entrepreneur and even a fabulously fit mother of four, who imbues each area of her practice with sensitivity, care and sustainability. Just look at Seven herself and it’s obvious the woman practices what she teaches.

Brown began her journey into the world of beauty as a creative talent manager. In a twist of events, it was soon clear that she was the talent. Brown always knew, since childhood, she was poised for beauty. Her grandmother’s demure influenced Brown’s idea of elegance greatly, through the frame of her classic scent of Chanel No. 5. So Brown pursued her esthetics and teaching licenses, even acquiring the certification for Paramedical Esthetics, Chinese facial diagnoses, manual lymphatic drainage and facial electric technologies. She soon rose the ranks at Atelier Esthétique Institute of Esthetics, in New York. She quickly became the school’s Lead Advanced Educator, where she taught and managed all the post-graduate curriculums, including the first ever-comprehensive Paramedical Esthetics and International ITEC Certification. She even facilitated the opening of the first Esthetic school in the Philippines— after all, she’s licensed to beauty in 38 countries.

Concurrent to her educational duties, Brown became an authority in the beauty media. Not only did she hold the position of Beauty and Grooming director of The Bleu Magazine for 8 years also is highly visible on social media with her popular blog Hello Beautiful and auxiliary Youtube channel. Imparting tips and techniques, Brown’s media presence has gained traction amongst audiences nationally. It’s not just audiences who adore Brown—brands do too. Brown has served as the Resident Skin Care Consultant for the Sam Fine Beauty Tour (sponsored by Sephora), an aesthetician for Oil of Olay’s Regenerist Team and has even been the keynote speaker for the Cosmetology Educators of America Conference. This has lead Brown to acquire additional awards as a National Certified Health Counselor, and form alliances with the Association of Skin Care Professionals.

As if that weren’t enough, for the last four years, Brown has lead her own business and fullservice boutique skin care center serving both women and men, the Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic, which even has has been featured in Time Magazine, on MSNBC and Channel 7 EyeWitness News. While operating on a word-of-mouth basis, she maintains a booked roster of clients of all ages, cultures (especially skin of color) and skin-care needs. Brown values the close relationships with her clients, and can be found at her skin clinic every day—and even is known to take personal calls at any hour to help her patients through emergency issues. Known to her friends, clients and fans as warm, personable and authentic, Seven Brown has championed her message—“Live Beautiful, Inside & Out!”—far and wide, and continues to serve her passion and profession with pride and innovation.

LINKS:

* Harlem Skin Clinic

* Twitter

* Instagram

 

ABOUT DR. VIBE:

He’s a self taught online whiz. With no formal training in coding or broadcasting, Dr. Vibe has become Canada’s Prince of Podcast. He dominates the Internet when it comes to hosting intelligent, entertaining conversations on race and gender. His experience as a TV reporter injects an extra dose of thoughtfulness into all of his interviews, setting him apart from the average online broadcaster. He brings that same professionalism and insight to all of his online conversations across platforms such as Google+ , YouTube , Facebook and Twitter.

Dr. Vibe has been the host and producer of his own podcast The Dr. Vibe Show for the last decade. He has done over 1000 interviews with people from all over the world. He has gotten into the minds of Black powerhouses such as: Canadian football great Michael “Pinball” Clemons, Canadian Senator Don Meredith, ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman, actress and producer Robin Givens and MSNBC & CNN Education Contributor, Dr. Steve Perry. His main mission is to peel back the layers of the mainstream media’s construct around Black males, to reveal the positivity that is often clouded. He’s been featured on platforms such as HuffPost Live because of his candid and informed opinions.

As of May 2013, The Dr. Vibe Show is the first and only podcast to be regularly featured on the popular U.S. based men’s website, The Good Men Project which has 3 million unique visitors per month and 6 million page views per month. Dr. Vibe is the host and co-producer of the monthly Google+ Hangouts for Premium Members of The Good Men Project (Original host and co-producer since November 2013).

