2025 Speakers
Jermaine Alley
Henrico Police Division
Monica Van Arsdale
Virginia Credit Union
Terrell Artis
My name is Terrell Artis. I’m a full time Candid/Event photographer. I’ve shot just about everything from weddings, to concerts and both personal and professional. This is my second year doing the teen summit. I’ve been a self taught photographer for almost 12 years. Cultural events (art shows/galleries, plays) traveling, and spending time with friends an family brings me joy.
Shriya Bandla
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Zenobia Cardwell, CWEP
125 Black Women
Zenobia A. Cardwell,CWEP, is a multi-hyphenate creative and entrepreneur from Richmond, VA. By day, Zenobia serves as a Community Engagement Manager for the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia,by night, Zenobia is known by her artistic moniker AllEyezOnZee(All Eyes On Zee) and is in full creative mode. In 2019, Zenobia started H4 Creative Firm, which originally launched as an event planning service and custom apparel company. With years of growth under the H4CF name, she has since expanded to a creative house of brands, placing her own artistic moniker since 2016, under the H4CF umbrella. She made it the home of 4thdmsn.foto, a photography and videography company that aims to capture the Black life experience, GRLGENIUSGFX, a graphic design company focusing on visual identity and publication design, and 125 Black Women, a non-profit aimed to serve girls and young women in the Richmond area. This service to her city provided her with an opportunity to serve her city in a greater capacity. In 2024, Zenobia was appointed to The Maggie L. Walker Initiative Citizens Advisory Board, which focuses on poverty reduction and wealth building. Zenobia likes to refer to herself as not only “a creative, curator, connector and catalyst…but also a girl from ‘The City’ because she believes there is no place in the world like or better than Richmond, Virginia.
Rasheeda Creighton
The JWC Foundation
Rasheeda Creighton is a builder—of businesses, communities, and spaces where Black
entrepreneurs thrive. After a successful corporate career, she made a bold pivot to focus on
creating opportunities for Black business owners to grow and build wealth on their own terms.
As co-founder and Executive Director of The JWC Foundation, she helps Black entrepreneurs
access resources, networks, and strategies for long-term success. She’s also the Founder of
Killing Superwoman®, empowering Black women to take control of their finances and redefine
success on their own terms. A proud Spelman College and University of Michigan Law
School grad, Rasheeda holds many titles—but her favorite will always be Mom to Zoe, Akilah,
and Saván.
Josh Dusci
Virginia State University
Jasmine Frazier
Partnership for the Future
Jasmine Frazier was raised in Richmond, VA and is a proud product of Richmond Public School Systems. Jasmine graduated from Richmond Community High School and was awarded over a half million dollars in scholarships. She is a recipient of local, national, and institutional scholarships, including the prestigious Gates Scholarship. She is a published author of a book that helps students navigate the college and scholarship application process. Jasmine graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with triple degrees: Supply Chain Management, Business Management, and Public Health. As a certified Life & Career Coach, and the Sr. College Access Manager at Partnership for the Future, Jasmine assist youth with pivotal transitions to college and the workforce through career and college readiness workshops and one-on-one coaching.
Silly Genius
Hamilton Glass
Art and Impact
I am Hamilton Glass and I am one of the Mending Walls artists. My partner and I have been working in this field for over 30 years a full time artist between both of us. What brings us joy is being able to tell students they are able to anything their heart desires and watch them realize it.
Anaya Kalore
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Manasvi Kannure
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Traymanesha, Lamy, Ph.D.
Javilyn Consulting, LLC
Kelli Lemon
I am the Director of Digital Programming for Virginia Video Network/ Richmond Times Dispatch. I am also the Owner – Social Cafe , Urban Hang Suite, Owner – Like The Fruit, Co Owner – Virginia (Richmond) Black Restaurant Experience, Co Founder – JWC Foundation, Draw Show Host – Virginia Lottery. Food, sports, arts and education are my passions and I have been creating a culture through these passions over the last 25 years in Central Virginia. Waking up to see another day brings me joy! I celebrate life daily and find the positive and lessons in everything that comes my way!
Matt Lively
I am Matt Lively and I am a multi media artist. I previously was an an aspiring multi-media artist. I have been a full time artist for 31 years. Family, friends, movies and collaboration brings me joy.
David Naff
Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. David Naff is the Director of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC), a research-practice partnership between the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University and five school divisions in metropolitan Richmond, Virginia. In this role, Dr. Naff leads collaborative research studies focused on a variety of topics in public, PK-12 education, including supporting mental health in schools. He also oversees research dissemination efforts for MERC, including podcast episodes, data dashboards, Zoom seminars, and the annual MERC Stakeholder Summit. Prior to coming to MERC, Dr. Naff was a high school counselor.
