Gloria Nauden
Gloria is a dynamic executive and creative growth strategist renowned for her marketing impact on local and national brands across diverse industries, including media, arts and entertainment; as well as community development banking and finance. Gloria has made significant contributions in both corporate enterprises and community initiatives spanning thirty years of service. Her extensive experience encompasses a distinguished career in the public, private, and philanthropic realms where she honed a double-bottom line approach to business. Most recently, Gloria founded a groundbreaking economic justice nonprofit, the DC Community Development Consortium. The organization's mission focuses on closing the 81x racial wealth gap in Washington, DC, by providing crucial support to credit-invisible Black entrepreneurs and small businesses through innovative economic equity strategies. Gloria has a track record of working with donors, businesses, and local government to manage effective community investments and create tangible, lasting change in the region.
Gloria's dedication to arts and economic development is evident through her executive leadership, board appointments and senior advisory roles in various professional and community-based organizations, including Viva Dance School, Words Beats & Life, Women of Color in Community Development, Anacostia Youth Media & Film Festival, Capitalbop.com, Ward8 Community Economic Development Plan, and 100 Black Women of DC (National Council of Black Women).
Professional Background
Gloria's impressive career history includes a pivotal role at City First Bank, the largest Black-led bank in the nation. As the Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications, she spearheaded brand development and growth initiatives, resulting in unprecedented visibility as the foremost Black-founded and led MDI (minority depository institution) in history. Under her leadership, City First Bank became a premier Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and earned the distinction of being a rare Certified B Corp. At Broadway Financial Corp, the 75-year-old publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ: BYFC) with over $1B in assets, Gloria expertly managed brand strategies and orchestrated new market expansion research efforts in the Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, CA regions. Her responsibilities extended to overseeing public, private, and philanthropic relations, making her a key figure in stakeholder engagement and educational outreach as an officer and Vice President of City First Foundation.
In 2008, Gloria held a significant role in the administration of District of Columbia Government, Mayor Adrian Fenty, as the youngest Commissioner cum Executive Director of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. As the head of this grant-making Economic Development agency, she skillfully managed an annual deployment of $14MM in funding and resources. Gloria's visionary leadership led to the launch of city-wide creative commerce brand activations that continue to flourish today, including Art202 (now 202Creates), Art All Night, and Digital Media Academy—a pioneering creative economy career pathways program for youth. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in establishing the first marketing & social media division within the DC Government.Under her guidance, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities earned national recognition in the 2011 Fitch Report for achieving the highest digital citizen engagement among all state arts agencies in the nation.
During the golden era of Black Entertainment Television (BET Holdings), Gloria held various impactful roles, showcasing her versatility and expertise in creative, marketing, corporate affairs, and new business ventures. As a key contributor, she played a pivotal role in launching BET Soundstage and BET.com, revolutionizing the entertainment industry. Her responsibilities extended to managing sponsor and artist relations for the Rap City HBCU Campus Tour, solidifying her reputation as a skilled relationship-builder and strategist.
Subsequently, Gloria embarked on her entrepreneurial journey, establishing her own successful creative agency, Radar Marketing Group. Working with esteemed clients such as Radio One, Dream/Love, The Park at 14th, Red Bull, and MHUSA, she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to driving results and delivering excellence.
Recognition and Awards
Fitch Award, Telly Award, National Council of Black Women Economic Equity Champion Award, Center for Nonprofit Advancement I am the Change Women’s History Month Award, NAACP Local Image Awards, DC Lit Award, Words Beats Life Community Champion., 2021 PR Daily “Storytelling” Honorable Mention, 2022 Afro Newspaper Women in the Movement Award, 2022 Women of Color in Community Development Sustaining Member keynote speaker.
Personal Commitment
Gloria is committed to help strengthen communities through strategic alliances that fund the arts, youth development, and Black entrepreneurship. Gloria volunteers on numerous commissions, professional and community boards to achieve her personal mission. Gloria also served as an elected official in Washington, DC as Commissioner of ANC 6A-02, a vibrant residential and commercial district on the Capitol Hill side of H Street , where she resides with her young daughters.
Throughout her career, Gloria's innovative mindset and ability to navigate diverse industries have made her a formidable force in the executive landscape. Her exemplary track record and passion for creating lasting impact continue to shape her trajectory as a dynamic leader in the field.
Tendani Mpulubusi
Tendani was born in the District of Columbia and is an innovative and influential artist, entrepreneur and civic leader. His work has been featured in National Publications such as JET Magazine, and numerous local publications and broadcasts such as the Washington Post, EastoftheRiver Magazine, Fox 5 and NBC 4 news. His many leadership roles in the southeast community include grassroots advocate, Ward 8 Arts Commissioner of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, youth mentor, professional artist, filmmaker, painter, historical researcher, ordained minister, musician.
