Ron Simons is a five-time Tony Award-nominated and four-time Tony Award-winning producer, four-time Sundance Film Festival selected producer and actor of stage, film and television. He is the Founder and CEO of SimonSays Entertainment. Simons was recently nominated for his 5th Tony Award for the the run away hit “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations” currently running at the Imperial Theater on Broadway.  Mr. Simons is the highest African-American Tony Award winning producer of all time, cementing him as the leading Broadway producer working today bringing diversity to the stage.

As CEO/President of SimonSays Entertainment, Ron Simons leads the strategic planning and development of theatre and film projects including the critically acclaimed films “Night Catches Us, Gun Hill Road, Blue Caprice” and “Mother of George” (all of which premiered at Sundance). His first documentary “25 to Life” premiered at the American Black Film Festival where it won Best Documentary. He also produced the Broadway productions of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” (Tony Award for Best Musical), “The Gershwin’s’ Porgy & Bess” (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical), “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” (Tony Award for Best Play, Drama Desk, New Drama Critics and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play), and “A Streetcar Named Desire” (AEA’s Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award).   He is the recipient of the Emerging Producer Award at the National Black Theatre Festival Opening Gala.

Honors & Highlights: Mr. Simons is a recipient of the Heritage Award from Columbia College’s Black Alumni Council, 150 Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Washington, and is a Johnson & Johnson Leadership Award Fellow, IFP Cannes’ Producer’s Network Fellow and a Sundance Producers’ Summit Fellow. He holds a BA from Columbia College, an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MFA from the University.

1988 US Olympian and media professional, Leslie Maxie is a born entrepreneur and no stranger to achievement or pushing herself to optimal performance. Leslie began her media career as a reporter. Over the years, she has interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment and sports including Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Serena Williams, Barry Bonds, and Mike Tyson among others. She did this all while covering some of the world’s premier sporting events.

Over the last decade, Maxie has executed a strategic move from broadcaster to media maven through her work with BET networks, the 2014 Super Bowl Planning Committee representing the NFL Commissioner’s office, Toyota Motor Corp, Red Bull GMBH, NASCAR, the NY Jets, MLB, Miss NJ Pageant, and several Fortune 500 executives. 

Now as co-owner of Maxie Media Group LLC with business pattern and transformational coach, Ranise Gillespie; the two have merged their experience to offer training consulting, and services which features their ground-breaking signature product that is revolutionizing the speaker training industry called, “The Speaker in You” master class. This dynamic curriculum features MMG’s proprietary 3-pillar speaker training approach focusing on mindset, method, and monetization. On the consulting side, MMG recently lent their media expertise and strategic support to “MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke and is currently advising two-time gold medalist and Olympic legend Dr. Edwin Moses, Inside Edition’s award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Guerrero, and Wikimedia foundation’s COO Janeen Uzzell, AKA the Necessary Nerd, among others. 

More than being a media powerhouse, Leslie is most proud of her role as mom to daughter Andrea (25) and son Nicholas (23), and bride to attorney Phillip Dowdell. 

Honors & Highlights: 1988 US Olympian Track and Field (400h); 30-Year Broadcast Journalist (covered Super Bowl, World Series, Tour de France, Heavy Weight Championships, and Olympic Games among others); Launched both Red Bull Formula-1 Team at the behest of Dietrich Mateschitz, Red Bull Owner; Provided speaker coaching and strategic counsel to Tarana Burke when #MeToo Movement went viral; Created Icon 2 Icon Global Excellence Discussions Series for 2x Olympic Champion, Dr. Edwin Moses

Jayne H. Baum opened JHB Gallery in 1982 with a strong focus on contemporary art and inter-disciplinary practices. JHB Gallery became known in the mid 80s as one of the first galleries in New York dedicated to contemporary photography and experimental image making. In 1984, the gallery moved to Tribeca, expanding its physical size and program, with an exhibition schedule of ten shows per year.

JHB Gallery relocated again in 1988 into a larger space in SoHo at 588 Broadway, with a series of exhibitions focusing of the work of contemporary artists using the camera and influenced by media and new technologies.

Today, JHB Gallery works with a range of contemporary international artists to curate exhibitions in the West Village space, and across alternative platforms.

