Carla Harris, Moderator

Carla Harris is a Vice Chairman, Global Wealth Management, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She is responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. Ms. Harris began her career with Morgan Stanley in the Mergers & Acquisitions department in 1987. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Carla received from Harvard Business School an MBA, Second Year Honors and an BA in economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude. She is the author of Expect to Win and Strategize to Win.

Melinda F. Emerson

Melinda F. Emerson - SmallBizLady, is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She is an internationally known keynote speaker and an expert on small business start up, business development, and social media marketing. Melinda’s small business advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She publishes a resource blogsucceedasyourownboss.com, which is syndicated by the Huffington Post and is the author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, 2nd Edition and the ebook How To Become a Social Media Ninja.

Rachelle Oribio

Rachelle Oribio is the Program Director running Techstars with Mayo Clinic. She specializes in business development and coaching companies at the intersection of business and technology. Rachelle started her career in IT with a degree in Business Information Technology Operations Management from Virginia Tech. Rachelle to earn an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona where she received first hand experience in startups, corporate social responsibility, and micro-finance.

Wendell Pierce

Wendell Pierce has been in over 30 films, appeared in nearly 50 television shows and has performed in dozens of stage productions such as the movie Selma and hit TV Series Treme and The Wire. Pierce considers himself a true capitalist and a classic entrepreneur. In 2013, Fast Company, named Pierce one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business. Pierce started the non-profit, Pontchartrain Park Community Development Corp., to build new affordable solar and geothermal homes in the area for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Alice Vilma

Alice Vilma is an Executive Director in the Equity Capital Markets Group in the Global Capital Markets Division at Morgan Stanley. She covers the Industrials & Transportation sectors from an equity financing perspective, recommending optimal equity capital raising strategies to her clients. Ms. Vilma has been at Morgan Stanley for 9 years, beginning as an Analyst after her undergraduate studies. She has held different roles within Global Capital Markets, including on the securitization and management teams, executing corporate asset-backed bond transactions and also working closely with the division heads on strategic projects. Ms. Vilma has spent her career in the financial services industry, working at Sallie Mae and CIT prior to returning to Morgan Stanley.