Announcing National Advertising Director of Black Doctor Jeff Osuji
Jeff Osuji will be a panelist on The Black Experience in Workplaces in showcase one held July 13th along with other panelists and programming throughout the warehouse ranging from entrepreneurship, marketing, community development and more. Get your tickets below
By day Jeff Osuji is the National Advertising Director of BlackDoctor.org where he oversees advertising revenue for the largest black health website and manages partnerships with numerous Fortune 50 corporations across the country including Walmart, Walgreens, Novartis, AT&T, and more. By night Osuji runs Pyramid Solutions & Marketing, LLC an event marketing and production agency he co-founded in 2007 that produces events for urban professionals in 5 different markets. Osuji has a passion for entrepreneurship and is an avid investor in numerous ventures He also serves as Project Manager for Labors of Love, a medical mission non-profit that organizes an annual trip to Lagos, Nigeria to provide preventative health screenings and much-needed meds to those who are not able to afford it in Nigeria. This past May he recruited over 10 nurses, doctors, and volunteers and helped over 1200 patients receive necessary screenings. Osuji received his Bachelors in Chemistry and MBA in marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha as well as Co-Founder of Chicago Greek Weekend. He lives by the motto “To become truly great, one must stand with people, not above them.”
Photo Credit: Errol Dunlap
What’s Glappitnova?
At Glappitnova we unite all types of amazing and charismatic professionals spanning all industries that traditionally aren’t in the same room and smash those different perspectives inside a hidden warehouse blending storytelling, performances, panels, and on-site mentorship. It’s our approach to inclusion blending entertainment with learning and culture. Previous participants have been Luvvie Ajayi (NYT Best-Selling Author), Harper Reed (CTO, Obama Re-elections), and you can view some of our previous +200 participants here.
Other 2017 Participants
Here are a few more of our +50 Chicago participants spanning different industries. Glappitnova is known for shops talks with panels and performances, but we’re adding on-site mentorship to help you get on your way as well. Check out some of our participants for Glappitnova Chicago that will be held July 13th and July 14th. Your ticket gets you into all of the rooms with various activities and activities range from storytelling, panel discussions, live performances, on-site mentorship, the party, and more. You can check out our programming here. Get your early bird tickets below for $45 bucks and the prices will increase June 9th. Other cities will be announced shortly.
VEJURNAE LEAL
Account Supervisor at Walton Isaacson
Showcase #1 on July 13th, Panelist: Creators vs Agencies of The Future: 8:25 pm – 9:20 pm
As an experiential innovator, Vejurnaé has lead major experiential initiatives for brands for powerhouse companies including McDonald’s, Verizon Wireless, and NFL. Currently, she is an Account Supervisor at Walton Isaacson helping to elevate the McDonald’s brand. Her proven track record creating unique experiences and increasing ROI for various brands is unmatched. Vejurnaé is the ultimate team player and pushes the limits as brands venture into the unchartered waters of cultural competency and try to strike the balance between being relevant, and missing the mark. Vejurnae’s reach has penetrated the scope of technology, spirits, sports, and luxury brands. She also served as Marketing Director for the LFL’s Chicago Bliss women’s football team, where she battled on the gridiron as well. Vejurnae is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.
HAVEN ALLEN
Showcase #1 July 13th, Storyteller, Executive Director, MHub
Haven Allen, the executive director, and co-founder is an entrepreneur and technology strategist who most recently concentrated on growing the manufacturing industry and strengthening its community throughout Chicagoland. As an economic development strategist at World Business Chicago, he directed the Advisory Council for Chicagoland Manufacturing through which he established and led the implementation of an economic development agenda to support growth and job creation in the manufacturing sector. During his graduate education, Haven served as a Mayoral Fellow at the City of Chicago. As a fellow he provided research and analysis on policy initiatives dealing with infrastructure, electricity markets, and municipal marketing. In order to give back to his country, Haven joined the Peace Corps and served as a community economic development volunteer in Panama where he worked to strengthen the management and leadership capacities of rural cooperatives and local organizations in order to increase economic opportunities. In addition, Haven was a small business owner in the production and publishing industry. Haven has a Master of Public Policy and a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
BRITNEY ROBBINS
Showcase #1 July 13, Storyteller, CEO, The Grey Matter Experience
Britney Robbins is the founder and CEO of The Gray Matter Experience, a non-profit organization founded in 2016 to help Black high school students learn about and practice entrepreneurship. Britney has worked within Chicago’s entrepreneurship and tech community for the past four years with some of Chicago’s top venture capital firms and incubators including Sandbox Industries, Lightbank and 1871. She has been recognized as one of Essences’ Woke 100 Women, Ariel Investment, BMO Harris and WVON’s 40 Under 40 Gamechangers, featured on Fox32, Chicago Inno, BlackEntrepreneur.com, DNAInfo Chicago, and Chicago Tribune, for her work through Gray Matter. She was also recently named as one of five investees for Goodcity’s Women’s Innovation Fund. She recently authored and published her first children’s book and is committed to inspiring youth to reach their full potential.
