What's the Score?

James A. Hicks is an Entrepreneur, Public Speaker and Executive here in the Central Florida area.  As the founder of Hicks Financial; Asset & Wealth Management, he helps people all over the country build wealth through consultations and financial coaching.  His experience ranges from working at the senior executive level in corporate America where he serves on several advisory boards, as well as serving on the boards of multiple non-profit organizations nationally.

He is a public speaker who has conducted seminars on financial freedom, sales, and professional training.  He attended the University of Central Florida for undergrad and earned an MBA from Webster University.  He also completed a certification with Harvard University in Entrepreneurship.  Within the last few years he has won the "Black History Maker' award as well as the "Men of Honor" award with Onyx magazine. 

He has also been featured in the "Orlando Business Journal" and on Star 94.5 as the "Man Crush Monday," where they mentioned his accolades and work in the community.

 James A. Hicks

 President and CEO

 Hicks Financial; Asset and Wealth Management

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(877) 313-XCEL (9235)

[email protected] www.excelpros.org

Certified Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) (DBE/ACDBE)

Dr. Fatimoh Harris, President, Author & Certified Grant Writer

Dr. Fatimoh Harris, President of Excel Professional Grant Writing & Nonprofit Services, LLc and Excel Professional Services, is a successful Training Facilitator, Certified Grant Writer, Corporate Consultant, Grant Reviewer, College Adjunct Instructor and recurring broadcast media guest. Excel is certified as Human Resource Specialist, DISC Workplace Trainer, Church Administration, Federal and State Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) and DBE/ACDBE. She is the author of Navigating the Grant Industry® Handbook and has other books to be released soon. Dr. Harris has produced and hosted her Business and Leadership Television Show, Excelled To Go Forward with Season 2 coming soon.

Dr. Harris has nearly 20 years of professional office and management administrative experiences including working with teams handling annual multi-million dollar budgets. She have successfully won millions in grassroots funding, 98% of 501(c)3 applications are IRS approved and over $30M in grant experiences. Her team specializes in Management/Administrative Consulting, Professional Development, Small Business, and Youth/Adult Essential Life and Employment Training.

Dr. Harris is a native of Chicago, Illinois and has worked virtually and on-site, internationally. Her roots are in Business and Social Service Communities. She works closely with corporate leaders, board members, and teams applying excellence and ethical principles to satisfy their business needs. She is an experienced government and community Grant Reviewer who participates in Grant Administration® duties with teams that reward multiple millions in grant funding to nonprofit agencies and an advisor to small businesses, just like yours.

Excel goals are to help organizations move beyond good intentions to building systems that demonstrate real results, attract funding, and sustain their mission in communities and for the clients they serve.

Strategize • Implement • Measure • Grow

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Nicole Hagedorn
Founder and Principal, Davis + Harper Brand Strategy and Creative

Nicole Hagedorn is a business and brand strategist and the founder of Davis + Harper — and she has a question she likes to ask: if you sat the CEO, the head of sales, the head of marketing, and the CFO of the same company in a room and asked them who their best customer is and how they talk to them, how many different answers do you think you'd get? In her experience, usually four. And that's not a marketing problem. That's a business strategy problem.
After five years at an agency she lovingly calls her "career bootcamp" and eleven years on the Fortune 500 side, Nicole now works exclusively with C-suite leadership at mid-market companies — typically between $10M and $180M in revenue — who are growing fast but where the strategic foundation underneath hasn't kept up. She starts with the business itself: where it's going, how leadership is making decisions, and whether the company's internal story and its market reality are actually aligned. From there, she carries that clarity all the way through to positioning, messaging, and creative direction — built into the business strategy, not bolted onto it, and handed off in a form teams can use immediately. Her signature engagement, the Brandsformation, is a focused two-to-three-month process, and she takes on only two to three clients at a time — because the work requires real attention, and so do the people she works with.

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Roslyn Rice is a seasoned & award winning business consultant, best selling author and speaker with over 30 years of experience in retail and leadership. As Co-Founder of DPI LLC, a consulting firm, she has guided entrepreneurs and organizations through scaling operations, building high-performing teams, and creating sustainable growth strategies. Drawing from her extensive retail background, Roslyn brings a unique perspective on customer experience and leadership development that resonates with businesses.

An engaging storyteller on stage, Roslyn has spoken at national conferences and leadership forums equipping audiences with actionable insights that inspire real results.

