Meet the Keynote, MC, Business Panel and Presenters
MEET OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Keith Dawkins
President, Harlem Globetrotters &
Herschend Entertainment Studios
Media Executive
Board Member
Founder
Keynote Speaker
2x Emmy Nominated Producer
Keith Dawkins is a strategic, creative, award winning Chief Executive Officer with 25+ years of experience in the media/entertainment, professional sports, and philanthropic industries. Keith is a results-oriented executive with a global business acumen evidenced across all operations; setting company strategy; leadership and management; deal negotiations; international sales; P&L oversight; and driving revenue growth. He has a strong background in marketing, content strategy and creation, and forging strategic partnerships with high-profile brands.
Dawkins serves as President, Harlem Globetrotters and Herschend Entertainment Studios; charged with the overall day-to-day operations of both entities. In his role, he spearheads the Globetrotters' ongoing evolution as a global branded entertainment brand with touch-points spanning 124 countries across 6 continents.
Dawkins has already ignited growth across media/entertainment, corporate social responsibility, digital/social media and through a variety of strategic partnerships that are re-energizing the brand. Chief amongst them being a deal he orchestrated with Hearst Media Production Group that marked the Harlem Globetrotters’ return to television for the first time in 40 years, with the hit Emmy® Award nominated NBC weekly series, “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward.”
Keith also has his own media company, Rock Hill Media Ventures (RHMV), which he founded in 2018. RHMV has worked with a variety of high profile clients including the National Basketball Players Association, award winning production companies like Believe Entertainment Group and 9Story Media Group, global distributors Toonz Media Group, celebrity chef and author Aliya LeeKong, former NFL player, Rashad Jennings and many more.
Previously, Keith was the Chief Executive Officer of the global non-profit, The First Tee. In partnership with The First Tee’s Founding partners, LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the USGA, The First Tee uses the values inherent in the game of golf to positively impact the lives of young people.
Keith has spent most of his career in the media and entertainment space. Prior to The First Tee, he worked for 17 years at Viacom where over the years he rose within the organization to Executive Vice President where his purview included overseeing TeenNick, Nicktoons, Nick Jr. and NickMusic channels.
Throughout his career, Keith has received numerous leadership and industry expertise awards.
In addition, he has been (and is currently) involved in various non-profit and for-profit boards.
MEET OUR PRESENTERS
Dr. Deb Castaldo
Speaker, Author
Executive Coach, Trainer,
Psychotherapist
Grab Your Business: Grab Your Life
Dr. Castaldo has traveled a diverse career path in her 35 year career in corporate, health care, and social service organizations. She has worn many hats as an organizational development consultant, trainer, professor, director, couples and family psychotherapist, and social worker. In her tenure in organizational development at New York Presbyterian Hospital, she provided expertise in solution focused oriented leadership, management, teambuilding, strategic planning, and conflict resolution.
She has consulted and trained with a variety of organizations including Aetna, Raytheon Corporation, Chase Bank, Columbia University, Mount Sinai Hospital, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Family Court Judges, and New York City Department of Health.
She has previously appeared as a guest expert on such shows as CNN American Law Journal, ABC News, Fox Good Day New York, NBC Philadelphia, and Comcast. She has also been a contributor in such publications as Newsweek Online, HuffPost, Ladies Home Journal, Woman' s Day, Popsugar.com and Theygossip.com.
Also known as Dr. Deb, she earned an MS from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from New York University. She is the Founder of Solution Seminars through which she provides executive training and coaching. She also maintains a private practice in Couples and Family Therapy in Ramsey, New Jersey. She currently features her expertise on her blog "Ask Dr. Deb" and her social media segment "Grab Your Life". She is the author of 4 books, with her latest release being "The Return to Love Playbook".
Nikki Gangemi
Founder
Mindful Matters LLC
Better Conversations & Increased Sales Using NLP
Nikki Gangemi has made three significant pivots in her life, from actress to teacher to entrepreneur, equipping her with tools to help others navigate their own life transformations.
Today as a Board-Certified Master NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, Speaker, Author and founder of Mindful Matters LLC, Nikki helps ambitious business owners and professionals break free from self-doubt and the negative programming that holds them back. She provides them with tools to become confident communicators, redefine their self-image and transform their relationships, so they can uplevel their life and business.
Remi Leibovic, MCM
Founder
RCL Media
How to Kickstart Your 2025 Social Media Strategy
Founder of RCL Media. With over 8+ years of professional social media management skills, I give my clients authentic content strategies that are hyper individualized to meet their business's goals and needs.
After years of managing and creating content for various clients and organizations I decided to go out and obtain my own clients because I believe that small brands and businesses deserve the same care and professionalism that major brands and businesses do. I specialize in providing social media services to those in the restaurant, construction, and lifestyle industries. My client's profiles are filled with imagery that accurately represents their services, products, and overall brand.
