Mr. Carlo Abrams
President
Blue Chips HR Consulting

Prior to establishing Blue Chips H.R. Consulting, Mr. Abrams worked for the Boston Public Schools as a teacher/coordinator in alternative education. He was promoted to the position of Recruitment Specialist and later advanced to Human Resources Recruitment Team leader where he managed a department and directed district wide recruitment efforts. Under his direction, the district fulfilled a long-standing Federal Court mandate for minority staffing. In addition, the district satisfied a Superior Court mandate requiring hiring special education staff.

Mr. Abrams is an Advisory Member to The National Minority (Culturally Diverse) Career in Education Expo, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Christian Economic Development Association Inc. (CEDA). In addition, in partnership with Whittier Health Center Mr. Abrams organizes and presents at health seminars that promote Men’s health in the Boston Community and he is a Human Resources Facilitator/Administrator for Revive, a faith-based transitional/residential program that accommodates and rehabilitate men who were previously incarcerated or homeless.

Rev. Gerald E. Bell
Senior Pastor  - Strong Tower Church

Reverend Bell has held various positions within the financial services industry, which include mortgage and commercial lending, bank operations and insurance. This experience was invaluable as he co-founded and currently serves as President and director of two faith based not for profit corporations -Put faith to Work and Strongtower International Ministries.

Reverend Bell currently serves as Chairperson of Economic Development of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston. As an Executive of this organization Pastor Bell has chaired the Housing Committee, in addition to serving as a mayoral appointment to Boston Connects Inc., the Federal Empowerment Zone Designee. Mayor Thomas Menino appointed Rev. Gerald E. Bell to contribute to the 2004 Leading the Way II City of Boston Housing Initiative.

In July 2001, Reverend Bell traveled to Africa with the Swiss based, Christian Solidarity International, as a representative of the American Anti- Slavery Group; he assisted in the redemption of more than 6,700 Southern Sudanese slaves. As an American Baptist Minister, Pastor Bell and his wife Cynthia led a Mission Explosion in Ghana West Africa in early 2005.

Reverend Bell is a former board member of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.   Pastor Bell is an avid golfer, loves theater, art collecting and running. He completed the Boston Marathon in April 1997.

Farah Bernier
Human Resources and Sales practitioner, trainer and consultant
Bernier Bridge Group

Human Resources and Sales practitioner, trainer and consultant, Farah Bernier has dedicated her career to the development and progression of others. As a graduate of Boston College's Carroll School of Management and a current MBA candidate of the entrepreneurship-focused program at Babson College, Farah's initiatives center primarily on providing the necessary training and development of a changing workforce to most effectively meet the changing needs of growing global businesses.

Last year, Farah was recognized for her service by the 2006 YMCA Achiever's Program and is currently working with various organizations which target high school and college students, as well as young and experienced professionals to extend the services she offers through Bernier Bridge Group.

Jean Burke
Representative
Primerica Financial Services

Jean Burke is a representative with Primerica Financial Services a member of the Citigroup Corporation. Since 1997 Jean has helped countless families get on the road to becoming Debt Free and Financially Independent.

A founding member of the Sanctuary Bookstore Management team, a ministry of Jubilee Christian Church the largest church in New England. Jean served as the Senior Book buyer as well as Manager of their flagship store in Needham, MA. While at Sanctuary Books, Jean founded the organizations “Monthly Book” club. Jean was also instrumental in Sanctuary Book store going from one location to three locations.

Jean has been a board member for the Christian Economic Development Association (CEDA) since 2003. The CEDA organization is a multi-cultural, multi racial, interdenominational faith-based financial concepts organization. The mission of the CEDA organization is to increase individuals and organizational financial value by providing events and communication services.

Jean is also a board member of Worship and Wealth ministries, which has a mission to inspire individuals to experience their covenant of wealth through faith and the implementation of sound financial principles.

Jean lives in Hyde Park, Massachusetts with her three children Ayana, Xandria and Marcus.

Terry E. Carter
Senior Client Manager - Boston office
INROADS New England Region, Inc.

Terry Eugene Carter is a seasoned professional in the career development area. He is a Senior Client Manager in the Boston office of INROADS New England Region, Inc. where he has worked for over nine years helping talented minority collegians achieve their potential in corporate business leadership through internships, counseling, mentoring and training activities.

