The People of Purpose Network-Kenya (POPKenya) brings together visionary leaders who are experts in their fields to share insights on how cross-border businesses can grow faster together. Our speakers represent a bridge between African and American markets, offering the strategy and experience needed to forge substantive partnerships.
Dr. Tiffany Rogers Bussey
Founding Executive Director, Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MIEC)
Dr. Tiffany Rogers Bussey is the Founding Executive Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MIEC) at Morehouse College — recognized as a global model for advancing minority entrepreneurship through strategic research, consulting, and training. Holding a Doctorate in Business Administration (Strategic Management) from Heriot-Watt University, she leads multidisciplinary teams to deliver contract support, process improvement, and organizational management solutions to minority-serving institutions.
Under her visionary leadership, the MIEC has empowered countless entrepreneurs from underserved communities to build successful ventures, strengthening Atlanta’s inclusive economic ecosystem. In 2024, Dr. Bussey was honored as one of the Atlanta Business League’s 100 Women of Influence — a testament to her transformative impact in higher education, federal grants management, and organizational leadership.
Marilyn Jackson
President & CEO, UnderGrid Networks | Founder, The Blockchain Alliance
Marilyn Jackson is a strategic technology innovator with over two decades of senior-level experience transforming Fortune 500 companies through digital adoption. As President & CEO of UnderGrid Networks — a technology engineering firm headquartered in Atlanta — and Founder of The Blockchain Alliance, she is one of the few women entrepreneurs leading at the intersection of Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and Cybersecurity. Her distinguished corporate career spans Verizon’s Innovation Vertical Team, IBM, Cisco Systems, and the Department of Defense, where she held a TS/SCI security clearance.
A Computer Science graduate of the University of Maryland, Air Force veteran, and Patriot Boot Camp alumna, Marilyn is a globally recognized thought leader and frequent speaker on emerging technologies and the future of work. She actively champions diversity in tech through her involvement with Black Women in Science and Engineering (BWISE), the Society of Women Engineers, the Grace Hopper Conference, and the City of Atlanta’s Women Entrepreneur Initiative — mentoring the next generation of women and minority leaders in high technology.
Charles Kollo
Head of Innovation, BBIF | Author | Fintech Strategist
Charles Kollo operates at the intersection of payments, underwriting, and institutional strategy — helping mission-driven financial organizations modernize how capital reaches people and businesses. As Head of Innovation at BBIF (a mid-size investment fund based in Florida), he transforms fragmented operations into scalable, compliant lending infrastructure through payments-connected underwriting, automation-first servicing workflows, and CRM-driven customer journeys. His career spans three continents, with leadership roles at Kowri, Slydepay, DreamOval, MessageGears, and NCR Nigeria, and academic credentials from EDC Paris Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and Harvard Extension School.
Beyond institutional finance, Charles is a builder of access — supporting diaspora participation in African markets through ownership infrastructure, not just remittances. He is the author of Among Gold and Cowries, bridging historical African value systems with modern finance. An entrepreneur at heart, his earliest venture, Shelterous.com, was recognized at the Harvard Extension School of Business Conference in 2012. He actively pursues partnerships in inclusive finance, CDFI modernization, and Global Africa strategy, and welcomes mentorship and board opportunities.
Dr. Chris Brooks
Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Clarendon Capital Ventures | Advisor | Author
Dr. Chris Brooks is a thought leader, investor, educator, and change agent with over 25 years of experience spanning venture capital, academia, and nonprofit leadership. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clarendon Capital Ventures (founded 2024), he targets high-impact investment opportunities across Africa and African diaspora communities globally — guided by his pioneering concept of “identity investing.” He also co-founded Brown Venture Group, a venture studio dedicated to BIPOC technology entrepreneurs, and successfully exited a business he co-founded in 2018. He serves on the Advisory Board of Harvard Business Review, advises The Pula Group and the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit, and guest lectures at Stanford University.
Deeply rooted at the intersection of faith, race, and economics, Dr. Brooks has spent his career dismantling systems that sustain generational poverty — through research, teaching, and capital deployment. His 2024 bestselling book Omówálé explores identity, heritage, and the future of Black human flourishing. A proud son of a Jamaican mother and American father, Dr. Brooks calls Atlanta, Georgia home, where he continues reshaping narratives around African potential and positioning diaspora capital as a transformative force for global change.
