Ayesha Curry
NBWA’s Woman of Impact Honoree

Ayesha Curry is a renowned restaurateur, chef, 2x New York Times bestselling author, actress, producer, and entrepreneur featured on the prestigious Forbes “30 Under 30” list. Her accessible approach to cooking has made her one of the most sought-after experts in food and lifestyle. She is the Founder and CEO of Sweet July, her lifestyle and culinary brand empowering and celebrating women and BIPOC creators. Founded in 2019, Sweet July has two brick-and-mortar café destinations located in Oakland and Santa Monica. Since its launch, the Sweet July enterprise has grown to include Sweet July Magazine, Sweet July Productions, Sweet July Skin inspired by her Jamaican heritage, and Sweet July Books. Products from both the skincare line and home collection have been recognized in top tier publications and have received numerous awards including being named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in both 2023 and 2024. Ayesha, along with her husband Stephen, are the co-founders of Eat. Learn. Play., an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child and making a positive impact for generations to come.

Nicole Lacob
NBWA’s Excellence in Philanthropy Honoree

Nicole Lacob has served as Board President of the Warriors Community Foundation since 2012. Under her leadership, the charitable arm of the Golden State Warriors has delivered more than $47 million in impact, including $27.5 million in grants to Bay Area nonprofit organizations supporting education and youth development, making it one of the most generous foundations in professional sports.

Under Lacob’s guidance, the Foundation has donated over 20,000 tickets to local youth and community leaders and has refurbished more than 90 basketball courts (56 during Lacob’s tenure). She’s also helped the Foundation expand its collaboration efforts by partnering with both Salesforce for the annual Hoops 4 Kids program and Kaiser Permanente for Generation Thrive, a first-of-its-kind non-profit hub that provides education and wellness support to Bay Area non-profit organizations and schools.

Prior to being Board President of the Warriors Community Foundation, Lacob spent time in the wine industry and also spent seven years in education as a high school teacher in history and government. A native of Washington, DC, Lacob is a 2018 inductee to the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame for her philanthropic work.

Live Art by

Jermaine Dante’ Burse
Self-Taught Critically Acclaimed Visual Fine Artist

Jermaine Dante’ Burse is a self-taught artist whose work is a captivating blend of color, texture, and abstract forms. Beginning as black-and-white sketches drawn on any surface he could find, his artistic journey has evolved into bold, dynamic compositions created primarily with acrylic and oil paint. His art pulses with life and emotion, inviting viewers into a world of movement and depth through his striking use of color and expressive detail.

Jermaine’s paintings celebrate life’s vibrance, from powerful athletes to intimate connections, earning acclaim in Napa Life Magazine, Slam Magazine, and Napa Valley Marketplace. Featured at prestigious events like Carmel Car Week and venues such as Aerena Gallery, The W Hotel, and Markham Vineyards, his work resonates with collectors and admirers alike.

With solo exhibitions from San Francisco to Miami, Jermaine’s artistry continues to connect with new audiences. Recently, his work was chosen from numerous submissions to be the featured piece for the Museum of the African Diaspora’s annual MLK celebration in San Francisco.

Aldis Hodge, Film and Television Actor/Producer, Entrepreneur

Aldis Hodge is a SAG Award-winning actor. He was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and raised in New York, New York; while he currently resides in Los Angeles. Hodge currently stars as Alex Cross in Amzon’s crime thriller Cross based on the bestselling series written by James Patterson. He also portrayed MC Ren in Universal Pictures’ Straight Outta Compton. In addition to acting, Hodge writes scripts for film and television, designs luxury timepieces, and is an avid artist and painter.

Elaine Welteroth, Award-winning journalist, NYT bestselling
author, Judge on Project Runway, Founder of birthFUND

Elaine Welteroth is an American journalist, editor and best-selling author. In April 2016, she became editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, and the youngest Condé Nast editor in its 107-year history as well as the second African-American person to hold the title of editor-in-chief at the company. In January 2018, it was announced she would be stepping down from her role, after signing with talent agency CAA. In June 2019 her memoir, More Than Enough: Claiming space for who you are (no matter what they say), was published by Viking. In 2016, Welteroth was named 47th in The Root’s list of 100 influential African-Americans. Welteroth speaks at varying conferences like the 2017 PATH forty-year celebration and the 2017 Women of Power Summit through Black Enterprise magazine.

Preston Walton, President of AHS Foundation

Preston Walton is the President for Alameda Health System Foundation. In this role, Preston oversees Foundation strategy and philanthropy efforts to support patient program and services for Alameda Health System (AHS). Prior to becoming President at Alameda Health System Foundation, Preston served as the Executive Director of Grantmaking and Community Engagement for Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. Preston has a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Industry Management and a Master of Arts in Organization & Leadership, both from University of San Francisco (USF). He serves on the board of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy.

