Black Founders Initiative

The Black Founders Initiative is a statewide Advisory Council that plans to provide opportunities for resources and networking to assist Ohio black founders in gaining access to services and funding to help them become successful entrepreneurs.

JobsOhio is leading this collaboration with other state entities in consultation with a council of business and industry experts who serve as the Black Founders Advisory Council. Our goal is to connect and collaborate to provide resources including databases and networking opportunities for underrepresented and underserved populations to utilize and access within Ohio.

Less than 1% of American venture capital backed founders are black. This lack of diversity within investment firms ultimately translates to a lack of diversity in the companies that they invest in. Our vision for the Black Founders Initiative is to make Ohio a destination for Black founders to create legacy and build wealth.

The advisory council meets bi-monthly and consists of professionals representing corporations, academia, commerce, and government to assist the leadership of JobsOhio in creating, implementing, and managing the structure and content for the Black Founders Initiative.

Mr. Mike Flowers (Chair)  

Business & Real Estate Attorney

Steptoe & Johnson PLLC

Columbus, Ohio 

Dr. Osie Appiah

Professor

College of Communication

The Ohio State University 

Columbus, Ohio 

Ms. Jennifer Hurd

Senior Vice President

Local Market Executive of Ohio

Bank of America

Cleveland, Ohio

Mr. Christopher Thomas

Executive Director, Head of Diverse

Talent Experiences and DEI Lead

JPMorgan Chase

Columbus, OH

Mr. Steve Stivers

President & CEO

Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Columbus, Ohio 

Mr. Ron Todd

Chief, Social Impact and Opportunity

Department of Development

Columbus, Ohio

Ms. Keena Smith (Co-Chair)

Founder & CEO

Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity

Columbus, Ohio

Ms. Monica Womack

Chief, Minority Business Division

Department of Development

Columbus, Ohio

Mr. Eric Troy

Founder & CEO

Eficionado LLC

Columbus, Ohio

Ms. Candice Matthews Brackeen

General Partner, Lightship Capital

Cincinnati, Ohio

Terry Slaybaugh

Vice President, Sites and Infrastructure

Hannah Baumgartel

Program Manager, Sites

Kristi Tanner

Senior Managing Director, Inclusion

Darnita Bradley

Senior Manager, Local Government Affairs

Contact Hannah Baumgartel