Winter Wonderland 2025

Born and raised in Italy to Ghanian parents, Nancy moved to the U.S. in 2001. This was a stark contrast to her experiences growing up near Milan, where she and her family were the only Black people in town. Nancy moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19 with nothing but $175 in her pocket. With no other options available, she started knocking on doors looking for housecleaning jobs. The first woman who hired her fell in love with her story and started recommending her to neighbors. Within months, Nancy had a thriving business cleaning the homes of people like Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Steve Harvey and Travis Barker. She didn’t know that her clients were famous. All she cared about was having enough money to make her and her mother U.S. citizens, which she did. "My L.A. experience created my mindset for business," Nancy says. "I used the first hundred dollars I earned cleaning houses to buy even more cleaning supplies. Then I just kept going from there. I realized that if entrepreneurship could change my life, it could also change the lives of other people like me.” The woman also spent time to teach Nancy how to balance a checkbook and thought her everything she knew about being financially literate, including how to manager her credit. After traveling to over 60 countries as a flight attendant and learning even more languages (she now speaks seven, including Japanese), Nancy’s key life moment occurred when she lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. After earning several promotions at a major bank, she learned that people of color in the bank’s call center were earning $10-12 less per hour than their white counterparts, even if they had the same or more responsibilities. After helping her colleagues secure fair pay, improve their resumes and land better jobs elsewhere, Nancy got a vision for an organization that could help address inequity at a systemic level. She started Black Business Enterprises (BBE) in 2015. BBE’s mission is to give minority entrepreneurs access to capital and other critical resources they often lack — including financial literacy, business planning, technology, marketing and mentorship — so they can start, grow and sustain successful businesses that improve their lives and build their communities. Today, BBE has over 72,000 registered members in 32 countries and every state, including Nancy’s current home base of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Nancy’s future goals for BBE include reaching 1 million members worldwide, making sure that every BBE member goes through rigorous financial literacy training, and raising $4 million so BBE can provide larger grants and make an even greater impact. In addition to BBE, Nancy owns a home care agency with her family; performs diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racist behavior training for businesses; is a popular one-on-one coach and mentor for entrepreneurs; and hosts the popular Black Business Enterprises podcast and the Black Business Ball.

Dr. Tamara Mattison serves as Senior Administrative Manager at Hennepin County Safe Communities. Previously, she was Assistant Divisional Social Service Director for the Salvation Army Northern Division and leads Generation 2 Generation, Inc., while also directing the nonprofit Salt, Light, & Love: Restoring Hope and Imagining Justice! In 2014, she founded Minnesota’s first Safe Harbor Shelter for girls aged 12-17 affected by sex trafficking for 180 Degree’s. She became the first African American Executive Director of Dispute Resolution Center in 2017. Dr. Mattison is regarded as a dedicated Servant Leader. She is a skilled nonprofit leader, advocate for marginalized communities, and serves as a Restorative Practices trainer for the Minnesota Department of Education. With over twenty-five years’ experience in leadership, Dr. Mattison has supported diverse populations through work with schools, community groups, faith organizations, juvenile corrections, and local government agencies in the Twin Cities.

“Empowering others to walk by faith and live by it.” Fueled by a passion to see people healed, thriving and walking boldly in their purpose, Sarah Naava is a mission led serial entrepreneur empowering others through faith, mentorship, community, and brands that inspire breakthrough, growth, and transformation. She is the founder of Be Designed Clothing, “Where Faith & Fashion Collide” a clothing brand encouraging believers to be bold in their faith and confident in who they are called to be. Bringing visions to life, Sarah offers custom apparel for other brands and organizations through Be Designed Customs. Her heart for emotional and spiritual development shines through her nonprofit organization, Be a Sister Foundation, which focuses on helping women process relational offense and unforgiveness while supporting them in discovering and cultivating their purpose. The foundation teaches emotional regulation and conflict resolution skills, promoting and steering women toward true emotional wellness. Be a Sister hosts bi-monthly events centered around faith, personal growth, and sisterhood. In addition, she is the host of The Sarah Naava Show, a testimonial show where she shares how God changed her and her name; a platform created to allow believers to share their stories and testimonies of God’s redeeming power. Sarah is the visionary behind Bosses Connect, a networking community in the Twin Cities created to promote local networking events and connect new entrepreneurs and professionals to resources, relationships, and opportunities that support them on their journey, further proving that community over competition ensures we all win. Through every venture, Sarah continues to live out her mission: creating spaces, connections, and experiences that inspire transformation from the inside out, reminding people that they were designed with purpose.

Clarence Diggs is a dedicated IT professional with over years of experience specializing in network and cloud engineering. With deep expertise across Cisco, Aruba, AWS, and enterprise networking, he has led and participated in mission-critical deployments that strengthen performance, security, and business scalability. Clarence is also advancing his skills in AI, Agentic AI systems, and Generative technologies, using this emerging capability to help businesses automate operations, enhance customer experiences, and modernize their technical workflows. Beyond engineering, Clarence is committed to training, mentorship, and investing in the next generation of IT talent. He is passionate about empowering individuals and small businesses with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in a technology-driven future.

Dominique is committed to helping business owners keep more of their hard-earned money by transforming the way they accept payments. His company, Pro Commerce Solutions, provides custom payment solutions for businesses to accept payments, saving up to 98% on swipe fees. This is a game-changer for entrepreneurs looking to increase profit margins, streamline transactions, and operate with smarter financial systems. To book a free consultation, email procommersolutions@gmail.com or call (612) 924-5404.

Nyia Harris is the founder of Nyia Harris, LLC. A company focused on creating meaningful dialogue through public speaking engagements. Using her skills in public speaking and content creation, Nyia creates an engaging and memorable experience for all of her clients. She is passionate about helping others develop the valuable skill of connecting with people on a deep level.

Bio coming soon!

Bio coming soon!

Blandyblanche Kum is a Cameroonian-born creative visionary who moved to the U.S. in 2016 and built one of the most heartfelt event brands in her community. With no capital, clients, or roadmap, she launched her business in 2021 and rebranded it in 2024 to BlandysEvents, which she proudly calls her “baby.” From balloon artistry and luxury décor to gift boxes and hands-on classes, Blandyblanche has grown her brand through resilience, faith, and a deep passion for creating unforgettable moments. Today, she continues to elevate her craft, serve clients with excellence, and inspire others to build their dreams from the ground up.