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.

Black Founders Advisory Council

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.

Current Advisory Council Members:

Ms. Keena Smith (Chair)

Founder & CEO

Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity

Columbus, Ohio

Ms. Emily Toney

Senior Vice President

Local Market Executive

Bank of America

Columbus, Ohio

Mr. Jason Smith

Executive Director, Advancing Black Pathways

JP Morgan Chase

Columbus, Ohio

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. Monica Womack

Chief, Minority Business Division

Department of Development

Columbus, Ohio

Mr. Eric Troy

Founder & CEO

Eficionado LLC

Columbus, Ohio

Mr. Eric H. Kearney

President/CEO, The Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ohio Chamber of Commerce

Cincinnati, Ohio

Other guests that have attended past meetings:

Ms. Candice Matthews Brackeen

General Partner, Lightship Capital

Cincinnati, Ohio

JobsOhio Team Members

Terry Slaybaugh

Vice President, Sites and Infrastructure

Hannah Baumgartel

Program Manager, Sites

Kristi Tanner

Senior Managing Director

Darnita Bradley

Senior Manager, Local Government Affairs

Questions

Contact Hannah Baumgartel