As an author, Roslyn shares unspoken truths about business ownership, blending practical strategies with candid reflections to help leaders thrive in complex markets. Her new #1 top release on Amazon is entitled, What’s Next.

She is a lead consultant at FIU College of Business with the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), Past President of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), Goldman Sachs Black in Business graduate and member of Miramar Pembroke Pines Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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Paul McNally BIO

I bring over 40 years of management and ownership experience in business to Central

Florida Business Brokerage.

For buyers I target specific opportunities that match up to your previous business

experience, skills, desires, and expectations. I add value to the purchasing side of the

transaction by making sure the overall sales process and timeframe stay on target in order

to have a smooth transition to the new ownership.

For sellers, I assist in determining the value of your business, establish a selling price,

identify prospective buyers, facilitate negotiations, and lead all involved to a smooth closing.

This will allow the present business owner time to concentrate on the operation of their

business during the selling process. I work as a team with attorneys, CPA’s, Banker’s, and

other professionals to provide a full range of services to my client’s.

Business Broker - Central Florida Business Brokerage

498 Palm Springs Drive, Suite 100

Altamonte Springs, Fl. 32701

(407)324-5100

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Sharon Lyles is the founder and Executive Director of the Central Florida Diaper Bank. With more than 31 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and public service, she has dedicated her career to helping families and individuals access essential hygiene products and other basic necessities. Today, the organization serves people across the lifespan, promoting health, dignity, and well-being throughout the community.

Sharon Lyles
Executive Director
1041 Crown Park Circle
Winter Garden, FL 34787
centralfloridadiaperbank.org

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Dr. Laine Powell is the founder and CEO of Tech Sassy Girlz, a non-profit organization dedicated to 
building the future workforce by transforming the lives of adolescent girls to pursue science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields through career readiness, mentoring and entrepreneurship.
Taking on the challenge head-on of addressing the notable shortage of girls and women in STEM fields, Dr. 
Powell created the organization in 2012 to address the critical shortage of women and minorities being 
represented in high-tech STEM careers. She firmly believes that leveraging technology is an opportunity for 
girls to be content creators, makers and entrepreneurs. To date, Tech Sassy Girlz has served over 3,000 
girls. 
Dr. Powell is also the vice president for AceApplications, LLC, a technology solutions provider for 
businesses, schools, and government agencies. AceApplications delivers custom software, systems 
integration, mobile app and web development, data analytics and reporting, training and IT staff 
augmentation. 
Dr. Powell is also the Host and Producer of the podcast, Microdoses of Joy, a podcast and lifestyle brand 
emphasizing tiny moments and big joy.
In 2026, Dr. Powell received the Linda Landman Gonzalez Leadership Award and the University of Central 
Florida College of Business Entrepreneurial Knight Award. In 2025, Dr. Powell received the Frost 
Luminary Award presented by Congressman Maxwell Frost. As part of this distinguished 
acknowledgement, Dr. Powell’s name has been officially entered into the Congressional Record. Also in 
2025, Dr. Powell was recognized by Winter Park City Magazine as a Woman of Influence. In 2024, she 
received the Education Pillar Award from the Central Florida Black MBA Association, was recognized as 
one of Orange Appeal Magazine’s 2023 Woman of the Year, 2022 Heart of Florida United Way Change 
Maker, Onyx Magazine’s 2022 Woman on the Move, Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 Women Who Mean 
Business, 2021Orlando Magic Social Justice Game Changer, Orlando Magazine’s 2020 Woman of the 
Year, WESH 2 News and Orlando Magic Community Champion and received the 2021 WTS International
Rosa Parks Diversity Leadership award, African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida Eagle 
Award, i4Business Magazine Spirit of Collaboration award, University of Central Florida Trailblazer 
Award, featured on PBS, NPR, ABC, Fox and received a host of other community and professional awards.
Dr. Powell has been published in the Orlando Sentinel and the Orlando Business Journal. 
Dr. Powell was featured in the Legacy of Excellence: Phenomenal Black Women in Central Florida 
Exhibit at the Women’s History & Cultural Center. Created to highlight the lives and legacies of AfricanAmerican women who have significantly contributed to the Greater Orlando area, this exhibit featured
women from a variety of professional fields who have shattered glass ceilings and laid the foundation for 
generations to come. 
In the community, Dr. Powell is a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, a life member of 
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the University of Florida Alumni Association, and serves on the 
board of Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, and the Women’s Business Center at Seminole 
State College. Dr. Powell recently completed her four year term on the board of Florida Polytechnic 
University.
Dr. Powell received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Florida, Master of Education from 
the Pennsylvania State University, Master of Science in Management from the University of Central Florida 
and her doctorate in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University. 
Dr. Powell is married to her college sweetheart, Courtney

