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About BECMA

We serve the People.

BECMA’s mission is to advance the economic well-being of Black businesses, organizations, and residents in Massachusetts through advocacy, business and leadership development, and strategic partnerships.

Our Story

About BECMA

In 2015, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published its “Color of Wealth in Boston” report detailing the ever-widening racial wealth gap. This report was released against the backdrop of a massive building boom in the city, the third in its 400-year history. Researchers discovered that the median net worth of Black Bostonians was only $8.00, compared to $247,500, the median net worth of White Bostonians.

This alarming figure prompted almost 1,000 Black residents to fill the Prince Hall auditorium in Dorchester where the community discussed how best to respond to this crisis.

Following several meetings that occurred in the aftermath of this gathering, several key business leaders formed BECMA, or the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Inc., to build on the momentum and enact tangible solutions to reverse the trend of depreciating Black wealth in the city.

BECMA founders know that Black businesses are one of the primary drivers of Black wealth and employment. That’s why the organization exists to advocate specifically for the support and sustaining of Black businesses across the Commonwealth.

We Advocate

For policies that help grow and sustain the Black economy.

We Empower

Members and the business ecosystem through engagement and opportunity exploration..

We Convene

Solutions-oriented dialogues addressing racial and economic issues.

How we work

The team is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization. They carry out BECMA’s mission by advocating for public policy in the legislative spaces of the State House and city/town halls, organizing events that convene stakeholders for important conversations, and connecting members to contract opportunities and technical assistance.​
BECMA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of no more than 15 voting Directors. The board is responsible for managing the strategic direction of the organization as well as providing an important check on the Executive Director. They review organizational matters at a high-level and ensure it is on track to meet its annual and strategic goals. Directors meet quarterly and discuss areas of opportunity for growth, organizational fiscal matters, public policy, and other items relevant to the overall mission. Directors also provide financial and operational support.

Meet BECMA

The Team

President and CEO

Senior Operations Manager

Carolyne Magodo

Executive Assistant

Membership Coordinator

Senior Manager of Member Relations

Anthony Moore

Senior Manager of Partnerships & Member Programs

Chief of Marketing & Communications

Digital Marketing Manager

 Communications Intern

Events Manager

Walter Weekes

Development Manager

Darien Johnson

Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor

The Board of Directors

Board Chair; President & COO, OneUnited Bank

Board Treasurer; Executive Vice President, S-Cel-O Painting

Board Clerk; President, NAACP – Blue Hills Branch

Founder, LiteWork Events
CEO, Maven Construction
CEO, Calloway Graphix, Printing, and Marketing Inc.

President/Owner, City Sealcoating, Inc.

President & CEO, Windwalker Group
CEO, Evee Security Consulting Group
President, Fisher Contracting Corporation
Vice President & Co-Founder, Black Economic Justice Institute (BEJI)
Senior Manager, Gravestar Inc.
Executive Director, Venly Institute

In Loving Memory

Emeritus Board Members

CEO, The Lazu Group; Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity; CEO, Mill Cities Community Investment

President & Managing Partner, Catalyst Ventures Development

Chairman, Taylor Smith Properties; Director of the Center for Real Estate; Executive in Residence, Management and Entrepreneurship, Suffolk University

Career Opportunities

Join our team

We are a small nonprofit with a big mission, and we’re always looking for dedicated individuals to join our team. We work diligently every day to achieve one purpose: to advance the economic well being of Black people all across Massachusetts. At BECMA, you’ll develop critical professional skills and interact with business and civic leaders who are shaping the future of the Commonwealth.

Nicole Obi, President & CEO

(She/Her/Hers)

Nicole Obi serves as the president and CEO at BECMA and is a strategic planner and a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded several venture backed start-up firms. She’s active in the Greater Boston community by serving as a member of The Boston Chapter of the Links, Inc. a volunteer service organization of Black professional women, GBH’s & Women’s Foundation of Boston’s Board of Advisors, as well a member of the Intensive Community Program Committee at the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Nicole holds master’s degrees from both MIT’s the Sloan School of Management and the School of Urban Planning & Design and a B.S. from Hampton University.

