Hartford, CT

[vc_row full_width=”stretch_row”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][block_title inner_style_title=”only_text” title=”Thank You Hartford for a Wonderful Conference!”][/block_title][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” bg_color=”#2496e2″ text_color=”light”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][block_title inner_style_title=”only_text” title=”Our 2018 Hartford Speakers”][/block_title][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_tour style=”modern” shape=”square” color=”black” gap=”3″ active_section=”1″ title=”_”][vc_tta_section title=”Dr. Roberta Hoskie” tab_id=”1532699081431-c8d7fb09-aae0″][vc_column_text]

Dr. Roberta Hoskie

Keynote Speaker

Owner, CEO
Outreach Realty Services, LLC

In 2006, Roberta established Outreach Foundation, a non-profit organization which advocates for affordable housing for low and moderate-income families. In 2011, she established the Outreach School of Real Estate, a Connecticut-licensed real estate school with reciprocity in 11 other states. In the same year, Roberta also opened Outreach Realty Servicing, a full-service real estate brokerage firm.

Under Outreach Realty, Roberta created the patent-pending Mortgage Readiness Program, which assists first-time homebuyers with improving their credit ratings and financial circumstances so that they can position themselves to prequalify for a mortgage.

Roberta also spearheaded the creation of a $7.5 million loan fund by creating a  partnership between First Niagara Bank, now Key Bank, and the Greater New Haven NAACP. This fund has created resources and opportunities for first-time homeowners and minority business owners to start and/or expand their businesses and create job opportunities within urban communities. This program, currently run by Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, is the first of its kind within the  national NAACP.

Now, with 20 years of real estate experience, and as an owner of a multi-million-dollar business, Roberta is a real estate investor and broker with experience with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Section 8, HUD Housing Subsidies and Conventional Rental Market Value Management.

Roberta has received countless community awards, including the New Haven  Register’s Person of the Year, Gateway Community College’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business  Achievement Award. Roberta also recently received an honorary doctorate degree in community development from the Los Angeles Development Church & Institute.

Roberta now empowers other women through the “Ms. Millionaire Mindset Sisterhood,” which she founded in 2016. It is a faith-based sisterhood devoted to breaking the curse of poverty over their lives and the lives of their loved ones. The growing organization strives to exemplify the power of unity, the power of loyalty and the power of group economics. On November 4, 2017, the Sisterhood has established an Atlanta, GA Chapter of the Millionaire Mindset Sisterhood!

Roberta has hundreds of students and coaching clients, and also travels throughout the country with her real-estate partner, Jay Morrison, helping others understand the power of ownership and helping them with business development, real estate investing and coaching them on how to develop a “Millionaire Mindset.”

Roberta’s life mission is to help as many people as she can to “Break the Poverty Curse, Live their Divine Purpose and Create Generational Wealth.” It is this mission that inspired her to put her story in writing.

In 2018 Roberta published her 1st book, “ Poverty Curse Broken: The Roberta Hoskie Story. ” The book chronicles her journey from the struggles to the successes, and provides encouragement to those who may need it as they endure their own struggles to successes.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Taisha Crayton” tab_id=”1523766828500-20f7e917-473320c6-e17a”][vc_column_text]

Taisha Crayton

Author / Principal, Chief Biz Builder &
Deputy Director of Contractor Certification Commonwealth of Massachusettes

Chief Business Builder, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Author, Wife, and Mom, Taisha Crayton specializes in helping minority and women owned small businesses obtain government designated certifications and get in position to win 6 and 7 figure government and corporate contracts. Taisha graduated with a degree in Management Information Systems from Northeastern University. She has also studied at Dartmouth College, TUCK business school and received a certificate in Minority & Women Executive Leadership. Taisha is a graduate of Minority & Women Diversity Programs from Suffolk Construction, Turner Construction, Gilbane Construction and Blue Cross Blue Shield. She has achieved high levels of success during her career path in the construction, banking and information technology industries. For over a decade, Tasha served as a church director overseeing the financial administration of the organization. She was also the CEO of a multi-million dollar construction business. It was during one of the roughest times after her and her husband both lost their 6-figure jobs that Taisha began the journey of financial
freedom through entrepreneurship[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Yemi Sekoni” tab_id=”1524348890032-17c4c829-7891″][vc_column_text]