Dr. Fadhel Kaboub
President, Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity | Associate Professor of Economics, Denison University
Dr. Fadhel Kaboub is a leading economist and public intellectual working at the intersection of monetary theory, job creation, and economic justice. As President of the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and Associate Professor of Economics at Denison University, his research draws on Post Keynesian and Modern Money Theory (MMT) frameworks to argue that sovereign nations can achieve full employment, universal healthcare, and sustainable prosperity — without the burden of fiscal austerity. He has held research affiliations with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, and the Center for Full Employment and Price Stability, and has presented at Columbia, Cornell, Sorbonne, and the National University of Singapore.
A native of Tunisia with a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dr. Kaboub brings deep regional expertise in the economies of the United States and the Middle East & North Africa. His work has been published in leading academic journals and featured in the Financial Times, NPR, BBC, and Al-Ahram Weekly, among others. He is a passionate advocate for financial sovereignty in developing nations and policies that guarantee dignified work and living wages for all.
Rev. Nelson B. Rivers, III
Vice President, Religious Affairs & External Relations, NAACP | Pastor, Charity Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Nelson B. Rivers, III is a preacher, civil rights legend, and community organizer whose more than 38 years with the NAACP have left an indelible mark on American history. Rising from branch president in North Charleston, SC to Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Stakeholder Relations, he tripled NAACP membership in South Carolina and helped elect over 300 Black officials in the state between 1986 and 1994. He was the lead organizer of the largest civil rights demonstration in South Carolina history — a 50,000-person march on the state capitol in January 2000 demanding removal of the Confederate Battle Flag. A graduate of Wilberforce University and current Board of Trustees member, he has appeared on CNN, NPR, and 60 Minutes, and had a speaking role in the Sidney Poitier film Separate But Equal.
Since 2008, Rev. Rivers has served as Pastor of Charity Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, SC, and is co-president of the Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM) — an interfaith coalition of 25 congregations committed to addressing the root causes of poverty and injustice. Among his many honors are the Order of the Palmetto (South Carolina’s highest award), induction into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame, an Honorary Doctorate from Wilberforce University, and the Medgar Evers Award of Excellence as the NAACP’s top staff professional.
Dr. Kyle Rose, Sr.
Inventor | Applied Physics Professor | Founder & CEO, KROSE TEK
Dr. Kyle Rose, Sr. is a distinguished scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur whose career spans missiles, nuclear energy, NASA Mars exploration programs, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Holding a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Alabama A&M University, alongside graduate and undergraduate degrees in Industrial Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology, Dr. Rose brings rare multi-disciplinary depth to the frontiers of sustainable energy and ag-tech innovation. As Founder of KROSE TEK (KRose Technologies and Sustainable Solutions LLC), he is commercializing breakthrough technologies through licensing, product manufacturing, and prototyping — targeting business, manufacturing, municipalities, research institutions, and governments.
A passionate advocate for STEM education and sustainability, Dr. Rose is affiliated with the National Society of Black Physicists, the Society of Photonics Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the Alabama Academy of Science, the Alabama Center for Sustainable Energy, and the Gordon Research Fellowship, among others. He also serves as a mentor through the North Alabama Center of Educational Excellence and lectures on sustainability awareness across all levels of education — bridging cutting-edge science with community
Dr. Kim Cliett Long, Ed.D.
Project Administrator, Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center, USC Beaufort | Cultural Historian | Author
Dr. Kim Cliett Long is an internationally respected scholar, cultural historian, and executive whose work spans education, public policy, maritime heritage, and global leadership. As Project Administrator for the Jonathan Green Maritime Cultural Center at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, she leads initiatives preserving the untold narratives of African-descended peoples in shaping port cities and world trade. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Royal Society of Public Health, Royal Anthropological Institute, and Royal Geographical Society — all under royal patronage — she has visited 219 port cities across six continents deepening her research into coastal and maritime histories. Her inclusion in The HistoryMakers at the Library of Congress, the largest African American oral history archive in the world, cements her legacy as a preeminent voice in cultural preservation. She has raised over $25 million for arts, education, and children’s causes.
