Entrepreneur Experience: The Chapter Leadership Takeover

Apr 30, 11:00 PM – May 1, 12:00 AM

Startup Grind Nashville Chapter is gaining two new leadership members. In order to celebrate our wonderful new changes, we are taking over our Entrepreneur Experience to introduce them and allow you to get to know the entire team. Our Guest Host is Femi Vance. Panelists are Erica Kesse, Director, Tiara Briscoe, Co-Director, Joy Thompson, Marketing Ambassador, and Chrys Callaway, Youth Ambassador.

Virtual event
Panel Discussion

About this event

The Chapter Leadership Takeover


Startup Grind Nashville Chapter is gaining two new leadership members. In order to celebrate our wonderful new changes. We are taking over our Entrepreneur Experience introducing them and allow you to get to know the entire team. 

We are so pleased to welcome our Guest Host, Femi Vance to join us in facilitating an impactful panel discussion about the journey of the Chapter so far, the personal stories of each panelist and leadership team member, the reason for serving on the leadership team, and the future of Nashville Chapter of Startup Grind. 

The Entrepreneur Experience panelists are Erica Kesse, Director, Tiara Briscoe, Co-Director, Joy Thompson, Marketing Ambassador,  Chrys Callaway, Youth Ambassador, and Abby Williams, Operations Ambassador. 

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. The Startup Grind Leadership are not only entrepreneurs but also willing to offer their time to support, empower, inspire, and curate a space for friendship building for fellow entrepreneurs. Join us in reflecting on our experience.

Guest Host: Dr. Femi Vance

Femi Vance, a principal researcher at AIR, has expertise in youth program quality, social and emotional learning, evaluation capacity building, and equity and access to programming, and skill building in youth programs. She has over 15 years of experience working in and on behalf of youth programs for underserved populations including youth from low-income families and racial and linguistic minorities.

At AIR, Dr. Vance’s primary responsibilities include providing training and technical assistance to youth programs, and designing and conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research and evaluation studies related to youth development, professional training programs, and education reform initiatives. Dr. Vance is a trained external assessor for the School-Age and Youth Program Quality Assessment (PQA) and has used the Academic Skill Building and Social and Emotional PQA.


Currently, Dr. Vance serves as the continuous quality improvement lead for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program in South Carolina and Nevada and is responsible for providing training and technical assistance to states and grantees so support their continuous improvement. In this role, she also developed tools and resources for states and grantees to conduct local evaluations. Dr. Vance is also a content expert, trainer, and researcher for the Charles Stewart Mott-funded 5-State Afterschool Network. She develops resources to advance afterschool system-building, creates and delivers trainings on quality, and brings research to bear on a range of afterschool topics such as professional development, quality standards, and youth outcomes.

Dr. Vance strives to translate her research into practice. She is a co-editor of a recent edited volume Changemakers! Practitioners Advance Equity and Access in Out-of-School Time Programs where she makes connections between research and practice on topics such as power dynamics in partnerships, a strength-based approach to family engagement, and critical youth development. She has presented on equity and access in domestic and international conferences including the 2019 Bridge hosted by School’s Out Washington.

Chapter Leadership Team 

Erica Kesse, Director

Erica Kesse is a love force with mysterious wisdom celebrating life. She is the Leaders’ Healer and Founder of Your Goal Concierge, Inc, a resting place and resource hub for Matriarch and Mom CEOs. She and her associates offer a Person Centered and Integrative Approach in giving safety, support, and enhancement to leaders, especially business owners and their teams. We pride ourselves on the Try On Philosophy to ensure clients gain the right fit and advocate for leaders doing no harm.

She has twenty-plus years as an Educator and Facilitator. She is a Consultant, Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Mental Fitness Coach, Motivational Speaker and Author. She marries her degrees in Business Administration, Mental Health Counseling, and Leadership to offer Strategy Sessions in Thrive and Increasing Profits, Business Execution Coaching, Mental Fitness Coaching, and Fractional COO services through an exclusive, nurturing, and knowledgeable experience.

