Ascending to $5B: Sustaining and Expanding our Impact

The top three goals for this year’s Ascend Conference are:  

• Refining and expanding our programs to grow 500 more multi-million dollar businesses owned by people of color  

• Leveraging the national network to connect businesses across geographies and bring new ideas to our own cities 

• Taking the next step toward sustainability of the M3 Model in our cities through program and funding strength. 

This is an in-person event.  

Registration is now closed. Please email Martha at mgfp@uw.edu for information.

Recommended hotel with shuttle to/from LMU campus: Marriott Marina del Rey

Agenda

Additional details are forthcoming upon registering.

• MONDAY, JULY 10 (Optional)

  WECOME TO LA RECEPTION (Optional no-host event for people who arrive in LA early) at LMU Playa Vista Campus

  6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

• TUESDAY, JULY 11

  8:00 AM

  BREAKFAST

  8:30 AM

  WELCOME & OPENING SPEAKERS

  9:30 AM

  BUSINESS OWNER & CAPITAL PROVIDER PANEL: COACHING CAPITAL READINESS

  10:45 AM

  FINANCIAL ACCESS BREAKOUTS

  A: Construction Industry

  B: Ascend National Cohort

  12:30

  LUNCH & NETWORKING

  1:30 PM

  MANAGEMENT EDUCATION PANEL

  2:15 PM

  MANAGEMENT EDUCATION BREAKOUTS

  A: Managing Racial Trauma for MBEs

  B: Ascend National Cohort

  3:15 PM

  TURNING PROGRAM & ECOSYSTEM EVALUATION INTO IMPROVED BUSINESS OUTCOMES: HOW TO USE THE DATA THAT YOU HAVE & WILL HAVE TO IMPOROVED PERFORMANCE by Kim Zeuli

  4:15 PM

  FUNDERS PANEL

  5:15 PM

  Shuttle goes back to Marriott for break.

  6:10 PM

  Shuttle to Dinner at LMU Main Campus

  6:30 PM

  EVENING RECEPTION AT LMU Main Campus

• WEDNESDAY, JULY 12

  8:00 AM

  BREAKFAST

  8:30 AM

  FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DESTINATION CRENSHAW

  9:30 AM

  MARKET ACCESS PANEL

  10:30 AM

  MARKET ACCESS BREAKOUTS

  A: Market Access in Practice, Market Access Manual Review

  B: Ascend National Cohort

  11:30 AM

  ASCEND NYC MARKET ACESS CASE STUDY by Tanya Pope

  12:30 PM

  LUNCH & NETWORKING

  2:00 PM

  POSTER EXHIBIT

  3:00 PM

  SUSTAINABILITY SESSIONS

  4:00 PM

  FIRESIDE CHAT by Erick Castro

  5:00 PM

  CLOSING

Featured Speakers

Monique Cadle (Copy)

Nancy Carin (Copy)

Erick Castro (Copy)

David Choi (Copy)

Hwesu Cobb-Phillips (Copy)

Rene Cota (Copy)

Maricela Cueva (Copy)

Tracy Dennis (Copy)

LaTia Few (Copy)

Martha Flores Perez (Copy)

Jason Foster (Copy)

John Frias (Copy)

Alex Glosenberg (Copy)

Joseph Horiye (Copy)

Jasper Kinnay (Copy)

Liz Kupcha (Copy)

Ariel Lawrence (Copy)

Kenetia Lee (Copy)

Leila Lee (Copy)

Val Mataele (Copy)

Kyndra McCrary (Copy)

Candace Mitchell Harris (Copy)

Renee Moncito (Copy)

Trisha Murakawa (Copy)

Ugochi Onyeukwu (Copy)

Thomas Poon (Copy)

Tanya Pope (Copy)

Syreeta Pratt (Copy)

Vicky Rodriguez (Copy)

John Rooney (Copy)

Renee Sacks (Copy)

Maria Salinas (Copy)

Dayle Smith (Copy)

Michael Verchot (Copy)

Kevin Wells (Copy)

Gena Yuvette Davis (Copy)

Kim Zeuli (Copy)

Presentations & Notes from 2022 Conference

• Leveraging Mediators to Drive Anchor Engagement by Rene Cota, President of CMG Alliance

• Entrepreneurial Mindset, led by Prof. Alex Glosenberg, Assistant Professor of Management at Loyola Marymount University

• A New Model for Growing Businesses Owned by People of Color, led by James Hill, Ph.D. Chair Department of Operations and Business Analytics, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University and Renard Green, Ascend Program Director, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University

• Lessons Learned: Toward Exceptional Management Education, led by David Choi, Ph.D., Conrad N. Hilton Chair of Entrepreneurship, Loyola Marymount University