CBT Business Conference 2024
Alumni Come Together for Networking and Professional Growth
From its inception, a major component of the Coming Back Together (CBT) reunion was networking and professional development, with more established alumni professionals offering advice and guidance to those earlier in their careers. That Orange network has come front and center in the CBT Business Conference, established in 2022 conceptually by Fatimah Moody ’90 following her time as CBT 2021 co-chair along with Rosann Santos ’95. Moody and Santos sponsored and facilitated a successful forum for alumni entrepreneurs during the reunion. Moody’s company LinkVisum Consulting (co-owned with her husband Keith Moody ’90) then sponsored the first business conference at Lubin House in New York City, and the second conference was held March 1 and 2 once again at Lubin House.
The two-day conference was a unique opportunity to leverage Orange connections for career and business advancement in an intimate setting.
Day one started with a panel on entrepreneurship, moderated by Tamekia Flowers Ball ’97, founder and CEO of Epiphany Blue, an event planning business. “I was excited to participate because I am dedicated to contributing to the Syracuse community and sharing with my fellow Orange about the pleasures and difficulties associated with entrepreneurship,” she says.
The roundtable was followed by a masterclass in entrepreneurship led by Vaughn Irons ’97, principal of Stonecrest Resorts, a session on Owning Your Career Journey presented by SU Alumni Career Resources and culminated with a keynote address by SU Board of Trustees member Deryck Palmer ’78, founder of the private equity firm West Lane Partners, and a networking reception.
Topics on day two included panels on Wellness at Work, Leveraging AI and Developing Your Pitch for Success. The day also included a Speed Networking session and ended with a keynote address by Doug Melville ’98, author of Invisible Generals and creator of Jodie AI, and a closing reception.
Tara Favors ’95 sat on the Wellness at Work panel along with Jasmine Bellamy ’92 and Aisha Thomas-Petit ’98, moderated by Trisha Griffith ’04. “What started out as a conversation about work turned into an intimate and honest discussion about wellness, wholeness, creating boundaries, leading with love and ensuring your environment respects you with tangible tips on what to do to gain it or exit,” says Favors.
Ronald Taylor ’15, G’16, a former educator who is now global product manager for trust and safety, youth safety and wellbeing at TikTok, was able to share his technology expertise in the panel on Leveraging AI. “It is important for diverse audiences to understand the importance of emergent technology and the associated protections that are relevant for youth,” he says. “Given my background in education and now in trust and safety, I wanted to show fellow alumni the importance of career educators in varying industries and elevate the conversation about responsible innovation in tech.”
Taylor says participation in the conference was a no-brainer. “It allowed me to finally ‘pay back’ the Office of Multicultural Advancement, which sustained me at SU as an Our Time Has Come Scholar,” he says. “Had I not had the investment in time and treasure from alumni, I would not be where I am today.”
The affordable cost—$20 and only $10 for those within five years of graduation—included meals and complimentary headshots from a professional photographer, making attendance accessible to all.
The conference was sponsored by Achieve More LLC, a certified small woman-owned business founded by Syracuse alumna Mariama S. Boney ’96, G’98, who moderated the session on Developing Your Pitch for Success.
Boney’s support aligns well as her business helps organizations and professionals integrate the human dynamics with organizational development, training, program and workforce development, plus coaching.
“I chose to serve as a presenting sponsor because I care about the advancement personally and professionally of all SU-affiliated people (alumni, staff, students, friends, etc.),” she says. “We are family. It is crucial to continue to have opportunities that transform student and alumni lives through connection, and the CBT Business Conference is a great way to network, hear from amazing executives and entrepreneurs and unlock opportunities. In the face of the attacks and roll back to Black and Latino communities and businesses, this is critical.”
All those who attended felt like they gained something in the process: a new headshot, new connections and valuable insight from seasoned career professionals.
“I excitedly got to mix and mingle with some of the most intelligent and driven humans, from seasoned ’70s alumni to those who graduated only a couple years before me,” says Mariama Jalloh ’22.
“It's inspiring to hear about and learn from the successes of my peers,” says Keisha-Gaye Anderson ’96. “The presentations also helped me to think more about my own career as an author, artist and entrepreneur.”
“The conference was exceptional,” adds Flowers-Ball. “My biggest takeaway is that Syracuse University is replete with accomplished and talented alumni with extensive knowledge that holds significant potential benefits for both our alumni and undergraduate communities,” she says.