Yemi Sekoni

Owner, Donahue Modeling Agency,
Trade Secrets Magazine,
& Fashion Week Rhode Island

Yemi Sekoni, is the president of Donahue Models & Talent, LLC – Rhode Island’s oldest modeling agency. Her company books some of New England’s top professional models and talent and works with many corporate giants across the region, helping these companies to launch successful advertising campaigns and convey critical marketing messages. Yemi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Marketing, and an MBA, and has worked in banking, relationship management, event planning & management. With over 40 years’ experience in various areas of the entertainment industry, including theater, TV, film, print and runway, In addition to running her agency, Yemi is the editor-in-chief of Trade Secrets Magazine and the founder and creative director of Lights|Fashion|Philanthropy.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Elizabeth Johnson” tab_id=”1524720627604-76d50b47-9589″][vc_column_text]

Elizabeth Johnson

Owner, EMJ Financial Services

Elizabeth (Liz) Johnson believes that everyone deserves a tax preparer or bookkeeper that cares about them and the success of their business. Someone who they can trust, and bookkeeper that makes doing taxes easy and affordable. Liz’s business started by word of mouth and has grown as she has proven she can save people money and make the tax preparation process less stressful. Liz is a dedicated, and experienced bookkeeper and tax preparer with over 10 years of experience preparing taxes. Her specialty is in working with both individual and corporate tax returns and bookkeeping. Elizabeth doesn’t just do bookkeeping and tax preparation, she works together with her clients to map out a plan for their financial future. She strives to make complicated tax situations understandable to her clients while helping them pay the least amount of tax legally owed by searching for all possible credits and deductions available. Tax preparation and bookkeeping services allow Liz to help clients sort out plans for a financial future that will support their personal dreams and long-term goals at a price they can afford.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Freya Allen Shoffner, Esq.” tab_id=”1525146846600-7af890d5-3378″][vc_column_text]

Freya Allen Shoffner, Esq.

Principal Attorney, Shoffner & Associates

Freya Allen Shoffner offers practical, effective solutions for businesses, families and individuals on a wide variety of legal matters. Freya has strong experience in the areas of business and corporate law, tax, estate and long-term planning, probate, litigation, bankruptcy, real estate, and traditional and alternative family matters. She helps both for-profit and non-profit businesses in many industries including medical, retail, hospitality, real estate and technology.

Before opening Shoffner & Associates in 2000, Freya joined Boston’s Lavien & Tveekrem as a law clerk in 1991. In 1994, Freya became a named partner in the firm Lavien, Tveekrem & Shoffner. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Freya purchased and operated several successful businesses in Massachusetts. As a result, she has an intimate and unique knowledge of every aspect regarding small-business management.

Committed to the communities in which she lives and works, Freya was an active member of the Newbury Street League Board of Directors from 2002 through 2007. During that time, she was a co-chair for the League’s annual Gala Committee. Freya has a long history of volunteer work including many roles for the First Congregational Church of Marshfield. She served the church’s Board of Trustees from 1995-through 2001. Also during that time, she chaired the endowment, constitution, church fair and audit committees. Additionally, Freya volunteered her time to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Freya was a volunteer chairperson teaching a course at Suffolk University Law School’s Advanced Legal Studies entitled, “Business Planning: Starting and Succeeding in Your Own Practice”, and she was a recent panel member on the Advanced Legal Studies Series, “Jumpstarting Your Practice: From Backpack to Briefcase.” She was a member of Northeastern University’s Curriculum Committee for the University’s Master of Science for Nonprofit Management program. She has spoken for organizations including the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers, Mount Holyoke College, and the American Orthodontic Society.

Freya is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and serves as an Alumnae Admissions Representative for the school. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Suffolk University School of Law in 1992. She is admitted to the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the United States Appeals Court (1st Circuit), the United States Tax Court, and the United States Bankruptcy Court District of Massachusetts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Tamara Mitchell-Davis” tab_id=”1530143288185-6aed98f7-d4f2″][vc_column_text]

Tamara Mitchell-Davis

Author, Motivational Speaker, Strategist

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tour][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” parallax=”content-moving” type=”full_width_background” bg_image=”6231″ bg_position=”center bottom” parallax_bg=”true” row_shape=”polygon” text_color=”light”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”50 px”][vc_custom_heading text=”2018 Maven Award Recipients, Hartford” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center|color:%23ffffff” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_empty_space height=”150 px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Medria Blue

Award Winning Educator

Ms. Blue-Ellis has had a distinguished career as an educator with over 20 years experience in the field. She has been an educator in private and public schools; magnet and traditional schools; priority and high performing schools; and middle and high schools.

