BLACK VANGUARD ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Angela Smith spent 17 years in the corporate world primarily as a Human Resources leader providing expertise to senior leaders local and abroad, on organizational issues ranging from designing and executing strategies and enterprise programs, organizational development, talent acquisition, leadership development, and diversity, equity & inclusion at some of the world's leading brands including Aon Hewitt, Bank of America and Owens Corning.
After leaving corporate life, Angela has played an active role in her children's schools, as a Board Trustee and Parent Association Board Member. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Dress for Success Boston and Executive Board of the local Jack & Jill of America Chapter.
Angela received an International MBA from one of the country's top-rated International Business programs, the University of South Carolina and a BS from the University of Florida. She also studied internationally at Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico and Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain. She holds the prestigious Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) designation and enjoys travel, culinary delights, art and creating beautiful spaces.
Angela is now Lead Interior Designer and Owner of Four Lillies Design, a boutique interior design firm in Brookline, MA.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Business Consultant
Girisa Ali is an entreprenuer, business consultant, and world-traveler with a focus on community development.
While growing up in Cleveland Ohio, where she still resides, Girisa was well known for friendly and free spirit. She earned a Bachelor of Art in Social Work with a Minor in Teaching from Cleveland State University, and went on to earn a Master's degree in Business Administration. Girisa is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Business at Case Western Reserve University.
Girisa's focus is on economic and community development and helping people follow their dreams. This passion arises from her determination to reach her own goals despite challenges she has had to face and overcome. She wants to have a significant impact on communities and low-income areas.
Her area of expertise is in helping businesses connect better with their consumers by building bridges and communicating effectively. Working for over 25 years in the public, private, and non-profit sectors has provided her experience in management, life coaching, strategic implementation, professional development, and partnership collaboration.
Girisa's professional experience includes holding positions as Director of For Hope Corporation, Assistant Director at Learn and Grow, Project Manager of Warrensville Youth Organization, Qualified Mental Health Specialist II at Beech Brook, and Logistics Specialist at Amazon.
In 2010, Girisa decided to pursue an entrepreneurial venture and founded Glink, LLC. As founder and Director of Glink, she provides management consulting and business strategy to start-ups and growth-seeking firms.
She holds certifications from the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio State Notary. She currently serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Executive MBA program at Cleveland State University, as well as on the Ministry Board at Advent Lutheran Church. She is also a member of the Ohio Chapter of the Management Consulting Division of the Academy of Management at Case Wester Reserve University.
Girisa enjoys traveling to foreign countries. She aspires to broaden her efforts by applying her studies and experience in culture, religion and international business to global ventures.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Founder of Mass Communications Concepts LLC
- Founder of Mass Communications.
Jody Weinberg Kotkin, founder of Mass Communications Concepts LLC, has an extensive background in establishing comprehensive communication plans that reflect clients' strategic visions-incorporating internal communications, media relations, advertising, social media, and development. She held the position of communications director at a Boston-area independent school for many years, served on the Head's Administrative Team, and also taught high school law classes. Prior to that, she worked for a number of law firms, specializing in civil litigation. She is a graduate of Brandeis University and Western New England University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- President and CEO of the New England Business Association
Karim is the President and CEO of the New England Business Association. Previously, he held leadership roles at several large commercial banks including Citizens Bank, Capital One Bank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. During his last banking role, Karim served as the EVP- Consumer Banking Director at Citizens Bank. In this role he held responsibility for 205 retail branches, small business banking, and consumer lending activities throughout the region.
Karim has held leadership roles at several large commercial banks...
Sarah has held executive leadership roles in Human...
Vona Hill is an experienced leader, a proven doer, and the founder of Black Vanguard Alliance.
Vona has 30 years of experience in developing and delivering anti-racism initiatives. These initiatives include promoting economic and academic advancement within the Black community, as well as providing race-equity education to allies of the Black community. Her background in business leadership offers expertise as a Strategist and Implementation Specialist. She has partnered with businesses, entrepreneurs, and executives to help them create and achieve goals with a comprehensive approach that is as tactical as it is strategic.
Vona received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Ohio University. Upon graduation she joined the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a financial director and corporate-partner liaison for Diversity Affairs. She later launched a parent coaching firm to empower parents to become more engaged by educating them on key science-based principles of early childhood development.
In 2010, Vona founded Managing Perspectives, LLC and has since worked to help businesses, corporations, and professional individuals find success using applied strategy in areas such as corporate planning, sales and service, marketing, and project management.
As an energetic mom of three, she and her husband have always enjoyed coaching their children in sports. In 2016 after recognizing a stark lack of quality football programming in her community, Vona, true to her engineering spirit of "see a need, fill a need," started Red Zone Youth Football, a full-service program offering skills training and league play.
Vona is also the author of Little Miss Everything, a children's book series that introduces young readers to exciting career choices of which they are not typically made aware. The books also spotlight a multitude of contemporary, Black, professional role-models who achieved major accomplishments in their respective career paths.
In the summer of 2020, a series of state-sanctioned murders and acts of violence committed against members of the Black community resulted in a global uprising. The worldwide outcry against racial injustice thrust Vona into formalizing the grassroots initiatives that she had been undertaking for many years. By the fall of 2020, Vona had founded Black Vanguard Alliance (BVA). Her efforts with BVA are based on coalescing allies in the fight against racism. BVA leverages the power of solidarity of those beyond the Black community in order to dismantle systemic racism for once and for all.