Moderators & Panelists
Craig Melvin
Craig Melvin is a news anchor on NBC News’ TODAY, co-host of 3rd Hour of TODAY, and a host of syndicated Dateline NBC broadcasts.
The Westport resident has covered a wide range of news events in his decorated career, including several Republican and Democratic National Conventions and three Presidential Inaugurations. His coverage of politics has included notable interviews with former President Bill Clinton, then Vice President Joe Biden, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretaries of State John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, and Condoleezza Rice. In addition, he has covered four Olympic Games and six Super Bowls.
Prior to joining NBC News and MSNBC in 2011, Melvin was a weekend anchor for WRC, NBC’s owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C. Before that, he earned acclaim as an evening news anchor at WIS in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina.
Jay Norris
Jay Norris is the CEO and Co-Founder of Guesst, a performance based leasing software company. Norris is also the CEO and Co-Founder of BlackLight™, the world’s first search engine for Black-Owned businesses. An innovative leader, Norris uses his creativity and imagination to uncover opportunities in today’s challenging retail, real estate placemaking, and media industries. At heart, he is a small to medium-sized business growth executive, uncovering pain points and building software solutions. Norris brings over 25 years of experience in lifestyle and experiential marketing working with Arista Records, Sony Music, and Tastemakers Media.
Kal Amin
Kal Amin is the Co-founder and CEO of Sounder, an AI-powered, end-to-end audio data and contextual targeting platform that is shaping the future of the podcasting ecosystem. He has spent 20+ years in media and technology and has held executive roles at some of the world’s leading technology platforms. Prior to founding Sounder, Amin served as the VP of Global Business Operations at Spotify, GM of Sponsored Listings at AOL, Director of Global Market Development at Google, and most recently, as the President and COO of content curation platform Flipboard. He is an active angel investor and serves as an advisor to multiple early-stage companies including Latina Podcasters and BetterOn. Amin holds a BA in History from West Virginia University and resides in Westport with his family.
Wesly Arbuthnott
Wesly Arbuthnott is the owner and operator of 29 Markle Court, a farm to table, vegetable-forward dining and cocktail experience in downtown Bridgeport CT. Wesly started his career as a barber and has owned several barber shops. In addition to 29 Markle Court, Wesly is also a general contractor, working on large and small home improvement projects.
Eric Freeman
Eric Freeman is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Grandview Partners, a real estate investment management company. Prior to forming Grandview in 2019, Freeman served as a Managing Director in the Acquisitions Group at Greenfield and was a member of Greenfield’s investment committee. Before that, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at Citigroup, Inc. in both the Mergers and Acquisitions and Real Estate and Lodging groups.
Ilka Gregory
Ilka Gregory is an entrepreneurial investment and family office executive currently serving as a Senior Advisor to Fiat Ventures, an emerging and minority owned Fintech venture capital firm, OasisPro, a global fintech infrastructure provider for real world assets and digital securities, The HBAR Foundation, the grant program established to empower entrepreneurs to build on the Hedera blockchain network, and Ironline Partners, a real estate investment, development and management firm. Most recently, Ilka launched the family office for the founder and executives of Digital Currency Group, HQ Digital. Prior to joining HQ Digital, Ilka served as Head of Client Relationships at Truvvo Partners (now Lazard Family Office). Ilka was on the firm’s Investment Committee and led the firm's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion efforts. Ilka was also on the executive team for the female led venture fund and minority owned purpose-driven private equity fund. Prior to Truvvo, Ilka worked in senior positions at Bessemer Trust, Third Avenue, Protege Partners, Goldman Sachs and Andersen Consulting. Ilka holds an MBA from Vanderbilt and BBA from Baylor University, where she sits on the executive investment committee of the college's $2B endowment. Ilka is also the co-founder of WiFO, a network of 65 female family office executives. Ilka lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and two children and is a breast cancer survivor. Ilka is involved with a number of local nonprofit organizations.
Craig Livingston
As the Managing Partner of Exact Capital, Mr. Livingston is responsible for the core aspects of the firm’s Commercial REal Estate development activity including structuring, negotiating, financing and managing the firm’s development pipeline and the respective ventures formed around the firm’s development projects. Mr. Livingston has advised, structured, and executed in excess of $1.5 billion of financing for numerous transactions ranging from market rate luxury condominiums, hotels and market rate rentals, to middle and low-income affordable housing. To date Mr. Livingston has developed or preserved over 4,000 residential units and has spearheaded the firm’s national expansions into southern and midwest markets. He has overseen the firm’s marquee development projects including Harlem’s first world class hotel rising above the site of the historic Victoria Theater, and an adjacent mixed income residential tower. Mr. Livingston also serves as Board Chair of the New York Real Estate Chamber (NYREC), the leading advocacy group for diverse developers within New York State. He has also been instrumental in advocating for legislation and policies that support the ideals of increased economic opportunity and access to capital for Minority Commercial Real Estate developers.
