Christopher King is a venture partner, angel investor, and advisor to founders building meaningful, scalable companies. With over 20 years of experience as a founder and ecosystem builder, he’s worked across capital, technology, and operations—helping early-stage and growth-stage teams turn big ideas into real, lasting impact. His investment work has supported successful exits and acquisitions across the U.S. and Canada.

As Managing Partner of Theo Advisors, Christopher focuses on operational growth and strategy, working closely with founders as they scale. His background includes building data infrastructure for large investment funds and leading high-stakes initiatives where execution and clarity truly mattered.

Outside of work, Christopher lives just outside Washington, D.C., where he values time with his growing family, self-care, nature, and the occasional road trip.

Denise La'Salle is the founder of The HR Executive, a leadership consultant, speaker, and transformational coach known for helping powerhouse professionals lead with confidence, communicate with clarity, and operate with conviction. 

With over two decades of experience in corporate HR and executive coaching, Denise specializes in helping fast-growing businesses retain top talent, develop emotionally intelligent leaders, and fix “people problems” that quietly cost millions. 

Her work bridges the gap between compliance and culture, helping founders scale their teams without sacrificing their values, or their peace. 

Denise is bold, strategic, and unapologetically committed to showing leaders how to succeed without losing themselves in the process.  

Erica Goode, a seasoned financial expert and Certified Public Accountant with a career that spans both public accounting and corporate finance. 

She began her career at KPMG in Chicago and later led the financial planning process for a two-billion-dollar division at Walgreens headquarters.

Today, Erica runs a virtual accounting firm supporting entrepreneurs and CEOs across the country—helping them grow profitability while also planning intentionally for their personal and family financial futures.

Through her firm, Erica also gives back in a meaningful way—donating ten percent of all profits to nonprofit organizations that support victims of domestic violence in the communities her clients call home. Because, as she says, we rise by lifting each other.

Liletta Harlem is a dynamic leader, author, and speaker committed to empowering women and communities. She is the founder of My Natural Me nonprofit, which focuses on women and girl empowerment, and the president of the DMV Business Crossing Network, fostering collaboration and professional growth. With decades of experience, Liletta helps others navigate challenges, from caregiving to personal growth, while inspiring them to live authentically and intentionally. Her upcoming book, Aging Without Judgment, challenges societal expectations of aging and encourages embracing life's transitions with confidence and self-acceptance.

Awarded

2021 Kathleen Seefeldt Award- Outstanding Arts Patron

2023 Business Influencer Award- NVBCC

Nicole Crawley is a digital marketing strategist, communications consultant, and entrepreneur who approaches marketing as infrastructure, not promotion — the architecture that allows ideas to travel, communities to form, and organizations to reach the people they're meant to serve.

Certified in Digital Marketing through the Wharton School, Nicole brings over a decade of experience helping founders turn scattered efforts into structured systems that actually gain traction. She works with organizations and founders who want to build more than awareness — creating the messaging, systems, and digital environments that allow people to gather, collaborate, and grow together.

At the center of everything she does is a belief worth repeating: when the right systems and support exist, people and communities can do extraordinary things together.

Ryant Nelson is the founder of Reel Designs Media®, a fast-growing video strategy and production company that helps coaches, speakers, and brands turn live events into long-term leverage. 

He’s built multiple high-performing teams, led scalable creative systems, and coached videographers across the country to raise their rates and work with premium clients.

Behind the scenes, Ryant is a systems thinker with a creative edge — known for building streamlined workflows, avoiding burnout through automation, and leading with integrity (even when it costs more). 

From sacrificing weekends to traveling coast to coast, he's learned firsthand what it really takes to build a business without losing your mind — or your relationships.

He’s also got stories — from wild pitches to  bad business advice — and he’s not afraid to share what really happens behind the camera and inside the boardroom.

Tiffani Sims is a Detroit native with over 20 years of experience in talent acquisition, specializing in strategic sourcing and diversity-driven hiring. She is the Founder of Global Talent Scouts, an executive search firm committed to elevating high-performing women and people of color from top-tier universities into impactful leadership roles.

GTS candidates bring experience from Fortune 500 organizations and are known for innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence. More than a recruiting firm, Global Talent Scouts operates as a people-first matchmaker—aligning exceptional talent with the right opportunities through intentional, data-driven sourcing.

As the pioneer behind the first metric-proven, community-based diversity knowledge platform, Tiffani continues to show what’s possible when diversity is built as a system, a strategy, and a long-term commitment—not just a value.