A unique team...varied talents...

The Institute has assembled a team of the most highly-talented consultants, educators and leaders to assist minority and women-owned business owners in developing and growing their business.

Andrea Harris is the President and one of the co-founders of the Institute. As President, she directs the Institute staff in the development of project and programs that remain consistent with the organization's mission and purpose. Ms. Harris has considerable experience in community economic development, minority and small business development issues and extensive knowledge of both state and federal government operations and programs.  Ms. Harris is a graduate of Bennett College, and sits on numerous boards and commissions. Her strong commitment and work towards building the asset base within low-wealth sectors of the population of our state, has generated numerous awards and recognition for her efforts.

Farad Ali is the Project Director for the North Carolina Minority Business Development Center (NC-MBDC) Mr. Ali leads a team of managerial and financial technical assistance consultants with MBA's that focused on enhancing the internal controls and capacity of minority firms. He has been involved with securing millions of dollars in procurement and contracts for minority businesses around the state and is well respected by financial institutions as a catalyst of capital for minority businesses. Mr. Ali has over a decade of business development experience as a Banker, an undergraduate of the Kenan-Flagler School of Business with a concentration in finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from Campbell University.

La-Tasha Best-Gaddy is a North Carolina native. She earned a Masters in Public Administration and Bachelors of Business Administration from North Carolina Central University. She is currently a participant in Leadership North Carolina. She is also certified as a REAL instructor and a graduate of Rural Economic Development Institute. She presents on topics of personal credit, small business planning, financial statement analysis and much more.

Atrayus Goode is Manager of the Minority Executive Education Institute at the North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development. Mr. Goode develops executive education programs targeted at women and minority-owned firms using the talents of expert practitioners and teaching faculty from universities across North Carolina. This programming offers business owners a unique experience that brings together theory and practical knowledge that is tailored to the specific challenges of operating a small business. Mr. Goode graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication.

Linda Gunn is Sr. Vice President of Administrative Services, working closely with the Institute’s President, Board of Directors and staff.  Her responsibilities include oversight of the day to day operations of the organization.  Linda has extensive experience in economic development and work with nonprofit organizations.  Linda has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a Masters of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University.

Alyssa Mako is the Assistant Director of the Women’s Business Center of North Carolina.  Alyssa serves as the business counselor and advises clients on their pre-business planning and start-up needs.  Alyssa also plays a vital role in the development and implementation of the center’s ongoing training activities and special events. Alyssa received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.  Her previous work experience includes 12 years of Credit and Risk Analysis with MBNA America Bank.

Alan Richmond is the Director of the Healthy Workplace Initiatives Program. Al is responsible for the coordination of activities and projects related to health, the workplace and the economy. He is also responsible for the fiscal management of various projects and assuring compliance with the contractual terms of project grants.  Al received a Masters in social work administration from Ohio State University and his undergraduate degree in social work at Livingstone College.

Joyce Reynolds-Siler is the Director of the Women's Business Center (WBC) of North Carolina. The WBC is a partnership program between The North Carolina Institute of Minority Economic Development, Inc. (NCIMED) and the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Joyce oversees the development of education and training programs that address the needs of women entrepreneurs.  Joyce holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from North Carolina Central University. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, she worked as a marketing and training consultant for an educational and commercial software company.

Dan Stafford serves as Director of Information Technology Coordination & Compliance for the North Carolina Minority Business Enterprise Center (NC MBEC). He has been involved in MBDA's Minority Business Development Center program since 1983. Serving in various marketing consulting roles for the Fayetteville Minority Business Development Center and the Raleigh/Durham Minority Business Development Centers from 1983 to 1997, he later became Project Manager of the Raleigh/Durham Minority Business Development Center from 1997 to 2002 and proceeding to Project Director for the Raleigh/Durham/Charlotte Minority Business Development Center from 2002-2003. He has a Masters of Business Administration Degree (Concentration-Marketing) from Western Carolina University and a Bachelors of Arts Degree (Major-Sociology) from Appalachian State University.

Chris Wallace is the Finance Manager where he assists minority-owned firm across the state in improving their financial performance and acquiring capital. Chris has nearly 10 years of Big Four and management consulting experience with projects specializing in finance, application development and process improvement. Chris earned a B.S. in Computer Science with departmental honors from Morehouse College. Chris also graduated with magna cum laude honors from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology with a Masters of Divinity degree.