Vanessa Blanco

Vice President and Senior Business Consultant, JPMorgan Chase

Vanessa Blanco is a Vice President and Senior Business Consultant at JPMorgan Chase. In this capacity, her responsibilities include leading a team of specialists focused on understanding each client’s unique needs to deliver strategic financial guidance and solutions. Vanessa’s mission is to help local companies thrive by achieving their business goals, no matter how simple or how complex.

Bringing 15 years of experience, Vanessa began her banking career at JPMorgan Chase Bank. Throughout her banking career, Vanessa has served mid-sized companies throughout the Tri-State area to support their commercial banking needs.

To help create a more sustainable future for the companies and communities she serves, Vanessa volunteers with several not-for-profit organizations focused on ending hunger and homelessness, most recently with Feeding America and local food banks. She also served as a mentor for teammates across her previous financial institution and serving as a mentor in local college's in NYC.

Originally from Orlando, Florida, Vanessa graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in International Trade & Marketing from The State University of New York, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Vanessa is also working towards her Professional Studies certificate at New York University.

Seven Brown

Founder of Luna Wellness

Woman of the world passionate about beauty and people: this Energy Healing Intuitive, Certified Health Counselor, Skin Expert, Beauty & Wellness Educator, and most recently Founder of Luna Wellness; has more than twenty-five years of experience within the beauty and wellness industries. Impressively, her international certifications expand to over 38 countries as both Energy Healer & Esthetician.

Seven has made helping people find balance inside & out of her life’s work. A fabulous and fit mother of four, grandmother to five, and as a survivor of domestic violence, she is a passionate supporter and champion of all organizations charged to reduce violence and trauma of any kind.

Pre-pandemic Seven owned a full-service skincare and laser facility in Harlem for ten years. The Harlem Skin & Laser Clinic served both men and women and enjoyed a varied clientele that included New Yorkers, travelers visiting the city, and well-known personalities. Widely known as the “premier skin of color clinic,” Seven and her clinic were prominently featured in Time Magazine, on MSNBC, and channel 7 Eyewitness News, Nylon, Allure, Pure Wow, American
Spa, Bride, as well as several other publications and media outlets.

Chanel Cathey

Founder and CEO of CJC Insights

Chanel is the Founder and CEO of CJC Insights, an award-winning strategic communications and public relations agency headquartered in New York City. She puts brands and thought leaders on the map and counsels businesses on communications and press strategies. She is a builder and storyteller with a passion for partnering with female founders and BIPOC and minority-owned businesses. Chanel was named to the Forbes Next 1000 list, The Observer’s PR Power 50 List, and received the 2020 ADCOLOR Change Agent Award for using her talents to enhance corporate cultures and create more inclusive industries. Her work has been covered in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, Ad Age, PR News, and more. She is a contributor for Fast Company and a member of The Female Founder Collective and the ForbesWomen Forum.

She is on the Advisory Board for the Wall Street Journal's Women in the Workplace Series, helping to curate national events and conversations around the future of women and work. Chanel is also on the Advisory Board for TheLi.st, an exclusive women’s community of pioneers across media, technology, entrepreneurship, and business. She’s a member of the industry networking organization, The PR Net, where she started the organization's BIPOC mentorship program to recruit more people of color into public relations. Previously, she co-founded ELEVEN, a women’s leadership and empowerment network.  She co-chaired the Advisory Board for She’s The First, a nonprofit organization that advances educational opportunities for women and girls. Chanel was appointed to the Board of Directors for the AIDS advocacy organization, Lifebeat, and is an active member of the Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association.

Prior to starting her own agency, Chanel served as the Director of Corporate Communications at Viacom. In this role, she managed internal and external communications strategy across an iconic portfolio that includes MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures, and more. She led strategic communications for ad sales, integrated marketing, data and insights, diversity, innovation, and corporate marketing. Chanel also spent time in media relations for ABC News and for Unilever. She graduated from Fordham University and received her MPA specializing in Management and Policy from New York University.

Elizabeth Lewis

Founder & CEO of Brand, Style & Bloom

Jennifer LoSicco

VP, Group Account Director at The Sasha Group/VaynerX

Cate Luzio

Founder & CEO, Luminary

Cate Luzio, is the Founder and CEO of Luminary, a global membership-based career and personal growth platform and collaboration hub created to uplift and upskill women through all phases of their professional journey. Members are comprised of a multigenerational and intersectional community of individuals, intrapreneurs, entrepreneurs, corporations, and organizations including UBS, WW, JPMorgan Chase, Unilever, Verizon, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Heidrick & Struggles.

Before starting Luminary, Cate spent twenty years in financial services leading global multibillion-dollar businesses. Previously, she was Global Head of Multinational Corporate Banking for HSBC, managing more than 2,000 employees worldwide and prior to that, she served as Head of Multinational Corporate Banking at J.P. Morgan EMEA based in London. She spent her early years in Latin America with Bank of America across both consumer and wholesale banking. She started her career working in tech in China. 

Cate is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she was named its Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020, and in 2021 joined its Board of Governors. She has a master’s degree in International Relations from Georgetown University.

A long-time advocate for empowering women and girls, she serves on the National Board for Girls Inc., as a WE.NYC mentor, and sits on the Boards of Pomp & Whimsy and WaterAid.

Cate was recognized as one of Forbes’ Next 1000 Entrepreneurs in 2021 and a Top 100 Female Founder by Inc. in 2019. She has been featured as an expert in top-tier financial, business and lifestyle media and is currently a contributing writer to Fast Company, Business Insider, and Worth.