Expanding its board to enhance its impact and remove systemic barriers to quality entrepreneurial training and access to capital, the Millionaire Mastermind Academy recently added six new members to its board of directors. With the “aim to end poverty through entrepreneurship,” the 501(c)(3) academy supports transformational change through strong partnerships and impact-driven collaboration, with a focus on access to mentorship and college-level business training for small businesses led by Black women.
The new board members are: Joe Lubeck, CEO of American Landmark; Judith Ashworth, Senior Vice President Administration and Human Resources, Blaylock Van; Cameron Robb, Senior Economic Development Consultant, APS; Tye Hayes, former Chief Technology Officer, City of Atlanta and CEO of N-OVATE; Erin Floyd, Vice President and Area Leader at Truist/Atlanta; and Toshia and Jacques Posey, CEOs of 1st Class Real Estate, Cornerstone Group.
“We are a rare organization that connects with corporations dedicated to social responsibility by fostering opportunities for minority women to become business owners. This creates a more inclusive environment that embraces diversity and fosters opportunity for women to create a promising future for themselves, their families and future generations of women,” said Dr. Velma Trayham, founder of Millionaire Mastermind Academy and CEO of Thinkzilla, a consulting group that helps organizations increase economic impact through cultural diversity. “These new board members are just as committed as I am to effecting real change and supporting better economic outcomes and we’re thrilled to welcome them to the board.”
A successful entrepreneur and business owner, Trayham created the program’s Pioneer curriculum to empower more minority business owners to have control over their financial future. Through the intensive program, participants learn how to create business models and marketing plans and how to successfully grow a business, among other key entrepreneurial lessons.
Since its founding in 2017, the Millionaire Mastermind Academy has mentored more than 5,000 women entrepreneurs while awarding $60,000 in scholarships and more than $30,000 in seed funding to help women entrepreneurs create successful and sustainable business enterprises. With the support of public and private partnerships, the academy will continue to build programs in Atlanta, Phoenix and Tampa.
Today, only four percent of start-ups are founded by Black women and businesses owned by Black women earn significantly less than businesses run by other women. To support this critical work with a donation, please visit millionairemastermindacademy.org/donate.
About the Millionaire Mastermind Academy
The Millionaire Mastermind Academy was designed to empower Black women to overcome the challenges of economic instability through entrepreneurship and small business. The Millionaire Mastermind Academy educates women and support the growth of their small businesses, engages entrepreneurship to combat the threat of poverty and gender-based income disparities, and enhance local community economies. For more information, please visit millionairemastermindacademy.org.