Michaelangelo L’Acqua is an internationally acclaimed music- branding specialist and experiential event creative director. His commitment to creating ground-breaking, innovative solutions for his clients marks a successful career that is highlighted by unprecedented achievements in the realm of music & event production for luxury brands. L’Acqua’s career began in 1999 when Tom Ford called on his talents to musically translate his design visions for Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent to the runways of Milan & Paris. Between the years of 1999 and 2007, L’Acqua’s music agency “Onda” went on to produce nearly 200 fashion show for many of the worlds most acclaimed designers and fashion houses.

Throughout his prestigious career in music for the luxury fashion industry, Michaelangelo has held the title of music director for a number of marquee global brands. His most notable tenure was with W Hotels from 2009-2015. Through Michaelangelo’s creative vision, he was able to develop a proprietary entertainment platform that was scaled globally as the brand’s footprint expanded from 26 hotels in the US to over 50 hotels across 4 continents. L’Acqua fabricated the many musical touch points that have allowed W’s passion for music to become the most poignant way in which the brand markets to and inspires its core audience.

L’Acqua left W Hotels to launch his creative agency, WhiteLabel Creative. WhiteLabel offered experiential event production, sensory branding, cultural programming and sonic identity development for brands in the luxury and lifestyle sector. As of 2020, L’Acqua will be move on from WhiteLabel Creative focusing solely on his next entrepreneurial venture.

Lastly, Michaelangelo serves as music director for the marquee charities of amfAR “The Foundation for AIDS Research,” Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Unicef, The Prince Albert II’s Global Ocean Foundation, UNICEF, Steven Tyler’s Jane’s House and the New York City Food Bank.

Mr. Friedman is a pioneer in the wealth intelligence and data space being one of the world’s leading experts and authority on the global ultra affluent and high net worth market. Mr. Friedman is a noted speaker in the areas of the global ultra affluent and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Investment News, Forbes and The Telegraph, and has been a frequent guest contributor on CNBC, BBC, FOX, CNN, and Bloomberg.

Prior to founding WealthQuotient, Mr. Friedman Co-Founded Wealth-X, the world’s only global ultra affluent data and intelligence platform where he and his co-founder sold a majority stake to Insight Venture Partners ($8B NYC based private equity fund).

Prior to Wealth-X, Mr. Friedman spent several years as Managing Director at CB Richard Ellis advising global Fortune 500 companies on their location strategies as well as sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America on real estate development projects related to economic growth strategies. His client portfolio included the Saudi Royal Family, Bahraini Government, Kuwait Finance House, the Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund, Jumeriah Capital and the Government of Puerto Rico.

Mr. Friedman started his career at Oxford Analytica, the world’s leading geopolitical analysis and declassified intelligence firm founded by his mentor Dr. David Young, former special assistant to Kissinger in the Nixon White House. Mr. Friedman also currently serves on their Advisory Board.

Mr. Friedman graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College with a bachelors in Political Science and with a Masters Degree in Philosophical Theology and Ethics from Yale Divinity.

Jonathan Fishman is Co-Founder of Bizydev, a business development group that launched in 2019 to work with companies to cultivate opportunities and ideas that help grow their business. Bizydev creates value for its clients by making  meaningful introductions, forming strategic partnerships and driving innovation through various forms of marketing and creative initiatives.

Jonathan spent the last 15+ years working in the NYC real estate industry on the owner/operator side where the groups he worked for and/or led acquired 40+ properties totaling over $1.5 billion of transaction value. In addition to the work Jonathan has done on the investment side of the business, Jonathan is recognized in the real estate industry for his forward thinking approaches to technology application, digital marketing and innovation.

Jonathan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001 and received his Master's in Real Estate Finance/Investment from New York University in 2004. Jonathan lives on the Upper East Side with his wife and 2 children.

Honors & Highlights: Spent 15+ years in business forming a vast cross industry network that became the impetus for launching a Business Development Group in 2019; Executed >$1.5 billion of real estate acquisitions; Raised >$750 million of institutional and HNW equity; Built end to end digital system on top of Salesforce.com which became a reference model for the way real estate companies used technology; Hired and mentored 75+ summer associates.

Burke Purcell, the Branch Manager, leads by example, putting borrowers' needs above all else and inspiring all other loan originators to do the same. He is a strong proponent of the value of service, and he works hard to put clients at ease and to make their experience with Bank of England wonderful. He has worked in mortgage banking for fifteen years, and over the course of his career, he has originated more than $1 billion residential real estate loans, setting up and overseeing multiple large sales teams along the way.

