Our Team

Dannielle Brantley. National Promotions Manager, Own Your Power/Give 'N Take Network
Dannielle works as Promotions Manager for Gots To Have It and Give 'N Take. She is responsible for increasing the awareness of each company's events and seminars and "letting people know we exist." Miss Brantley has a BS in Business Psychology from Polytechnic University and an MBA in Media Management from the Metropolitan College of NY. In addition, she is MRA Certified in Market Research.

Fusing creativity with current technology, Ms. Brantley's company Mocha Works, Marketing specializes in individualized website and print design and marketing consulting for start-ups, entrepreneurs and small businesses. Dannielle's mission is to provide a voice and a face to those who want to spread their message via the world wide web and direct marketing efforts.

Stacie N.C. Grant. New York Event Manager, Give 'N Take Network/Own Your Power Retreat Event Manager
Stacie joined the Give 'N Take team in 2005, as the Event Manager for New York events. She brings with her over 11 years experience in Event Planning. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, from St. John's University (Queens, New York) and is pursuing her Ed.M at Columbia University. She founded C&G Enterprises (www.cgenterprisesonline.com) in 1994 as a motivational speaker. Stacie resides in Queens, NY with her husband Andrew, Co-Founder and CFO of C&G Enterprises and sons Josiah and Jeremy. Stacie is tireless in her efforts to achieve her personal goals of excellence and quality community service.

Courtney Patterson. Own Your Power Assistant Event Manager, Give 'N Take Network
Courtney joined the team in April 2006 as the D.C. event manager. She is a New Jersey native who holds a Masters Degree in Business from Johns Hopkins University under the concentration of Organization Development and Human Resources. For the last five years she's been a Public Health Project Director for the Johns Hopkins Prevention Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Courtney has also been planning intimate successful events for many years in Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. Additionally, her professional experiences have included business consultation for local companies to help accomplish goals more effectively, establish better staff relations, and increase production.

Cynthia Walker, Membership Recruiter

Cynthia Walker has been a devoted Give N’ Take volunteer since 2004. Her eagerness with hosting events, helping and guiding women with their own businesses and finding resources to help them excel, kept her devoted to this great network. She is also actively involved in her community, national organizations, teenage support groups and school functions. In her spare time, she loves to work as a professional bartender, giving “top notch” services at various events and private parties. Always anxious to find a side job to supplement her income as a single mom, Cynthia simply enjoys helping people and is very passionate about any project she works on.

Cathy Philbert. New York City Event Volunteer
Cathy joined the team after meeting Simone at one of her book signing workshops in 2005. Since then she’s assisted in various capacities within the Give ‘N Take network as hostess and behind the scenes. In addition, she does volunteer work with adult and youth intramurals events. She also heads a money group for women only, empowering them on their journey to achieve financial freedom.

Cathy resides in Brooklyn, NY and has over 12 years of experience in the financial printing industry. She holds a Bachelors of Technology in Graphic Arts & Advertising from New York City Technical College. Presently she is working on starting her business in event management.

Roshunda, Assistant Sponsorship Manager
Roshunda, is currently enrolled at the University of Miami, majoring in Business Administration.? Currently a Marketing and Event Manager for Insights Marketing & Promotions (www.insights-mpc.com), she has over five years of experience with corporate and sports event marketing to the urban and professional consumer segments. She is also the Executive Assistant to the Dean of Minority Affairs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.? Roshunda is passionate about her community involvement, especially with the Sickle Cell Disease Association, Miami-Dade County Chapter, Inc. (www.sicklecellmiami.org).

She is the proud mother of two beautiful daughters - Kyra and Kayja.

Dyana Chapman, Executive Assistant To Simone Kelly-Brown
Dyana is the personal executive assistant to Simone Kelly-Brown. Dyana joined the OYP team approximately in 2005 after attending an in-store Barnes and Noble book signing for Simone's book, 'Jack of All Trades Master of None'. She has worked in the telecommunication business for over 21 years, but her heart lies in assisting in the entertainment marketing & promotions field. She has an associate's degree in Applied Science and Telecommunication and has completed an accredited course at George Washington University for Event Management.

Jasmine Pugh, Membership Marketing Coordinator

Jasmine Pugh joined the Own Your Power team in early 2007, seeking to gain hands on experience within the marketing and the event planning industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the Florida State University. While attending the university, she interned with Honda Motors were she worked as a campaign manager to promote one of their most popular cars, the Honda Element. This experience fueled her interest in marketing/event planning.

In addition to working with Own Your Power, Jasmine  also does freelance marketing work as a  consultant for Select Home Realty Group, LLC., and marketing/public relations for Black Violin.  She currently resides in the sunny city of Miami, Fl.

ChaChanna Simpson, Editor
ChaChanna Simpson is an editor, author, professional speaker and syndicated columnist with The Connecticut Post online (www.connpost.com). She has been featured in The Stamford Advocate, NewsTime180.com, Power 104.1fm’s radio show, What’s Good Hartford? and 89.5fm’s radio show, Black Prospectives, empowering twentysomethings with real, no holds barred advice on successfully transitioning into life after college. Visit her site at www.twentity.com.

Dennis McCamery, Jr, Videographer
Dennis McCamery, Jr., a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University who holds a B.S. in Journalism and Mass Communications with a concentration in broadcast production, and currently working towards his M.F.A in filmmaking at The Art Institute of Miami is making waves in Miami. Mr. McCamery is a one man show, providing videography, editing and production for his clients.

