2022 Agenda

The Dream Summit & Exposition will run from
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on August 27th, 2022.

Main Stage & Events

A brief overview of the Dream Summit and Exposition main stage and events agenda

Registration and Continental Breakfast
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
8:00 am
8:30 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Welcome Remarks - Presented by Eli Smith Founder of My Dream Summit
Bertram L Lawson II
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
8:30 am
8:45 am

Welcome Remarks - Presented by Eli Smith Founder of My Dream Summit

Opening Prayer – Bishop Draper

A word from our benefactor - Bertram Lawson President and CEO, YMCA of CNY

Comments by Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens, City of Syracuse

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Morning Keynote by Dr. James Peterson
Dr. James Braxton Peterson
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
8:50 am
9:10 am

Morning Keynote by Dr. James Peterson

Why Dreams Still Matter in the 21st Century

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Kelly Copes, VP of Global Diversity for Eli Lilly - Health and Wellness
Kelly Copes-Anderson
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
9:15 am
9:35 am

Kelly Copes, VP of Global Diversity for Eli Lilly - Health and Wellness

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Jerome A. DuVal – Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development, NYS ESD
Jerome A. DuVal
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
9:40 am
9:55 am

Jerome A. DuVal – Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development, NYS ESD

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Joanie Mahoney - President of SUNY ESF
Joanie Mahoney
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
10:00 am
10:15 am

Joanie Mahoney - President of SUNY ESF

Making a commitment to equity: Best practices

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III
Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
10:20 am
10:50 am

Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

NETWORKING BREAK
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
10:50 am
11:00 am

NETWORKING BREAK

Location:

Meeting Rooms - Lower Level

BREAKOUT SESSION I
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

BREAKOUT SESSION I

Location:

Meeting Rooms - Lower Level

Lunch
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
12:00 pm
12:45 pm

Lunch

Location:

Onsite

Afternoon Keynote by Jemele Hill
Jemele Hill
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
1:00 pm
1:55 pm

Afternoon Keynote by Jemele Hill

(interviewed on stage by Tamika Otis and Summer Willow Fitch)

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

BREAKOUT SESSION II
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

BREAKOUT SESSION II

Location:

Meeting Rooms - Lower Level

Dorsey Levens Interview with Yusuf Abdul-Qadir and Lara Price
Dorsey Levens
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
3:05 pm
3:55 pm

Dorsey Levens Interview with Yusuf Abdul-Qadir and Lara Price

Dorsey Levens, Former Professional Football Player and Lara Price COO of Philadelphia 76ers – Past, present, and future of Diversity initiatives in professional sports (Interviewed on stage by Yusuf Abdul-Qadir)

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Lara Price Interview with Yusuf Abdul-Qadir and Dorsey Levens
Lara Price
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
3:05 pm
3:55 pm

Lara Price Interview with Yusuf Abdul-Qadir and Dorsey Levens

Dorsey Levens, Former Professional Football Player and Lara Price COO of Philadelphia 76ers – Past, present, and future of Diversity initiatives in professional sports (Interviewed on stage by Yusuf Abdul-Qadir)

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Closing Keynote Soledad O’Brien
Soledad O’Brien
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
4:00 pm
4:55 pm

Closing Keynote Soledad O’Brien

(Interviewed on stage by Dr. Juhanna Rogers)

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

Closing Remarks:
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
4:55 pm
5:00 pm

Closing Remarks:

El-Java Abdul-Qadir and Eli Smith

Location:

Exhibit Hall A - Main Street Level

VIP Reception
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
7:00 pm
8:00 pm

VIP Reception

Location:

Meeting Room 1/2/3 - Lower Level

Community Awards
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
8:00 pm
12:00 am

Community Awards

Location:

Ballroom Atrium - Lower Level

Dream Gala II Dinner & Dance
Main Stage
Aug 27, 2022
8:00 pm
12:00 am

Dream Gala II Dinner & Dance

Location:

Ballroom Atrium - Lower Level

Breakout Sessions

A brief overview of the Dream Summit and Exposition breakout sessions

Moderator:

Ms. Antoinette Montgomery, Real Estate Agent

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

Real Estate: Buying Back the Block

Stephanie Pasquale (Director of Neighborhood Advancement at ALLYN FAMILY FOUNDATION)

Marc Jones (CEO at Dreissig Apparel Inc.)