LINKS:

* Dr. Vibe’s website

* The Dr. Vibe Show

* The Good Men Project

* Twitter

* LinkedIn

* Facebook

I am a born and bred Brooklynite with about over 10 years of experience in the financial services industry. I started out at a small mortgage brokerage firm directly after college in 2005 and have been helping people ever since. I am a student of the Brooklyn Real Estate market and I love to help people find a way to be a part of it. My greatest joy is helping people finance their homes. I can talk mortgages and real estate all day because I truly believe their power to transform lives. During the course of my career I’ve met countless entrepreneurs, especially ones that look like me that are clueless when it comes to obtaining financing. The led me to write my book : “The House Hustle: The Insider Secrets Of Buying a House for Black Entrepreneurs” It gives step by step information on how to prepare for buying a house and how to get your financial house in order so you get a letter saying “approved” instead of “denied”

LINKS: 

* The House Hustle: Insider Secrets Of Buying A Home For Black Entrepreneurs

* The House Hustle website

* Twitter.com/iafricanamerica

 

ABOUT MARIE ROKER-JONES:

MARIE ROKER-JONES

Marie Roker-Jones, a Certified Breakthrough Parenting® Instructor and Intrinsic Coach® in Health and Wellness is the founder of Raising Great Men™ – real talk about raising boys to become men of character. Marie is the Senior Editor on The Good Men Project, co-produces their monthly Google hangouts and creates social media campaigns.

As a wife to a soldier of multiple deployments, Marie speaks about the challenges of raising a military family. Marie understands the struggle of balancing personal, family and professional goals during a deployment, and also helps mothers guide sons during a father’s absence and how to adjust after deployment.

Marie has worked with students and parents in NYC schools, has conducted workshops for Monroe College, The Harlem Book Fair, The Boy Scouts, The Westchester Children’s Book Festival, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy, Monroe College, The New York City Charter School Center, New York State Child Abuse Prevention Conference, and LinkEducation’s K-12 Expo.

 

LINKS:

* Twitter: @RaisingGreatMen

* Google+

* LinkedIn

Tired of waiting, Nataki Williams, a finance executive, called her brother, Kwame Williams, a gourmet chef, and said “Let’s do it!” Kwame’s 13 years of culinary experience and Nataki’s 13 years of finance experience culminated with the doors of Vital being opened in less than a month. Kwame being health conscious and Nataki being a “foodie” led to a new take on the Jamaican restaurant. In a time where everyone is a pescetarian, paleo, vegan, vegetarian and so on, Vital is a place where we can all come to be satisfied. Offering something for every taste, it is where eating to live and living to eat meet!

ABOUT KWAME WILLIAMS:

After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, Chef Kwame Williams worked at some of NJ’s top fine dining establishments.  He started his culinary career at The Ryland Inn (Whitehouse station, NJ), one of the only restaurants in NJ to get 4 stars from the NY Times and is Relais & Chateaux rated.  They provided Chef Kwame with an exceptional foundation and set his standards for quality of food.  He continued his career at Rat’s (Hamilton, NJ), The Bernards Inn (Bernardsville, NJ), Pleasantdale Chateau(West Orange, NJ), Highlawn Pavilion (West Orange, NJ), Hyatt (Jersey City, NJ), and Minton’s (Harlem, NY).  Most recently, he became a member of a team of celebrity chefs under the direction of ChefRLI (Richard Ingraham).

As a dedicated father, he has seen the impression that his food choices have made on his children.  Knowing that not everyone has a classically trained chef as a parent, he has dedicated his free time to several charities that introduce healthy food to children such as Edible Schoolyard, as well as, speaking at schools.

Vital is just another step in Kwame’s journey to bring healthy and delicious meals to the forefront of the public’s minds.  Making it that much easier to make positive choices in what we eat.  He makes food that is more than just fuel but an experience you want to repeat countless times.

 

LINKS:

* VitalDining.com

* Facebook

* Twitter

* Instagram

* Pinterest

ABOUT ANTONIO RAYNOR: 

Antonio holds a computer science degree from East Carolina University. He has over a decade of real world development experience with Microsoft-related projects for medium- and large-sized organizations. His background work includes consulting, development lead, and project management, and he has worked on all aspects of enterprise-level project deployments. He brings his passion for development and instruction to Coder Foundry.

LINKS:

* Coder Foundry

* Antonio’s LinkedIn