Ms. Blue-Ellis was an award-winning teacher in both the public and private schools in which she taught. She has been a consultant and instructional coach and has proven record of developing and supporting teachers whose development is critical to the teaching and learning process.

She has been a building administrator for 15 years. She was Assistant Principal at both Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy and Edgewood Magnet School prior to becoming principal of ESUMS almost 8 years ago. Her understanding of the college preparatory needs of students as well as the need for corporate readiness is driven by being an alumnus of the prestigious INROADS career development program, being a high school teacher at Hamden Hall Country Day and being an adjunct professor at both Gateway Community College and Quinnipiac University.

Ms. Blue-Ellis enjoys spending time with her Howard University college sweetheart, now husband of 20+ years, 3 amazing sons, and family and friends. She is active in civic organizations such as Jack and Jill of America, New Haven Chapter and Alpha Kappa Alpha, Theta Epsilon Omega Chapter.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Karen Amaker

Founding director of the Norwalk Early College Academy (NECA)

KAREN AMAKER is the founding director of the Norwalk Early College Academy (NECA), the first P-TECH 9-14 school in the state of Connecticut. Karen began her career in education in 1995 as the director of Summerbridge New Haven, a national education non-profit located at Hopkins School. During her tenure, Karen was instrumental in advancing the program’s mission to build a new corps of young teachers and expanding the public-private collaboration between Hopkins and New Haven Public Schools. Karen worked closely with New Haven school leaders to establish year-round after school tutoring programs at numerous middle schools throughout the city and employed high school students as tutors. Karen resigned her position at Summerbridge in 2000 yet continued her service to students as program coordinator for A Better Chance in Connecticut and New York. Karen’s work with private schools eventually led to her being recruited to lead the middle school division of Presidio Hill School in San Francisco, California; Presidio Hill is the oldest progressive school in California. Upon returning to Connecticut several years later, Karen assumed the position of director of educational opportunity programs at Yale University School of Medicine. While there, Karen supported students enrolled in the minority medical program and directed the S.C.H.O.L.A.R.S program. S.C.H.O.L.A.R.S provided public high school students with a residential summer learning opportunity on the Yale University campus. With a passion for public education and commitment to providing quality educational experiences for all learners, Karen eventually made her way to the public school setting. She served as a school counselor at Wilbur Cross High School and college counselor at New Haven Academy (NHA). Karen placed 100% of NHA’s seniors at college and universities across the country. Karen joined Norwalk Public Schools in 2007 and, in her ten years with the district, has assumed the role of school counselor, guidance department chair, and assistant principal. She was hired as NECA’s founding director in 2014.

NECA partners with Norwalk Community College and IBM to provide rigorous high school and college coursework leading to a no-cost associate degree in software engineering, web development or mobile programming, and the type of paid workplace experience that prepares graduates for the “real world.” NECA graduated its first class of scholars in June 2018. Nearly 20 percent of the scholars from NECA’s inaugural class earned their high school diploma and associate degrees a full two years ahead of schedule. 32 percent of the scholars in our first cohort have completed paid internships with IBM. One of this year’s graduates joins IBM as a Cloud Systems Analyst, while the other graduates are proceeding to four-year institutions such as Stevens Institute of Technology, Clarkson University, the University of Connecticut, American University, and Lehigh University. The remaining first-year graduates will matriculate at NCC in the fall.

Karen’s educational background includes an Associate of Science degree from Gateway Community College and a Bachelor of Science degree from Wesleyan University. She completed graduate work at Southern Connecticut State University and earned two Masters of Science degrees in Sociology and Community Counseling, as well as a 6th Year Professional Diploma in School Counseling. Karen earned her certification in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University. She is a former Urban School Leaders fellow and Relay Graduate School of Education National Principals Academy Fellow.

Karen enjoys spending time with her seven-year-old son, Kristopher, and their dog Gizmo. She also enjoys travelling, photography, and reading.

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