Derrick Perkins is the Market Executive for the Greater Washington DC. His primary role is to help meet the local market goals of connecting businesses, families, and individuals to the banking and investment teams. He also leads the effort to deploy the bank’s resources in the market to address social and economic concerns and build strong communities. Prior to accepting the role as Market Executive, he was a Senior Relationship Manager with coverage of affordable housing developers based in Suburban MD, Washington, DC and Virginia. His responsibilities also included leading the Bank’s national Charter School construction lending efforts.

Derrick joined NationsBank in 1998 in the Consumer Credit Card division as an account Manager in Norfolk, VA. In 2000, Derrick accepted a role as a Portfolio Management Associate in the Business Banking division in Richmond, VA. In 2002, Derrick relocated to Mclean, VA to work in the Middle Market banking group as a credit analyst and eventually an Underwriter. After four years in the Middle Market banking Derrick accepted a role within Community Development Lending, underwriting affordable housing developers and charter school facilities. Derrick accepted his current role as Market Executive in 2018.

Derrick holds Bachelor’s from Hampton University and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Derrick lives in Upper Marlboro, MD. Derrick is on the Boards of Virginia Housing Alliance, Volunteers of America National Services and Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers.

Jacquay Henderson is Founder and CEO of the award-winning technology consulting firm Square Peg Technologies. The firms core competencies are in Data Analytics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and technology design. They use the latest technologies to help the United States government Intelligence Community and Department of Defense in solving the nation’s most intriguing and challenging data issues pertaining to national security.

Jacquay is active in the business and technology communities and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the DC Chamber of Commerce, Co-Chair of the Small Business Advisory Council for the DC Chamber of Commerce, Contributing Member to Washington Business Journals Leadership Trust, Board of Advisors for the Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Department at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, where he is guiding engineering research experiments and where he has dedicated his company resources to a joint venture with the College of Engineering and the National Science Foundation’s Technology Infusion Program (TIP) which is geared towards boosting enrollment and enhancing the experience of minority students at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Lastly, he and his company are members of Department of Defense’s – Space Enterprise Consortium where they are prototyping and building the next generation of space technologies for NASA, Air Force and Space Force.

Jacquay holds a Bachelors and Masters in Industrial Engineering from Florida State University. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), holds a certificate from the MIT Sloan School of Management in Artificial Intelligence, a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and was named Small Business Person of the Year in 2019 by the DC Chamber of Commerce.

Ryan Chaffo is a senior business banking relationship manager for the Personal and Business Banking team in the Washington, D.C. Regional Center. His primary responsibility is to grow City National Bank’s presence in the Greater D.C. market through client and talent acquisition, alongside a targeted marketing strategy.

With more than 14 years of experience in commercial and business banking for various organizations Mr. Chaffo joined the DC Regional team in 2017. Prior to joining City National, he was a vice president, business banking relationship manager for M&T Bank, where he worked in both the New York City and Maryland markets.

Mr. Chaffo serves as an Executive Committee Member on the Board of Directors of the DC Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC. He is a resident of Annapolis, Maryland, where he lives with his wife and two children. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his family boating and fishing on the Chesapeake Bay.

Dr. Carolyn B. Rudd is founder, president, and CEO of CRP, Incorporated (CRP), a Washington, DC-based, multi-faceted professional services and management consulting firm established in 1988. Under the stewardship of Dr. Rudd, CRP has evolved into one of the leading small businesses in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, providing solutions in research, policy assessment and analysis, and program management and support services to federal agencies, the District of Columbia government, colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations. CRP was recognized by the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce as its “2017 Small Business of the Year” for its leadership in federal contracting in the District. In 2018, CRP was named one of the top 100 minority businesses in the DC metropolitan area. 

A native of suburban Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Rudd received a bachelors and master’s degree from Virginia State University. Immediately upon obtaining her master’s degree, she matriculated at the College of William and Mary, the second oldest higher education institution in the United States. Dr. Rudd earned a doctorate degree in higher education and a minor in business before the age of 30 from William and Mary, and is believed to be the youngest African American to receive a doctorate from the institution. 

