Momentum 2023 Panels
Saturday 24th June 2023
Location: 345 Adams St., Brooklyn NY 11213
*Subject to change
PANEL I - PROFILES: The Creator Story | 12 PM - 1 PM
Speakers: Carlos Harris Jr. (@carlosharrisjr) , Danielle (@stylenbeautydoc) Gray, George (@stuylin) Myrie, Helena Faustin (@thatnursecancook)
Moderated By: Abby Charles
PANEL II - TECH BEACH RETREAT Presents: The Future of Work- A Major Shift is Happening | 2 PM - 3 PM
Speakers: Cavel Khan, Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey, Nikkia Reveillac
Moderated By: Kyle Maloney
PANEL III - The Cost To Be The [Product] Boss | 4 PM - 5 PM
Speakers: Jasmine Lawrence, Myriam Jean-Baptiste, Kalilah Wright, Stasha Harris
Moderated By: Melissa Noel
PANEL IV - CARIBBEAN ELITE MAGAZINE Presents: The Business Of Wi Culture | 6 PM - 7 PM
Speakers: Damon DeGraff, Ronni Tomlinson, Natalie Lamming + Special Surprise Guest!!!
Moderated By: Janine McMahon
Momentum 2023 Speaker Bios
Damon DeGraff, originally from Bermuda, founded dGi Management in New York in 2001, one of the world's top management and production agencies, representing premier artists, DJs, and record producers. Notable clients on the dGi roster include Mark Ronson, Beverly Bond, DJ Cassidy, Rev Run, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Ruckus, Pauly D, The MisShapes, Kat Deluna, Pretty Ricky, and Kes. His clients perform globally at exclusive events, concerts, venues, and clubs.
With almost two decades of experience in the music industry, DeGraff's extensive network spans various media and entertainment sectors, providing clients with diversified content, market intelligence, industry relationships, proprietary opportunities, and strategic vision aimed at producing unparalleled results.
Overall, Damon’s passion for music, combined with his strategic vision and industry expertise, has positioned him as a respected leader in management and production.
Carlos D Harris Jr. is a lifestyle influencer
and entrepreneur out of Dallas, Texas, but now resides in NJ/NYC. Carlos owns a full-scale digital marketing company and a creative photography studio. Through his dope aesthetic and unique photography, Carlos inspires others and encourages them to discover their own style through creative self-expression.
Jasmine Lawrence serves as a Senior Product Manager at Everyday Robots. Prior to this, she held a number of positions creating consumer-focused products for companies like Facebook, Softbank Robotics America, and Microsoft.
Jasmine is also the Founder of EDEN BodyWorks. Devastated by the harsh chemical products, 11-year-old Jasmine sought to develop her own solution to losing most of her hair. Jasmine used her allowance and love of math and science to create a hair oil to help regrow her hair. At the age of 13, after attending an NFTE BizCamp, Jasmine founded EDEN BodyWorks to share her creations with the world and meet the need for affordable, natural hair and body care products that really work.
Over the years the company has expanded from her original creation to over 50 products to meet the needs of curly-haired women across the globe. After more than 17 years in business, the products are available at retailers nationwide including Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Amazon.com, HEB, and Sally Beauty Supply Store just to name a few. She’s been featured in news outlets such as the New York Times, the Oprah Winfrey Show, on the Forbes 30 under 30 List, and recently on Inc Magazine’s 2021 Female Founders list.
Stasha M Harris, owner of Magic Fingers Studio founded in 2009, is a world-renowned professional braider and natural hairstylist with over 20 years of experience. Currently based in Brooklyn, New York, Stasha has won several hairstyling awards. Stasha received her NYS cosmetology license in 2006 and since then built a braiding empire that not only trains other natural hair stylists but also inspires her peers. Magic Fingers Studio is the go-to salon for knotless box braids, stitch braids, loc maintenance, and braiding classes for all braid levels as well as natural hair styling tips and tricks.
She has also established a partnership with AmproGel Inc in 2019 where she launched a product line under their Shine’n Jam family, namely MagicFingers Shine ’n Jam. Stasha also invented the innovative tool for braiders the “Magic Helper” hair holder. Stasha has recently started an apprenticeship program to help newer stylists gain knowledge and real world salon experience in both hands-on and theory of the beauty industry.
Ronnie Tomlinson is the CEO of Destine Media, the premier Caribbean artist Public Relations and Management Company, which has emerged as a PR powerhouse for her innovative perspectives on Public Relations and Media Management.