 

Krystal Cummings, Senior Operations Manager

(She/Her/Hers)

Krystal Cummings serves as the Senior Operations Manager at BECMA, helping to improve the organization’s operational efficiency in human resources, budget, and overall culture and climate.

Above all, Krystal is a family woman, and her personal and professional values have always been centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has had extensive experience in multicultural student recruitment for Smith College, where she obtained her bachelor of arts degree in Economics and Afro-American Studies. Krystal has also specialized in diverse K-12 educator recruitment and community engagement both for the Boston Public Schools. As a beauty/wellness enthusiast and champion of social change, Krystal is also enjoying exploring the cannabis industry.

Krystal can be reached at kcummings@becma.org

Krystal Cummings

Christopher Sonnie, Membership Coordinator

(He/Him/His)

Christopher Sonnie previously served as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO at BECMA and has transitioned to the membership team as Membership Coordinator. Graduating from Bridgewater State University, Christopher is beyond excited to continue to work with BECMA towards its missions and goals. In his new role, Christopher will be responsible for assisting with marketing and communicating with members during the acquisition, onboarding and management phases. He is humbled to be starting this new journey with BECMA and cooperating with the rest of the team.

Christopher can be reached at csonnie@becma.org.

Paige Pasley, Senior Manager of Member Relations

Paige Pasley serves as the Senior Manager of Membership Relations. She previously worked at Granite Telecommunications as Team Lead of Client Services. Paige has earned her Masters of Management in Hospitality from Boston University and BA from Regis College. She is the Co-founder of The Social Butterflies Events. Her company has been featured in Boston Magazine as an influential event planning service in Boston. This Boston native stays active in the community through the services of the Psi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the Black Nativity.

Jayme Washington, Chief of Marketing & Communications

(She/Her/Hers)

WHO IS JAYME WASHINGTON? She is a wife, mom, daughter, sibling, friend, breast cancer survivor, entrepreneur, and CEO. She finds passion in helping brands stand out in the crowd using SEO, social media, and web design strategies.

As the top African American Female Social Media Influencer in the US, She has worked with several high-end clients such as Apple, Home Depot, Merrill Lynch, PayPal, Chick-Fil-A, and United Airlines. Known as a Digital Architect, she also is a Nationally Recognized Digital Consultant in SEO, Content Marketing & Digital Media Marketing. Additionally, she was honored in 2018 as an Ellie Fund Honoree and Recipient and a 2018 Boston Business Journal 40 under 40 finalist and Boston Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Young Leaders of Boston Finalist.

Her strategies help business owners and corporations utilize the online space and social media for brand awareness, company growth, and client loyalty. Her focus is to assist businesses with organic growth, increased exposure, and more revenue.
She attributes her greatest accomplishment by far is her family. She is grateful to have married her college sweetheart, Brian Washington, and she is incredibly proud to be a Mommy to Victoria, Sabrina, Rachel, Brian, Jr., Brenden, and Braylon (Braylon passed away shortly after birth in 2011). She is also a Breast Cancer Survivor and knows if she can tackle that, she can tackle anything that comes her way.

Jayme can be reached at jwashington@becma.org

Tahisha Charles, Digital Marketing Manager

(She/Her/Hers)

Tahisha Charles serves as the Digital Marketing Manager at BECMA and is the founder of the entertainment website, miixtapechiick.com. Creating a space to shine a light on musical artists out of Massachusetts while catering to a mainstream audience, Tahisha cares about promoting good music and being an overall resource to uplift the community. Tahisha recently earned her M.A. from Northeastern University in Professional Journalism and is an alumna of Regis College.

When not working on digital content for BECMA or her website, Tahisha’s interests lie in Tarot readings and delving further into her spirituality.