Prior to starting CRP, Dr. Rudd served at three universities: 1) Virginia State University where she was director of a Job Corps Advanced Career Training Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, and later a faculty member in the School of Business; 2) Bowie State University as director of alumni affairs and executive director of the Bowie State University Foundation; and 3) Howard University as interim director of the Office of Satellite Communications and project director of a HIV/AIDS project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Rudd has demonstrated an unswerving commitment to providing employment opportunities for graduates of the University of the District of Columbia: a significant number of CRP’s full-time staff attended UDC. She has led CRP’s efforts as a charitable partner in the DC community by making philanthropic contributions to Howard University’s Sickle Cell Center, Howard University Hospital, and the following nonprofits: the Urban Alliance; Bright Beginnings; Crittenton Services of Greater Washington; Family Matters; the YWCA of Washington, DC; the Humanities Council of Washington, DC; the POSSE Foundation; and the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. As national president of the National Epicureans, Inc., Dr. Rudd was instrumental in establishing and actively supports a nationally endowed scholarship in education at Virginia Union University. Dr. Rudd has served as chair of the DC Commission for Women (appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser) as well as on the boards of Family Matters of Greater Washington, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and Leadership Greater Washington. She is chair elect of the DC Chamber’s Board of Directors and Co-Chair of its Membership Committee. She is a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Rudd is married and lives in Upper Northwest DC. 

Prior to joining the DC Chamber of Commerce as Interim President & CEO, Angela Franco was the Senior Advisor for Business Development at the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (DCHBX) where she is responsible for collaborating with the Hispanic and business communities as well as local and Federal Government.

Prior to joining DCHBX, Angela was the President and CEO of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GWHCC) from 2009 to 2017. Under her leadership, the organization was strengthened and revitalized as evidenced by its dramatic membership growth from 60 members when she started to 670 members upon her departure. It also experienced a 500% increase in operating revenue during her eight years of service. She led the organization in regaining the trust of its members, partners and sponsors.

The Washington Business Journal ranks the GWHCC among the Top Five Chambers of Commerce in the DC Metro Region. Before Angela’s arrival, it had never even made the list. In 2015, the GWHCC was named Chamber of the Year by the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and in 2013, received that organization’s award as the best midsized Chamber in the nation.

While at GWHCC, Angela pioneered the development of successful membership programs. She promoted business-to-business networking and synergistic relationship building, created training programs for owners of startup enterprises, built a bridge between the DC Metro Region and Latin America, and appeared before numerous government agencies as an advocate for the interests of regional Hispanic and minority businesses. Because of her passion and commitment, more than 70% of the Chamber’s members have grown their businesses and increased their ROI.

John Falcicchio serves as the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Mr. Falcicchio has also served as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff since the start of her Administration after volunteering as a campaign advisor and director of Mayor-elect Bowser’s transition. Mr. Falcicchio previously served as a Senior Vice President of DKC, a New York based public relations firm; as a Regional Political Director for the Democratic National Committee during the re-election of President Obama; and as a long-time aide to former Mayor Adrian Fenty.

As Deputy Mayor, Mr. Falcicchio oversees the District’s portfolio of real estate development projects that drive economic development in communities and deliver affordable housing, jobs and amenities to residents. Those projects include the transformative developments at the St Elizabeth’s East Campus, the Parks at Walter Reed and Hill East as well as dozens of other projects across all eight Wards.

Kristi C. Whitfield is the Director of the DC Department of Small and Local Development (DSLBD), a government agency with a mission to support the development, economic growth, and retention of District-based businesses, and promote economic development throughout the District’s commercial corridors. This work allows the agency to connect District businesses in real-time with local, federal, and global business opportunities; help businesses navigate the government’s contracting and procurement landscape quickly, confidently, and effectively; and, propel every entrepreneur with a great idea and a comprehensive plan towards the capital to make it happen.

Born to activist parents, Mrs. Whitfield has never been afraid to have a voice and to use her unique voice to advocate on behalf of people often overlooked. As a product of a planned community, Mrs. Whitfield has experienced first-hand how, through structure and organization, equity and opportunity can be afforded to all. As Mrs. Whitfield regularly states, “Socio-economic status should never determine one’s access to opportunity.”