Terry also has primary responsibility for managing the client partnerships with many of the Fortune 500 companies that INROADS works with in the New England area. Terry has also worked in a variety of sales, human resources, and public education capacities for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and private industry.

Terry is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Fisk University and completed a graduate fellowship in Mass Communications at Boston University. He is an accomplished corporate trainer, a professional writer, a poet, actor and working artist. He is also a Senior Partner with Tailored Communications, the growing communications management business owned by his wife of twenty years, Teresa Jones Carter.

Terry lives in Randolph with his wife and teen-aged daughter Maya. He serves as a Deacon at Jubilee Christian Church and is very involved with the Jubilee Music and Arts Ministry.

Ms. Kim Dukes-Rivers
Business Development Manager
Pro Staff

As Business Development Manager for ProStaff’s Boston location, Kim Dukes-Rivers presents creative solutions to meet customer’s staffing needs, as well as, build and establish strong relationships with clients by educating them on trends in the industry. She works with candidates and clients looking for temporary, contract, temp-to-perm and direct hire positions.

A member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) she has more than 21 years of professional experience, 15 years of which have been spent in recruiting, hiring and training. Kim’s experience spans diverse industries including retail, sales organizations and staffing. Kim can be reached at (617) 351-2606 or kim.dukes-rivers@prostaff.com

Mr. Pedro L. Fontes
Second Vice President, Wealth Management
Citi Smith Barney

Pedro Fontes joined Smith Barney in July of 2004 and is the Second Vice President of Wealth Management. Pedro provides wealth management and liquidity management to high net-worth clients who have a minimum of $1 million dollars in invest able assets. His clients range from working professionals to business owners.

Pedro graduated from Brandeis University with a BA in Political Science and also in African and African-American Studies with a minor in Legal Studies. Pedro sits on Smith Barney's Branch Council and also serves as the Diversity Coordinator. Pedro is a two time recipient of Smith Barney's prestigious Blue Chip Council.

Pedro works with several non-profit organizations where for one of the organization he serves as both the Treasurer and also as the Chair of the Finance Committee. He also works with members of the Transitional Year Program at Brandeis University as a mentor and is also a member of the Brandeis University Minority Alumni Association . He devotes much of his free time teaching financial literacy to underserved communities in the Boston area.

Mr. Frank Hines
President
Boston Bay Mortgages, LLC

Frank is a Harvard trained Economist who has been devoted in the last 14 years to Urban Boston achieving homeownership and to successfully invest in real estate. Through his program "Prepare Don't Despair" Frank has helped hundreds of families achieve their dream. Frank's work has been featured in the Boston Globe and the Patriot Ledger.

Frank and his wife Cydnee have been married for 18 years. They have two boys David 14 and Daniel 11. They are the owners of Boston Bay Mortgage, LLC.

Reverend Alexander Dante Hurt, Sr.

Born in Chicago, IL, Rev. Hurt has as his earliest childhood memory, the day that his family moved from the Henry Horner Projects, one of the biggest and reputed to be the most crime-ridden housing projects in the United States. That childhood memory shaped Rev. Hurt’s commitment to spiritual, economic, and social transformation in urban communities.

In 1989 Rev. Hurt moved to Boston, MA from Chicago. He accepted his call to ministry later that same year, and was ordained in the Church of God in Christ in 1989 by Bishop Bryant Robinson. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Ten Point Coalition and a member of the Executive Committee. The Ten Point Coalition is a church-based response to the problem of inner-city youth violence. In his work with this group he has helped to address the spiritual and economic needs of at-risk inner-city youth.

In 1992 Rev. Hurt enrolled at Suffolk University. There he majored in Government with a concentration in public policy. In 1994 he moved on to Harvard University to study the effects that religious commitments have on shaping and informing social action in urban ministries.

In 2001, Pastor Hurt founded Kingdom Church. Kingdom Church is a fast growing and active church in the Greater Boston area. The work and role of the church in world has been the cornerstone of Pastor Hurt’s life and ministry. Pastor Hurt brings to the pastorate ten years of proven community economic development experience and fourteen years of preaching and teaching experience. Pastor Hurt is the founder of Engaged Ministries, a church-based economic development organization that builds residential and commercial projects around the country. Pastor Hurt has supervised the designing and building over 500 homes and has developed 300,000 square feet of commercial space in urban areas.