Tahisha can be reached at tcharles@becma.org

Katrina Rojas, Media & Communications Intern

(She/Her/Hers)

Katrina Rojas currently serves as the Media & Communications intern at BECMA. She is a senior at UMass Amherst double majoring in Journalism (Public Relations track) and Spanish, with a certificate in Arts Management. In addition to her new role at BECMA, she is the Editor-in-chief of the ALPFA Boston blog and rising President of the ALPFA UMass Amherst student chapter. Beyond her stellar academic career, Katrina is a young entrepreneur with fashion business goals and a poet whose creative work can be found on her website, katrinapoet.com. She has a creative portfolio that encompasses her passions and other credited work which you can find here: https://krjime.wixsite.com/krportfolio.

Naiquisia Hensey, Events Manager

Naiquisia Hensey has transitioned from BECMA’s Membership Coordinator to Events Manager. With a background in Concert Touring and Promotion, Creative Management, and Creative Consulting in the Music industry, the Berklee College of Music graduate contributes ideation, organization, and her passion for equity, and expression to her position at BECMA. The Malden native, humanitarian, and self proclaimed hodophile has spent much of her time contributing to the advancement of Black music and it’s creators, living bi-coastally between Brooklyn, NY, and Santa Monica, CA, and travelling the world. “I believe in MLK’s ideal of making a career out of humanity, and am committed to black innovation, expression, exploration and freedom.” 

Naiquisia can be reached at nhensey@becma.org

Teri Williams – President & COO, OneUnited Bank (Chair)

Teri is President and Chief Operating Officer and serves on the Board of Director of OneUnited Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S, with headquarters in Boston. She is responsible for implementation of the Bank’s strategic initiatives, as well as the day to day operations of the bank. Under her leadership, OneUnited Bank has consolidated the local names and product offerings of four (4) Black-owned banks to create a powerful national brand supported by innovative products and services. 

Ms. Williams holds an M.B.A. with honors from Harvard Graduate School of Business and a B.A. with distinctions in Economics from Brown University. She served as Treasurer of Dimock Community Health Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts for over 5 years.

Ms. Williams is the author of I Got Bank! What My Granddad Taught Me About Money (Beckham Publishing) a financial literacy book for urban youth. Ms. Williams has received numerous notations and awards for her contribution to urban communities including from the Urban League, NAACP, and the National Black MBA Association.

Ms. Williams is married and has two children, one recent graduate of Brown University and one in college at Boston College. 

Lamont Clemons – Executive Vice President, S-Cel-O Painting (Treasurer)

Lamont Clemons, a Springfield native, is a business leader in the region. Clemons is the Executive Vice President of S-Cel-O-Painting, his family’s 30 year old business. In this position, Clemons was involved with the opening of MGM Springfield, where his company was contracted for painting on site. He has also held positions at Dominion Power, Wachovia Securities, Capital One and American Express.

He is president of the Springfield Rotary Club, and has served as president of the McKnight Neighborhood Council, and assistant treasurer of the Greater Springfield YMCA. Clemons is credited with launching programs at the Dunbar Community Center, including one that teaches teens essential financial and business skills.

He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, MBA in Finance, and an MS in Project Management.

Reginald Nunnally – Consultant

Reginald Nunnally (more commonly known as Reggie) has been involved in economic development for the past 27 years, initially as the Executive Director of the Grove Hall Neighborhood Development Corporation.

Governor Patrick appointed Reggie as the Executive Director of the Supplier Diversity Office for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2009 and was responsible for the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Technical Assistance Program. He was also appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino in 1996 as the first Executive Director for Boston’s Enhanced Enterprise Community for the City of Boston, responsible for processing over $44 million of federal funds for Empowerment Zone economic development projects. His career highlights include facilitating the process for financing the Mecca Mall in Grove Hall, the South End Health Center, Merengue Restaurant, and the Best Western Round House Hotel Suites and the Hampton Inn Hotel. Reggie was also the creator of Boston Connects Inc. microloan program geared for existing small neighborhood businesses and individuals aspiring to start or expand a business within Boston’s Empowerment Zone neighborhoods. 

Reggie sits on a number of Boards and Advisory Committees. He is married to Kathlean Nunnally and has two adult children and a granddaughter.

