Maddie Morris,
Chief Creative OfficerAs a proud NYC native, Maddie has helped many small businesses grow through the power of social media. Maddie has had roles in social media and creative partnerships at SageSpot, LTK and Dallasites 101. In these roles, Maddie has provided digital creators with strategic insights to them scale their business.

Joshua Lightburn - Chief Financial Officer
Josh is passionate about entrepreneurship and small business development in minority communities. Josh believes providing small businesses with an experienced network and capital are essential pillars to empowering growth. Currently, Josh is an Associate at GenNx360 and the Co-Founder of J4Design a company specializing in providing content and technology development for the gaming industry.

James Vermylen,
Co-Chief Executive Officer
James strongly believes in the importance of small businesses and their positive impact on local communities. Currently, James is the Integrated Marketing Director at Accelerate360, a media & distribution company, as well as a marketing & growth advisor to start-ups.

Addie Smith, Chief Communications OfficerAddie is a Brooklyn native who has spent the majority of her career working with early-stage startups in the hospitality and lifestyle space. She is currently the Associate Director of Marketing at Condé Nast, where she works with some of the biggest Travel & Home advertisers in the world on creative solutions for their brands.

Harry Stanton,
Head of Operations
Harry is a Connecticut native, but has adopted Brooklyn as his home. He is passionate about connecting people and has a keen interest in the logistics of an organization. As Head of Operations, he will be doing just that: facilitating impactful relationships between small businesses and mentors. Harry is currently a Data Analyst at Fanatics Betting & Gaming.

Ella Wilson,
Head of Event PlanningElla is a CA native but has spent half of her life in New York. She cares about personal relationships and community involvement. She is very passionate about minority and women-owed small business and she’s excited to grow Shine Small. Ella currently works in Client Services for a multi-family office.

Michelle Heng,
Lead DeveloperMichelle is a NYC native, and is incredibly passionate about small businesses. She has spent the last 10 years coaching SMBs by helping them design brands and automate their systems. Michelle is currently the CEO of Everlaunch, an app that helps entrepreneurs dream, build, and launch their businesses from scratch. She is also the owner of Succeed & Repeat, a creative design agency.

Lulu Bradley
Head of CrowdfundingLulu is an NYC native who cares deeply about community and her close relationships with others. Lulu has been running her own small business developing skills in social media marketing and financial management as well as establishing strong relationships with her customers. As head of crowdfunding and a student at Wake Forest University, Lulu is excited to engage other college students in helping small businesses grow and shine!

Lexy Maron
Chief of StaffLexy is a Delaware native, but calls NYC her home. She is in her final year at Brooklyn Law School, and she previously worked at Weitz & Luxenberg doing environmental, toxic tort, and products liability law. After law school, she plans on working in public service law to bolster the rights of New Yorkers. Lexy is passionate about assisting small businesses and the people who run them.

Katherine Heaney
Head of VolunteeringKatherine is in business development at NYC-based fintech startup, Rho, helping small to middle market businesses streamline finance operations. Prior, she was an analyst at J.P. Morgan. Katherine believes that small businesses build strong bonds within communities and she is excited to celebrate and uplift them here in NYC.

Everette Chapman
Social Media CoordinatorEv is a Virginia native who now calls NYC home. Having grown up with parents who are small business owners, she cares deeply about illuminating the people and stories behind small businesses. She has spent her early career as the Founding Marketer at an e-commerce startup, where she worked with family-owned fashion and home brands from around the world.