Ken Kinsey (Serial Entrepreneur | Developer)

Location: 

Meeting Room 1

Moderator:

Marcus Webb, Economic Inclusion Fellow, CenterState CEO

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

Cultivating Space in Tech

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir (Product Policy Manager, Facebook)

Eric Jackson (CEO at Black Cub Productions, LLC)

Mylz Blake (COO at Black Cub Productions, LLC)

James Thornton (President & CEO Critical Path Integrators)

Location: 

Meeting Room 2

Moderator:

Dr. Lomax Campbell, Community Wealth Building Strategist

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

Navigating Funding for Nonprofits

Dr. Adrianne Morton (CEO of Blue Lotus Consulting, LLC)

Babette Baker (Principal at Paideia PM, LLC)

Sheena Solomon (Executive Director at The Rosamond Gifford Foundation)

Location: 

Meeting Room 3

Moderator:

Gwen Webber-McLeod, President and CEO of Gwen, Inc.

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

DE&I Panel

Marcus Brooks (Head Nerd In Charge, Let's Brainstorm)

Lekia Hill (Community Outreach and Diversity at Hueber Breuer Construction, Inc.)

Location: 

Meeting Room 4

Moderator:

Alonzo D. Turner, 2022 NBCC Doctoral Minority Fellow, Doctoral Student, M.S., Ed. S. LCMHC (NC), NCC, Syracuse University

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
11:00 am
12:00 pm

School-to-Prison Pipeline: Re-entry and Call-to-Action

Hasan Stephens (Founder and CEO of the Good Life Youth Foundation)

James Schuler (Assistant Director Wayne County Youth Advocacy Program)

Location: 

Meeting Room 5

Moderator:

Me'Shae Rolling, CEFP® Just The Basics Financial Literacy

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

Economic and Financial Education

Ruth Elisa (Award Winning Business Strategist & Financial Educator | Motivational Speaker | CEO of Elisa Plan)

Bob Teska, CPA (Bowers & Company CPAs)

Dr. Willie Reddic (Associate Professor of Accounting at the Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University)

Location: 

Meeting Room 6

Moderator:

Dr. H. Bernard Alex, Bishop/Overseer, Victory Temple Fellowship Church (Tuskegee University)

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

Education: HBCUs & Traditional Institutions

Lisa Dunn Alford, Executive Director, ACR Health (Hampton University)

Ali Abdur-Rahman, Executive Producer, Excel Media & Solutions (Morehouse College)

Location: 

Meeting Room 7

Moderator:

LaMar B. Henderson, LICSW

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being

Abraham Masara (I - View Psychiatric NP and Behavioral Therapy PC)

Marissa Saunders (DEI Capacity Building Consultant)

Location: 

Meeting Room 8

Moderator:

Baye Muhammad – CEO at REDCO

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

MWBE Panel

Tony Gaddy (Upstate NY Black Chamber of Commerce)

Ryan Gillum (President, AREL Supply)

Youlande Hudgins-Johnson (Director of Minority Affairs, City of Syracuse)

Amir Gethers (Contract Compliance Officer at Onondaga County)

Location: 

Meeting Room 9

Moderator:

Davine Bey – Experienced Business Leader | Talent Acquisition Expert | Strategist

Breakout Sessions
Aug 27, 2022
2:00 pm
3:00 pm

The Post-Pandemic Workforce

Tia R. Sales (Chief HR Officer at Catholic Charities, Onondaga County)

Sonia Rucker (Associate Vice President, Inclusion and Belonging at Cornell University)

Location: 

Meeting Room 10

Early Bird Special - COMING SOON!

Includes all events on Friday, September 15, 2023 for My Dream Summit 2023.