Farrah Belizaire – Founder, LiteWork Events

(She/her/hers)

Farrah Belizaire, a native of Brockton, MA, is a 2011 graduate of Boston University, where she earned her BS in Health Science and MS in Administrative Studies. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Boston University’s Black Alumni Leadership Council.

In 2012 Farrah was inspired to launch her passion project, LiteWork Events. LiteWork Events is a social event brand connecting Boston’s urban young professionals. LiteWork creates spaces that bring out the city’s most culturally vibrant and upwardly mobile demographic, providing underrepresented groups an opportunity to find community and authentic relationship-building. Her efforts have been featured in the Boston Globe, the Bay State Banner and WCBV Channel 5. Past partners have included the Museum of Fine Arts, the Huntington Theatre Company, the W Hotel, the Lawn on D, Diageo and PASHA Entertainment.

Diversity and inclusion is also engrained in Farrah’s professional career. Farrah currently serves as Manager of Diversity and Inclusion in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine. In this role, Farrah is responsible for developing and implementing programs and strategies that promote diversity and inclusion as it relates to recruitment and retention of underrepresented students, which includes taking an active role in developing pipeline programs. In this role, she partners with national STEM networks, industry leaders and local stakeholders to increase diverse representation in the biomedical sciences.

JocCole “JC” Burton – CEO, Maven Construction

JocCole “JC” Burton, LEED AP BD+C is CEO of Maven Construction. JC is a Dorchester based business leader, spending her 25-year career in the real estate development and construction industry. As a successful developer and general contractor , JC is highly regarded in the environmental conservation, energy reduction and sustainability programs Burton’s company, Maven Construction is focused on energy efficient k-12, higher education, multi-family housing, retail and institutional projects. 

At the core, JC is a builder. A builder of teams and processes always driving results for clients. During her 25+ year career, she has worked diligently on the delivery of high performing projects while striving for inclusion and equity. Her firm has built world class facilities, including some of the first LEED platinum projects in the United States which includes more than 50 LEED projects, three Net-Zero projects. JC developed an on-line sustainability platform to help assess final driver for green investments. 

JC is the first Black woman to hold a mayoral appointment with Boston’s Construction Licensing Board, which is part of the city’s Board of Examiners and is responsible for issuing Boston Builders Licenses to qualified individuals who complete the application process and pass the examination. Burton also serves on the Boston Employment Commission, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, the advisory board of Ben Franklin Institute of Technology, Construction Management department and Browning the Green Space, a non-profit organization driving inclusion in the renewable energy sector. 

JC has served as the founding director of National Association of Black Women in Construction, USGBC – Atlanta Chapter Chair of the Board, Urban Land Institute Urban Product Council, former White House Champion of Change: Clean Energy and former, USGBS Center for Green Schools Advisory Group, L.E.E.D. for Neighborhoods TAG, L.E.E.D. TAG, and 2005 USGBC Greenbuild Host Committee Member. 

JC is the mother of one elementary aged daughter. In her spare time, you can find JC with her daughter, cooking and advocating for better food access for under-resourced children. In her time working with children interested in STEM careers.

Terryl Calloway – CEO, Calloway Graphix, Printing, and Marketing Inc.

Terryl is a Boston native who earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University. In 1984 he founded Calloway Entertainment Incorporated (CE), a firm specializing in event planning and concert promotion.

Among the notable successes of CE has been the production and promotion of more than 2,000 concerts and events given by performers such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Boyz II Men, and Destiny’s Child. CE also promoted the 29th Annual African American Student Union of the Harvard School of Business, The Color Purple (Play) and the Beantown Jazz Festival.

Mr. Calloway was the owner of the Gallery Night Club for five years and is currently the owner of Calloway Graphix, Printing and Marketing Inc., a professional printing and marketing firm with clients throughout New England.

For the past five years he has worked with the current owners of Slade’s Bar and Grill promoting highly successful regular and special events at the restaurant.

Keith Chaney – President/Owner, City Sealcoating, Inc.

Keith is a business leader who strives to drive business results through an innovative and collaborative approach.  The sole mission at City Sealcoating is to provide our customers with comprehensive asphalt maintenance services.  This includes leveraging our many years in the industry, to the benefit of our customers, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding their parking lots. We see your parking lot as an investment and take steps, supported by data and our experience, to beautify and protect thus extending the life of the asphalt. 

