Leadership
MARY RAPAPORT, Founder, CHIEF INSPIRER
Mary’s diverse business background ranges from marketing and leadership to change management and employee engagement training. She has led high-impact training programs for 20 years. Currently Mary is the Chief Xceleration Officer for Xcelerate Business, providing strategic training programs for companies. She also serves as Vice President, Professional Development for the Association for Talent Development in the Twin Cities. Mary has a passion for volunteerism, with a drive to connect and encourage people to step into their purpose. MBGA is an expression of that desire, and Mary is excited to see it come to life.
Contact Mary at mary@minoritybusinessgrowth.org
Cathy Hart, Vice President, Outreach and strategic partnerships
With over 25 years of business and non-profit experience, Cathy is a strategic leader and operations executive who runs Slainte Group, a Twin Cities based consulting and investment firm. Cathy is fueled by finding opportunity in every challenge and in every business condition from start-up to reinvention, and she has worked in numerous industries from health care to commercial real estate to professional services. She is a change agent driven to continuously learn and improve, and she is committed to nurturing both the people and the community around her.
Contact Cathy at cathy@minoritybusinessgrowth.org
barb Taylor, Vice President of Client and Volunteer Experience
As a licensed psychologist and principal consultant at The Bailey Group, Barb Krantz Taylor helps busy leaders find clarity in their vision and find paths to accomplish them. Her extensive background in psychology allows her to lead her clients in understanding their own behaviors and motivations. Barb then teaches her clients how to use self-knowledge in all areas of their lives, including how to strike the right balance between cultivating relationships and achieving fulfilling personal and professional goals.
Contact Barb at barb@minoritybusinessgrowth.org
Susan Rylance, Vice president of Consulting
As the VP of Growth and Talent Strategies at Fahren, Susan has over 20 years of experience helping companies grow their marketing and digital teams. She has built a seasoned network of marketing, digital and business professionals across the country where she has helped many SMB and Fortune 500 companies scale their business through identifying and hiring their next modern leaders. She is passionate about helping people realize the real joys in their work and connects them to organizations that align with their passion and purpose.
Contact Susan at susan@minoritybusinessgrowth.org
Cyrus lemon, Business champion advocate
As an EOS implementer I am doing the same thing with businesses that I have been doing with personal training clients for over a decade. Setting goals, teaching skills, and keeping them disciplined and accountable to achieve those goals. I teach a simple set of real world, practical tools that will help you get the most out of your business through discipline and accountability to ultimately have a better life.
I wanted to help MBGA because I want to make a difference in the community I grew up in. There is no secret that the BIPOC community desires and deserves to “have a bigger piece of the pie” - to build and operate sustainable, profitable businesses - the problem is, many don’t always know how to achieve this goal. MBGA is helping to bridge the gap between “want” and “how” and I am excited to be a small part of that.
Contact Cyrus at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrus-lemon/
CHRIS VEIGA, Vice President of OPERATIONS
As a Senior Marketing Project Manager at Marcomm Inc, Chris has helped national non-profits and consulting firms get their projects completed by focusing on communication and strategy. He has been in the marketing space for almost a decade and loves ideation and creative flow. He has a love for technology and a passion for constantly learning about new tools and processes.
Contact Chris at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-veiga/
GREG POMERANTZ, ADVISOR
Greg Pomerantz was trained in "blue chip" companies like PepsiCo and ConAgra, and then moved into fast-growth, entrepreneurial environments like NordicTrack and Miracle-Ear. For the last 15+ years, Greg has worked as a consultant with privately owned and emerging businesses with a focus on increasing profitable sales.
Contact Greg at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregpomerantz/
DEDE CIPRARI, CHIEF OF STAFF
With over 30 years of experience in business development, program management, and consulting, Dede has helped national health companies grow their business and improve products and processes. She has a passion for business innovation and developing things that make a meaningful difference for the end user.
Contact Dede at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dede-ciprari-754aa75/