Friday
6:00pm - 9:00pm
Black & Powerful Professional Mixer
The Boathouse at Canal Dock, 475 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511
Saturday
9:00am - 11:00am
Corporate Mixer Breakfast (Corporate Sponsors & Exhibitors) Invitation Only
The NXTHVN Gallery, 169 Henry Street,
New Haven, CT 06511
12:00pm
CT Black Expo Opens
Floyd Little Athletic Center, Next Exhibitor Hall
480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven, CT 06511
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Disparities In Healthcare: Preventive Strategies In Primary Care
2:00pm
Entertainment
2:20pm - 3:20pm
Closing The Wealth Gap
3:20pm - 3:35pm
Entertainment
3:40pm - 4:40pm
Build Black Better
4:40pm - 5:00pm
Entertainment
5:00pm - 5:30pm
Greetings
5:30pm - 6:00pm
Opening Entertainment
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Entertainment
7:00pm
Closing
10:00pm - 2:00am
Official CT Black Expo After Party
Terminal 110 240 Sargent Drive
New Haven, CT 06511
Sunday
12:00pm
CT Black Expo Opens
Floyd Little Athletic Center, Next Exhibitor Hall
480 Sherman Parkway, New Haven, CT 06511
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Black Career Pipelines
2:00pm
Entertainment
2:20pm - 3:20pm
Education Equity, Innovation; Excellence In A Post Pandemic World
3:20pm - 3:35pm
Entertainment
3:40pm - 4:40pm
Political Power Is More Than Just Voting
4:40pm - 5:00pm
Entertainment
5:00pm - 5:30pm
Greetings
5:30pm - 6:00pm
Opening Entertainment
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Entertainment
7:00pm
Closing
Featured Speakers
Disparities In Healthcare: Identifying Preventive Strategies in Primary Care
Health disparities in the Black community are notable across nearly every health outcome from asthma rates to hypertension, diabetes to cancer diagnoses. The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted the Black community. This panel will provide you with not only the current state of affairs on black health but more importantly action steps needed to change and improve care, access and individual responsibilities that will lead to better black health outcomes.
Deborah Desir M.D.
Associate Professor of
Clinical Medicine,
Yale University
Moderator
Gary Desir M.D.
Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine,
Yale University
Moderator
Ayesha R. Clarke
Interim Executive Director,
Health Equity Solutions
(HES)
Panelist
Camelia Lawrence M.D.
Director of
Breast Surgery,
Hartford Healthcare
Panelist
Tiffany Donelson
President/CEO,
Connecticut Health
Foundation
Panelist
Dawn Johnson
President/CEO DHJ Services,
Connecticut Health
Council
Panelist
Build Black Better
Positioning Black entrepreneurs and Black businesses to be resilient. The panel will share the steps needed to not only recover the 40% of businesses that permanently closed during the pandemic, but what it takes to increase the number of Black startups and small businesses.
Anne-Marie Knight
Executive Director,
The Black Business Alliance
Moderator
Onyeka Obiocha
Executive Director,
CTNext
Panelist
​
Kola Olofinboba M.D.
Managing Partner,
Fairview Capital Partners
Panelist
​
Carlton L Highsmith
Founder & Board Chairman,
ConnCAT / ConnCORP
Panelist
Marie Rocha
Founder/General Partner,
Realist Ventures
Panelist
Closing The Wealth Gap
The Black-White racial wealth gap remains unchanged after over half a century. Historical and present day discriminatory practices have led to current day inequities. This panel will explore this history and provide tools for how to position black families and young people for financial freedom and wealth.
Josiah Lindsay
Managing Director of Fortress Investment Group,
President 100 Black Men of Stamford
Moderator
Mark Smith
Senior Vice President,
Investments
Wells Fargo
Panelist
David Hopkins
President/CEO,
Greater Hartford Urban League
Panelist
​
Bridgette P. Russell
Managing Director for the Home Ownership Center (HOC),
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven (NHS)
Panelist
​
Political Power Is More Than Just Voting
Building political power in the Black community is required to ensure our issues are addressed, resourced and prioritized. Political power creates representative leadership, directs resources and drives public policy. This panel will examine what political power is, how to achieve and how to maintain it.
Dr. Khalilah Brown-Dean
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs & Professor of Political Science,
Quinnipiac University
Moderator
Jay Williams
President and CEO,
Hartford Foundation For Public Giving
Panelist
Jamilah Prince-Stewart
Executive Director,
FaithActs for Education
Panelist
​
Janene Hawkins
Chief Administrative Officer,
City of Bridgeport
Panelist
Toni Nathiel Harp
Former New Haven Mayor
Panelist
Quentin James
Founder/President,
The Collective PAC
Panelist
Black Career Pipelines
Building a solid economic footing for our community and for Black families requires readiness for the jobs of today and tomorrow. This panel will explore ways to create career pipelines and career readiness.
Eric Johnson
Director of Economic Development & City Plan,
Town of Hamden
Moderator
Anthony Barrett
DEI & Strategic Partnership,
Office of Workforce Strategy
Panelist
Edith Presley
President,
Stamford Cradle to Career
Panelist
​
Adrienne Parkmond
COO,
The Workplace
Panelist
Rocky A. Young
Business Services Specialist,
Connecticut Department of Labor
Panelist
Genevive Walker
CEO & President
Connecticut Center for Arts in Technology in New Haven, CT
Panelist
Education Equity, Innovation; Excellence In A Post Pandemic World
Education disparities existed well before the pandemic and have been amplified during it. This panel examines what we learned during the pandemic regarding educating Black students and how we can use this moment to restructure K-12 public education to ensure Equity, Innovation & Excellence as well as Global Competitiveness for our students.
Steve Perry E.d.D
Founder & Head of Schools,
Capital Prep Schools
Moderator
Subira Gordon
Executive Director,
ConnCAN
Panelist
Karen DuBois-Walton Ph.D.
Chair,
CT State Board of Education
Panelist
Christina Grant E.d.D
State Superintendent,
District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Panelist
John Taylor
Executive Director,
Booker T. Washington Academy
Panelist
Gary Highsmith
Superintendent,
Hamden Public Schools
Panelist
Featured Entertainment
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SWV
R&B Group
Grammy, American Music Award and Source Award. The group also won a Children’s Choice Award and a BET "Best of Video Soul" Award
SWV - Someone (Official Video)
David McClure
Singer, Song Writer,
Inspirational Speaker
It's Yours (Lyrics Video)
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Travis Greene
Gospel Musician
Four-time Grammy nominee,
Billboard Music Award Winner &Stellar Award winner
Made A Way (Official Video)
Dr. Violin
Violinist
Imagine Me (Video)
Carl Thomas
R&B Singer
Grammy Nominated
Summer Rain (Official Video)
Lorii Woods
R&B/Soul Musician
Blinded Jump (Lyrics Video)
Zae France
R&B/Soul Musician
My Way Visual (Music Video)