DELTA FEST SPEAKERS, ARTISTS & SESSION LEADERS
This is how an economic awakening takes root—through an ecosystem of activators, each brilliant in their own right, bound by a shared vision. For DELTA FEST, that vision is nothing less than a thriving, self-determined Deep South—Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee—by 2035.
The leaders of DELTA FEST 2025 aren’t here to trade platitudes. They are bringing resources, access, and pathways that move people from possibility to prosperity.
Co-Curators
Bill Bynum
CEO of HOPE
Session Moderator
Lisa Yancey
President & Founder of
Yancey Consulting
Fireside Chat
Emcee
Rita Brent
Award-winning comedian, musician, and military veteran.
Mistress of Ceremonies
Artists, Pastor & Performers
Amanda Furdge
Poet, Organizer, and Cultural Worker
Rev. Dr. Stephen T. Cook
Senior Pastor of Anderson UMC
Benjamin Cone, III
Founder of Worship
Sonic Boom Pep Band
Jackson State University
Keynote Speakers
Cortez Bryant
Co-CEO of Blueprint Group
Fireside Chat
SEP 16
Shaun Donovan
CEO of Enterprise Community Partners
Sparking a National Movement
SEP 17
Dr. Shena Ashley
President of Capital One Foundation
Fireside Chat with Bill Bynum
SEP 17
Amin Irving
Founder, President, & CEO of Ginosko Development Company
Multi-Family Real Estate, a Solution to Affordable Housing Crisis
SEP 18
Nick Wallace
Founder & Executive Chef of Nick Wallace Culinary
Rooted: Food, Family, Community
SEP 18
Black Economic Alliance Foundation
Cities of the Delta: Building Prosperity Across the Deep South
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Alaina Beverly
Executive Vice President of Black Economic Alliance Foundation
Panel Moderator
Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.
Little Rock, AR
Mayor Steven Reed
Montgomery, AL
Mayor John Horhn
Jackson, MS
Mayor Randall Woodfin
Birmingham, AL
Ownership Track Speakers
Alex Harvey
President of Legacy Land Management
From Stewardship to Sustainability: Building Generational Wealth Through Landownership
SEP 18
Andre Perry
Senior Fellow of Brookings Metro; Director of Center for Community Uplift
Kitchen Table Gathering: Black Power Scorecard
SEP 17
Cortez Bryant
Co-CEO of Blueprint Group
Entertainment Industry Executive Ecosystem & Web 3.0 Related
SEP 17
Herschell Hamilton, CCIM
CEO of BLOC Global Group
Developing a Multi-Generational Real Estate Investment Strategy
SEP 18
Jim King
CEO of Fahe
Housing Can't Wait
SEP 18
Jon Mulkin
Chief Mortgage Officer, of Hope Enterprises Corporation
Converting Renters to Homeowners
SEP 18
Lori Chatman
President, Capital Division of Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Fortifying Emerging Developers
SEP 18
Noel Andrés Poyo
Executive Vice President of Housing Partnership Network
Reimagining the Affordable Housing System in the US
SEP 17
Oji Alexander
Chief Executive Officer of People’s Housing+, Inc.
Community Ownership, CLTs & Stewardship as Pathways to Wealth Creation
SEP 17
Perry Perkins
Supervisory Organizer of Working Together Mississippi
Amplifying Community Voice to Advance Economic Prosperity
SEP 17
Entrepreneurship Track Speakers
Adrienne Norwood
Program Manager, Rural Communities of Enterprise Community Partners
Developing Capacity to Create and Preserve Affordable Housing in Rural Communities
SEP 17
Cortney Woodruff
Co-founder of Assemble
Your First Million: Building Scalable Ideas Into Profitable Businesses
SEP 17
David Payton
Executive Director of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Delgado Community College (South Central Site)
Goldman Sachs 10KSB: Matching Capital and Capacity
SEP 17
Kendra Key
Executive Director of Entrepreneurship Center for Growth and Excellence
Building a Small Business Support Ecosystem
SEP 17
Michael Thomas
President of Systems Companies
Mastering the Art of Business with Local Government Agencies
SEP 18
Dr. Nashlie Sephus
CEO & Founder of The Bean Path; Principal AI Scientist, AWS
Empowering Communities Through Technology & Innovation
SEP 18
Dr. Nichole Thompson
CEO of Gaitway Solutions & Co founder of 400 Films
Strategic Growth: Scaling Small Businesses for Long-Term Success
SEP 18
Percy Manson
SVP
Director of Sales of Hope Enterprise Corporation
Goldman Sachs 10KSB: Matching Capital and Capacity
SEP 17
Robin Davey Wolff
Senior Director, Rural Communities of Enterprise Community Partners
Developing Capacity to Create and Preserve Affordable Housing in Rural Communities
SEP 17
Scott Hutcheson
Executive Director of E Pluribus Unum
Building Prosperity Through Culture: From Creativity to Economic Power
SEP 17
Tony Jeff
President & CEO of Innovate Mississippi
Building High-Growth Companies: The Growth Mindset
SEP 18
Gerri Hobdy
Owner of Pleroma LLC
Building Prosperity Through Culture: From Creativity to Economic Power
SEP 17
Ines Polonius
Chief Executive Officer of Communities Unlimited
Rural Water Infrastructure Solutions
SEP 18
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Suzanne Anarde-Devenport
CEO of Community Assistance Corporation
Rural Water Infrastructure Solutions
SEP 18
Community Infrastructure Track Speakers
Betsy Bradley
Director of Laurie Hearin McRee & Mississippi Museum of Art
Building the Cultural Economy
SEP 18
Dr. Courtney Taylor
Executive Director of AccelerateMS
Building Stronger Communities, Stronger Working Futures: Accelerating Opportunity Together
SEP 17
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Dr. Errick Greene
Superintendent of Jackson Public Schools
Repurposing Community Assets
SEP 18
Latoya Cutts
Project Consultant of Jackson Repurposing Initiative
Repurposing Community Assets
SEP 18
Mayor John Horhn
Mayor of Jackson, MS
Revitalizing Southern Cities
SEP 17
Mayor Steven Reed
Mayor of Montgomery, AL
Revitalizing Southern Cities
SEP 17
Nia Umoja
Creative Director and Lead Organizer of Cooperative Community of New West Jackson
Our Grass is Green: How to Build Neighborhood-Owned Economic Infrastructure Ourselves
SEP 17
Nick Mitchell-Bennett
Chief Executive Officer of CDCB
Innovating to Build Rural Housing
SEP 17
Rebecca Kaufman
Vice President of Regional Innovation
Building on Your Advantages
SEP 17
Rey Ramsey
CEO & President of Nathan Cummings Foundation
Learning, Collaboration, and Proximity: NCF's Approach to Advancing Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
SEP 18
Roy Decker
Partner at Duvall Decker Architects
Repurposing Community Assets
SEP 18
Sanjay Bhasin
President & CEO of FHLB Dallas
Partnering with FHLB to Drive Housing, Home Ownership and Community Development
SEP 18
Tray Hairston
Partner at Butler Snow LLP
Data Centers, Economic Development and the New Infrastructure of Civilization
SEP 18
DELTA FEST is proudly sponsored by