In 2017 Keith had the opportunity to purchase a company, City Sealcoating, Inc.  City Sealcoating had been servicing the Merrimack Valley for 10 years, but Keith had a vision to expand the company to service all of New England.  He used the knowledge and relationships he made working at the state and as a V.P. at State Street Bank to become a preferred vendor on the MA Asphalt Maintenance TRD02 Contract. City Sealcoating is a trusted company servicing government, commercial and residential customers.  Since purchasing the company in 2017 Keith has grown the business 300% by focusing on solid workmanship, effective operations and exceptional customer service.   City Sealcoating offers a full range of asphalt maintenance services including sealcoating, crack sealing, line striping, asphalt repairs, paving and snow plowing.  

Keith lives in North Andover with his wife and two children.  He is an active member of his community but also believes in volunteering his time all around the Merrimack Valley area.  He is a member of the Lawrence Leads Program, which is part of the Lawrence Partnership, and is an active member of the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce. City Sealcoating Inc. hosts an intern annually from Lawrence Public High School and has had the opportunity to aid Lawrence residents through the gas explosion crisis and COVID-19. Recently City Sealcoating, Inc. has been involved in the Business Equity Initiative (B.E.I) program through the Boston Foundation. Keith is a former member of the Board of Trustees at Roxbury Community College and is now serving as a Board Member on the Alliance for Business Leadership.  Keith has been an invited speaker and moderator at many events to share his inspiring story and is passionate about giving back to his community. 

Herby Duverné – President & CEO, Windwalker Group

Herby is President and CEO of the Windwalker Group, a physical and cybersecurity firm. The company possesses a Defense Security Services secret clearance, operates in multiple states and currently holds contracts with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and several with the U.S. Department of Defense.

​Before becoming an entrepreneur, Herby held the position as director of emergency management and deputy director of aviation security at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), which oversees Logan International Airport. Before Massport, he served as the Regional Security Manager at State Street Corporation and also worked as a security professional and manager for several national retail corporations including Kmart and the TJX Companies.

Herby is the recipient of multiple awards and recognition such as the 2003 State Street’s William S. Edgerly Community Service Award, the 2005 Northeastern University’s Medallion Award, the 2005 YMCA’s Black Achievers Award, the 2016 Boston’s GK25 and the 2016 ILC’s Immigrant Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Business Growth. He earned both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Northeastern University. He and his wife, Claire reside in Woburn, MA and have three children Ashley, Jayden, and Ashden.

Gary Evee – CEO, Evee Security Consulting Group

Gary Evee, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Evee Security Consulting Group. The vision of Evee Security Consulting Group is to be the most successful cybersecurity provider in securing organizations and companies from cyberattacks from bad actors. Evee Security’s mission is to enable clients to reduce risk by proactively developing a more secure and resilient cybersecurity environment. 

Evee is a 25 year technology industry veteran. Most recently, he served as an executive inside of IBM’s Cybersecurity Business unit, during which time he led the sales, business development and go market for IBM’s mobile and financial services cybersecurity solutions. Before this, he was the Executive chief of staff for the General Manager of IBM Security, helping to lead the growth of IBM Security significantly faster than the overall security market to become the number one enterprise security provider in the world with almost $2B of annual revenue.

Evee has a proven track record of managing and scaling new enterprises globally. Evee also held several leadership positions during his 22 years at IBM in the area of sales, business development and operations. He has served as a technology and cybersecurity advisor to a number of Higher Education institutions including Bridgewater State University, Cambridge College, Massasoit Community College, and Johnson C. Smith, and Endicott College. He believes that collaboration between academia, industry, government and community is critical to driving innovation and creating pathways to opportunities for the underserved. 

Evee was responsible for holding the very first Cybersecurity and Technology diversity conference in the Commonwealth. He has been a staunch voice and advocate for Diversity and Inclusion in the area of STEM. Evee holds a B.A in Political Science from Hampton University, Hampton VA. In addition to his services in the technology industry, he is also a member of the board of trustees for Dedham Savings Bank and MassInsight.