Author of The First Marketplace: Africa’s Role in Shaping World Trade (2025) and the forthcoming Urban Enslavement in British Colonial Port Cities (Palgrave Macmillan), Dr. Long is also a twice-invited presenter at the Oxford Roundtable, a U.S. Ambassador to the Board of National Museums Liverpool, and Commander of the Naval Order of the United States. Her honors include the 2025 National History Award from The Black Women’s Agenda, a 2024 Proclamation of Dr. Kim Cliett Long Day by the City of Charleston, and President Biden’s Lifetime Volunteer Service Award.
Joan Robinson-Berry
Retired Vice President & Chief Engineer, Boeing Global Services | Aerospace Trailblazer
Joan Robinson-Berry is a pioneering aerospace executive whose 33-year career at Boeing shattered barriers at every level of the industry. As Vice President & Chief Engineer of Boeing Global Services — and previously VP/General Manager of Boeing South Carolina — she oversaw fleet engineering, aircraft modifications, MRO facilities, and a global supply chain delivering over $8 billion in goods and services. A historic first at every turn, she was the first African American program manager at McDonnell Douglas, the first African American on Boeing’s Engineering Process Council, and the first African American VP on the Shared Services Leadership Team. She holds a B.S. in Engineering Technology from Cal Poly Pomona and an M.S. in Engineering Management from UC Riverside, alongside honorary doctorates in Business, Law, and Engineering from three universities.
Recognized by Black Enterprise as one of the most Powerful Women in Corporate America (2019) and inducted into the Career Communications Group Alumni Hall of Fame (2012), Robinson-Berry is an Associate Technical Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of the African Scientific Institute. Her legacy extends beyond aerospace — as the first person from her childhood neighborhood to earn an engineering degree, she remains a powerful symbol of possibility and purpose for the next generation of STEM leaders.
Mac McNeil
Founder & CEO, BERTHA Inc. | Executive Leader | U.S. Army Veteran
Mac McNeil is a top-performing multinational executive and entrepreneur named one of the 10 Most Influential Black Corporate Leaders to Watch by CIO Views Magazine. As Founder & CEO of BERTHA Inc., he is building a revolutionary online retail and distribution platform connecting Black-owned businesses from the United States and Africa with global consumers — positioning BERTHA as the premier marketplace for the global African diaspora. His executive career spans Bank of America (VP/Operations Market Manager overseeing 60 Financial Centers and a $2B P&L), Synchrony Bank (Operations Optimization), Community Reinvestment Fund USA (Enterprise Operations), and NCRC Community Development Fund in Washington, D.C. He began his leadership journey as a U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst in Special Operations Command, specializing in Psychological Operations.
Holding a Doctorate (ABD) in Organizational Leadership and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a B.S. in Business Administration from Pfeiffer University, Mac brings exceptional depth across fintech, community development, and operational transformation. He serves on the Board of Directors for Jobs for America’s Graduates and has served on boards for Feeding America and Inspire Life Skills Training. A featured honoree in Who’s Who of Black Charlotte, he is a proven builder of people, systems, and institutions that drive lasting economic impact.
Dominique Milton
President & Chief Engagement Officer, Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (CVMSDC)
Dominique Milton — known as an Intentional Connector — is President & Chief Engagement Officer of the Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Development Council (CVMSDC), a regional affiliate of the NMSDC, the nation’s largest certifying agency for Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) with over 15,000 members. Since assuming leadership in 2018, she has driven the Council’s mission to certify, develop, connect, and advocate for ethnic minority-owned businesses across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Her 35+ years of corporate experience include serving as VP of Business Development at A10 Clinical Solutions, and leading retail expansion and merger efforts for a global telecommunications company. Voted a Top 25 Supplier Diversity Professional, she holds a B.S. in Economics from Spelman College and an MBA in Marketing from Penn State University, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration.
A dedicated community servant, Dominique is a graduate of the Riley Institute’s SC Diversity Leaders Initiative, a South Carolina Education Policy Fellow, and recently completed a four-year term on the Mt. Pleasant Constituent School Board. She serves on numerous boards across the Carolinas, is an engaged volunteer with local public schools, and teaches Women’s Sunday School at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Charleston. She and her husband William Milton Jr., CFP, are the proud parents of three young adults.