COHI-INC. PRESENTS THE

8TH ANNUAL MWBE WEALTH SUMMIT

Oct. 16, 2026 | Syracuse, NY

What is the MWBE Wealth Summit?

The MWBE Wealth Summit is a transformative event designed specifically for those who are ready to take control of their financial future. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to make smarter financial decisions, this summit will provide you with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to build a strong and sustainable financial portfolio.

What to expect:

The power of real estate investing
Controling your money, not letting it control you
Increasing your income
Entrepreneurship
Generational wealth
Financial freedom and how to accomplish it
Networking opportunites

8th Annual MWBEES Growth Summit

Boost your biz and connect live!

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Voices from the Community

Join Us at the 8th ANNUAL MWBEES 2026 |THE GROWTH SUMMIT!

Get ready for an amazing in-person experience where ideas spark and connections grow. This event is all about collaboration, innovation, and taking your ventures to the next level.

Rub elbows with industry leaders, network with community stakeholders, corporate sponsors, panelists, special guests, and like-minded individuals. Gain valuable insights into wealth-building strategies in preparation for the MWBE Wealth Summit: Building Your Financial Portfolio.

This in-person event is your chance to connect with key players in the MWBE community and take your business to the next level. Enjoy food and drinks while you mingle, learn, and grow your wealth! Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity!

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

John Hope Bryant, Founder & Chairman of Operation Hope and Bryant Group Ventures, LLC

John Hope Bryant is a visionary entrepreneur, philanthropic leader, and bestselling author working at the intersection of business, public policy, and social justice. As Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, he leads the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to financial literacy, economic empowerment, and dignity for underserved communities. Under his leadership, Operation HOPE has served over 4 million individuals and is recognized as the largest Black-founded and Black-led nonprofit in the U.S. by annual budget.

A trusted advisor to CEOs, U.S. presidents, and global leaders, Bryant is the architect of “Inclusive Capitalism” and the co-chair of the Financial Literacy for All initiative alongside Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. He also co-chairs the newly launched AI Ethics Council with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, shaping responsible technology governance for underserved communities.

Bryant is the founder of multiple successful enterprises including The Promise Homes Company—one of the largest for-profit, single-family residential rental owners of color in America. A bestselling author of six books on economic empowerment including Up From Nothing, How the Poor Can Save Capitalism and Financial Literacy for All, his latest efforts focus on rebuilding the American middle class by “Raising the Third” — uplifting the bottom third of Americans into the economic mainstream.

Named one of Time’s “50 Leaders for the Future” and honored by Inc. as “Entrepreneur of the Year,” Bryant continues to lead with a mission: to make free enterprise work for everyone.

Mayor Sharon Owens, City Of Syracuse

Sharon F. Owens is the 55th Mayor of the City of Syracuse. Mayor Owens was elected to lead the city in 2025. She was elected with an overwhelming majority of votes and is the first African American and second woman to serve as Mayor in the city’s history.

Mayor Owens is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She attended Syracuse University as a track and field scholar-athlete, becoming an Orange Plus Hall of Fame inductee and achieving Olympic qualifying status in the women’s long jump. In her time in Syracuse, Owens found community, mentorship, and her spark for service.

Owens’ journey in nonprofit service and leadership began at Dunbar as a Syracuse University intern. Over time, her service grew to include significant community revitalization initiatives, securing expanded support for human services and communities in need. This includes serving as the Early Head Start Family and Community Coordinator and Youth Services Component Director for P.E.A.C.E. Owens was also the third CEO of Syracuse Community Connections at Southwest Community Center, Deputy Director of Housing for Home HeadQuarters, Inc., and Jubilee Homes of Syracuse. In each role, she was responsible for organizational operations, program development, grant writing, supervision of staff, and developing relationships with countless families throughout the city, assisting them in strengthening their households and neighborhoods through affordable housing and community development programs.

Owens would go on to serve as Deputy Commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development from 2010 to 2013 during the Mayor Miner Administration. In this role, Owens administered the City’s Community Development Block Grant funding to foster the revitalization of neighborhoods and the creation of job opportunities through housing, community development, and economic development efforts. She also managed Section 3 and Minority/Women-Owned Business participation for funded projects. She returned to City Hall with the Mayor Walsh Administration in 2018 to serve as Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff. In that role, she oversaw city programs and services that address quality of life, including Neighborhood and Business Development, Diversity and Inclusion programs, and the Police and Fire Departments.

Her role as an executive and community leader would also continue to expand to include Board President of BluePrint 15, Inc., a non-profit organization committed to working with residents, community partners, and local leaders of the Historic 15th Ward to reconnect

and rebuild the community in a manner that reflects the needs and wants of neighborhood residents. She served on the Central New York Community Engagement Committee, which

was created to identify community priorities and develop a process for directing investments from New York State and MICRON in the Central New York region. She is an ex officio mayoral appointee to the CNY Works Board of Directors, which ensures that Central New York attracts and supports new businesses, job seekers, and employment training providers. She also serves on the Southside Community Growth Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors.