Charran Fisher – President, Fisher Contracting Corporation

As a 1997 graduate of University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Charran Fisher earned her BA in English and Journalism with a minor in African American studies. She started Fisher Contracting in 1998 after working part-time in the field and recognizing a need for women and minorities in construction.  Fisher Contracting has historically provided carpentry, demolition, dismantling, interior renovation, abatement, site remediation and asset recovery services to owners, developers, municipalities and state and federal agencies both as a prime and as a subcontractor.

In 2011, Charran was recognized by the Small Business Administration as the Minority Business Person of the Year for the entire New England Region. In 2017, Charran received a Diversity recognition award while working on the Encore Casino project for exceeding goals for minority and women participation. Most recently, Charran Fisher and Fisher Contracting were selected as the M/WBE partner by Gilbane Building Company in 2019 for the Worcester Red Sox project and in October 2020  was the recipient of the Minority Business of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce.

Charran is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also serves on the Board of Directors for The Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts in addition to The Boys & Girls Club of Worcester.

Priscilla Flint-Banks – Vice President & Co-Founder, Black Economic Justice Institute (BEJI)

Priscilla is the co-founder of the Black Economic Justice Institute, Inc. (BEJI), a nonprofit 501( c)3 tax-exempt organization with a goal to advocate and develop programs that address justice and economic opportunity for black and other people of color of Boston.

Ms. Banks was born and raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She was educated in the Boston Public Schools and attended Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she received a Master’s Degree in Education. Her career started in finance and she worked for several banks including Bank Boston and was the Payroll and General Services Manager for the City of Boston’s Treasury Department. 

Ms. Banks is a licensed minister and an active member of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She is the author of the book, “I Look Back and Wonder How I Got Over.”  

Most recently, Priscilla ran a grassroots campaign for Boston City Council At-Large, which highlighted issues of housing affordability, transportation, and city contracting with minority-owned businesses.

She currently resides in Roslindale, Massachusetts with her husband, Brother Lo Banks.

Carole Montgomery – Senior Manager, Gravestar Inc.

(She/Her/Hers)

Carole is a Senior Manager at Gravestar, Inc., an Asset Management Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she has worked for more than 16 years managing their retail portfolios in Cambridge and suburban communities along the 128 corridor.  Prior to her commercial real estate endeavors, Ms. Montgomery worked in the residential sector for 30+ years managing low, moderate and market rate housing throughout the City of Boston, Western Massachusetts, and for a short time in the Washington, DC Tri- State area.   

Ms. Montgomery also assumed a leadership role in steering the reorganizing efforts of the historical Roxbury Multi Service Center, Inc. (RMSC), a 50+ year old organization that was formed to respond to social issues that affected the lives of African Americans in the Roxbury and N. Dorchester Neighborhoods.  Ms. Montgomery lives in Dorchester and is the proud mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren. Member of the Institute of RE Management, CPM Candidate. Board Member Mass Association of Mental Health (MAMH).

Chiderah Okoye – Executive Director, Venly Institute

Chiderah Okoye is the Executive Director of the Venly Institute, a Cambridge-based applied learning and certification organization that helps local businesses grow through social media, web-based applications, and cybersecurity best practices. Venly’s methodologies work to combine hi-touch delivery via a Chamber of Commerce supported Fellowship program with high-tech open-source systems to strengthen each community it serves. 

Chiderah earned her B.S in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. She began her career in industrial controls with Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest automation company. She has been a long-time leader within the National Society of Black Engineers and served as the Boston chapter President from 2015 to 2018. She currently sits on the organization’s board as President Emeritus. Chiderah joined with leaders of Boston area diverse professional organizations to form the Affinity Leadership Consortium (ALC) and served as its founding Co-Chair. In recognition for her ongoing community-based efforts, Chiderah was selected by the World Economic Forum to join the Boston Hub of the Global Shapers in 2015 where she is still an active contributor.

