FEATURED INDUSTRY EXPERTS: CLICK FOR BIOS
Greg Bush, Jr.
President | CEO | Innovator at B.I.G., Inc.
Greg Bush, Jr. holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Information Technology. He is currently studying Artificial Intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which he will apply to designing and building technology products and services. Bush is the owner, President & CEO. He joined KFA in 2001, became Vice President in 2006, and acquired the company in 2017. In March 2023, KFA turned 30 years old, and with almost six years of ownership successfully completed, the company name is now Bush Infotech Group, Inc. (BIG)
Quentella Enty, MBA
Vice President at B.I.G., Inc.
Quentella Enty holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is also a Harvard Business School Alum. Enty’s extensive twenty years of experience in procurement, business development, community service, and bringing diverse organizations to the table with Fortune 500 companies, government, business technical assistance agencies, Ivy League Universities Executive Business Programs and Lenders, has made her a very sought-after business executive and entrepreneurial advisor across the Chicago and national business ecosystem. Enty is pivotal to the preparation and success of the Bush Infotech Group 2023 Summit.
Peter Urban
Vice President at B.I.G., Inc.
Peter Urban is Vice President with B.I.G., Inc. and a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP). With a degree in architecture and over twenty (25) years’ experience, he is a specialist in software solutions for design, construction, and facility management, with a focus on program and project management solutions for large and complex capital programs.
Kwang Jun (KJ) Lee
Senior Systems Analyst at BIG, Inc.
KJ holds a Ph.D. degree in Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) Management, along with a Master of Science in Architecture for Facilities Planning and Management. During his Ph.D. studies, he conducted research on Building Information Model (BIM) to improve data interoperability and handover throughout a building's lifecycle, participating in multiple NIST projects.
Jordyn Bush
Multimedia Producer at B.I.G., Inc.
Bush is a talented Multimedia Producer at B.I.G., Inc. with over 14 years of experience in the film and editing in the industry. Since joining KFA in 2020, she has developed deep expertise in podcasts, on-location streaming, virtual gala, graduation productions, and TV commercials.
Danielle Gran
Senior Project Manager at B.I.G., Inc.
Gran has a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and over eleven years’ experience applying information technology to design, construction, and facility management. Gran has served on multiple B.I.G. e-Builder implementation teams. She has assisted in every aspect of implementation from documenting and analyzing business process requirements to configuration and providing quality assurance of configurations. She facilitates user acceptance tests, develops user manuals, and provides end-user training and support.
Dr. Terrence Roberts
Director of Technology Innovation & Business Development at B.I.G., Inc.
With over 35 years of experience in various domains such as business intelligence, data analytics, web technologies, enterprise application integration, application development, enterprise infrastructure support, and program management, Roberts possesses a wealth of expertise. Currently holding a position at B.I.G., Roberts takes charge of designing innovative strategies that harness the potential of technology in both established and emerging markets, including data management, internet-of-things, business process automation, and cloud services.
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Joshua Chism
Consultant& Software Engineer at B.I.G., Inc.
Joshua is B.I.G.’s senior software developer and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from Purdue University’s College of Business. Josh has been involved with software development, consulting, and IT for 4+ years at B.I.G.
Don McKneely
Billion Dollar Roundtable Trailblazer and MBNUSA Publisher
Don McKneely is a 47-year veteran of newspaper, magazine, radio, and pay television. He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of TexCorp Communications, Inc., including its Business News Group publications ⎯ MBN USA and WE USA magazines. He founded Minority Business News in May 1988 and its sister publication Women's Enterprise USA in July 1991.
Elizabeth M. Adams
Responsible AI Leader & Advisor Doctoral Candidate
Elizabeth M. Adams is a Responsible AI influencer recognized as one of Forbes "15 AI Ethics Leaders Showing The World The Way Of The Future." For over two decades, she has studied the science of business and technology influences on society while leading large-scale technology initiatives for Fortune 500 companies and various government organizations. As a scholar-practitioner and a Fractional Chief AI Culture Officer (CAICO), Elizabeth has developed her expertise working with technical and non-technical leaders, creating alliances with leaders that translate theory into results.
James Parker
CEO at 1921 Coworking, Inc. & 1921 Incubator, NFP
James Parker is CEO and founder of 1921 Coworking and Incubator, located in the heart of the Roseland Community on the far Southside of Chicago.
The Roseland community, and it’s neighboring community Pullman has a long tradition of excellence in Chicago. Michigan Ave., which runs down Roseland, was once a thriving street of economic growth and strength decades ago.
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Debra Jennings- Johnson
Interim President & CEO at ChicagoMSDC
Advocating for diverse businesses has been her calling since early in her career. Debra is now leveraging her over 30 years of experience that promotes diversity and inclusion in corporate procurement to continue the ChicagoMSDC legacy.
