Bea Dixon
Founder & CEO of The Honey Pot
Beatrice Dixon had been suffering with bacterial vaginosis for eight months when one night, an ancestor appeared to Dixon in a dream and provided her with a list of ingredients to heal herself. From that visionary dream, the formula for a powerful and effective herb-powered vaginal wash was created. In 2014, Dixon launched The Honey Pot Company, a plant-derived vaginal wellness line created with a goal of providing humans with vaginas healthy alternatives to traditional feminine care products that are free of unwanted chemicals, carcinogens and sulfates. The rest is history.
Angel Gregorio
CEO of The Spice Suite
Angel Gregorio is the founder and owner of The Spice Suite, a growing community-centric spice boutique, located in the Washington, DC’s Takoma Park community. She created The Spice Suite to offer patrons unique, interactive culinary experiences through fresh spice blends and cooking oils from around the world, customized to disrupt the typical cooking experience. Angel has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to improving the lives of the city’s most at-risk and vulnerable youth and families. Prior to launching her entrepreneurial career, Angel worked in educational leadership and youth advocacy roles as a teacher, counselor, and later Vice Principal. Since embarking on her self-proclaimed “food is fashion” journey, Angel and her businesses have been featured on a variety of local and national media platforms, such as Forbes, Bon Appetit Magazine, Essence and the L.A. Times. Her love for fashionable flavors and natural gifts in the kitchen also landed her a spot in the Top 40 of MasterChef's Season 8 and on local morning television.
Jessica Nabongo
Founder and CEO of The Catch
Jessica Nabongo, a Detroit-born Ugandan-American got her start with traveling when she was just four years old, and in October 2019, she became the first black woman to travel to every country in the world. Jessica is a cultural ambassador, writer, photographer, entrepreneur, travel expert, influencer, and public speaker, whose work is about changing the travel narrative and making the travel space more inclusive. She is the founder and CEO of The Catch, a lifestyle brand featuring goods designed by artisans all over the world, which she discovered during her global adventures. In 2021 Travel+Leisure named her one of the 50 most notable people in travel. Her first book, The Catch Me If You Can, is being published by National Geographic and will be released June 14, 2022.
Mia Ray
CEO of Glam-Aholic Lifestyle
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, a city best known for being a hub of hustlers — Mia’s journey started with a vision and a notebook. Initially launching her “Glam-Aholic Lifestyle” blog in 2010 as a way to share the latest in fashion and beauty, the brand has now expanded to luxury apparel, accessories, hair extensions and home decor. With her latest release, a highly anticipated travel tote and duffle, Ray grossed a record-breaking $700,000 in just under 10 minutes. She attributes her success to how relatable she is to her audience.
Monique Rodriguez
CEO of Mielle Organics
Through sharing her personal journey towards healthy hair restoration Monique amassed an amazing following of supporters, who have become the lifeblood of the brand, and managed to turn her idea into a multi-million dollar brand in 7 years. This multi-million dollar brand, now known as MIELLE Organics, has grown from one to over 25 products spread across multiple product lines, addressing specific customer needs. In 2021, Monique and her husband, COO Melvin Rodriguez, broke a major glass ceiling securing a 9 figure investment deal from Berkshire partners. MIELLE has been distributed in more than 87 countries and can be found in more than 100,000 stores across the U.S. in retailers such as Sally Beauty, Target, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, just to name a few. Now a global sensation, MIELLE has won numerous awards and been featured in top publications and media outlets.
Rachel Roff
Founder & CEO of UrbanSkinRx
Rachel Roff is the Founder and CEO of Urban Skin Rx®, a clinical skincare brand for diverse skin tones. An established licensed aesthetician, Rachel is a game-changer in the beauty space and prides herself on bringing inclusivity to the clinical skincare industry. Her journey began in 2006 when she founded Urban Skin Solutions Medical Spa in Charlotte, NC. After treating thousands of clients for common skincare conditions related to melanin-rich skin, Rachel founded Urban Skin Rx skin care line in 2010® and has continued to grow a notable roster of high caliber, celebrity clientele. She has been featured in numerous publications and recognized as a leading beauty innovator by Forbes and WWD.
Urban Skin Rx® is sold nationwide in over 10,000 locations at Walmart, Walgreens, Target, Ulta, CVS, dermstore.com, HSN.com, QVC.com and direct-to-consumer at urbanskinrx.com.
Sharelle Rosado
CEO of Allure Realty FL
Sharelle Rosado is the owner of Allure Realty, a Tampa based real estate firm. Rosado has recently starred in the new Netflix series called Selling Tampa. She is one of Florida’s top real estate agents, and her company has already received a lot of recognition for its work. She served the US army before planning on starting her career as a real estate agent.
Myleik Teele
Founder & CEO of Curl Box
California-bred innovator, Myleik Teele, has revolutionized the way women address their curly hair needs. As the founder of curlBOX, an exclusive monthly subscription box full of amazing products, the stylish entrepreneur has garnered partnerships with L'Oreal, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Walmart & SheaMoisture.
Naturally, Teele’s zeal for building brands would lead her to create the premier hair sampling box that’s developed a cult following of savvy women. The brand has amassed over 300k Instagram followers and created the popular web series, curlBOX TV, that gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite hair care brands. Teele also led the charge in 2014 & 2015 for a massive St. Jude Children’s Hospital fundraiser in cities all over the nation. The 5k walk, which brought together hundreds of multi-cultural women, raised over $40k.
Rosco Spears
Partner & Creative Director of TLB
Rosco Spears is a Detroit bred, self-taught visual artist. She has served as Partner and Creative Director for The Lip Bar since its founding in 2012. Spears also spent several years working in fashion and production design for TV and film. While producing beauty campaigns for TLB, her love for photography, style and art come to life through storytelling. Her goal is to show people of color at the forefront of the beauty industry—not as an afterthought. When time allows, Rosco spends her time teaching art to underserved communities, sharing time with children in Bangalore, India, Shanghai, China, NYC and more.
Melissa Butler
Founder & CEO of TLB
Melissa is the Founder and CEO of The Lip Bar, a beauty brand started in her kitchen while working on Wall Street. Since the early days of playing chemist, The Lip Bar has become a pioneer on beauty and inclusion and the company is now sold in Target and Walmart stores across the country. Melissa believes that without representation, as humans, we’re left seeking validation. And since 2012, she’s been on a mission to change the way people think about beauty. In 2020, she was praised by INC Magazine as a top entrepreneur. In 2021, CEW recognized Melissa as one of 5 female founders of the year. Her take on business and beauty has been praised by industry leaders such as Forbes, Women’s Wear Daily, Entrepreneur, Allure and more.
