African American Business Council (AABC)

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

Tammika C. Brown is the founder and CEO of Tammika C. Brown Accounting and Tax Service LLC, a practice that has been in existence since 2016. The practice prepares individual, business, and non-profit tax returns as well as small business accounting services. Prior to starting Tammika C. Brown Accounting and Tax service LLC, Tammika held the role of Controller for a 11-million-dollar small business. In addition to her Controller duties she handled all aspects of Human Resources and managed a staff. Tammika enjoys sharing her years of business experience with her clients and thoroughly enjoys watching them excel whether in their business or personal tax returns. Tammika also volunteers her time to non-profit boards in Wilmington and surrounding areas.

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.

I’m a Wilmington native and this is where I hope to stay for the rest of my life. I am committed to our community and to my goal of building a better life for future generations in my hometown, and I do my best to reflect that in my actions and in my business. 

I pride myself on making each transaction as smooth as possible, but my job doesn’t end at closing. I serve my clients as a real estate advisor, assisting them with everything from homeownership advice and investment opportunities, to helping navigate our community, local government, and school system. Being a Wilmington native with a lifetime of connections in the area means that my clients have access to the best professionals in the region.

Megan Daniielle decided to return to school to become more acquainted with how to operate a business after shutting down a brick and mortar in the Cotton Exchange. While earning her Bachelor degree in Business Administration she fell in love with marketing.. During an internship, she earned hands-on experience in social media marketing. She was determined in her new passion to help others win where she had previously failed as a business owner. The science behind marketing opened Megan Daniielle’s eyes to a new way of creative communication. She began sharing the new creative communication with her clients, teaching them how to entice their audience into purchasing their products or services. Currently, Megan Daniielle is working on her Ph.D as a Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Media at the prestigious Liberty University. It is her goal to utilize her knowledge in Communication to teach people how to cultivate and develop their brands for lifelong success.

Creating dimensional visual artwork for the world. I cater to business and individual clients of all walks of life. I also teach abstract art classes, in person learning, and online. I can draw people, animals and landscapes; using many items that are readily available in your home or business. I also add my own personal touch of dimension using the following; coffee grounds, aluminum foil, and much more. My art is designed to inspire every day people to learn to use dimension in their art to help them improve their creativity and better connect with their emotional side. My artwork is designed to bring out the positive and inspirational feelings that artwork brings to the onlooker. I help people to connect to hope. For example, "Give yourself a start." by Madam CJ Walker. What would that mean to you, or to your place of dwelling. What colors would that entail? Would it be a person a design or a place? That is what Whimsy Rae's Artistry is all about. 

Rod Dixon is the creator of the underground album Merc the Master of Seven and the manuscript "The Cosmic Billionaires Club." He is followed by thousands of people worldwide on social media for his insightful posts regarding a myriad of topics, such as business, social justice, politics, and religion. Superhero characters he has created were endorsed by the late Stan Lee. His company, Street Legend Enterprises Inc. is a US solar marketing entity that also markets business opportunities between USA and Middle East entrepreneurs. His company is contracted with Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP), which is led by its Chairman, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Mr. Rodney is also a licensed real estate agent. He created a youth basketball training DVD with A.C. Green titled “Street Legend & Ironman” and has been featured on national television as a celebrity street legend. 

I help individuals and business owners protect what’s most important – THE ONES THEY LOVE.  I currently reside in the Port City of Wilmington, NC and I have over 20 years professional experience in engineering and consulting.  I recently earned my Master’s degree in Financial Life Coaching from Liberty University.  Now that I have become a licensed financial professional, I strive to simplify my clients’ lives by providing them the resources and information they need to accomplish their financial objectives.  I work in partnership with other trusted professionals to ensure our recommendations best fit the clients’ current needs. Let me help you find your path to long-term peace of mind and assist you in leaving a legacy for the next generation. 

My name is Shawn'ta Smith, owner of Luxe Picnic Company. I'm a native of Wilmington and I love it here. I enjoy meeting new people, trying new things and traveling new places. I'm excited about my new business venture and being apart of the Wilmington Chambers of Commerce. The future is bright and I can't wait to see what lies ahead.

The Carolina Healthy Vending Company provides businesses and public facilities personality designed healthy snack and beverage consumption using a vending machine concept. Ask me how our easy to use "healthy choice process" can empower your business, employees, and customers make healthier snack decisions. "Carolina healthy, Carolina strong."