As a part of a hard-working family and entrepreneurial father, education has always been a pillar of Mrs. Whitfield’s family culture. Upon this strong home foundation, Mrs. Whitfield motivated herself to the heights of academia. Mrs. Whitfield attended Swarthmore College where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Black Studies, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) where she received a Master of City Planning degree with a focus in Housing and Community Development. As a result of Mrs. Whitfield’s relentless drive, she has placed no limitations to what she can do or will explore. Before being appointed by Mayor Bowser to lead DSLBD, Mrs. Whitfield garnered experience in various sectors from being Director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development to a DC proud business owner of the nationally recognized “Curbside Cupcakes.” Or as Mrs. Whitfield would say it, “I went from consultant, to a baker, to a government director.”

Because of Mrs. Whitfield’s relentless pursuit to help move people up the economic ladder one way or another, she has unapologetically directed her team at DSLBD to develop and implement programs that do not just reach the mark but set all-new, long lasting standards for the way the District Government supports and promotes the small and local business community. Under Mrs. Whitfield’s leadership, DSLBD has:

• Achieved a record $890 million in DC Government spend with Small Business Enterprises (SBEs);

• Performed its first-ever unannounced spot checks of more than 1,600 active Certified Business Enterprises (CBEs);

• Started to explore ways to tighten the letter of the CBE law and close loopholes so that the CBE program aligns more closely with the spirit of helping genuine, local businesses;

• Helped subcontractors collect more than $1.8 million in late payments from primes;

• Levied and collected the largest amount of fines in the agency’s history from primes who failed to subcontract the required amount of work to qualified small businesses;

• Leveraged $200,000 in fines into more than 280 loans totaling $1.5 million which supported the creation and/or retention of over 375 jobs here in the District;

• Increased the amount of money going into the pockets of CBEs to the tune of a quarter billion dollars through waiver denials;

• Launched a first-of-its-kind Made in DC kiosk at Reagan National Airport in partnership with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority;

• Connected local businesses to more opportunities through DSLBD’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center division, which has helped local businesses secure $32.5 million in federal and local contract awards; and,

• Launched the DC Capital Connector, a free, online matchmaking tool that connects small businesses to Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) lenders and bonding agents with the push of a button.

When Mayor Bowser appointed Mrs. Whitfield, she knew that she was appointing a relentless advocate for the District small and local business community who would take on the challenge of identifying and implementing new ways to propel all District residents and businesses towards their fair shot to opportunities.

When Mrs. Whitfield is not in the office, she enjoys spending all her time with her husband, Sam, and their two boys.

Kenyan R. McDuffie, Councilmember for Ward 5, was first elected to the Council of the District of Columbia in a 2012 special election, and re-elected to full four-year terms in 2014 and again in 2018.

Since 2013 he has served as the Chairman Pro Tempore of the Council. Since 2017, Kenyan has served as the Chairperson of the Committee on Business and Economic Development where he has championed efforts to make the District’s economy more inclusive and support minority- and women-owned local businesses. Previously, Kenyan served as Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary, where he oversaw sweeping updates to the District’s criminal justice law.

Kenyan successfully passed comprehensive juvenile justice reform and also passed the innovative Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act (NEAR Act) which reforms the District’s criminal justice system by incorporating behavioral and mental health professionals to perform tasks that previously fell to law enforcement officers.

Prior to joining the Council, Kenyan worked extensively in the legal and public safety fields. Kenyan served as a trial attorney for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County and as policy advisor to the District of Columbia’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice.

Kenyan graduated summa cum laude from Howard University and went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. Nationally, Kenyan has been featured on NewsOne Now, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. Kenyan and his wife, Princess, live in his childhood home in Ward 5 with their two daughters, Kesi and Jozi.

Sonya Ravindranath Waddell joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Research Department in January 2008. She currently has responsibility for the Regional and Community Development research areas within the department, including setting strategic direction for various data products, surveys, and other regional and local analysis. In addition, she directs the incorporation of regional information into FOMC policy preparation for the Richmond Fed. Her work involves analyzing economic trends, writing for a variety of publications, and presenting on regional and national economic conditions. Prior to joining the Richmond Fed, she worked as an economist in the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget and at ICF International in Washington, D.C. She received a B.A. from Williams College in 2001 and an M.S. in Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006.