The African American Business Leaders Council

We are thrilled to unveil our 2026 African American Business Leaders Awards honorees! These individuals are shining bright in our community and are making a lasting impact in the Lehigh Valley and beyond 🎉

Please join us in congratulating:
💎 Hasanna Birdsong
💎 Dr. Isaac Jamison
💎 Officer Jamil Newsome
💎 Andrene Nowell

You won’t want to miss the Diamond Gala happening on Tickets are on Friday, November 20, 6:00 pm at the Aster Event Center in Allentown. Tickets are $160 for one and $285 for two. Register here: https://bit.ly/3VQhSms
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FxFisiNNr/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7509353663144853505?viewAsMember=true

The African American Business Leaders Council presents their 10th Annual Awards Gala on Friday, November 20, 6:00 pm at the Aster Event Center, Hyatt House Allentown.

Join us for 💎 Decade of Brilliance…The Diamond Gala 💎, an awards dinner to honor African American achievements in the Lehigh Valley paired with live entertainment, elegant style, and a fundraiser to benefit the African American Business Leaders Council Scholarship Fund.

The 2026 African American Business Leaders Awards will also be presented. This award is presented to an individual or a company who is a community icon, has made significant contributions to the community, and has distinguished him/herself in the business world and the community. Stay tuned for announcements on our 2026 awardees!

🩵 Tickets are $160 for one and $285 for two. Register here: https://bit.ly/3VQhSms
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FxFisiNNr/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7509353663144853505?viewAsMember=true

Join the African American Business Leaders Council for Empower Black on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM at Gems & Joe (1019 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA 18101) for networking and make an impact on our local Black-owned business community. Free to attend, but we encourage you to support by purchasing coffee, tea, or a pastry!

There is no formal programming, so feel free to stop by at any time during the event to support 🩵

Register here: https://bit.ly/4ruc65T
- page: https://www.facebook.com/share/19wDxUK8Mx/
- LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7508992702831767552?viewAsMember=true

We’re excited to highlight Itbaan Nafi as a panelist for Angel Investing 101: Insights from the Investors' Table 💸

Itbaan Nafi is an entrepreneur passionate about human-centered design and national economic development. He designed his bachelor’s degree at Stanford University, called Software, Policy, and Design Engineering, by combining human-computer interaction, design thinking, and political science, and served as a teaching assistant in the master's departments for Management Science & Engineering and Sustainability. Itbaan was selected as an inaugural Obama-Chesky Scholar where he created Design for Bangladesh, an entrepreneurship accelerator for students in his home village, which served as the inspiration for Breakthrough. "Working with Roman Scott, he built Breakthrough, America's largest accelerator for student founders. In just under two years, they've advised more than 60 students building in AI, health, sustainability, and infrastructure, helping them raise over $100M in venture capital, and hosted the largest demo day in Stanford history, drawing over 1,000 investors to date. Itbaan’s ultimate career goal is to create an institution to uplift kids from his home village with STEM and entrepreneurship education.

Join Itbaan for an insightful morning on access to funding next week on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM at the Fowler Family Southside Center. Tickets are $25 for in-person and $20 for virtual access. Register here! https://bit.ly/4qiJ2Oh
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dj5UYVtj4/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7494897907582590976?viewAsMember=true

We’re excited to highlight Aaron L. Fisher as a panelist for Angel Investing 101: Insights from the Investors' Table 💸

Aaron L. Fisher is past President & owner of SWAT Environmental - Radon Reduction Systems of Pennsylvania, the state’s largest radon test and mitigation company. He is currently Director of Industry Relations for its successor company, SWAT Group, Inc. as well as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. In addition he currently serves on the Pennsylvania DEP’s Radiation Protection Advisory Committee, advising the department on future regulatory actions. Prior to joining the radon mitigation industry, Mr. Fisher had a successful 30+ year career in the electronics industry, having served in senior executive positions at Lucent Technologies & Standard Microsystems as well as the CEO of T-Networks, a venture funded startup company which he sold in 2005.

