MEET THE facilitators
Ambrose Wilson-Brown is a social entrepreneur integrating his experiences owning and operating a healthy lifestyle company for 16 years and the education non-profit industry as a Social-Emotional Learning Coach specializing in breathwork and meditation for the last eight. As a Mental Performance and Mindfulness Coach, he takes a comprehensive approach to help people overcome mental barriers by focusing on the beliefs, habits, and routines they need to be successful. Ambrose weaves his expertise in exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness to help individuals and teams reach their goals. Since the quarantine started, he's been focused on helping communities navigate through the uncertainty and stress of living through the pandemic, financial crisis, and the fight for social justice.
Dr. Lia A. Knox is the Founder & CEO of Knox Behavioral Health Solutions (KBHS) and Co-Founder of the non-profit Black Space Inc. Dr. Knox received her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. She received her master's degree in Counseling Education from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin, and her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Dr. Knox is a Mental Wellness Expert specializing in Cultural Competency and Organizational Health. She provides culturally relevant consultation, training, workshops, forums, and coaching for community, corporate, local, state, and government organizations. Dr. Knox is a highly skilled licensed professional counselor with more than 25 years of experience providing quality mental health care to underserved and under-resourced populations throughout the United States and abroad.
LaNelle Ramey has been in the Youth Development profession for over 25 years working with various non-profit and community-based organizations that serve youth. Ramey currently serves as the Executive Director for MENTOR Greater Milwaukee. MENTOR Greater Milwaukee works to increase Mentoring relationships by building the capacity of existing mentoring organizations matching caring adults with children in need through safe, effective mentoring programs throughout Greater Milwaukee.
Before joining MENTOR Greater Milwaukee, LaNelle joined Milwaukee Public Schools in August 2017 as one of the Founding Directors of the Department of Black and Latino Male Achievement for Milwaukee Public Schools. LaNelle sits on several boards throughout the community including the American Red Cross, Fire and Police Commission, PEARLS for Teen Girls, and Milwaukee County Mental Health Board and is a Proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. LaNelle is married to Danielle and a proud father and grandfather. He loves sports, specifically basketball, and loves to play golf.
Roy Cambronero is a Financial Advisor and Growth and Development Director at Northwestern Mutual and a former Intelligence Analyst for the U.S. Army. Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, Roy’s family moved to Milwaukee when he was an infant. He began his career at the Latino Community Center (L.C.C.) as a youth worker and assistant site director. He then went to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee to work as a family service specialist. Roy is hugely proud that his three-person team at the Clubs who grew the family share program budget from -200K to over 2 million in a year. Roy received an offer he couldn’t refuse from Northwestern Mutual to become a financial representative. After only six months, Roy was in the top 10% of first-year representatives in the organization. It was at that time, duty called and Roy left to serve in the U.S. Army for 12 months stationed in Honduras as an intelligence analyst. His work focused on the Northern Triangle of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to expose key drug trafficking organizations and contributed to the identification of corrupt personnel involved in narcotics, weapons, and human smuggling. His expertise on various Central American topics was codified and published to the Library of National Intelligence. Returning home, Roy picked up where he left off at Northwestern Mutual helping individuals, families, businesses, and communities identify, set up, and secure the building blocks for financial security.
Harry Evans is the owner of HETRAINS LLC. integrates his knowledge as an athletic strength and conditioning specialist by designing individualized, progressive programs of cardiovascular, mobility, core, and strength training exercises for his clients based on their fitness goals. He helps clients master basic functional movements to improve their strength and to build a foundation for further gains. In addition to his day job, he and his wife own a creative space called Everyday Studio MKE that allows creatives who don't have a studio space to be able to rent and have a quality creative experience. Furthermore, Harry is the founder of Heal Black Man, a non profit organization that has created a safe space for Black men to come and seek healing and better understanding of themselves.
Dr. José B. Torres, LCSW, LMFT is a bilingual-bicultural Puerto Rican, born in Puerto Rico, and raised in New York City’s Harlem (“El barrio”) area. After graduating from New York City’s High School of Performing Arts in 1964, José attended and graduated from La Crosse State University, La Crosse, WI. He and his spouse (Miriam) have three adult children and three adorable grandchildren.
Dr. Torres is Associate Professor Emeritus of Social Work, Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, UW- Milwaukee. He received his MSW (1972) and completed his PhD. in Urban Education (1980) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His 50-year professional career as a licensed clinical social worker, family therapist, and clinical supervisor began at Family Services of Milwaukee (1972-1979). Until recently, Dr. Torres maintained a limited clinical practice at a local community mental health clinic where he also provided clinical supervision of master's level therapists.