She is the mother of a 12 year old daughter, who is a budding entrepreneur. Her business is From Acire to Chrys, which they partner to offer Family Coaching and Training. She homeschools and enjoys trying new things, traveling, and creating. 

Tiara Briscoe, CPA, Co-Director

Tiara Briscoe is a dedicated finance professional with a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Middle Tennessee State University. With a strong foundation in accounting principles, Tiara has garnered extensive experience across various roles within the finance industry.

She is also the owner of T Briscoe Consulting where the mission is to empower businesses with the financial expertise they need to build a solid foundation for growth. She believes that by providing exceptional accounting and financial services, she enables her clients to focus on what they do best while she takes care of the numbers.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Tiara is deeply committed to giving back to the community through volunteer work. She serves as the Co-Director of Startup Grind Nashville and Junior Board Treasurer at the Nashville Business Incubation Center. Through her volunteer efforts, Tiara demonstrates her passion for fostering entrepreneurship and community development.

“Every action I take is fueled by my deep passion to uplift and empower others, nurturing their growth and development from the very beginning. My aspiration is to elevate those around me, particularly budding entrepreneurs.”

Joy Thompson, Marketing Ambassador

With Over 15+ years of business, branding, marketing, graphic design, photography & leadership experience. My heart is to educate, empower and cultivate confidence in those called to the marketplace or those already there. My expertise can help business owners - Build brand identities - Gain greater clarity into the heart, mission & vision of their business - Create strategies that help expand marketing efforts and leverage opportunities to grow & expand their business in the marketplace with confidence & style.

Chrys Callaway, Youth Ambassador

Chrys Callaway is a levelheaded adventurer that is bold with her actions. She helps to integrate her client's parts and free them from the darkness. She is “The Fusion” and is the Founder of From Acire to Chrys. She offers a community that gives safety and support to her clients. The community is full of other people who are telling their story, want to, or is starting to.

She has grown up with a therapist as a mother who has from an early age taught her how to have peace, how to be loyal, and to be bold with her actions. She is a Speaker, Coach, Baker, and Model. She has been provided with multiple opportunities in each experience thanks to her mother Erica Kesse, Founder of Your Goal Concierge. Chrys has spoken at the Mental Health Marketing Conference, The Carrie Mae Williams Center, The first and second Fall Leadership Festival, and Gideon’s Army. Chrys has been named as a speaker/ teen storyteller by This is My Brave, Inc. 

Abby Williams, Operations Ambassador

Abigail is the CEO of Queendom Empire, LLC offering Virtual Chief Operating Officer, Online Business Manager, and Virtual Assistant Services to mompreneurs and small businesses. Queendom Empire’s mission is to empower mompreneurs and small business owners with innovative services rooted in the core values of authenticity, confidence, and faith. We guarantee to provide the same or better care for your business.

In 2014, Abigail graduated from Ultimate Medical Academy for Health Information Systems. She has been a Certified Professional Coder for 10 years, originally granted by the American Academy of Professional Coders. She has 13 years of Healthcare experience both on the clinical and the administrative side.

Agenda

6:00 PM CST   Friendship building/ Icebreakers

6:15 PM CST     Introductions

6:20 PM CST    Panel Discussion

6:55 PM CST    Closing Remarks

Check out what happened

Facilitator

  • Femi Vance

    AIR

    Principal Researcher

Panelists

  • Erica Kesse

    Your Goal Concierge, Inc

    CEO

  • Tiara Briscoe

    T Briscoe Consulting

    CEO

  • Joy Thompson

    Joyletta Cha

    CEO

  • Chrys Callaway

    From Acire to Chrys

    CEO

Organizers

  • Erica Kesse

    Your Goal Concierge, Inc

    Chapter Director

  • Tiara Briscoe

    T Briscoe Consulting

    Chapter Co-Director

  • Chrys Callaway

    From Acire to Chrys

    Youth Ambassador

  • Joy Thompson

    Marketing Ambassador

  • Abby Williams

    Queendom Empire

    Owner

Global sponsor

Dell Technologies logo

Dell Technologies

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