His work in the inner city of Boston has been covered by the Boston Globe and Herald, and he was the cover story on the CNN program ‘CNN Tonight’ in 2001 entitled ‘From Homeless to Harvard’. Both in 2001 and in 2002 his work was featured on CNNs ‘Inside Politics’. In March of 2005 CNN returned to complete another feature story on his life and work. His work and writings have also been featured in the New York Times and the LA Times. Recently, Rev. Hurt was heralded on the floor United States Senate as a leading voice on the issues of trade policy with Africa and urban policy.

Rev. Hurt lives in Brockton, MA with his wife, Ty, and five children. Rev. Hurt is a speaker that is great demand. He speaks at over 50 events each year on topics that range from his work in faith-based economic development to urban church planting.

Mr. Dexter Jenkins
Financial Consultant
Primerica Financial Services

Dexter Jenkins is a representative with Primerica Financial Services a member of the Citigroup Corporation. Since 1993 Dexter has helped hundreds of families get on the road to becoming Debt Free and Financially Independent.

Upon graduation from Northeastern University in 1991 Dexter accepted the position of Project Teamwork coordinator at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. Project Teamwork endeavors to promote radical equality and a violence free society. In 1993 Dexter was named director of that program. During his tenure Project Teamwork spoke to over 150,000 students and trained over 1000 students on race relations and conflict resolution.

Dexter has been a board member for the Christian Economic Development Association (CEDA) since 2006. CEDA is a multi-cultural, multi racial, interdenominational faith based financial concepts organization, which has a mission to increase individuals and organizations financial value through information, inspiration, relationships and resources.

Dexter is also the founder of Worship and Wealth ministries. Worship and Wealth ministry has a focus to inspire Christians to tangibly experience their covenant of wealth through faith and the implementation of sound financial principles.

He and his wife Kendra, live in Hyde Park, Massachusetts with their three children Danielle, Cameron, and Sydney.

Mr. Gerald Loftin
Financial Consultant
Renaissance Financial Group, LLC

A Finance Graduate of Northeastern University, Gerald has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry. He began his career working at State Street Bank and Trust Company, a multinational bank where he was responsible for the daily accounting entries for several mega -million dollar equity and fixed income mutual funds. After a short stay with State Street, Gerald started advising individuals and small corporations in the areas of asset accumulation, preservation and wealth management as a registered representative of Signator Investors, Inc in 1994. Today, he continues that role as an educator and investment advisor representative with Renaissance Financial Group, LLC, a financial consulting firm that he founded in October, 2000.

He is a local and national member of the Financial Planning Association and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He is also a qualifying member of the Million-Dollar Round Table. He is a former board member with the Boston Chapter of the International Association of Financial Planners. Gerald is an active designee with the Corporation for Long Term Care Certification. He is a licensed investment and insurance advisor in California, Connecticut, Florida, DC, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont. He holds the NASD Series 6, 7, 63 and 65 licenses.

Gerald writes a monthly editorial on various financial topics as the financial columnist of his local Council on Aging and also a Boston based website created to provide an educational forum for those in the Greater Boston community. Gerald has created and currently conducts consumer education financial workshops for organizations like One United Bank and Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance. Gerald also serves as a personal finance instructor for the Needham Adult Education Center.

He is active in the community as he works directly with the Community Sickle Cell Support Group, Inc.; an outreach non-profit program founded to provide support as well as promote research for sickle cell disease and those afflicted by this disorder.

Gerald and his wife Veronica are the parents of three girls. He and his family live in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Mr. John Ryan
President
The Real Estate Consultants Inc.

John Ryan is Managing Partner and Consultant with Career Management Inc. a performance management consulting firm.

With over twenty years of work experience as a consultant, executive coach and human resource professional, John brings extensive experience and real value to his work. As a highly skilled leader and consultant, he has successfully led significant efforts and projects in leadership development, change management, mergers and assimilation of new business. John also brings a multi-cultural understanding to his work.

Prior to CMI, John worked as a Management Consultant at Pricewaterhousecoopers, a premier management consulting firm, providing organizational development consulting services to fortune 100 corporate clients. Prior to PWC, John worked as a human resource professional. He has worked in the financial services, manufacturing and non-profit industries. John has a broad background in human resources management, focusing on training and development, performance management, recruitment and employee relations.

John holds a M.Ed. in Human Resource Education with an emphasis in Organizational Development from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Delaware State University, where he served as President of the Student Body.

