Meet the Special Delegation to Suriname
PORT OF AFRICATOWN, CDC
DELEGATION to SURINAME
February 21 - 28, 2022
Steve Bradberry
Born in Chicago and based in New Orleans, LA, Steve is the Executive Director of the Port of Africatown. He brings a wealth of talent from the Alliance Institute, whose mission it is to provide individuals, families, and organizations with the skills and information necessary for them to fully participate in the decision-making processes that affect them in their homes, neighborhoods and communities. In 2005 he was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his work on behalf of victims of Hurricane Katrina. Bradberry was the first African American to win. Future U.S. President Barack Obama spoke at the ceremony, saying of Bradberry, "Somewhere there's always been people like Steve Bradberry who believe that this isn't the way it's supposed to be ... People who believe that while evil and suffering will always exist, this is a country that has been fueled by small miracles and boundless dreams.”
Chandra Brown
Chandra Brown-Stewart is the Executive Director and co-founder of Society of Clotilda, a program of Lifelines Counseling ServicesServices, a multi-level agency that serves over 30,000 people each year with counseling, assistance and education to help deal with life problems. Chandra holds a master’s degree in community counseling from the University of South Alabama and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Pre-Med from Xavier University in New Orleans. Chandra is a member of the Leadership Mobile Class of 2001 and was named by Mobile Bay Monthly as one of their “40 Under 40 - Mobile’s Best and Brightest”; a past board member of Victory Health Partners, the Mobile Civic Center Advisory Board, Prevent Child Abuse Alabama Board, Alabama Rape Crisis Network, Mobile United and the Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail; and a general member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Chandra is member of the Board of Trustees for the University of South Alabama and the past president of the Junior League of Mobile. Chandra is married to Leonard Stewart Jr., they are members of St. Mary Parish and have an active puppy named Red.
MaryAnne Howland
MaryAnne Howland is the founder and CEO of Ibis Communications, a branding marketing solutions firm in Nashville, Tennessee. The success of her business has been recognized by the Clinton administration and she has attended several summits at the White House. In 2012, she launched the Global Diversity Leadership Exchange, a forum to facilitate dialogue on diversity, sustainability, and inclusion, which has held annual summits at the New York Stock Exchange and the United Nations. MaryAnne is currently running The Warrior Rising Mentorship Masterclass Series on BlackMitzvah.org. MaryAnne currently serves on the board of the American Sustainable Business Council, a DC-based advocacy agency. The mission of American Sustainable Business Council is to advance public policies that ensure a vibrant, just, and sustainable economy. She is past chair of Social Venture Network, the premiere organization of mission-driven social entrepreneurs who are transforming the way the world does business.
Jessica Norwood
Named to Essence Magazines “50 Entrepreneurs to Watch” list, Jessica Norwood is a financial activist, impact investor and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Runway Project, a suite of strategies that aim to close the racial wealth gap for good. Jessica is well known for what she calls “Believe in You Money”, placing early capital or a "Friends and Family" round into African American companies nationwide. Jessica won the prestigious Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellowship for Economic Disruption and is an immediate past fellow of RSF Social Finance Integrated Capital, Jessica speaks worldwide on the intersection of culture and investing, emerging leadership, community investing and African American wealth creation. Featured in Essence Magazine, NPR, Next City, and Fast Company, Jessica is lifelong Fellow of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and Southern University College of Business, as well as the Political Power Fellow of the Hip Hop Archive at the Hutchinson Institute of Harvard University. Jessica splits time between Alabama and California.
The Honorable Jesse Norwood, Ret.
Jesse Norwood was elected Mayor of Alabama’s 10th largest City, Prichard in 1992, and served two terms. As Mayor, he led the city in becoming a national site for development using the EPA’s Brownsfield program to redevelop properties that have been complicated due to environmental justice issues. His successful vision and national cache led him to be elected President of the National Conference of Black Mayors and later he would be elected as Vice President of the National Mayors Conference. An honorary Ambassador to West Africa’s Bakino Faso, Jesse has been a voice of global leadership for economic and community development. Nationally, Jesse is a graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Alabama and a former board member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame along with many other accolades and awards. Born in Prichard, Alabama, Jesse began his career as the special assistant to the first African American Mayor of Prichard, Jay Cooper, and later went on to be an executive in the health care industry and has an extensive resume in both healthcare and housing development.
Monica Temoney
As the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Markets Operations Ms. Temoney oversees Global Markets budget, human capital, and administrative services, including strategic planning. She leads the development and the integration of enterprise-level guidelines, policies, and expertise across GM. Ms. Temoney is a proven leader with extensive experience providing executive oversight for business operations in government and industry. She comes to Global Markets directly from the private sector, where she was COO for a company focused on providing acquisition lifecycle support, project management, and workforce management to global businesses. Prior to that, Ms. Temoney had a distinguished career with the U.S. Customs Service/U.S. Customs and Border Protection, including roles as Deputy Assistant Commissioner for International Affairs, Executive Director for Mission Support, and her final position as the Executive Director for CBP’s International Support Directorate, overseeing CBP’s operational personnel in 55 countries worldwide.