Board of Directors
Meet the proud Board of Directors for the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce. We are all professionals committed to the progression of Black Owned Enterprises.
Denise Rolark Barnes
Publisher, The Washington Informer
Denise Rolark Barnes is the publisher of The Washington Informer, the award-winning weekly newspaper serving the African American community in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She is a second-generation publisher, succeeding her father, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, who published the first issue on October 16, 1964.
Under Rolark Barnes’ leadership, The Washington Informer has expanded to an online publication, including a weekly e-newsletter, and a broad social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Additionally, she oversees a staff of nearly 25 full and part-time employees, as well as freelancers who produce monthly issue-oriented special editions on topics including Homeownership, Financial Literacy, Sustainability and the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference issue. Most recently, she launched WI Bridge, a monthly publication targeting millennials, and WIN-TV, a weekly video broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram covering local and national topics and conversations with officials along with everyday people.
Rolark-Barnes also maintains The Washington Informer Charities, a non-profit organization that promotes literacy and sponsors internship opportunities, writing competitions and scholarships for students interested in pursuing careers in journalism. The Washington Informer Charities is the official sponsor of the annual D.C. City-Wide Spelling Bee, and the Prince George’s Spelling Bee. Winners from both represent their respective jurisdictions in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Rolark Barnes is a dedicated community servant who has launched a variety of local initiatives serving underserved youths in the DC, Maryland and Virginia areas. She coordinated an effort to erect an anti-gang mural project in Southeast, D.C.; as well as a day of social and personal development for girls at Ballou Senior High School called Girl Talk. She re-established the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Peace Walk and Parade in Ward 8 now in its 14th year. She also established the Annual Washington Informer African American Heritage Tour that attracts nearly 300 participants each year.
Rolark Barnes is chair emeritus of the National Newspaper Publishers Association – the Black Press of America. She serves on the boards of several local non-profit, community and municipal organizations, including the Washington Convention and Sports Authority (Events DC), the DC Martin Luther King Holiday Commission, the Maryland, Delaware, DC Press Association (MDDC), the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), and Leadership Greater Washington. Most recently she joined the board of the Greater Washington Black Chamber. She is an inductee in the D.C. Hall of Fame, and a recipient of numerous awards including the Generous Heart Award presented by the Jack H. Olender Foundation.
Rolark-Barnes is a graduate of Howard University where she received a BA degree in journalism and a JD degree from Howard University School of Law. She lives in the District of Columbia with her husband, Lafayette Barnes. They have two adult sons.
Dionne Bussey-Reeder
Executive Director, Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative
Coming Soon
Steve Glaude
President/CEO of the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED)
Stephen Glaude is President and CEO of the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development CNHED). CNHED services a network of over 100 non-profit organizations and 65 mission driven for-profit companies who provide affordable housing, workforce development, small business development and human services to District of Columbia neighborhoods and residents.
Prior to CNHED Stephen served as Director of Community Affairs for the District of Columbia. Stephen is an experienced Non-Profit leader but also has vast federal government experience. His non-profit management service includes serving as CEO of three national non-profit organizations, The National Association of Neighborhoods, The National Congress for Community Economic Development and Men Can Stop Rape. His Federal government positions include Deputy Undersecretary for Intergovernmental Relations and Special Assistant to the President in the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House Stephen is a native Washingtonian and a proud graduate of Morgan State University.
Corey Arnez Griffin
President and CEO, Global Government and Industry Partners, LLC
Corey Arnez Griffin has spent more than 20 years in international development, technology, management consulting and government. Griffin was appointed by President Obama to the Peace Corps as Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships in 2012, where he served until 2015. Prior, Griffin was appointed as Chief of Staff by Council Member Kenyan McDuffie in the District of Columbia, where he served as chief political advisor and strategist on the full range of municipal government operations and legislation. Griffin spent 14 plus years at Microsoft Corporation working in various roles and leadership positions, including roles in consulting, operations, and sales. As Director of International Development, Griffin had responsibility for Microsoft’s strategy for aid, trade and finance agencies. Griffin is noted for brokering a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Microsoft, USAID, PEPFAR and the MCC that facilitated broader, cross-agency ICT partnerships around the world.
He has served on the board of directors for the United States Global Leadership Campaign, the Society for International Development, and Greater Washington Urban League. In 2008 Griffin was appointed by the former USAID Administrator, Henrietta H. Fore, to serve on the Advisory Committee for Voluntary Foreign Aid. He currently serves on the board of the National Peace Corps Association, the Technology and Innovation Inclusion Council and the St Elizabeth East Advisory Board for the District of Columbia.
Griffin was named by the Washington Business Journal as one of the region’s top minority business leaders of the year for 2008 and one of the top 40 International Development professionals under 40 by the Devex Group in 2010. Griffin is a Leadership Greater Washington graduate of the class of 2007 and a fellow with the American Council for Technology – Industry Advisory Council.
Specialties: Public, Private Partnership, International Development, Sales, Management, Non Profit Leadership, Public Sector Engagement
Kola A. Isiaq, CPA, CISA
Managing Partner, Williams Adley & Company, LLP
As Managing Partner, Kola Isiaq provides strategic leadership and oversees the day-to-day management of Williams Adley – a DC based mid-size minority owned CPA and management consulting firm. Founded in 1982, Williams Adley provides auditing and financial management services to government agencies seeking accountability, transparency, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. Kola obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Alabama A&M University, a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Tennessee State University, and earned certification from Harvard University’s Executive Leadership Program. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the District of Columbia and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. Kola served on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s Subcommittee on Federal Auditing and Accounting Standards, the Greater Washington Society of CPAs’ Committee on Federal Auditing and Accounting Issues, and currently seats on the board of the International Consortium of Government Financial Managers. He was awarded SmartCEO’s CPA Industry Practice Leader Award in 2015. He is a current or recent past member of the Association of Government Accountants, the American Society of Military Comptrollers, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, and the National Association of Black Accountants. In his spare time, Kola enjoys running, reading, and travelling which has taken him to more than 40 countries in 6 continents.