Shantanoo Govilkar
Vice President at Strategic Solutions
DivIHN Integration Inc.
Shantanoo is a natural leader with a passion for Customer Service and ‘getting things done’! He brings high-energy, excellent work ethics, servicing portfolios in excess of $660MM to date.
He is often invited to speak at industry events on the topics of IT Strategy, Analytics, and Cybersecurity. He is a member of FBI InfrGard as well as on the Advisory Board of Global CISO Leadership Foundation that has more than 250 large enterprise CISO members.
He also serves on the board of many nonprofits serving underrepresented communities in the USA, as well as orphan girls in India.
Mark Ferguson
Small Business Administration (SBA) Illinois Deputy
Mark Ferguson is the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), Illinois District Office, Deputy District Director. Mark has been with the SBA for more than 30 years and is responsible for managing the delivery of the agency's financial assistance, technical assistance, and government contacting activities to consumers and stakeholders throughout Illinois.
Todd Gilyard
Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council and Missouri Minority Business Development Agency
Todd Gilyard brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the current role as the Project Director of the Missouri Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, an entity of the U.S Department of Commerce. He became active with the minority business community while working as the Assistant Project Lead/Job Developer for the St. Louis Housing Authority’s Job Plus Program, Community Outreach Director at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and while running his own business, The Gilyard Group, LLC (2014 - 2016).
Dr. Alan K. Green
Chief Financial Consultant to the Missouri MBDA Business Center
Representative Alan K. Green, represented parts of Saint Louis County (District 67) in the Missouri House of Representatives until 2021. He served on the Finance/Banking, Economic Development, and Workforce committees in the House. Dr. Alan K. Green is CEO/Consultant/Agent for 11 years with Green and Associates, LLC which specializes in Surety Bonds, Payment Bonds, Finance, Government and Business consulting.
Sheila Marionneaux
Director of SLED
Sheila Marionneaux is a Director of state, local and educational (SLED) partnerships at DivIHN Integration Inc., an Information Technology Consulting organization. As a member of the executive team, Sheila is responsible for partnership development, and engaging senior management and IT to provide strategic solutions to the public sector. An accomplished communications delivery professional across multiple industries, Sheila remains a trusted advisor, mentor, and motivator.
Catrena Slaughter
Chief Information Security Officer at Mars Wrigley
Catrena Slaughter is a passionate and dedicated leader, currently serving as the Chief Information Security Officer for Mars Wrigley. With a strong focus on safeguarding digital systems and protecting information, she has established herself as a trusted leader in driving secure and compliant digital experiences drawing from her previous roles as Director of Enterprise Security Architecture and leadership in Global Factory Cyber Security Transformation at Mars Inc. Prior to her role at Mars, Catrena made significant contributions at Whirlpool Corporation.
Sherell FulIer
Co-Founder of SpotzCity Tech
Sherell FulIer is the Co-Founder of SpotzCity Tech, a supplier diversity software and consulting firm specializing in helping build sustainable supplier diversity programs for every organization.
Sherell is the daughter of an entrepreneur in the restaurant business for 40+ years. Early on, she learned the tenacity and grit needed to be an entrepreneur.
Rod Levy
Executive Director of Code Platoon
Prior to Code Platoon, Rod spent 20+ years in finance and entrepreneurship. He was a Partner at G-Bar Limited Partners, where he co-founded and managed their volatility-arbitrage trading desk (BBR Trading).
Jurema N. Gorham
Founder and Executive Director of Burst Into Books
Jurema N. Gorham is the Founder and Executive Director of Burst Into Books. In this role, she helps develop and lead the literacy services offered through the organization. The mission of Burst Into Books is to rebuild our village through the arts, advocacy, educational and family programming. Over 20,000 children have received free books to add to their home libraries since 2018. Jurema has been an educator since 2008 with experience ranging from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
Reginald (Reggie) F. Rush
Vice President - Client & Community Partnerships at DivIHN Integration Inc. (DivIHN)
DivIHN (pronounced Divine) is a technology solutions company headquartered in Hoffman Estates Illinois. Reggie has been partnering and advising customers within mid-cap and Fortune 500 corporations for over 30 years with roles in Diversity, Technology & Business Solutions, Business Development, Sales Marketing and Client Relationship Management. Reggie is viewed as a “Trusted Business Advisor” to many C-Suite and Senior Level Executives.
Charles Harrell II
President of The Information Technology Architect Corporation dba The IT Architect Corporation (ITA).
His career started in Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch, Fenner and Price where he championed the raising of capital for middle market organizations. However, he officially transitioned into the technology industry in May 2003 as a founder of ITA, a technology and telecommunications firm which specializes in the design, implementation, and management of the automation of business processes with innovative IT and communications solutions.