Mayor Owens resides on the city’s East Side.

Director Emeritus, Margaret (Meg) O’Connell, Allyn Family Foundation

Margaret (Meg) O’Connell recently retired after 30 years as Executive Director of the Allyn Family Foundation. She now serves as President of SEED Syracuse, a not for profit organization committed to social purpose real estate development. Prior to joining the Allyn Family Foundation, Meg worked in nonprofit fund development and from 2012-2013 served as Interim President of Onondaga Community College.

In 2019, Meg led the creation of a 78,000 sq. ft. building in downtown Syracuse known as the Salt City Market. In her new role as President of SEED Syracuse, Meg is leading the redevelopment of the Chimes Building at 500 South Salina Street. Meg has a long history of community involvement and leadership, serving on the Board of Directors of organizations including the Syracuse Urban Partnership, Early Childhood Alliance, Blueprint 15, CenterState CEO, CNY Works, Onondaga Community College and the Play Space. She has received numerous awards for her dedication and commitment to the community. Meg is a graduate of Dartmouth College and she and her husband, Eric Allyn, have three daughters and 2 grandchildren.

HOST

Bishop Ronald B. Dewberry, Center Of Hope International, Inc.

Bishop Ronald B. Dewberry, known for his visionary and leadership acumen, is a highly respected prophetic voice, civic leader, event organizer, mentor, CEO and a serial entrepreneur. As a highly sought after speaker, he has served in the pastorate, prison and campus ministry for over 40 years in Ohio and New York, and has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, and the Caribbean.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Dewberry is married to Cindy Marie Dewberry, and father of two adult sons, Aaron and Jared, and grandfather to Ezekiel Aron Dewberry. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Mass-Media Communications from the University of Akron (Akron Ohio) in 1981, a Masters Degree in Religious Studies in 1988, acquired a Masters of Divinity equivalency and enrolled in two separate Doctor Of Ministry Programs with a concentration in Black Church Studies & Transformative Leadership at Ashland Theological Seminary (Ashland, Ohio) and Colgate Rochester Divinity School (Rochester, NY), just shy of completing his dissertations in both academic programs. While at CRDS, he also served as an Adjunct Professor of Black Church Studies in the PEARL Program (a 3 years diploma program), and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from St. Thomas Christian College (Jacksonville, FL) in May 2006.

“Bishop,” as he is affectionately referenced, is the Senior Pastor and Founder of New Life Temple of Praise, Founder & Chairman of Center of Hope International, Inc. (www.cohi-inc.org), a 501 (c) 3 non-profit charitable organization dedicated to youth STEM coding and education, financial literacy and entrepreneurial and economic development. He is host of the annual Minorities & Women’s Business Economic Empowerment Summit (MWBEES), the largest minority-owned business summit in Central New York.

Bishop Dewberry is currently a member of Micron Technology’s Community Engagement Committee, a civic group of regional leaders appointed and charged by NYS Governor Kathy Hochul to oversee Micron’s $500 million community social impact investment, a former member of the Board of Directors for Upstate Minority Economic Alliance, Rescue Mission, Protestant Chaplains Association of the New York State Council of Churches, CNY Community Foundation, Inter-Faith Works (formerly the Inter-Religious Council), and co-founder of a grass-root committee that raised $250 thousand dollars to conserve of 6 clay Underground Railroad Faces created by runaways slaves during the Abolition Period hidden in the basement of a downtown building in Syracuse, NY. Bishop Dewberry later donated the original copies of the faces to the Onondaga Historical Association, and gave duplicate copies to Syracuse University’s Archeology Department, Colgate University, The National Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Bethany Baptist Church, Syracuse, NY.

On May 20, 2011, Bishop Dewberry was consecrated to the Office of Bishop Ordinaire in the Temple of Praise International Fellowship of Churches, Washington, DC, Bishop Glenn A Staples, Prelate, Washington DC, and Bishop Thomas Dexter Jakes, Dallas, Texas.

AGENDA

Program

Opening General Session (9:00-10:30 AM)

MC: Evelyn Hoskins Ingram, Executive Leader in Community Engagement, Private and nonprofit partnerships & Public Affairs, Wegmans Food Markets

Greetings:

Bishop Ronald B. Dewberry, Host, Founder & CEO, Center of Hope International, Inc

Daniel Kolinski, Regional Director, Empire State Development

Anthony M. Gaddy, Co-Founder & President/CEO, Upstate New York Black Chamber of Commerce

Attorney Jason Myles Clark, Executive Vice President, MWBD/Empire State Development

Presentation of the “Empowerment Catalyst Award,” to Margaret (Meg) O’Connell, Director Emeritus, Allyn Family Foundation for her long history of dedicated work in the City of Syracuse for “economic empowerment, systemic change, and lasting partnerships.”