Join Aaron for an insightful morning next week on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM at the Fowler Family Southside Center. Tickets are $25 for in-person and $20 for virtual access. Register here! https://bit.ly/4qiJ2Oh
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dj5UYVtj4/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7494897907582590976?viewAsMember=true

“At its simplest, angel investing means putting your own money into an early-stage company that you believe has the potential to become something much bigger.” - Ngozi Bell, Angel Investing 101: A Primer by Ngozi Bell

📲 Read the full primer here: https://bit.ly/3TEvL6F

Angel investing is a unique way to support an entrepreneur and to be a building block for what their company can become. 💸 Learn more about angel investing from our incredible panel at Angel Investing 101: Insights from the Investors' Table!

Join us on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM at the Fowler Family Southside Center. Tickets are $25 per person. Register here! https://bit.ly/4qiJ2Oh
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dj5UYVtj4/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7494897907582590976?viewAsMember=true

We’re excited to highlight Max Aggrey as a panelist for Angel Investing 101: Insights from the Investors' Table 💸

Max is the Founder of MANË, LLC (maneapp.com) a technology company specializing in men’s grooming products and technology applications to grooming professionals. In his 15 year+ career, Max has closed 150+ business deals, and has served as a Principal & Team Lead for Strategic Partnership Development at Google, leading 3p technology partnerships for the company’s Google Marketing Platform suite. This suite included the Demand Side Platform (DV360), buyside Ad Server (CM360), Search Engine Manager (SA360). His contributions have enabled an estimated $3Bln+/yr in incremental ad spend to 3rd party Publishers. He established the platform’s Retail Media Initiatives, Brand Safety & Ad Verification partnerships, expanded the inventory reach +30% across Native, CTV, and Mobile-app formats, and was the BD lead on the Google Partner Bidding solution. Max transitioned to Google from LiveRamp when LiveRamp was a 90-person company owned by Acxiom. He established 75+ partnerships for the company over a 2.5 year tenure. LiveRamp is a leader in data connectivity, helping the world's largest brands use their data to improve customer interactions on any channel and device.

Join Max for an insightful morning on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM at the Fowler Family Southside Center. Tickets are $25 per person. Register here! https://bit.ly/4qiJ2Oh
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Dj5UYVtj4/
- LinkedIn event page: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7494897907582590976?viewAsMember=true

Attend East On Festival of Light & Technology on Friday, September 18 & Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8 PM to 11 PM in Downtown Easton, PA, for the first annual light and projection festival in the region! This event is free to attend and will feature local, regional, and international artists ⭐️

Join the fun along Church St. and Bank St. in Easton! Learn more here: https://www.eastonfest.com/
- Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/18dWuNZntd/

➡️ About East ON: East ON Fest is a free public arts initiative that brings people together through shared creative experiences, transforming downtown Easton into an accessible and engaging cultural space

📣 We are excited to reintroduce Keela Vincent as the African American Business Leaders Council Board Chair!

Keela Vincent is President and CEO of Family Connection of Easton, Inc., where she provides strategic leadership for the organization’s work to strengthen Easton Area School District students and families by connecting them with resources, opportunities, and support that help them thrive.

A graduate of the Easton Area School District, Keela brings more than 25 years of professional experience spanning executive leadership, nonprofit management, communications, and community engagement. She holds degrees from Northampton Community College, Temple University, and Cedar Crest College, where she earned her MBA.

Congratulations to our Board member, Tiffany Polek! We are so proud of you 🥰🤩

We are thrilled to announce our Honoree for our 2026 Great Futures Celebration is Tiffany Polek! As a former Boys & Girls Club of Allentown Club kid, Tiffany brings the life lessons learned here at the Club into her work and community every day.

Tiffany Polek is a proud lifelong resident of Allentown. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Instructional Leadership for the Allentown School District, leading the Inspire Learning Network and drawing on over 24 years of experience in education.

Join us on November 12th at the Aster Event Center as we honor Tiffany, and celebrate all of our Club kids accomplishments from this past year! Sponsorships and tickets are available here: https://givebutter.com/gfcel26