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Jaylen Christie 

Author, Cartoonist, Sociologist and PR Practitioner 

Jaylen Christie is an award-winning PR practitioner overseeing day-to-day execution of ongoing publicity initiatives that generate media coverage. He has worked with brands including The Walt Disney Company, American Heart Association, NAACP, Massey Services, Baker Barrios Architects, Sodexo, and The Salvation Army. Jaylen is the creator, author, and illustrator of the comic book “Stink Bomb Man and The Brain Kids,” and has been featured as a guest speaker at San Diego Comic-Con, which has become the focal point for the world of comic book conventions with attendance topping 130,000 in recent years. He has been recognized by Black Enterprise as a B.E.

Modern Man, an initiative honoring the essence, image, and accomplishments of today’s man of color. Additionally, Jaylen is a two-time international Hermes Creative Award winner, and has received a MarCom award, the Orlando Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and Florida A&M University's 40 Under 40. He was named Trailblazer Professional of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America’s Sunshine District chapter in 2022. Jaylen has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Central Florida, where he is currently earning a PhD  in sociology with a research focus on representation in comic book literature; a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Florida A&M University; and he is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated

Jaylen Christie
Writer | Cartoonist | Actor | Speaker | PR Pro, Superfly Nerd, LLC

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Ebony Russ  
HR Leader and Expert Educator 

Ebony Russ is a Human Resources Business Partner with 20 years of experience in HR and management. She began her career in the insurance and financial services industry and later worked in aerospace and defense, leading policy development, employee relations, investigations, and performance management. 
She also serves as an Adjunct Professor, teaching Human Resource Management and Training & Development. Ebony earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bethune-Cookman University and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University. She also holds certifications in Human Resource Management, Human Resource Development, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Drawing from firsthand experience navigating corporate culture, Ebony helps professionals—from entry-level employees to executives—understand performance, perception, and opportunity. 
She is the author of Tea, Tactics, and Tenacity, a guide inspired by the lessons she learned and now shares to empower others. Originally from Miami, Florida, Ebony is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® and enjoys family time, cooking, traveling, and life as a proud dog mom to her Yorkshire Terrier, Creed.

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BOYD KARREN
Business Broker, OTRO FINANCIAL

Boyd is a serial entrepreneur. He loves the world of small business and believes deeply that small business ownership is the key to strong communities and wealth creation. 
Boyd has earned two master’s degrees in business: an MBA from Indiana University, and a Master of Global Management degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
He became a business loan broker and started Otro Financial after experiencing his own difficulties in finding funding for his small business opportunities. He saw a serious gap in the marketplace seeing that it was very difficult for start-ups and new businesses to get the funding they need. So, Boyd specializes in finding funding for start-ups and new businesses. 
Boyd and his wife, Kristi, just celebrated 31 years of marriage in August. They are the parents of four adult children and are enjoying their lives as empty nesters. In his free time, you will find him and his wife enjoying tacos, road trips, or finding yet another business to buy.

Karol Guevara
Business Loan Broker at OTRO Financial

Karol Guevara is a Business Loan Broker at OTRO Financial, a driven Latina, entrepreneur, and soccer mom, passionate about connecting with people from all walks of life and helping them succeed.
She is an honors graduate in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Rosario in Bogotá, Colombia, with entrepreneurial experience operating a LATAM e-commerce business. She moved to the United States in 2005 and became a U.S. citizen in 2013.
Karol is known for her strong problem-solving skills, approachable personality, and ability to quickly understand clients’ needs—creating trust from the very first conversation. She is a patient, positive, and dependable funding partner, capable of performing in high-pressure environments while guiding clients through customized financing solutions.
Today, she specializes in supporting startups, small businesses, women entrepreneurs, and Spanish-speaking clients, helping them access strategic funding options at every stage of their business journey.
📧 [email protected] | 📞 321-750-8413

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