The proud Jamaican spends her time serving as a mentor for new artists looking to gain exposure in the early stages of their career through teaching them strategies and techniques on how to create, build an expand their personal brand. Managing the narrative for artists such as Mavado, Jimmy Cliff, Konshens, Shaggy, Kabaka Pyramid, Hoodcelebriyty, Taurus Riley, Buju Banton, Ghetto Youths Intl (label of Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley) and recently added Sean Paul. Ronnie has been able to package and promote artists through creating strategic opportunities of cross-promoting the artists as well as reggae music in different markets. Through this unique approach of public relation she has been able to secure regional endorsement deals with Pepsi, Monster and Johnnie Walker valued at over $1 million dollars.
Kyle Maloney is a tech-entrepreneur, digital marketer, and investor. In the last decade, Kyle has Co-Founded five Technology-Driven Companies in the industries of Building Sustainability, Healthy Food, Local Business Search, Technology Business Convening, and Digital Marketing. Kyle's companies have been written about in global and regional publications like Forbes, Inc, Essence Magazine, and The Huffington Post. In 2021 Kyle was recognized by the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce as Champion Entrepreneur of the Year. Kyle is also a NextGen Board Member of the Inter-American Development Bank (Trinidad).
Kalilah Wright, born in Jamaica W.I., migrated to the United States at the tender age of 4 and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. As an accomplished designer and trained architect, she used her Masters degree from Morgan State University and Bachelors of Arts from Penn State University to establish the brand in January 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Mess in a Bottle brand was established to evoke change, question Kalilah’s audience and allow individuals wearing their messages to be vocal without saying anything at all. Mess in a Bottle has collaborated with numerous brands and created limited edition capsule collections with Warner Brothers Studios for their movie The Kitchen, YouTube, Roc Nation artist Rapsody, The TLC Network, BET, Google, and Target for their Black History Month collection. Celebrities such as Viola Davis, Serena Williams, Luvvie Ajayi, Lena Waithe, Yvonne Orji and more are all proud supporters of Mess in a Bottle.
In her day job, Helena Faustin is a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse living in Freeport, New York. In her off hours, she’s spent the past four years running That Nurse Can Cook, a hugely popular food blog with over 1/2 million followers on IG alone.
Her passion for cooking developed at the age of 15 and she has since spent years perfecting her craft. On her blog, she shares video recipes full of traditional herbs and spices native to the Caribbean.
George Myrie, known as @Stuylin is a NYC-based fashion influencer with Jamaican roots who has worked with major U.S. retailers retailers including Nike, Walmart, Sunglass Hut, Jeep and Porsche. He has also worked with niche companies like Creed, Longines, Warby Parker and Truly (hard seltzer). He uses a unique perspective to incorporate his keen sense of style to promote products that can be loved by the masses.
In 2022, he started a fashion line called "ThGrpPrjct." George thinks he can bring something new and fresh to the world of fashion. His supporters follow because they trust his sense of style. George and his integrity is not for sale but his collection is! Wink!
A former finance girl, Danielle Gray aka @StylenBeautyDoc is a New York City based fashion and beauty expert. She's a Hofstra University and Fashion Institute of Technology grad with an obsession for fashion and beauty which she loves to tell you all about on her award-winning blog and YouTube channel. Think of her as your style and beauty entourage all wrapped up into one bubbly brown package.
Danielle's work and expertise can be found in print and across the web in Essence, GoodHousekeeping.com, Allure.com, and more! She's also appeared as an on-air style and beauty expert on The Real, Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray, Dr. Phil, and more!
Cavel Khan is the Chief Growth Officer of Group Black and is responsible for developing growth and revenue strategies for the company. Khan has close to 20 years of experience managing growth in advertising and client partnerships for many high-profile organizations and is widely recognized as a business leader, startup advisor, and board member in the tech and media space. Prior to Group Black he served as the CRO of Tumblr, the SVP of Client Partnerships- North America at VICE, a Senior Manager on the CPG vertical at Twitter, and in multiple roles at Microsoft over an eight-year period. Cavel is a 2020 Inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement, a 2020 Advertising Club of New York ICON Award recipient and a 2019 recipient of America on Tech Innovator and Disruptor Award for Sales. He co-chaired the Advisory board of ADCOLOR. He was a member of the advisory board for TechBeach and America on Tech. He is an alum of Zicklin School of Business in New York where he earned his MBA in Marketing and he gives back as a member of the board for Community Roots Charter schools in Brooklyn where he resides with his family.
Myriam Jean Baptiste, is one half of the husband/wife team who lead LS Cream Liqueur. Inspired by the traditional Haitian recipe called cremas, LS Cream Liqueur is on a mission to introduce a new generation of beverage enthusiasts to the luxurious and versatile world of cream liqueurs.
Recently awarded the double gold at the International New York Wine and Spirits Competition, LS Cream is made from a rich blend of fresh cream, neutral grain spirits, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is gluten-free, low in lactose, and made with all-natural ingredients. The brand's luxurious bottle design is a nod to its exotic heritage and is sure to catch the eye of anyone looking for a premium alternative in the cream liqueur category.
