Laura Rock began The Laura and Jason Rock Family Foundation in early 2017.  What started off as a general challenge to “help women” evolved into a specific vision of empowering young women of color exiting county run services in Pittsburgh.  As the Rock Family Foundation (RFF) began meeting with the funder and programming communities the mission grew – these programs needed miscellaneous and operational funding so they could focus on their missions instead of on their feelings of scarcity and lack.  These organizations and the population they served wanted advocacy and collaboration. 

RFF began to seek out the organizations that were partnering with others and the programs that were outside the county-funded systems.  Bringing fresh ideas, new viewpoints and multi-faceted solutions are just as important as funding.  And the way that grants are delivered is streamlined and different.  RFF prioritizes the conversation.  A synergy or two.  An opportunity to band together with other programs.  A memo and a handshake.  These steps replace the traditional routes that programs were used to requesting funding.  And Laura wanted to walk the line between the old ways and the new ways bringing together the best of both modalities.

Adesola (Addie) Elabor is the founder and CEO of D’IYANU, an African inspired apparel brand based in Philadelphia, PA. 
 
Addie was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S with her family at the age of six. As with most children new to a foreign environment, she struggled to fit into the American lifestyle with new foods, vocabulary, and culture. As she grew older, she learned to accept and embrace her uniqueness and African roots. She graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK with a Bachelor’s in International Business and French. It was in college where she solidified her life’s goal of creating a business that would enable her to give back to the African community. Her first job after graduating was with an online store called Pet Food Direct where she worked in the merchandising and subsequently the purchasing department. Little did she know that the experience gained at this company would prove beneficial to her future business endeavors. While working at Pet Food Direct, she started a master’s program in International Marketing. Upon completion of her Master’s degree and unable to find a job in the marketing field, she decided to launch her own business. Seeing an opportunity for a ready-to-wear African inspired line and seeking to express her heritage through clothing, Addie launched D’IYANU in January 2014 from her little studio apartment in King of Prussia, PA. 
 
Addie currently works out of the D’IYANU headquarter in Norristown, PA along with her brother, Dara Ajayi and 16 other employees. When she is not working on her business, she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and family. She also enjoys reading, watching movies, traveling, and trying new activities. She’s passionate about self-development and empowering her community. Since launching D’IYANU, she has made it a priority to donate a portion of revenue to charities empowering the black community and providing clean water and education to underdeveloped countries. D’IYANU has been able to donate over $35,000 to date. 

Simone Sauter is a PR & Publicity Coach, bestselling author and tech nerd. She helps coaches, consultants and trainers to become the go-to expert and consistently attract high-paying clients by building authority, trust and credibility through the power of the media. 

Simone has nearly 2 decades experience in the media and PR world. She worked as a journalist for 8 years and before her entrepreneurial journey as a PR manager for several fortune 100 companies. She also has a master’s degree in Journalism and PR and is a certified PR consultant.

But most important is that she has built a very successful coaching business in the relationship coaching niche solely by using PR which means that she understands 100% how to make PR work for your coaching and consulting business in a way that you get new clients.

Dr. Tonya Robertson, the learning and strategy specialist is the Founder and CEO of Focused Training Solutions, a company that is committed to curating instructional learning tools designed to optimize performance in the workplace. Robertson has worked with numerous C-Suite Executives of well-known companies to create training materials that will guide their team to success and establish good retention among their employees. Alongside working tirelessly to help others be productive in the workplace, Tonya also devotes her time to organizations such as the Association of Talent Development and Dell’s Women Entrepreneur Network. She has also received a Doctorate Degree in Education and eLearning. To learn more about Tonya and her work, visit www.focusedtrainingsolutions.com

Sambrero Browning is a mental health therapist. She has been in the field of mental health for over 10 years. Sambrero has serviced every demographic within the field of mental health from children to veterans to geriatric clients. As a native of the metropolitan Atlanta area Sambrero has been afforded the opportunity to witness firsthand the disparities within the field of mental health. She lives by the quote from Albert Einstein, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”


She is the author of the book, “You Are The Upgrade: A Guide For Self Love While Navigating Dating In Your 30s. This book explores her own irrational thoughts and beliefs that led to negative dating patterns while offering skills for insight and personal development. 