In February 2017 Chiderah was appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the then newly commissioned Black Advisory Commission for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Elizabeth "Beth" Williams, (1963 - 2021)

(She/Her/Hers)

BECMA wishes to express its gratitude to the late Elizabeth “Beth” Williams (1963-2021), President & CEO of Roxbury Technology Corp. We extend our deepest condolences to her family and friends; her son Kameron Nobles; her sister Donna Williams; her dear friend Joan Harrington; and her niece Christina Soares. We are also grateful to Beth’s parents, Archie Williams and Norma E. Bartos Williams, for all that they poured into her that ensured she would deliver enormous contributions to her community.

Beth was a BECMA Board Member and served on the Policy Committee. She passed away on April 21, 2021, at the age of 57. We are grateful for the significant impact Beth had on the civic, business, and social fabric of Boston and Massachusetts.

“I too see business as a means to improve a community. If people have jobs or access and training for them, the desperation and need to perpetuate many of the social problems in our community, I believe, would slowly begin to diminish.”

Beth Williams

The Bay State Banner, May 7, 2014

Malia Lazu – CEO, The Lazu Group; Lecturer, MIT Sloan School of Management

Malia Lazu, an award winning, tenured strategist in diversity & inclusion has sparked deep economic development and investment in urban entrepreneurship for over twenty years. In her most recent role as EVP and Regional President at Berkshire Bank, Malia worked to generate wealth for communities by expanding access to capital and spurring economic growth—especially in communities of color that have traditionally been left behind.

In her first nine months at Berkshire, Malia evolved the $13 billion bank’s strategic focus beyond traditional community banking services to prioritize tangible community impact. She helped to diversify the board of directors; developed a suite of financial products and programs that support entrepreneurs of color; and launched ReevX Labs, a collaborative workspace and innovation hub for the urban startup community.

A serial entrepreneur in her own right, Malia has created and led a number of socially responsible business accelerators across Boston. She worked with the city to create Accelerate Boston which helped launch over twenty minority businesses in its first five years and continues to help minority entrepreneurs raise capital. She was also the founder and president of the Future Boston Alliance, now known as Epicenter, which built an ecosystem of creators, consumers and investors to develop businesses in the creative industries. As a fellow at MIT’s Community Innovators Lab, she launched The Urban Labs, a multicultural agency helping brands see returns on diversity.

Malia began her career as a political organizer and bridge-builder founding Mass VOTE, a state-wide voter engagement campaign. She has led culture-shifting campaigns for the actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, as well as businessmen and philanthropists like Peter Lewis and George Soros.

Malia currently sits on the boards of GBH, Boston Harbor Now, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Revolutionary Spaces, Chica Project and The Nation magazine editorial board. She was named one of Essence Magazine’s 50 Founders To Watch in 2017, Boston Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business in 2019 and Boston Magazine’s The 100 Most Influential Bostonians in 2021.

In addition to her role as a Lecturer in the TIES Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management, she is also the Founder and CEO of The Lazu Group.

Glynn Lloyd – Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity; CEO, Mill Cities Community Investment

Glynn Lloyd has been a pioneer in the field of transformative urban economic development for over 25 years.   He is the President and Founder of City Fresh Foods and is currently the Executive Director of the Foundation for Business Equity.  The Foundation’s first Initiative: The Business Equity Initiative has designed and is executing a unique approach to truly scaling up our local Black and Latino Enterprises in Eastern MA (www.easternbank.com/BEI).

In 1990, after graduating from Boston University, he became one of the inaugural members of Teach for America, teaching 5th grade in Louisiana.  Upon returning to Boston, he decided to pursue an innovative approach to community economic development by creating community owned and operated enterprises.   Glynn founded City Fresh Foods Inc., a nationally-renowned food service business, and over 20 years grew it on average 15% annually to $9M in revenue.

City Fresh Foods pioneers ethnic meals to homebound elders and healthier meals to school age children, and was one of the first companies to receive Social Venture Capital, eventually returning a healthy multiple to its investors.   Under Glynn’s leadership, City Fresh raised hundreds of thousands of investment capital, twice expanded its production capability to larger facilities, practiced open book management, and introduced fresh local ingredients from area farms into its supply chain.