Anne is the Chief Executive Officer of Cape Fear REALTORS^®, a local trade association representing more than 3,400 real estate professionals in Wilmington and the greater Cape Fear region. She has represented professional and trade organization in the Washington, D.C. area, central Virginia and Wilmington, NC. Anne holds a Masters of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech. 
 
She is an active volunteer, having served as a mentor for local leadership programs and is a member of the Cape Fear Rotary. She recently completed terms on the board of the of the Thomas Jefferson Community Land Trust,  Central Virginia Partnership for Economic Development and the Salvation Army Corps of Charlottesville.

Alesha Edison Westbrook, Director of Communications at CFLC, is a veteran nonprofit professional. With more than fifteen years of nonprofit program management experience, Alesha’s focus is to raise awareness of adult low literacy by using vibrant, captivating marketing to share the impactful stories of CFLC’s students. She is committed to nurturing a “growth mindset” and is passionate about education. Alesha has been at the Literacy Council since 2016, when she joined the staff as Volunteer Coordinator.

Recent Articles:
https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/insights/aleshaedisonwestbrook/265

Connect with Alesha: LinkedIn

I serve as the Community Liaison for Wilmington Health. I spend my time building relationships throughout the community with employers, healthcare providers, and the general public. I communicate with the community to bring awareness to healthcare issues and the services that we provide at Wilmington Health. 

Cassian Films is addressing the needs of small businesses by helping them forge stronger relationships with customers through visual storytelling. We start by defining success, clarify the message, and deliver on consumable content. We then support them when it’s needed with personal insights. This saves the company hundreds of thousands of dollars over a two-year period.

Hey there, my name is Kristina Marie. I am co-owner of Cassian Films Inc, a video production company based here in Wilmington, NC. Our team loves to site see so you will often see videos of us traveling. As we continue to grow our mission to strengthen relationships remains unchangeable. I look forward to meeting you and your team! If you have a story to tell, we would love to share it through visual storytelling. Something fun about me: I enjoy singing and playing ukulele, spending time with my husband Cody Scott reading The Bible, hiking and playing with our dog Loki, and traveling to new places. If you have any questions I'm usually available to chat Monday through Friday anytime after 11am. Talk with you then!

Personal Brand + Culinary Photographer

Hi! I'm Amanda, a brand photography and strategic marketing expert for experienced Chefs and Event Professionals around the country. Providing an artistic approach to purposeful marketing campaigns that help scale your business.

There are a lot of options out there, but what makes me unique is my ability to know and understand the  "language" of the event industry because I used to be part of your world. I contribute valuable feedback to achieve the best results on your brand photography journey.

Chakema Clinton-Quintana is vice president of Inclusive Small Business at Live Oak Bank, where she leads the inclusive small business center. She focuses on strengthening and supporting inclusive small business growth in our communities and verticals through research, job creation programs, capital allocation, mentorship, and programming. Chakema has 19 years of banking experience and has a degree in business management from Strayer University in Herndon, Virginia. Her background includes foreclosure, real estate short sales, loss mitigation, relationship management, and compliance. Chakema currently serves on the board of directors for three non-profit organizations, including treasurer of Voyage Wilmington, treasurer of Red, Black, & Love, Inc., and board chair for The OOPS Foundation.

I currently serve as the Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Community for nCino.  In my role, I am in charge of our corporate DEI strategy & implementation, as well as all community service and philanthropy.  

As Development Director for the Charlotte Area Office of UNCF, Natia executes fundraising strategies, cultivates new donors, and leverages relationships to meet revenue goals. Prior to joining UNCF, Natia led national nonprofit partnerships for North Carolina-based, Lowe's Companies, Inc., and eventually brand marketing. She was also selected as a Fellow for the Executive Leadership Council (ELC) Bright Futures Program. Natia earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Lenoir-Rhyne University and brings ten-plus years of nonprofit management experience.

Joe started ABIDE of NC, LLC on March 18, 2022, in response to organizations looking for the next steps after starting their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs in the wake of the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor murders. Most programs are just that, programs, and often fizzle out. Due to not being built on sustainable models, such programs often come from the hearts of good business leaders who want to do "something," often not knowing where to start. While starting with the best of intentions, these programs can come to naught if real cultural change management strategies are not put in place. This is where ABIDE can help.
 

I am the Chief Academic Officer for New Hanover County Schools. My primary responsibilities include overseeing academic programs and policies. Before this role, I served as an Executive Leadership Coach for Wake County Schools. I am currently in my twenty-seventh year in education. Throughout my career, I have found pleasure in serving my community by enhancing students’ lives.