In 2018, Burke received the Rookie Branch of the Year Award at Bank of England, having grown from two to employees to a team of ten and a top-five branch company-wide in loan volume. He founded his first mortgage company in 2008, eventually growing to 35 employees in total. His philosophy to help those when others say they can't has become universal at the branch, as has his commitment to meeting tight closing deadlines, obtaining guideline exceptions, and a maintaining a client-first attitude. Making a point to avail himself to his colleagues and clients, he goes against industry trends when he believes those trends are harmful to borrowers. From foreign borrowers to self-employed borrowers to high-net-worth borrowers whose income structures are complex, Burke has made it his mission to make Bank of England the alternative lender of choice in New York City.

Burke earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance at Loyola University Maryland.

Honors & Highlights: 15 years mortgage banking experience; Funded over $1 Billion in residential real estate; Awarded 2018 Bank of England Branch of the Year; Market leader in non-conforming loans; The most creative residential lender in NYC.

Sandhya Espitia is Senior Vice President at the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) where she leads 15 professionals across 4 teams delivering programs, products and services to 17K members. Prior to joining REBNY, Sandhya worked at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) as Managing Director for the Latin America and Caribbean region, and later was appointed to lead the Industry Education and Certification portfolio for the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

She has worked closely with governments and organizations on initiatives related to knowledge development, change management and innovation across industries. Sandhya also worked at Harvard University as Senior Program Officer where she managed professional programs and consulting services for clients in seven countries. Her assignments focused on knowledge development and innovation in strategic industries, including science, technology, engineering, education, business, and law.

Sandhya holds a B.S. in Film, Digital Media and Communications from TCU, a M.A. in International Education Management from the School for International Training, and a Post-Graduate Fellowship in Management and Administration from Harvard University. She is a member of the Women’s Committee at the Association for a Better New York and a coach for women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Sandhya is Colombian-American and lives in Manhattan with her husband Adam and daughter Paloma.

Honors & Highlights: Co-Developed the International Education Resolution for the state of Vermont, which was passed by the House of Representatives and is currently in place; Appointed by the U.S. Department of State for the Speaker and Specialist Program to train corporations on knowledge exchange and international cooperation. Assignments in El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama; Transformed ICSC’s market penetration, reputation and presence in 20 countries resulting in 20% membership increase; Reorganized brokerage division at REBNY resulting in new offerings, a professional RLS Board of Directors, better infrastructure and revamped operations; Served as member of the selection committee for the Fulbright Scholarship in seven countries.

John is a CTO, Founder, thought leader and advisor to tech startups, small- to mid-size companies and family offices. He works closely with CEOs, Co-Founders, and product teams to define and optimally deploy technology strategy.

In his 19 years of experience in IT, he has focused the last 6 years on product engineering for the real estate, FinTech and healthcare industries.

From founding and growing impactful tech ventures, to designing solutions and products for specific technical challenges, he advises clients on product strategy and new technologies including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and blockchain.

His approach to technology is informed by his broad experience in IT business and tech startups. He brings revolutionary solutions to big problems, and he is driven by social impact and scalability. John is based in New York, and consults globally - Primarily in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. He has engaged with large corporations including Mercedes Benz, IBM, Barclays, and Dell EMC.

John is the Chief Executive Officer at RESPADA (https://respada.com/), a family office platform for ultra-affluent individuals and family offices. He is a tech expert and has developed a number of different programs to enhance the digital infrastructure of how a family office operates. John discovered a crucial, long term need and founded RESPADA, a platform for the ultra-affluent family offices to generate and manage investment and liquidity. RESPADA provides secure access to a curated pool of investments, services and other family office co-investors and creates an ecosystem tailored to family offices. John led the development of several real estate, healthcare and fintech platforms including a blockchain based reporting platform for whole life insurance industry. John founded BLACK ‪https://www.blackre.com/ , a commercial real estate platform based in NYC.

John volunteers for Lifeline, a  humanitarian organization, under the patronage of HRH Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, which is dedicated to helping all of those in need in Serbia.

Katherine has worked for 5 single family offices and now works for the Nottingham Spirk Family office and is a consultant to other family offices, company and funds through her company Private Capital Investments.

East Coast based MBA with 16 years of family office & investments experience. Worked internally or as an advisor to 10 Single Family Offices. Due Diligence of Direct, Co-invest and Private Equity, Hedge Fund, Venture Capital Funds & Social Impact investments.