Glynn played a pioneering role in the local foods systems movement by catalyzing Article 89, a recently passed Boston zoning law amendment that allows urban farmers to grow for the market as a right.   To help institutionalize these practices, Glynn founded the Urban Farming institute, a community-led nonprofit supporting the development of the new urban farming industry in Massachusetts.

Glynn has extensive experience assisting some of region’s prominent nonprofits, including the transition of Commonwealth Kitchen to new leadership.   As previous board chair of Sportsmen’s Tennis Club, Glynn assisted in the transition of leadership at both the board and management level, at a critical time of this African-American led community institution’s life cycle.  He was also selected and appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve as a Trustee for Roxbury Community College, as part of the college’s pivot into its best possible future.  Most recently, he helped found the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, a coalition of black business, community, religious and labor leaders working together to improve economic indicators in the Black community.

Glynn resides in Roxbury with his wife Sara and daughters, Grace and Ayana.

Darryl Settles – President & Managing Partner, Catalyst Ventures Development

A serial entrepreneur, Newton resident Settles established Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in Boston and moved on to real estate development. He is known for his transformative initiatives and partnerships that empower communities of color in the hospitality, real estate, and business development sectors where he promotes minority businesses and recruits minority investors. His residential projects are committed to creating vibrant, attractive, and sustainable neighborhoods and his music projects – BeanTown Jazz Festival and The Beehive – have enhanced the local cultural scene.

Settles’ latest innovation is the Critical Mass, a vast resource of information and statistics as well as ways to take positive action to combat racial injustice. He has been active in the community as chair of the Newton Economic Development Commission and founder/board member of the Black Economic Council. He has served on many boards and shares his knowledge and experience with the next generation of leaders as a lecturer at Babson College and Lasell University. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his success, leadership, and commitment to economic justice.

Richard Taylor – Chairman, Taylor Smith Properties; Director of the Center for Real Estate; Executive in Residence, Management and Entrepreneurship, Suffolk University

Lawyer and real estate executive Richard L. Taylor was born on April 6, 1949 in Montgomery, Alabama to Evelyn Lewis and Franklyn Taylor, Jr. Taylor graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1967. Taylor went on to attend Boston University, where he became the first Rhodes Scholar in the history of the university. After receiving his B.A. degree in journalism and public communications in 1971, he earned his second B.A. degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University in 1973. Taylor went on to earn his joint M.B.A. and J.D. degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School in 1977.

Upon graduating in 1977, Taylor joined Boston Consulting Group as a managing consultant providing strategic planning services to Fortune 500 companies. In 1979, Governor Edward King appointed Taylor to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Board of Directors and the MBTA Retirement Fund Board. The following year, Taylor was hired as the vice president of development for Fidelity Management and Research (FMR) properties, where he secured rights to Commonwealth Pier and the Commonwealth Flats. From 1985 to 1990, Taylor served as chairman of Taylor Properties, where he developed retail establishments at Orange and Red Line MBTA stations. In 1990, Governor William F. Weld appointed Taylor as secretary of transportation and construction, and chairman of the board of the MBTA. While there, Taylor oversaw the Big Dig project, construction of the Leonard P. Zakim Bridge and the Old Colony commuter rail system, and the reconstruction of Dudley Station Bus Terminal. In 1993, Taylor joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) as division vice president of central and western Massachusetts, although he later transitioned to the role of vice president of national accounts. Taylor was named chairman of Taylor Smith Group, LLC in 1999, where he managed the business real estate development and commercial brokerage areas. During his tenure there, the company completed over $300 million worth of project, including the Olympia Tower, Bradford Estates and Douglass Plaza.

In 1990, Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in engineering technology by the Wentworth Institute of Technology; and in 1992, he received an honorary doctorate degree in public service from Bridgewater State College. Taylor was the founding president of the Minority Developers Association, and has served on the board of higher education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Boston NAACP, and on the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He also served as president of the Boston Ballet and chairman of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.