Sambrero is the founder of “A Diamond Made Life” which is a women empowerment and coaching group. She plans to expand her brand to offer personal development and branding solutions for young up incoming female entrepreneurs. 

Tae Lee, known as the “Money Maximizer,” is a International Best-Selling financial author, speaker, coach and trainer. Tae now creates diverse streams of income in the tax, real estate, insurance, and finance industry. Tae Lee is also known for her other financial literacy books, NGB Money Success Planner & High School Edition. She is constantly building generational wealth, not debt.

Dr. Ceptus Schreiber is a trauma informed coach, Spiritual Activist, and educator. She teaches spiritual consciousness-raising skills to bring about personal growth and presence in the body. Her work with Radical Presence is grounded in the belief that healing happens in the body aided by spirit and consciousness. She works with people of color, specifically women, around healing from sexual trauma. Her latest course, Coming Home is a 6-week exploration of healing from childhood sexual abuse that aims to empower survivors with tools to reconnect with their bodies, learn how to respond to overwhelming emotions, and develop a practice of forgiveness,  so they can spend more time feeling calm and present in their body. 

Pamela is an associate professor of qualitative research and higher education at Mercer University, a fellow of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, and a certified life coach. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, a master’s degree in College Student Affairs from Azusa Pacific University, and a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service from Cardinal Stritch University.

Her research focuses on interpersonal relationships, self-motivation, inspiration, resilience, and post-traumatic growth. She is the founder of Tandem Light Press, a publishing company, and the Holistic Institute for Creative Life Change. She facilitates speaking engagements and training sessions for audiences across the country. Additionally, she has written three books, has contributed chapters to scholarly publications, and presents her research extensively for national and international audiences.

The bulk of Dr. Pamela’s career has been spent in higher education, where she has fourteen years of professional experience. As a student affairs professional, she received training in suicide prevention, motivational interviewing, and substance abuse counseling. After completing her master’s degree in College Student Affairs, Dr. Pamela pursued her Ph.D. to better position herself to help develop leadership skills in others, particularly with the desire to help people live fulfilling, purpose-driven lives. As a member of Mercer University’s Educational Leadership faculty, the opportunity to utilize key coaching skills to compliment her work with students compelled her to pursue life coach certification in 2011. By seeking out the experience of seasoned experts and drawing upon her own holistic leadership background and curriculum development experience, Dr. Pamela launched the Academy of Creative Coaching. Her vision for the Academy of Creative Coaching is to offer a life-changing certification program that not only trains, but that also transforms. Thus, through the empowerment of the Academy’s graduates, they will in turn, empower the coachees they have the ability to touch through their own coaching practices and through the testimonies of their own lives.

Michelle Ngome is a connection strategist, marketing expert and consultant. She is the founder of Line 25 Consulting, a marketing firm focused on inclusive marketing. 

Michelle understands what drives powerful connections and is committed to helping others raise their game through the delicate art of networking. She is the author of Network, Navigate & Nurture: The Equation to Strategic Networking, a practical guide to networking success.

Michelle is dedicated to creating and sharing opportunities with others. She founded the African-American Marketing Association, creating a platform that empowers Black marketers all over the United States.

Michelle loves sharing her wisdom with her community. She has interviewed thought leaders on her podcast, Networking with Michelle. She has also been featured across various reputable media outlets where she is often seen offering insightful ideas and opinions on marketing and branding.

Michelle combines her interests in an authentic way to help professionals and businesses level up. 

Nic Hyl designs women's swimwear and resort wear in Ne York City in an effort to help them to feel beautiful in the skin that they're in. She helps solve problems that aren't typically discussed. Namely low self esteem, negative self talk and low self confidence. Beyond making body positive swim and resortwear, Nic has written a "Live Beautifully" challenge to help begin to heal and address the source of some of our low self esteem, and she produces monthly monthly IG live's with a personal development coach where they address the steps of building self esteem, and some of the reasons why it may be lower than it should.