Howard R. Jean
Corporate Development Manager, Enlightened, Inc.
Over the years, Jean has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Tavis Smiley Radio Show, USA Today, Associated Press Articles, Jet Magazine, Essence Magazine and on the cover of ARETE Magazine and a plethora of online articles for his work in education with minority males and community service. More recently, Jean was featured in Black Enterprise Magazine online as the man of the month where he shares insight on becoming successful in a global society for males of color. Jean regularly travels across the US speaking to youth groups, professionals, parents and related members in the areas of student development, teacher training, community development and self-empowerment.
Jean has served as Executive Director of the Call Me MISTER program at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. The MISTER program (Mentors Instructing Students Towards Effective Role Models) is a leadership development program for pre-service teachers designed to encourage and support African American males to dedicate their lives to becoming role models in the field of education. As a product and partner with the program for the past 11 years, Jean created a pilot and complimentary program for women interested in teaching Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The program is entitled Teach STEM Scholarship Project (TS2 Project) and is in its 5th year of programming. In 2012, Jean served as the Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Augusta Richmond County where he participated in decreasing the graduation rates of high school students utilizing “Race To The Top” Funding.
Howard R. Jean holds Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education from Claflin University and Masters of Science degree in Education in Social and Philosophical Foundations. Jean has served various roles in the field of education as a teacher, coordinator, consultant, curriculum developer and on-air personality discovering and finding solutions to issues that plague the corners of society. As a mentor and public speaker, Jean has influenced students across the nation with his message of “Embracing your own celebrity, celebrating your own identity” and empowering them to make a deliberate decision to be great and rise above mediocrity.
Jean currently resides in Washington, DC where he volunteers with educational programs for youth, mentors the next generation of classroom educators and serves on various boards that allow him to give back, empower others and increase entrepreneurship amongst young people and minorities.
Will Jonez
GWBCC Board Member
Coming Soon
Omar McIntosh
Executive Vice President, Smoot Construction
Coming Soon
B. Doyle Mitchell Jr.
President and CEO, Industrial Bank
B. Doyle Mitchell Jr., President and CEO of Industrial Bank, leads the largest and oldest minority-owned commercial bank in the Washington Metropolitan area and the fourth largest African American owned financial institution in the country (recognized in Black Enterprise Magazine’s 2019 BE 100s).
Mr. Mitchell is the third generation president of Industrial Bank, which was founded by his grandfather Jesse H. Mitchell in 1934. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University in 1984, he began a full-time career at Industrial. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1990 and succeeded his father as president in 1993. Industrial Bank has remained strong because of its mission to promote the financial and economic empowerment of its diverse communities. The Bank provides a full range of quality banking and financial services including residential, commercial, small business and SBA loans. Industrial Bank has seven branches in Washington, DC and Prince George’s County, Maryland, two branches in New Jersey, and one branch in New York. Mr. Mitchell and Industrial Bank are dedicated to serving our communities through high quality financial services and employees that really care.
Mr. Mitchell serves on several boards, including the Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce; the National Bankers Association (NBA), which represents the nation’s minority banks and the Independent Community Bankers of America, Legislative Issues Committee. He has testified before several United States House of Representative Committees on a variety of community banking issues. Mr. Mitchell is passionately committed to communities less served by mainstream institutions, and he believes community-based banks provide great under-recognized value. Mr. Mitchell has received numerous awards from his peers and the community.
Jamila White
Principal Conspirator, blakQuity
Jamila White is an International Development and Humanitarian expert with 15 years of experience managing, designing and implementing more than 100 million dollars in complex economic and social development initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas. Raised in Virginia and Southeast D.C., Jamila’s life's work has been focused on opening doors, creating access, and supporting Black, Indigenous and people of color worldwide.
Jamila holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Hampton University and a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Economic Development and International Affairs from Indiana University. She was also elected to local office in Washington D.C. and was sworn in as a Commissioner in January 2021 to a two-year term.
Previously, Jamila was the Senior Africa Representative for Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is a global team of humanitarians who partner with communities, corporations and governments to transform lives around the world by alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression to help people build secure, productive and just communities. Jamila drove implementation of Mercy Corps Africa’s strategy to: Champion and Empower the Young African Leader and co-chairs Mercy Corps DC based People of Color Affinity Group.
Jamila is the co- founder of the Geraldine N. Coleman “a Seat at the Kitchen Table” College Scholarship Fund (a family fund she created to honor the legacy of her late grandmother who championed women's rights, education, and economic freedom), a fellow with the Aspen Institute International Career Advancement Program (ICAP), Board Advisor at the Africa Summit, Co-Chair of the Society for International Development's Young Professional Network where she uses her platform to increase the equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the industry by hosting discussions and events focused on #metoo, LGBTQI and sexual minorities, young professionals breaking into the industry, and racial diversity in foreign affairs. In addition, Jamila is a volunteer mentor with College Bound, Strategic Advisor for One World Exchange, Atlas Corps Volunteer, and works with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to develop the next pipeline of Black leaders in Foreign Affairs.
Jamila resides in Washington D.C. and enjoys spending time with her family, travelling, the Arts, meditation, shopping, and decorating in her free time.