Adam Moore
Adam Moore is the CEO and Co-Founder at WHEELHOUSE Center for Health and Wellbeing, a premier multidisciplinary integrative medical center located in downtown Fairfield, CT since 2018. Prior to WHEELHOUSE, Adam founded and operated Moore Creative Living, a New York City-based personal development and wellness company boasting 20 years in business. Moore wears many hats and holds many qualifications. He is nationally certified in neuro-linguistic programming (Master Practitioner), conversational hypnotherapy, and life coaching since 1999. Moore is also a board-certified integrative health nutritionist, an ordained minister, and adept writer, public speaker, and a frequent advisor to the media where he provides expert opinions in the area of psychological blind spots and personal growth.
Pamela Moss
Pamela Moss is the Co-Founder and CTO of BlackLight™, the world’s first search engine for Black-Owned businesses. A seasoned leader with 25+ years of experience building custom software for global consulting firms, including solutions that provide auditing, measuring, and improvement modules for their multinational clients. Her clients work with Fortune 500 corporations on improving cyber security, corruption prevention, intellectual property protection, and social responsibility throughout their supply chains.
Paige Parker
Paige Parker, Co-President, Vibrant Health Solutions has always been driven by her personal journey to achieve optimal health as well as by her strong desire to help others live a healthy lifestyle. This passion for nutrition and wellness led to her career start as a New York City regional manager for Living Well Lady overseeing sales in 80 plus locations. After a decade, Paige transitioned to the banking industry as Westchester Bank @Work Sale Manager for Citibank N.A.. A go-getter with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Paige went on to open Mohegan Naturals, a natural food store in Mohegan Lake, N.Y. Her years of retail experience gave Paige a unique perspective and a deep understanding of the natural products industry. In 2007, Paige and her husband Ted were presented with the opportunity to acquire Vibrant Health, a leading manufacturer of nutritional supplements. For almost 20 years, as Owner and Co-President of the company, Paige has played an instrumental role in shaping the vision and ensuring consistent delivery of the highest quality and most effective nutritional supplements. Paige is a seasoned marketing and business professional and graduated cum laude from Mercy College with a degree in Organizational Management.
Ted Parker is the Co-President of Vibrant Health, an award winning supplement brand, since 2007. Parker was originally a Vibrant Health customer, taking Green Vibrance for a personal health issue that hadn’t been helped by anything else. After seeing incredible results, his wife, Paige Parker, began selling Vibrant Health supplements in her natural products store. After meeting the founder, Mark Timon at the National Products Expo in 2002, Ted was subsequently hired as Vibrant Health’s Director of Sales. Five years later, The Parkers purchased Vibrant Health as a testament to their shared passion for helping people achieve health and wellness. Vibrant Health has been featured on the Black Enterprise List of the nation’s 100 largest black-owned businesses, and has also made the Forbes list of black-owned businesses to support.
Ted Parker
Michele Peterson
Michele Peterson is the Chief Marketing Officer of Blacklight, the world's first search engine for black owned businesses. She also is a Senior Vice President at Epsilon, a global advertising agency. Michele is an accomplished, dynamic, and top-performing international and domestic automotive market leader with extensive experience designing and implementing strategic plans, driving new business sales growth, and managing high performing teams. She has over 30 years in the automotive industry focused on marketing solutions, marketing technology and product development. Michele has consulted with every domestic and foreign based auto brand providing marketing solutions that deliver on customer acquisition and retention.
Kitt Shapiro
Kitt Shapiro is the owner of WEST to WESTPORT, a curated fashion boutique in downtown Westport, CT since 2019. She is also the President of Eartha Kitt Productions; Founder and Owner of Simply Eartha LLC. Simply Eartha™ is a lifestyle brand of home decor, jewelry and stationery items, incorporating the wisdom and beauty of her mother, Eartha Kitt. The Simply Eartha™ brand is a tribute to her mother and a way to share her beauty, philosophies and simple lifestyle with products made in the USA, using natural, recycled and uniquely crafted materials that offer a real connection to the past with a modern appeal. Kitt shares about her life with her legendary mom in her recent memoir, “Eartha & Kitt. A Daughter’s Love Story in Black & White.”