Laura Rock began The Laura and Jason Rock Family Foundation in early 2017. What started off as a general challenge to “help women” evolved into a specific vision of empowering young women of color exiting county run services in Pittsburgh. As the Rock Family Foundation (RFF) began meeting with the funder and programming communities the mission grew – these programs needed miscellaneous and operational funding so they could focus on their missions instead of on their feelings of scarcity and lack. These organizations and the population they served wanted advocacy and collaboration.

RFF began to seek out the organizations that were partnering with others and the programs that were outside the county-funded systems. Bringing fresh ideas, new viewpoints and multi-faceted solutions are just as important as funding. And the way that grants are delivered is streamlined and different. RFF prioritizes the conversation. A synergy or two. An opportunity to band together with other programs. A memo and a handshake. These steps replace the traditional routes that programs were used to requesting funding. And Laura wanted to walk the line between the old ways and the new ways bringing together the best of both modalities.

Adesola (Addie) Elabor is the founder and CEO of D’IYANU, an African inspired apparel brand based in Philadelphia, PA. 
 
Addie was born in Nigeria and moved to the U.S with her family at the age of six. As with most children new to a foreign environment, she struggled to fit into the American lifestyle with new foods, vocabulary, and culture. As she grew older, she learned to accept and embrace her uniqueness and African roots. She graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK with a Bachelor’s in International Business and French. It was in college where she solidified her life’s goal of creating a business that would enable her to give back to the African community. Her first job after graduating was with an online store called Pet Food Direct where she worked in the merchandising and subsequently the purchasing department. Little did she know that the experience gained at this company would prove beneficial to her future business endeavors. While working at Pet Food Direct, she started a master’s program in International Marketing. Upon completion of her Master’s degree and unable to find a job in the marketing field, she decided to launch her own business. Seeing an opportunity for a ready-to-wear African inspired line and seeking to express her heritage through clothing, Addie launched D’IYANU in January 2014 from her little studio apartment in King of Prussia, PA. 
 
Addie currently works out of the D’IYANU headquarter in Norristown, PA along with her brother, Dara Ajayi and 16 other employees. When she is not working on her business, she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and family. She also enjoys reading, watching movies, traveling, and trying new activities. She’s passionate about self-development and empowering her community. Since launching D’IYANU, she has made it a priority to donate a portion of revenue to charities empowering the black community and providing clean water and education to underdeveloped countries. D’IYANU has been able to donate over $35,000 to date. 

Simone Sauter is a PR & Publicity Coach, bestselling author and tech nerd. She helps coaches, consultants and trainers to become the go-to expert and consistently attract high-paying clients by building authority, trust and credibility through the power of the media.

Simone has nearly 2 decades experience in the media and PR world. She worked as a journalist for 8 years and before her entrepreneurial journey as a PR manager for several fortune 100 companies. She also has a master’s degree in Journalism and PR and is a certified PR consultant.

But most important is that she has built a very successful coaching business in the relationship coaching niche solely by using PR which means that she understands 100% how to make PR work for your coaching and consulting business in a way that you get new clients.