Today, Tendani not only operates Ward8Arts Collaborative and Crea8tiveCapacity, he owns a restaurant and special event venue Pop Social in downtown Washington, DC featuring live music and a full culinary experience. As well, he plays an important role as a founding board member, leading community outreach initiatives at DC Community Development Consortium (DCCDC) alongside Harvey Yancey and Gloria Nauden. In this role, Tendani is focused on providing equitable distribution of capital and resources to Ward 8 residents and entrepreneurs. Of note, his late grandfather Lloyd Smith, founder of Marshall Heights CDC and pioneer of the Community Development Finance industry as founding Chairman of the nation’s first CDFI, City First Bank, which is now the largest Black-led Minority Depository Institution bank in the nation with over $1.5B in assets under management, serving low to moderate income communities in both Washington, DC and Los Angeles California.
Tendani explains he discovered his purpose very early on in his life; he likes to share his experiences with others and give himself to his community. He explains what creativity means, his creative process, what hinders his creativity and productivity, and how Ward 8 inspires him. Tendani explains how he conveys the importance of art and the meaning of creativity to his community, and how he gets people involved in the arts in Ward 8. He discusses issues in the Ward 8, specifically the problems people have to overcome, and what could help Ward 8 residents overcome their issues and problems.
Tendani talks about connecting with the elders and youth in his community, and the residents and artists of Barry Farms. He talks about his efforts to have the artwork of Barry Farms art club displayed at the Kennedy Center Mayor Arts Awards, and the documentary about Hillsdale/Barry Farms, which he produced. Tendani also talks about the conflict between individualism and interdependence in society, and how nature demands interdependence for individuals to be successful. "I'm going to preserve this history. I'm going to show these young people no matter where you are, you can have some type of legacy. Knowing your history gives you life instead of death," said Mpulubusi.
Harvey Yancey
For over 20 years, Harvey Yancey has been the Managing Partner and CEO of Washington, DC based H2DesignBuild. His firm has been engaged in high-end contemporary construction and real estate development while also establishing a strong footprint in affordable housing with the intent on creating new livable communities. H2 is an award-winning construction and development company that continues to show why it is one of the fastest-growing companies in the DC metropolitan area. From consulting and design to the development and building of commercial and residential projects, H2 has been a part of every type of construction build imaginable. Harvey’s vision is to stay on the cutting edge of real estate design and development while giving back to the community.
Recently, Harvey started a nonprofit alongside Gloria Nauden of City First Bank, and Tendani Mpulubusi of the Ward8ArtsCollaborative, called DC Community Development Consortium (DCCDC) to help strengthen DC’s poorest yet promising neighborhoods. DCCDC will focus on a small business microgrant program to provide seed capital for Ward 8 entrepreneurs; and initiate the East of the River Career Pathways Accelerator program that will mentor teens in high growth industries such as construction, computer science and the creative economy, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
Working with the City, H2 Design Build has become an integral part of the city’s development plans as it partners with DCHFA in a home purchasing program (HIP) which targets hardworking families that would not be able to purchase a home under normal purchasing conditions.
The company’s reach is regional as it has been able to grab a large portion of the market share in the Washington DC metropolitan area, while currently growing at a rate that will soon allow H2 to grow and establish a strong footprint in Maryland and Virginia.
The H2 team is family and everyone shares its founder’s vision to provide beautiful homes, valuable services to clients, build partnerships in the community, and deliver important resources to those in need.
Yancey’s insistence on quality of product, efficiency in services, hard work, and responsiveness to client needs remains the company doctrine and has led to its success in a competitive industry.
John Whitman
John Whitman is a veteran entreprenuer responsible for a number of start up ventures including the Museum for Black Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Cigarts fine arts venture, award-winning health education publishing company Toothaccount, Inc., survey research consulting and software company Surveytools Corporation, and
the Oakland Group, Inc., an international software programming tools company, acquired by
Liant Software Corporation in 1991.
His work as co founder of the MUSEUM FOR BLACK INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP was inspired by community economic and social development organizing to create an ecosystem of innovation and entrepreneurship in Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC. The Museum is a showcase of Black innovators and entrepreneurs and a catalyst for creating new ventures and asset ownership by community residents in partnership with other organizations.
John has held full time and professor and adjuct teaching postions at institutions such as American University: Management Faculty, Kogod School of Business Babson College: Entrepreneurship Faculty, F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, Georgetown University: Management Faculty, McDonough School of Business, Harvard University: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Management Division, Extension School Northeastern University: Education Faculty, College of Professional Studies, Courses include Social Entrepreneurship; Nonprofit Organizations; Cooperatives; Philanthropic Foundations; Impact Investing; Consulting Clinic; Curriculum and Program Development; Enrollment Management; Program Assessment and Evaluation; Race and Ethnicity; Social and Cultural Analysis of Education Systems; Education and Information Communications Technology; Economic and Business Dimensions of Health Disparities; and Management Consulting and Field Experience.
John has conducted survey research for clients, including numerous companies, libraries, and F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College. Developed research methodologies and software for creating and measuring customer satisfaction. Created a survey research methodology for measuring customer satisfaction published by the American Library Association. Taught practitioner courses in strategic planning, customer satisfaction, social
entrepreneurship, global issues, and environmental management. Designed an integrated survey research software tool.