NBMBAA® Board of Directors
Discover the driving force behind the National Black Master Business Association by meeting our esteemed board members. Get to know the visionaries shaping our organization’s direction, their expertise, and their commitment to empowering black-owned businesses nationwide. Explore their backgrounds, accomplishments, and aspirations as they lead the charge towards economic empowerment and community advancement. Join us in celebrating the diverse talents and perspectives of our board members as we work together to foster growth, innovation, and prosperity within the black business community.
Leslie Coleman
Leslie Coleman
Board of Directors, Chair
Executive Consultant, Inclusive Consulting
Orlando Ashford is a C-suite executive, Board Director, and Interim CEO of the National Black MBA Association, with a 30-year career spanning leadership roles at several Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, Ashford served as Chief People Officer for global digital sports platform Fanatics until his retirement in December 2024. During his time there, he oversaw all aspects of human resources as the company grew to 22,000 employees and expanded into new lines of business. This included professionalizing and standardizing past HR practices and overseeing a digital systems transformation for Human Capital Management.
In addition to leading talent acquisition, employee and organizational development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and internal and external communications for Fanatics, Ashford also spearheaded the development of the Fanatics Foundation and Fanatics’ first-of-its-kind partnership with Make-A-Wish. In becoming the wish-granting organization’s official sports partner, Fanatics supported nearly 400 wishes in less than one year. Ashford also developed and launched Fanatics’ Athlete Immersion Program, which provides professional athletes with skills-building and networking opportunities to prepare them for a career after their playing days have ended.
Before joining Fanatics, Ashford served as president of Holland America Line, where he led the award-winning cruise line’s brand and business, including its fleet of premium vessels spanning all seven continents. In this role, Ashford also oversaw the company’s sales and marketing, revenue management, deployment and itinerary planning, public relations, hotel operations, and strategy. Ashford was widely credited within the cruise industry for re-energizing the Holland America brand, innovating the guest experience, and transforming the corporate culture to embrace inclusion, diversity, and creativity.
Prior to this, Ashford was at Marsh & McLennan Companies, where he served as president of the Talent Business Segment for Mercer, the global consulting leader in talent, health, retirement, and investments, as well as senior vice president, chief human resources and communications officer of Mercer’s parent company, Marsh & McLennan Companies.Before this, Ashford was group director of human resources and vice president, Corporate Center human resources and cultural transformation for The Coca-Cola Company, with a global team spanning 90 countries.
Michael McNeil
Michael McNeil
Board of Directors, Vice Chair
Dr. Tan Morales brings two decades of leadership and learning in the areas of Change & Innovation, Talent and Leadership Development, and Data & Analytics as she spent many years in the Finance vertical prior to making the move to the Human Resources space. She currently serves on two corporate and one non-profit board advancing and amplifying the voices of the underserved.
Christine Simmons
Christine Simmons
Board of Directors Founder and CEO Alis Volat Propriis, LLC
Harold Reid, a seasoned brand and marketing executive, brings 20+ years of global experience. As VP of Brand for the National Black MBA Association, he leads marketing, communications, and PR efforts. His leadership ensures the NBMBAA remains a powerful voice advancing economic and professional development for African Americans in business.
Wayne A. I. Frederick
Wayne A. I. Frederick, MD, MBA
Board of Directors
Interim Chief Executive Officer
American Cancer Society & American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
As VP of Conference and Events at NBMBAA, Elaine leads strategy, planning, and execution of in-person events. She oversees the Annual Conference, Career Expo sales, and Job Board. Additionally, she manages the membership dept.
Jon C. Walls
Jon C. Walls
Board of Directors
Chief Financial Officer, PayRx
Serving as the Chief Financial Officer, Marshall brings extensive financial leadership experience from roles at The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Purpose Built Communities, and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. His background includes serving as Budget Director for Georgia and Controller at WSB-TV. He holds a B.A. from Morehouse College and specializes in finance and budgeting.
Renee Horne
Renee Horne
Board of Directors,
Treasurer Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Chase Auto
Paula leads the team whose efforts are to drive revenue growth through sponsorship and fund development. Paula is responsible for creating and executing a Sponsorship Strategy that identifies and pursues candidate organizations, packages association assets for presentation to those organizations, and fulfills sponsorship agreements.
Jason Campbell
Jason Campbell
Board of Directors
Vice President, Operations & Ops System Support, FedEx
As VP of Conference and Events at NBMBAA, Elaine leads strategy, planning, and execution of in-person events. She oversees the Annual Conference, Career Expo sales, and Job Board. Additionally, she manages the membership department, focusing on growth and retention.
Kevin Wright
Kevin Wright
Board of Directors
Vice President, Finance, Aeris Inc.
Serving as the Chief Financial Officer, Marshall brings extensive financial leadership experience from roles at The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Purpose Built Communities, and Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. His background includes serving as Budget Director for Georgia and Controller at WSB-TV. He holds a B.A. from Morehouse College and specializes in finance.
Michael Hamilton
Michael Hamilton
Board of Directors
Strategic Partnerships, Sam’s Club
Paula leads the team whose efforts are to drive revenue growth through sponsorship and fund development. Paula is responsible for creating and executing a Sponsorship Strategy that identifies and pursues candidate organizations, packages association assets for presentation to those organizations, and fulfills sponsorship agreements.
Orlando Ashford
Orlando Ashford
Interim CEO and Board Director, NBMBAA
As VP of Conference and Events at NBMBAA, Elaine leads strategy, planning, and execution of in-person events. She oversees the Annual Conference, Career Expo sales, and Job Board. Additionally, she manages the membership department, focusing on growth and retention, and supports the organization’s full live events portfolio, including Leaders of Tomorrow and board meetings.