Tanvi Nareddy
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Izzy Nofsker
YMCA
Izzy Nofsker serves as the Association Director of Teens for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Through her role, she is able to provide support to programs that serve teens throughout the Greater Richmond area. Izzy appreciates the opportunity to guide, inspire, and support teens as the go through the changes of middle School and High School. She hopes that through her work, teens learn how to advocate for themselves, their community and learn how to be the best leader they can be. Outside of the YMCA, Izzy enjoys trying new restaurants, going for walks outdoors, and spending time with her loved ones!
Dashia and Destiny Oliver
RVA Hot Wheelz
RVA Hot Wheelz is Richmond, VA’s premier Polaris Slingshot rental company and the only official Polaris partner in the area. Founded by 22-year-old sisters with a vision to bring a unique and thrilling driving experience to their city, RVA Hot Wheelz has grown to offer the largest fleet of Slingshot rentals in Virginia.
Since opening its storefront in Spring 2024, the company has remained deeply committed to community engagement, partnering with local businesses, hosting events, and supporting nonprofit initiatives.
Amber Perez
YMCA
Amber Perez serves as the Teen Coordinator for the Northside Family YMCA. In her job, she run programs that allow her to give back to teens in the community. Amber’s passion is working with youth and getting them involved in the community. In her free time she also devotes herself to promoting the importance of Gen Z work and building a sustainable planet. Outside of the YMCA, she loves to focus on hobbies such as reading and cooking and exploring new ones such as hiking and sports.
Neha Pillai
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Mason Plummer
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
RVA Rising
Lorena Suárez-Cabrera
MAPARLANTE, Cultural Consulting LLC
Lorena Suárez-Cabrera’s area of expertise include Mental Health in immigrant families, through CBT, Narrative Therapy, and Racial Trauma approach and tools; cultural identities and leadership with youth population; international migration with a concentration on Latin American countries; historical memory; processes of racialization; gender and childhood; qualitative methodologies for social and community interventions; development of workshops for different age groups.
Ashna Sureshkumar
Oasis of Hope
We are Oasis of Hope, a group of high schoolers from Richmond who desire to make an impact in our community. As high school students, we noticed how stressed we were without the resources to care for our mental health. This led us to creating Oasis of Hope.
We wanted to create and promote mental health resources that our peers of all backgrounds can use. So far, we have created a successful social media campaign with over 200 followers, sponsored outreach events at our school, and led activities at local middle schools to promote awareness for mental health issues for people of all backgrounds.
Marcy Thornhill
Mrs Marcy’s Homemades
Christina Tillery
Virginia Commonwealth University
Monica Van Arsdale
Virginia Credit Union
Monica brings a refreshing, honest, and relatable voice to money management. With over 15 years of personal financial education experience, Monica meets people wherever they are on their financial journey. As a former public school teacher and lifelong Virginia resident, Monica is committed to helping the Richmond community build a brighter tomorrow. She currently serves on the Virginia Board for JumpStart Financial Literacy Coalition and the Virginia Department of Education’s curriculum review committee. When she’s not helping people live more financially confidently, Monica enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering around town.
Micah “Bam-Bamm” White
Metropolitan Business League
Wherever Micah White goes, his enthusiasm and energy are contagious. During his more than 25 years in the entertainment industry, he has worked as a stand-up comedian, host, keynote speaker, and philanthropist. White’s abilities have led to him performing for a variety of corporations, non-profit organizations, and colleges, doing everything from stand-up comedy to hosting and delivering the commencement address. Despite his enormous success, he has remained deeply rooted in Virginia and is the founder of RVA Has Talent, an organization that fosters collaborations between regional artists and nonprofit organizations in the Greater Richmond region.
Off the stage, he cares deeply about his community. White has spoken at TEDxRVA and worked with businesses to address issues of inclusion, growth, and diversity. He worked with the Boys and Girls Club as a coach and mentor. White also served as the girls’ volleyball team’s head coach at James River High School.
White’s goal in all of his endeavors is to use humor and entertainment to find common ground across racial, religious, socioeconomic, and generational divides.
Chris Woodbury
Virginia Credit Union
Chris has 30 years of banking and financial experience and an impressive 25-year-long career with Virginia Credit Union. Always wearing a smile, Chris loves creating relationships with people and encouraging them to achieve and succeed in their goals. He’s excited to continue to empower our members, community, and local school systems, recognizing it’s never too early or late to achieve financial health.