Watchen Bruce

Watchen Bruce - President and CEO of Baltimore Community Lending BCL

Watchen Harris Bruce is the President and CEO of Baltimore Community Lending BCL), a nonprofit mission-based lender and certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). BCL provides loans and technical assistance to small businesses and real estate developers in Baltimore's underserved and disadvantaged low-income communities. With an impressive over forty-year career, Ms. Bruce has amassed a wealth of experience in banking, development finance, small business lending, economic development, international development, renewal energy, training, technical assistance, and leadership development. Her extensive development finance experience, nationally and internationally, is a testament to her expertise. Before joining BCL, she served as Managing Director/Chief of Party of a USAID- funded project “Investing for Business Expansion” (IBEX) project, Access to Finance, Economic Development, Renewal Energy, and a Business Development project in Liberia for five years. She also served as Deputy Managing Director/Chief of Party for another USAID-funded project, “Liberia Agribusiness Development Activity (LADA),” for 3 years. On the national level, Ms. Bruce served as Vice President at several national banks in the U.S., including PNC Bank, Fleet Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and Management Consultant for NeighborWorks America. She is a graduate of Leadership Boston & Baltimore. She serves on the Maryland Community Development Network and Morning Star Baptist Church Five CDC boards. She is also a board member of the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, a Board member of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Consumer Advisory Board member, and lastly, a member of Maryland Clean Energy Center’s C3 Fund Investment Oversight Committee. Awarded a 12-month certificate of completion for the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, 3/2024, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Executive Education. Ms. Bruce is pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Development and leadership through Grand Canyon University, and she has completed all the requirements except the dissertation. She holds a master’s in business management from Cambridge College in Massachusetts, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Community Planning and Management from the University of Massachusetts, and a BA in French from the University of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.

Kenya McKnight-Ahad

Kenya McKnight-Ahad - Founder & CEO, Black Women’s Wealth Alliance (BWWA)

Kenya McKnight-Ahad is a trailblazing economic and business leader whose innovative spirit and philanthropic vision have reshaped Minnesota's landscape. As the dynamic founder and CEO of the Black Women’s Wealth Alliance (BWWA), she has transformed the economic prospects of over 5,500 Black women entrepreneurs and professionals through cutting-edge wealth education, strategic career development, and transformative grants and loans. McKnight-Ahad’s impact extends through her ownership of ZaRah, a pioneering Holistic Wellness & Healing Institution. ZaRah stands as a beacon of empowerment, providing incubation space, wellness education, and direct support in collaboration with African American women-owned businesses, exemplifying her commitment to holistic community advancement. A proud resident of Minneapolis for more than 40 years, McKnight-Ahad’s career is a testament to her groundbreaking contributions across public policy, youth development, education, and economic development. Since 2007, she has been a force of innovation and leadership, serving on influential boards and commissions and spearheading initiatives that fuel community and business growth. Her historic induction as a prominent Northern Star by the Minnesota Historical Society in 2022 underscores her role as a pioneering force in 21st-century economic leadership. McKnight-Ahad’s influence on the regional economy is profound, with over $5 billion in investments to her credit. As the first African American appointee to the Met Council's Transportation Advisory Board, she has broken barriers and set new standards in regional development. Her accolades include prestigious fellowships such as the Bush Fellow (2012), Hubert H. Humphrey Policy Fellow (2012), and Integrated Capital Fellow (2020). Additionally, her recognition as a "Top Woman in Business" and "Top Woman in Finance" in 2019, 2023-24 Business Woman of the Year by Iota Lamda Gamu Society, MEDA 2024 Community Builder of the Year, and her status as a leading Black woman in Minnesota by the Minnesota Black Chambers of Commerce, highlight her exceptional impact and leadership. With an academic background featuring an MBA in global and cooperative economics from Saint Mary’s University in Canada and extensive studies in Urban Education at Metro State University and Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Through her visionary work with ZaRah and other initiatives, Kenya McKnight-Ahad continues to drive transformative and innovative change, leaving an indelible mark across Minnesota and beyond.

