2025 - 2026 African American Business Council

April Scott is originally from Bristol, Pennsylvania; having relocated to Wilmington, NC in 1993. After graduating high school in Pennsylvania, she decided to relocate to North Carolina, home of her parents. She currently holds the position of Director of the Small Business Center at Brunswick Community College. She enjoys trying new recipes, traveling, dancing, gardening, volunteering with the youth, and family time. She’s currently on the board of Going Beyond The Pink, State Employees Credit Union, North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce and a member of WIN. One of her many favorite quotes is “Success isn’t about how much money you make it’s about the difference you make in in people’s lives”. Michelle Obama

Tracey Newkirk, is a Certified Personal Resilience Coach and the Founder of UNEXO, a boutique consultancy helping leaders build high-performance teams. She and her husband Girard Newkirk co-founded Genesis Block, a coworking space in downtown Wilmington providing business development services, workspaces and building entrepreneurial communities. Genesis Block was created with the idea that each community needs a place to collaborate, create, discuss ideas and gather. Building the small business ecosystem and supporting community collaboration is our goal in each neighborhood.