He has also taught numerous clinical mental health related seminars, including multicultural themes (e.g., diversity, racial microaggressions, supervision) and use of the Person-of-the-Therapist in clinical practice and supervision. The latter teaching activities have been delivered within the frameworks of cultural competence and cultural humility training for mental health practitioners.
Dr Torres continues to serve the community through the provision of consultation and mentoring services to behavioral health providers.
Jakeim Jackson-Bell is a HR Professional, Entrepreneur, Community Leader, Mentor, and Career Strategist from Dallas, TX. Jakeim is the current Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Outreach Manager at the Milwaukee Bucks and Founder & President of 4SURE Resumes & Consulting. He is a People & Culture Game Changer who has made a positive impact helping students & professionals with their career development, driving the importance of mental health, mentoring youth, and creating diverse talent pipelines. Jakeim graduated with his BBA in HR Management from The University of Texas at San Antonio and MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from Texas Southern University. In Jakeim’s spare time, he enjoys giving back to the community and mentoring. Jakeim has been a Mentor at "Mentoring Brother 2 Brother" for the past 5 years where he was named Mentor of the Year in 2021; inspiring and empowering at-risk African American male youth that are being raised in single female headed households. Jakeim is actively involved in various professional organizations
Mazen Muna was born and raised in the city of Milwaukee, Mazen is a graduate of Pulaski high school and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he studied finance and marketing. Self-employed for over 18 years, Mazen is a serial entrepreneur and has created businesses in the food & beverage (The Dogg Haus), hospitality, car rental, and auto industries (Metro Car Wash & Detailing Centre). A loving husband and father of three, he also has a passion for his community, continuously gives to local charitable organizations, and provides in-kind services for those in need.
Michael Emem is a proven leader in the built industry with over 17 years’ experience in architectural design, construction management and real estate development. His firm, Emem Group, currently has $43M in development projects under construction as either co-developer or owner’s rep, and another $204M of projects in the pre-construction phase. Michael graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a B.B.A concentrating in Finance and Real Estate. He also holds an A.S. in Architectural Technology from Milwaukee Area Technical College. Michael is also a graduate, and Valedictorian of the 2015 ACRE class and was a 40 Under 40 recipient at age 25. He is a proud husband and father of four.
Izzy Lugo is the Founder and Host of the Strange on Purpose Podcast. The podcast tells the stories of professionals shattering the glass ceilings of culture and shows young professionals what happens when you are authentically you, 100% of the time. Highlighting creatives in sports, apparel, lifestyle, and beyond, the show aims to connect creatives everywhere to professionals who can help guide them in their journey. In addition to the podcast, Izzy spends his time working with brands on content creation and has partnered with brands such as Columbia, UGG, and much more. Lugo has been previously selected as one of Wisconsin's 25u25 and a Neighborhood Achiever by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Mwanje Thompson is the founder and CEO of Audio Moguls Media, a podcast network and production company dedicated to empowering Black and Brown creators to own their audio intellectual property through Web 3 technology such as NFTs, crypto-tokens, and mini- metaverse spaces. He developed a social impact program called Brilliant Voices, that teaches individuals how to create, record, distribute and monetize a podcast to kick-start a career in audio production, screenwriting, broadcasting, or media development. Mwanje is also a full-time educator at UpGrade Media Arts Schools, teaching grades 6-12, entrepreneurship, marketing, and podcasting.
Schedule snapshot
Doors open for check-in at 8:00am CT. and the day begins promptly at 9:00am CT.
MORNING KEYNOTE : Can We Talk? Communicating in Relationships - Learn tips from our expert on communicating and expressing yourself in your personal, romantic, professional, and familial relationships.
GROUP SESSION: Pledge of Greatness: My Brother’s Keeper - Start the day with intention led by our event leader. This will allow you to have your mind prepared to receive wisdom from our session leaders and panelists.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS - We are offering 2 sessions, please review and pick between the two workshops.
Session A - Pick One
SSO: So Stressed Out - This workshop will help you identify if you suffer from stress or anxiety. Walk away with tips and resources to manage everyday stress.
Buck It! Imposter Syndrome and Other Barriers to Success
Session B - Pick One
Financial FREEdom: Legacy Building
We Need You Here: Physical and Emotional Wellness
GROUP SESSION: LET'S TALK ABOUT IT: A FELLA'S FIRESIDE CHAT - Building our legacies while providing for our loved ones can be more challenging than we envision. Hear the transparent experiences of men working on leaving their marks while enduring the trials and tribulations that men experience.
FOOD & BEVERAGE - Each attendee will receive continental breakfast and lunch and have access to coffee, tea, water, and soft drinks throughout the morning and afternoon.
SWAG & RAFFLE - Attendees will receive a unique swag bag and be entered into a raffle for special prizes from sponsors and community partners.