Tebabu Assefa

Tebabu Assefa - Community Leader & Social Entrepreneur

Tebabu Assefa, a native of Ethiopia, has studied photography, film production and communication at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Professionally, Tebabu has an extensive experience working as a cultural promoter, communications and marketing consultant. As such, he has provided promotional and marketing support to community based enterprises and organizations engaged in social and economic development in the U.S. and Africa. Since 2002, Tebabu’s work has been complimented by Sara Mussie (his wife & partner). Working jointly, they have co-foundered the Annual Ethiopian Festivals in Downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, and have organized the first three festivals, from 2011 to 2013. Each festival showcased a community cultural and craft market and an all day music & culture shows that attracted over 20,000 attendants. Tebabu and Sara have gained recognition, received awards and Congressional citations for a pioneering social business and international trade they created and branded as Virtuous Exchange (VE) - better than Fair Trade, which is inspired by their conviction that the growing US-African Immigrant communities have massive untapped human and financial resources to positively impact social and economic development in Africa. To execute the VE model they founded and introduced Blessed Coffee (BC), that is based on a “farmer to your cup" direct market link and is geared towards development in coffee growing regions in Ethiopia as well as in communities in the US where the coffee is sold. As such, BC offers investment and profit sharing partnership to 323,000 coffee farmers in Ethiopia, (representing over 1.5 million families,) organized under a small coffee famers cooperative union. Tebabu and Sara are also the Co-founders of the US-African Diaspora Business Council (USADBC), developed to inspire, inform, encourage and support US-African Immigrant entrepreneurs to follow suit and duplicate the VE model. To this end, on September 15, 2017, they developed and presented the Benefit Corporation for Africa Initiative (BCAI) at a Congressional Briefing, organized in cooperation with Congressman Jamie Raskin to policymakers, the African Diplomatic community, International Development Organizations, African Immigrant & Diaspora community, and the Media. Benefit Corporation is a new legislation authored by Congressman Raskin and first enacted by the Sate of Maryland, is a hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit models designed for community benefit as well as profit. BCAI aims to establish an infrastructure to support the growth of the Benefit Corporation movement in the United States linked to the business in Africa, ultimately aiming to facilitate trade opportunities amongst American Benefit Corporations and African enterprises to leverage the power of business to achieve social and economic development in Africa and the US. Tebabu is a recipient of the 2012 “Champions of Change” award from the Obama administration and several Congressional Citations from members of the US Congress. Tebabu has served on the boards of several community organizations and advisory boards, including the Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley's Commission on African Affairs, the Montgomery County Executive African Affairs Advisory Group, and the Takoma Foundations. Awards Tebabu received includes the 2008 Community Activist Award by the Takoma Foundation, the 2014 “Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award” from StartUpAfrica and the 2016 Bethesda Magazine’s Green Business Award. Tebabu makes his home in Takoma Park, MD with his wife and partner Sara, their son Yared, and daughter Helina.

Dr. Bruce Corrie

Dr. Bruce Corrie - Economist

Dr. Bruce Corrie is a leading Twin Cities-based economist, business expert, cultural entrepreneur, and longtime member of the Concordia University, St. Paul faculty. With specific focus on minority businesses and the growing impact minority communities have on the broader economy, Dr. Corrie brings unique perspective and insight relating to the Minnesota business landscape. Dr. Corrie’s work has garnered deep media coverage across local, ethinic, national, and international media. He has also published numerous academic articles and has written extensively for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press and Minnesota Business Magazine. As an innovative economist, Dr. Corrie has delved deeply into the economic impact of immigrants and minority communities, documenting their true, powerful impact on our communities. His research and his teaching as a professor has helped shape views and perspectives on critical policy issues, including alternative perspectives that drive greater cultural intelligence in academia and the general public. He pioneered a strategy of economic development in low income neighborhoods focusing on the cultural assets of diverse populations reflected in Little Africa, Little Mekong and other cultural destinations. In response to the current pandemic and economic downturn he helped launch the ALANA Community Brain Trust to bring capital, build capacity and collaborate around building wealth in minority communities. A member of the CSP faculty since 1987, he has developed the core economics curriculum at CSP. He also served as director of Planning and Economic Development for the City of St. Paul, and continues to be a driving force for economic inclusion in the Capital City and beyond. Dr. Corrie is also a noted business consultant as the Principal at The Innovative Edge, LLC. Through this venture, he helps individual businesses improve cultural competency, researches immigrant and minority economics, and delivers impactful keynote speeches at business conferences and events. He serves currently on the board of Opportunity and Growth Institute of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Midway Chamber of Commerce, Union Park District Council, Junior Achievement and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Dr. Corrie received his PH.D. from the University of Notre Dame, and his M.A. in Economics from North-Eastern Hill University in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. His research, policy insights and strategies can be found at empoweringstrategies.org,

Gene Gelgelu

Founder, President, & CEO, African Economic Development Solutions

Dr. Gene Gelgelu is a visionary leader with over 25 years of experience in leadership, operations, creative entrepreneurship, and creative placemaking. As the founder, president, and CEO of African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) and Little Africa, he has made significant contributions to Minnesota’s African immigrant communities. Originally from Ethiopia, Dr. Gelgelu possesses a deep cultural competency and an ability to connect with diverse populations across backgrounds and languages. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State University, an M.B.A. in Finance, and a Doctor of Education in Leadership from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Dr. Gelgelu has also served as a planning and human rights commissioner for the city of St. Paul from 2010 to 2017. In addition to his leadership role, Dr. Gelgelu is a Shannon Institute Leadership Fellow, Roy Wilkins Community Fellow, and Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow. He has earned a certificate of completion from Harvard University for the NeighborWorks Achieving Leadership Excellence program. Dr. Gelgelu has also served on numerous boards and is currently a member of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN).

Grover Jones

Grover C. Jones & Associates (GCJ & A)

Grover C. Jones is the owner of Grover C. Jones & Associates (GCJ & A), where he offers consultative services focused on economic development strategies. With over 45 years of business experience, Mr. Jones has worked with a wide range of organizations, including non-profits, government agencies, and for-profit entities. His expertise in facilitating collaborations has helped build successful partnerships based on shared principles of trust, respect, and effective communication. In addition to his work at GCJ & A, Mr. Jones has over 18 years of experience in the non-profit sector. He has trained over 150 entrepreneurs and provided technical assistance to more than 250 small businesses, supporting them through all stages of development, from start-ups to mature, expanding entities. Throughout his career, Mr. Jones has been committed to fostering sustainable growth and collaboration, creating environments where organizations can work together toward common goals.