Introduction of the Morning Speaker, Tamika Otis, Corporate Responsibility Manager & Community Relations, KeyBank

Fireside Chat, The Honorable Sharon F. Owens, Mayor, City of Syracuse, NY

PLENARY SESSION ROOM I (10:45-11:45 AM)

Get Funding Ready; Connect with Local Funding Programs and People, by Sherri Falck, Chief of Staff, Senior Vice-President, Pursuit Lending, and David Ocasio Ross, AVP of Mortgage Sales, AmeriCU Credit Union facilitate by Sheena Solomon, Executive Director, The Rosamond Gifford Foundation (Hemlock)

Session Description: With the rapid increase of online lenders, business owners have many more funding options available to them, but some are predatory and come at a high cost. This session will review what local funding options are available to entrepreneurs and how to secure capital to start or grow a business. Led by Sherri Falck of Pursuit, this session will breakdown the current lending landscape, how to find a funder and lending program that is right for you. Walk away with how to prepare get funding so when you’re in need of capital, you have the network and knowledge to access it.

Building a Brand That Creates Business Growth: Aligning Marketing, Messaging, and Purpose for Greater Impact, Victoria Bracco, President & CEO, Encore Media Agency, LLC facilitated by Anne Messenger, President Emeritus, Messenger Associates, Career Strategist, Executive Coach (Canandaigua)

Session Description: In today’s crowded marketplace, organizations can no longer rely on marketing alone to drive sustainable growth. This session explores how strategic branding, clear messaging, and integrated marketing work together to increase visibility, build trust, strengthen customer relationships, and create measurable business results. Attendees will learn practical strategies for aligning their brand mission with their marketing efforts, creating authentic connections with their audiences, and positioning their organizations for long-term success and influence.

Crisis Management & Business Continuity, Susan Crossett, President & CEO, Sapphire Recruitment LLC, and Gwen Webber-McLeod, President & CEO, Gwen, Inc & You Can’t Fail Conference (Canandaigua)

Session Description: This plenary provides minority business owners with actionable frameworks to navigate disruptions. Attendees will learn to build resilient, adaptable businesses by establishing clear crisis communication strategies, identifying critical business dependencies, and protecting their operation against unexpected emergencies—securing long-term stability and growth.

PLENARY SESSION ROOMS II (12:00 – 01:00 PM)

How Certification Opens Doors to Contracts and Capital, by Meghan Florkowski, Director, Jennifer McGee, Program Manager, Me’Shae Brooks-Rolling, MWBE Certification Consultant Specialist, WISE Women’s Business Center, and Amber Stevens, Senior Procurement Counselor, Upstate NY APEX Accelerator.

Session Description: Certification is just the beginning. This session moves beyond the application process to explore how entrepreneurs can actively leverage their certified status to access procurement opportunities, corporate supplier diversity programs, and funding that requires certification as a qualifier. Panelists will include certification specialists and business owners who have used their certification to open doors, grow revenue, and build lasting partnerships.

Should I Use AI in My Business?

Tagline: Build the AI toolkit your business actually needs, Malini Krishna, Vice President, Senior Business Strategist, Business Advisory Services, Pursuit Lending (Hemlock)

Session Description: AI is in every business conversation right now, but few owners are being shown how it can actually pay off: saving hours, cutting costs, and helping smaller businesses compete with much larger ones. Led by Malini Krishna of Pursuit, AI-certified through Chief and the AI-First Academy, this session shows you how to choose the right AI tools. Protect your business data with privacy guardrails and put AI to work without putting your business at risk. Walk away with an AI Action Plan you can start using in your business this week.

LUNCHEON (1:15-3:00 PM)

MC: Melanie Littlejohn, President & CEO, Central New York Community Foundation

Greetings:

Joseph Nehme, Senior Manager of External Affairs, Micron Technology

Rafael (Ray) Salaberrios, Senior Vice President, Small Business Capital Access, Empire State Development

Introduction of Speaker: Bishop Ronald B. Dewberry, MWBEES26 Host, Founder & CEO, COHI-INC. and New Life Temple of Praise, Syracuse, NY

John Hope Bryant, Founder & Chairman of Operation Hope and Bryant Group Ventures, LLC.

John Hope Bryant – recognized by Forbes as one of the 250 Greatest Self-Made Americans on the occasion of our nation’s 250th anniversary – is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Operation HOPE, the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to financial literacy and inclusive economics, and the founder and CEO of Bryant Group Ventures. Bryant has built a career transforming economic systems for the underserved. He is a New York Times 2026 Bestselling Author of “Capitalism For All: Inclusive Economics and the Future Proofing Of America.”

Supplier Diversity Meet-n-Greet Expo (3:30-5:00 PM)

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