Honors & Highlights: ACG Vice Chair Family Office Committee, Co-Chair of Global Advisory Board for The Guild, All Special Kids, Fordham MBA Overseers Board, 100 Women in Finance, Lighthouse, Cancer 101, TriState Capital Family Office Board

Marzena Saternus is a Chief Administrative Officer at Coalition Investment Partners, an innovative deal-by-deal asset manager, which she joined in 2019. Prior to that, she was a Director of Industry Education at the Real Estate Board of New York (2019) and a Director at Westwood Partners - an advisory and executive search firm focused on financial services. During her seven-year tenure at Westwood Partners, Marzena managed the knowledge management and search strategy functions, overseeing a global team of Research Associates, Administrative staff, and support services.

Before joining Westwood as a Principal of Business Strategy in 2012, Marzena headed Client Services and Search Operations at Hunter Advisors - an executive search and advisory firm recognized as one of the premier search firms dedicated to placing and advising senior-level investment talent (2006-2012). She began her professional experience as a Research Assistant at Rockefeller University, where she conducted laboratory studies under the 2011 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, Dr. Ralph Steinman. Her team’s work on immune tolerance, under the guidance of Dr. Steinman, was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Marzena has a BA in Natural Science from Fordham University and an MA in Anthropology from Hunter College, where she focused her research on the socioeconomic impact of the 1991 neoliberal reforms in India. She was the Salutatorian of her High School graduating class, a recipient of multiple academic scholarships, and was admitted to several leading Ph.D. programs. After participating in a medical and anthropological expedition to the greater Himalayan region, she served as a Consultant for the Himalayan Health Exchange, managing its program and academic relationships.  

Honors & Highlights: Published alongside Nobel Prize winner in Medicine; High School Salutatorian; Built out world-class knowledge management functions for a leading advisory firm; Over a decade of experience in human capital within the hedge fund industry; Focus on innovation, AI application in financial services, and data analytics

Isabel Celeste (Dawson) is a mother by nurture, blessed with two children and a granddaughter.   Professionally Isabel Celeste is the Founder and CEO of LiveOneVida, a brand that she is currently building to promote wellness, music and life lessons. Currently she is an Executive Producer for the documentary Lost in America - a film about homeless youth in America (soon to be featured on Hulu), a Consulting Producer for the documentary The Deported - following four families facing deportation, (YouTube Premium, 40+ million views) alongside her daughter Rosario Dawson. She is working as a Producer on a few projects in television and film.

A natural entrepreneur, Isabel Celeste is a Partner at World Artists United a branding and marketing creative agency in Music, Film and Sports, as well as a Managing Partner for OTC Focus a nutraceutical company disrupting the pharmaceutical industry by providing a full spectrum, vegan and kosher, unroasted coffee ingredient, that promotes mental clarity and focus as verified by the Cleveland Clinic.  www.otcfocusplus.com

Isabel Celeste is a Partner in Naked Hemp, a plant-based CBD hemp line that will provide the highest quality of pure hemp on the market. (Launching 2020)

Ultimately, Isabel Celeste is a mom, an activist focused on the health and well being of others. She has recently decided to get out of her comfort zone and become more visible in her support of those in need. She is known to fight for the under-privileged and those considered to be underdogs. She brings light and love into every situation and is uniting and uplifting as many people as she can through her endeavors.

Claude Grunitzky is the founder of TRACE, a fast-growing media company which was successfully sold to a French investor group in 2010, and TRUE Africa, a media tech platform championing young African voices all over the world. In 2017, TRUE Africa was funded by Google’s Digital News Initiative.

Grunitzky was raised between Lomé, Togo; Washington, DC; Paris and London. Growing up, Grunitzky was exposed to many different cultures. These foreign interactions shaped his transcultural philosophy and informed the creative energy of his media ventures.

A graduate of London University and MIT Sloan, where he received an MBA, Grunitzky is also a trustee at MASS MoCA, a contemporary art museum in Massachusetts, and at Humanity in Action, a foundation that works internationally to build global leadership, defend democracy, protect minorities and improve human rights.

Grunitzky is a Visiting Social Innovator at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Social Innovation and Change Initiative. Grunitzky is currently working with MIT on TRUE Africa University, an ambitious African higher education project aiming to accelerate the continent’s development by enabling and empowering African youth.