Zena Keita, Basketball Analyst, TV and Podcast Host

Originally from Paris, France, Zena used sports to acclimate to her new home in North Carolina and to find her voice. A love for sports and
academics led her to play basketball at Yale University, followed by earning a Master’s degree at Wake Forest School of Business. After school, she worked in sports partnerships with the Miami Dolphins, Golden State Warriors, and The Athletic, where she developed a
passion for sports media.

In 2024, Zena transitioned to full-time sports broadcasting, hosting The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show and The Athletic NBA Daily, and serving as an on-air host and analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, focusing on the Golden State Warriors.

In all her roles, Zena enjoys leveraging her love of conversation and community to create spaces where people can learn and connect. She presently resides in the Bay Area with her rescue dog, Remy.

Monica Raye Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong

Monica Raye Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong, the southern-based national Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. Monica is a proud, queer NC native and graduate of Johnson C Smith University, a historically black university (HBCU) based in Charlotte, NC. For nearly 20 years, Monica has been organizing for LGBTQ liberation, civil and human rights, and sexual and reproductive justice. As a creative and cultural strategist, Monica lives by the charge set by Nina Simone that says, “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times.” She is deeply committed to using the power of cultural organizing to educate the masses and dismantle systems of oppression. Monica was named a New Civil Rights Leader by Essence Magazine and was named as one of TIME 100’s most influential people of 2023. families seeking midwives while raising awareness and challenging the way the United States approaches maternal healthcare. Elaine is a new mom living with her husband in L.A.

Becca Greenwell Wathen, Strategic Partner Manager on the
Sports Partnerships team, Meta

Becca Greenwell Wathen is a Strategic Partner Manager on the Sports Partnerships team at Meta. In her role she focuses on educating and enabling athletes & creators to maximize business opportunities across Meta’s suite of products including Facebook, Instagram & Threads. In her time at Meta, Becca has been instrumental to Meta’s NIL efforts including creating & leading the NIL Empower Program, an industry-award
winning NIL program specifically for female student-athletes. Prior to Meta, she’s held roles at the National Basketball Players Association & Atlanta Hawks. She was named one of Business Insider’s 2022 “Rising Stars of the Creator Economy”, Sports Business Journal’s 2024 “New Voices Under 30” and is a former All-American Duke Women’s Basketball player, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist & 2018 WNBA Draftee.

Stasia Washington. Managing Director, Senior Wealth Manager, LIDO

Stasia Washington is a managing director with Lido Advisors, LLC. She is responsible for guiding families, nonprofits, and private foundations on all aspects of financial asset management. Stasia has over 25 years of combined experience in non-legal trust services, capital markets, philanthropy, and family governance, most recently as a senior vice president with First Foundation Advisors from 2013 to 2023. She currently serves on the board of The LA84 Foundation, as an advisor to Schwab Charitable Foundation, and on the audit committee of MusicCares, where she served on the board for six years. Stasia previously served on the boards of KCET Public Broadcasting, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, and the West Angeles Community Development Corporation. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business from Pepperdine University. Stasia joined the Parsons board in 2024.

Tara DeVeaux , CEO of Burrell Communications Group

Tara DeVeaux is Chief Executive Officer of Burrell Communications Group and an award-winning brand and entertainment marketer. Tara joined Burrell from Wild Card Entertainment Group, where she was CMO and Managing Director of 3AM, the agency’s content innovation studio. At Wild Card, Tara steered teams through the launch of integrated and social campaigns in entertainment (including Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie, UA’s The House of Gucci, The Handmaid’s Tale and Kardashians for Hulu, HBO’s Insecure and Rap Sh*t and, Swarm on Amazon), in gaming (for Marvel’s Avengers and The SIMS), and she helped forge new relationships beyond entertainment with brand campaigns for Barbie, Adidas and Corona USA.

Tabatha Turman, Founder & CEO, Integrated Finance and Account Solutions, LLC

Ms. Turman is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Finance and Accounting Solutions LLC, an award-winning government contracting consulting firm. With over 20 years of experience as an Army Finance Officer and consultant in the areas of military accounting and financial management, Tabatha has grown IFAS from a one-woman consulting firm to a highly regarded, employee-oriented, multi-million dollar firm.Under Tabatha’s leadership, IFAS has rapidly become a recognized name that federal agencies and industry leaders have grown to trust to solve the toughest problems providing the best solutions.