Ms. Mary E. Stewart
Marriage & Family Therapist 

Mary Elizabeth (Betsy) Stewart (Pastor Betsy)
RN, Malden Hospital School of Nursing
Family Nurse Practitioner, North Eastern University
Marriage and Family Therapist,
M.Ed. Counseling Psychology Cambridge College
Gordon Conwell Theological School (Still matriculating)
Associate Pastor Jubilee Christian Church
Born in Cambridge, MA
Raised in West Medford MA
Boston resident since 1977
Working with families in Boston since 1973
Worked in Boston Public Schools for 23 years as a nurse and counselor

Mr. Christopher Sumner
Community Outreach
Office of Child Advocacy, Children’s Hospital

B. Christopher Sumner is a living example of the indigenous leadership within the City of Boston. He has spent a significant portion of his life helping young people tap into their own resilience while awakening their desire to reach their fullest potential and realize their intended destiny.

As a son of the city of Boston, Mr. Sumner has solid and diverse roots in the landscape of youth development. As a manager, he has a strong yet empathetic problem solving focus. His experiences include: convening organizations and people, problem solving in a non-confrontational way, and leading with a focus on accountability, transparency, interdependence, and resource leveraging.

Sumner’s accomplishments over the last two decades have been an encouraging example for the young men and women he has mentored. A dynamic presenter and engaging speaker, Mr. Sumner is known for his practical and innovative leadership as well as his reputation for helping young people, throughout the City of Boston and beyond, strive to reach their full potential spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally and economically.

Chris, as friends call him, has served as the Director of Community Outreach for the Office of Child Advocacy at Children’s Hospital Boston, Executive Director of the Boston TenPoint Coalition and the Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston’s-Blue Hill Clubhouse, following successful tenures as the Director of the Boston Urban Youth Foundation’s-Opening Doors Truancy Intervention Program and the I Have A Dream Foundation of Boston, Inc.

Under his leadership, these agencies experienced incomparable achievements in the areas of: board development, developing community partnerships, empowering urban churches through technical support and capacity building surrounding the issues relative to high-risk youth, comprehensive program development, as well as developing effective relationships with financial supporters and stake holders.

Chris is passionate about echoing his love for his family to the world. He is the loving husband of over twenty two years to Katani A. Sumner and the adoring father of three wonderful daughters, Kandice 21, Kortney 17, and Kristian 12.

Mr. Joseph Sumrell
President & Owner
Inside Out Fitness Concepts

Natural Bodybuilding organizations, the NABF (1996) and the WNBF (2002), the latter being the most recognized and competitive natural bodybuilding organization in the world.
Add to this five United States National Championships (1995, 1996-twice, 1997and 1998), three as an amateur and two as a professional , including a fourth place finish in 1997 world competition.

While competitive bodybuilding remains on hold, Joe is currently involved as a U.S.A. Track & Field Masters competitor in the 60, 100 & 200-meter races. His goal is to compete as a finalist in the upcoming Masters World Championships.

Joe's passion to share those experiences and accomplishments with others who are goal oriented is very evident when you understand the motive that persistantly fuels his calling for "Strengthening of Spirit, Conditioning of Body and Renewal of Mind in like individuals."

Ms. Sabrina Williams
Director of Diversity
Stop & Shop Company

Sabrina Williams joined Stop & Shop in 2005 as Director of Diversity, continuing a successful career in business. In addition to her MBA from Simmons School of Management, she has over 15+ years of senior management experience in a variety of corporate settings, ranging from human resources and finance to marketing. During her career she realized that companies were not doing enough to diversify their associate pool.

“Diversity has always been a component in attracting and retaining talent,” she said. “In order for companies to succeed, they need to attract diverse talent.”

Williams’ goals as Director of Diversity are three-pronged: she would like to attract the best talent, help to create an environment that maximizes success and support the growth and development of Stop & Shop associates.

“When she is not busy leading the diversity initiatives at Stop & Shop Companies, Williams enjoys spending time with her husband, Robert, and step-daughter, Courtney. She also loves to exercise and explore the outdoors. She refers to herself as a “closet creative,” because she enjoys writing as well.

Recently, Sabrina has assumed new responsibilities in the area of Talent Acquisition at Stop& Shop.

She is not new to Massachusetts, having graduated from Brandeis College with a degree in sociology and economics. She lived in New York and worked in financial services, human resources and marketing for several companies. She returned to Boston to pursue her MBA from Simmons, and became a Human Resource Director for a major advertising firm in Boston.