Remi holds a Masters of Communications Graduate Student focusing on Digital Media.
Katy Lizardo
Founder & CEO
CLE Enterprise
Unlocking Business Potential: Mindset for Successful Expansion
Katy Lizardo is the Founder and CEO of CLE Enterprise, and is a Certified Professional Business Coach (ACC), Mentor, Consultant, and Inspirational Speaker with over 30 years of corporate experience. A recognized leader with a track record of innovation and international acclaim, Katy has held CEO and executive roles in multinational companies and NFP organizations.
Her expertise spans leadership, management, negotiation, business administration, organizational development, strategy, human resources, and training. Katy’s strategic approach and high-impact execution have earned her numerous accolades in the USA and the Dominican Republic.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Katy has been dedicated to business mentoring and coaching since 2012, helping SMBs, entrepreneurs, and leaders elevate their leadership capabilities and achieve sustainable success.
Michelle Osorio
Sr Small Business
Liaison
NJ Economic
Development Authority
Grow Your Small Business with NJEDA Grants & Loans
Michelle Osorio is a Senior Small Business Liaison for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Michelle's role is to share information and educate business owners and community stakeholders about opportunities available to small businesses in New Jersey. Michelle Osorio has spent her career supporting entrepreneurs and business owners in underserved communities. Michelle is fluent in Spanish and has helped over 5,000 business owners navigate the complexities of business ownership in Spanish and English. Michelle is passionate about sharing information and improving equal access to opportunities for New Jersey small business owners.
Jacquelyn Romano
Creative Director
Realign Design
Create 100 Posts in Minutes!
Jacquelyn Romano – Helping small business thrive!
Jackie is an accomplished professional with a diverse background spanning creative design, Identity branding, and marketing communications. Over the span of her career, she has worked with Fortune 500 and 100 organizations implementing creative solutions to solve complex problems.
She holds a degree in Business Management and Graphic Design as well as being a certified UX professional.
Working now as a freelance consultant, she able to bring world-class solutions to small businesses. She specializes in UX/UI design and social media.
Bill Taylor
Founder
Corporate Ladders
Do You Own Your Own Business, or Does Your Business Own You?
Bill Taylor’s coaching and consulting work is fueled by his success as an executive and entrepreneur with expertise in sales, marketing, and finance.
From his start pulling cable and installing phones, Bill became the youngest General Manager in IBM’s history. As a Division Manager, he led over 1,600 employees with a $700 million P&L.
To share his insight, Bill launched Corporate Ladders with a mission to work with businesses and help them profitably grow. His motto is clear and simple: “Helping Your Business Get to the Top.”
Joseph Varghese
Growth & Process
Strategist
The Future of Business Strategy - An AI Workshop
Joseph Varghese aka "The Breakthrough Engineer" is a Growth & Process Strategist. For 20 years, Joseph has been immersed in the science of peak performance, productivity, and gamification ever since leaving the corporate world as a technology management consultant for several Fortune 100 companies.
He is a husband, a father to two children and he considers himself to be a peak performance athlete in all that he does. His mission is to help growth-minded entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to make 1% DAILY meaningful and measurable progress to win the game of life, work & play.
Since 2005, Joseph has been leading Success Circles (https://SuccessCircles.com) a peer-accountability and advisory circle community. Success Circles has supported hundreds of entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to improve executive function, master prioritization and delegation skills, all while staying in their zone of genius.
Joseph is also one of the leaders of the NYC Basket Brigade 501C3, feeding over 250 thousand New Yorkers in need every year.
Tom White
President & Creative
Director
The White Agency
Better Messages, Better Results
Tom White is a business communications consultant, content writer and President & Creative Director at The White Agency, Inc. A copywriter by training, he assists clients in all aspects of creating a better message, from strategy to copy to speechwriting. His clients range from the world’s leading financial services companies to startups and nonprofits. In addition to his role as a communications strategist, Tom is a successful entrepreneur, experienced public speaker and advisor to a variety of organizations. "I say what you'd say, only better."
Tom holds a B.A., in English from Fairfield University, a MBA from Fordham Gabelli School of Business and has attended Advertising Continuing Education, School of Visual Arts
Mario Zaki
CEO
Mazteck IT
Do You Know the Essentials to Defend, Detect and Protect Your Business?
Mario Zaki is the CEO of Mazteck IT, a leading IT and cybersecurity firm based in Ramsey, NJ. In addition to his role at Mazteck, he serves as the Vice President of Technology and is a board member of the MRCC. Mario is the author of Dirty Little Secrets: What You Need to Know Before Hiring Any IT Company and has been featured on the cover of MSP Success Magazine. Recognized as an industry expert, he specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses safeguard themselves from cyber threats. Mario also works with various government agencies, providing expert IT management and cybersecurity solutions to protect critical infrastructure.
RECOGNITION AND APPRECIATION TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
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