Set to redefine the wine and spirits industry, the company just received a 7-figure investment from Fearless Fund, the renowned venture capital fund dedicated to empowering women of color entrepreneurs, boosting the valuation of the company to 10 million dollars. LS Cream is sold in Canada and in 12 states in the US.
Stephanie LeBlanc-Godfrey is the Global Head of Community Inclusion Programs for Women of Color at Google and the founder of Parenting Backwards. She was born in Brooklyn, NY, attended Stevens Institute of Technology and completed her B.S. in Electrical Engineering before starting her career in the finance industry as an infrastructure engineer. She then pivoted her career to digital media, where she spent over 10 years in Advertising Operations at major media conglomerates such as Forbes Media, FOX News Digital, and NBC News Digital. Currently, her work is in service of creating spaces for women of color to thrive and progress their career while also influencing policies, programs and processes for the over 50,000 parents and care caregivers at Google. Her focus on women and parents have culminated into the creation of Parenting Backwards which helps professional parents to bring the same level of intentionality and investment to their parenting life as they have in their professional life. She is a regular on television media across business and lifestyle landscapes including NBC and FOX and has been featured on a number of podcasts talking about being a working mother and the impact of COVID, diversity and inclusion, early financial literacy and the nuanced path for women of color in Corporate America.
Melissa Noel is an award-winning international journalist, host and media entrepreneur. A proud Guyanese American with over a decade of reporting and production experience, Melissa has made a proven impact at the intersections of media, entrepreneurship, and social impact. She is the founder and managing director of Mel&N Media Group, a strategic communications and brand development firm connecting diaspora brands to the global market.
An accomplished international correspondent, Melissa is a contributing news and politics editor at ESSENCE Magazine. As an experienced travel reporter and Caribbean expert, she is also a contributor to National Geographic Travel and Trip Savvy.com.
Melissa is also the creator of Destination Diaspora®, a docuseries and storytelling platform that highlights the impact of the African Diaspora in travel, culture, and lifestyle.
Abby Ria Charles is a senior public health professional who currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Trinidad & Tobago Diaspora Association’s Network, a network of associations and organizations aimed at advancing the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora in the US and propelling Trinidad and Tobago toward its National goals.
She is also the Founder/Creative Director of Bene Caribe, a fashion brand born in Trinidad and Tobago and made in the Caribbean for people who want to make an impact. In her full-time role, Abby serves as a Director at the Institute for Public Health Innovation (IPHI), The public health institute for Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Representing the Caribbean at all times, Abby founded and serves as curator of "District of the Caribbean" where she highlights the contributions of Caribbean people and businesses to the advancement of the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.
She also presently serves on the board of The Well Project, the Bishop Anstey High School Alumnae Association of Washington, DC, as the co-chair of the Ending the HIV epidemic scientific working group of the DC Center for AIDS Research, and on the community advisory board of GW Cancer Center.
Nikkia Reveillac is an organizational leader with close to 20 years of experience transforming global Insights and Analytics functions to help Fortune 500 companies in Tech, Entertainment and CPG successfully execute business strategies that enhance their competitive advantage.
Currently at Netflix, she is working to transform the company's approach to strengthening Brand Health, Brand Strategy, Corporate Reputation and the development of new experiences, like the introduction of an ads-supported tier, by blending customer-centricity with entrepreneurialism and business acumen. She is also an advisor to several technology start-ups, a keynote speaker on leadership, women's empowerment, and human-centered product development, host the podcast Culture Unfit dedicated to celebrating beautiful misfits in the workplace and a proud representative of the Caribbean through it all.
Natalie Lamming is a leading female event producer in NYC for more than a decade. She is also the proud business owner of "D Savannah Bar & Lounge" in Brooklyn, New York. She also serves as the Treasurer of the Black Restaurant Coalition in NYC.
Christopher Williams is Founder of Heart, Body & Soul (The Black Man’s Health Festival) and Associate Publisher of WhereItzAt Magazine, a NYC based, family-owned media company. He has over 25 years of experience in media, financial services, recruitment and project management. He began his career as a radio engineer alongside his father, who mentored him in the media and communications industry. He continues to provide expertise in the areas of media and event production via his company Rockstone Media Group. He also serves as an advisor to various New York startups and recently served as a board member of Digital Diversity Network (DDN), a non-profit, whose mission is to advance diversity, create access and champion inclusion within the digital and technology sectors. In addition to his work with DDN, Chris is an advisory board member of the Jumaane Omar Stewart Foundation, a local nonprofit which provides scholarships to graduating high school students of Black/African descent, majoring in architecture at an accredited college/university.