Mr. McCamery's inspiration came early. At the age of 13, McCamery was inspired by a visit to the set of BET's Teen Summit. "I saw the floor directing and the light technicians. That's where the inspiration and drive began. His company, Root Productions was started in 2001 during his sophomore year in college. It is Root Productions intension to provide ?affordable videography with a purpose." Working with individuals as well as businesses.

ADVISORS:

Andrew Morrison. President Small Business Camp
Andrew Morrison is the founder of Small Business Camp - an entrepreneurial training and marketing services firm. The company delivers an intensive 2-day program that allows the participants to walk-in with just an idea and leave with a marketing plan, public relations strategy, moneymaking website, direct-mail campaign and 90 days of follow-up coaching. Previously he built a multi-million dollar company by providing innovative direct marketing services to Fortune 500 companies. He was featured in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur Magazine, Crain's Magazine 40 Under 40 and Advertising Age. He also appeared as a "Young Millionaire" on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Andrew is the recipient of the prestigious Young Direct Marketer of the Year Award and serves as a Deacon at the Abyssinian Baptist Church located in the village of Harlem. Aside from his Church activities, he serves on the board of Project Enterprise - a NYC based micro-lending organization. Andrew recently completed his first book entitled, "21 Questions That Can Build Your Business in 90 Days."

Tonja Oates. Founder and President, The TMO Group
Tonja Oates has over 15 years experience in the financial services field. She is founder and President of The TMO Group, Inc. an Accounting, Taxation and Consulting practice, with offices in Manhattan and Queens, serving the tri-state area. Our staff includes Certified Public Accountants, Accountants, Tax Professionals and Bookkeepers.

The company has worked with various companies to customize systems and train employees on accounting software. The TMO Group, Inc. focuses on Easy, Smart Financial Management™ for individuals, small and medium sized businesses. We provide the full resources you would expect from a large accounting firm while maintaining a personal touch.

Monikah Ogando
Monikah Ogando is an impactful coach, a dynamic trainer and charismatic speaker. Monikah received two undergraduate degrees from the University of Miami, where she put herself through college with her independent spirit and entrepreneurial motivation and graduated by the age of 20. Her first job out of college as a financial planner, Monikah soon discovered that the majority of her clients were business owners, and the best way to help them was to assist in MAKING money, not just investing the money they already made. By learning from her clients, Monikah created an entrepreneurial program for other financial planners to reach their clients as she had. When she made $124,000 in three months of teaching the program, she knew she was onto something big. Today, small business owners and entrepreneurs seek Monikah’s advice to help them turn their businesses into profit-producing powerhouses, and more importantly, live their lives with purpose and freedom. Monikah’s coaching and consulting challenge people to marry their humanity to their businesses, and their profits to their purpose. www.ogandoassociates.com

Tracey Hughes. Founder & CEO, The Rum Cake Fairy Dessert Company, LLC
Tracey Hughes is the founder and CEO of The Rum Cake Fairy Dessert Company LLC. Last year, Hughes'company took the dessert industry by storm when her 'melt in your mouth' rum cake was selected as the Dec. 2006 'O List' dessert pick in Oprah magazine and featured in Woman's Day, Upscale, Essence, Diversion magazines, on Fox-TV and the nationally syndicated Wendy Williams Experience radio show.

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Ms. Hughes is a marketing expert with 14 years of brand and ethnic marketing expertise. She spent much of her career working with the Colgate Palmolive company in Chicago and New York until she took charge of her destiny and launched her dessert company. In addition to satisfying customer's sweet tooths, Hughes lends her marketing and entrepreneurial expertise assisting small business owners on successfully launching their products and services into the marketplace.

Ms. Hughes received her undergraduate degree from Spelman College and her M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University. She is the recipient of the 2007 North Fork Women's Achievement award, 2005 Spelman College Alumnae Achievement award, the Colgate Palmolive Sales Hall of Fame award and three Colgate Palmolive 'You Can Make a Difference' awards. Ms. Hughes lives and works in New York. http://www.rumcakefairy.com

Lynnea Bylund, Special Advisor to the Give 'N Take Network
A telemedia developer and Washington small business lobbyist who operated wireless trade associations and partnered with operating systems in the 90s, Ms. Bylund has over two decades of experience in business administration, marketing, development, holistic health, and journalism. In 1995 she became the first female ever to be awarded a Broadband PCS license - as one of only 17 winners, along with Sprint, AT&T, Pacific Bell, - in the biggest cash auction in world history ($8 billion). In 1999 Ms. Bylund started Catalyst House, a strategic teaming agency to represent small and start-up businesses. Her Catalyst House media division, AD|MAX, provides small business advertising and barter services, and her financial services division, CES, provides advanced software-based financial-management systems and training for SMEs. In 2005 she was recognized by the NRCC as 'Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year.' In 2006 she was afforded the honor of receiving the Congressional Medal of Distinction for her unyielding support and services to the ideals of smaller government and the small businesses of America. Ms. Bylund?s many published investigative stories include Bad medicine, an expose on the detrimental effects of big pharma using mercury-laden baby vaccines, and Where's The Gold, which revealed the existence of an antitrust conspiracy perpetrated by the Federal Reserve and other leading institutions to suppress the price of gold in order to hide the bankrupt nature of the current world financial system. Lynnea Bylund sits on the boards of several distinguished companies in technology, barter, and media. She publishes two e-newsletters, The Catalyst!, bi-annually since 1999, and SBIU (Small Business Intelligence Update) published monthly.