My Dream Summit 2023: A Two-day Professional Development Symposium

Upstate New York’s Premiere Summit Designed to Empower Minority Professional Development Returns and Announces Micron, Syracuse University, and National Grid as Lead Sponsors Syracuse, New York, Aug. 28, 2023 – The second annual My Dream Summit 2023, a two-day professional development symposium designed to educate, equip and inspire professionals, will return to Syracuse on September 15 and 16 at the Oncenter Convention Center.

My Dream Summit will feature some of the nation’s top corporations, industry specialists, leading investors and successful entrepreneurs focused on empowering diverse dreamers, pioneers, and leaders. This summit is a transformative and inspirational event designed to encourage individuals to pursue their aspirations and realize their full potential.

It serves as a dynamic platform that brings together accomplished speakers, thought leaders and experts from various fields to share their insights, experiences and strategies for success. Attendees are immersed in a vibrant atmosphere that fosters learning, networking and personal growth. The masterminds behind My Dream Summit, known as the Dream Team, are made up of Entrepreneur and Founder Eli Smith, Co-Founder, Scholar-Activist/Serial Entrepreneur El-Java Abdul-Qadir, and Arel Moodie.

Their focus is to build networks, create opportunities and provide resources to build generational wealth. “This summit puts professionals from various backgrounds in the same room with other trailblazers to exchange best practices and inspire each other toward paths of success,” said Abdul-Qadir.

“Every aspect of My Dream Summit is a unique experience that provides a highly interactive and engaging exchange of information with world-class business and thought leaders.” This year, the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory, Micron Technology, is the lead sponsor of My Dream Summit. In October 2022, Micron announced plans to invest up to $100 billion to construct a new megafab in Clay, New York which will create approximately 50,000 jobs.

Fran Dillard, Micron Vice President and Chief Diversity Inclusion Officer, will deliver remarks on the company’s commitment to building a diverse, highly-skilled workforce of the future, which includes underrepresented communities, so people from all backgrounds can join in on the economic opportunities and success of leading-edge memory manufacturing in the U.S. “Micron’s announcement to invest up to $100 billion in leading-edge memory manufacturing over the next two decades isn’t just a game changer, it’s a future-maker,” said Dillard.

“At the heart of this investment is the company’s diversity, equality, and inclusion commitments focused on supplier diversity, investments in diverse financial institutions, pay equity and increasing representation. Micron is building a semiconductor industry that will benefit all, and I’m looking forward to joining My Dream Summit to discuss how together, we can collectively address social and economic disparities through inclusion.” Also new this year, the summit will include a panel for military veterans called Transitioning from the Military to Business as part of Syracuse University’s Presenting Sponsor role.

Dr. Mike Haynie, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives & Innovation and Founder of the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families will deliver remarks. “Syracuse University is pleased to partner with the My Dream Summit and host the Dream Gala III at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, home to the National Veterans Resource Center,” said Dr.

Haynie. “Our university, including the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, has a long history of supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and community networking and this partnership is a natural extension of that commitment.” Plus, National Grid has committed to return as a Presenting Sponsor. “National Grid is a proud supporter of My Dream Summit, as it embodies the entrepreneurial, creative spirit that powers our community,” said National Grid Strategic Communications Leader Jared Paventi.

“Last year’s summit carried thought-provoking and inspiring messages from business leaders across the state, and this year’s agenda builds off that momentum as we look to a future filled with excitement and potential for this community.” Additional sponsors making My Dream Summit 2023 possible include JPMorgan Chase, KeyBank, Syracuse City School District, Wegmans, Oswego Federal Credit Union, C&S Companies, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Robineau Media, and SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry. Dr.

Michael Eric Dyson Reverand Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, a prophetic pastor, passionate leader, social activist and the newly named successor to Reverand Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition, will return to the mainstage as one of the key speakers. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, one of the nation’s most renowned professors, gifted writers, inspiring preachers, knowledgeable lecturers and prominent media personalities, will also return as a speaker. “The My Dream Summit is enlightening, edifying, energizing, and empowering,” said Dr.

Haynes. “You will leave the summit challenged and charged to be a game changer for the good of the community. With all the nightmarish negatives, the Dream Summit positively positions participants to make the world better.” “The My Dream Summit is a refreshing and uplifting gathering of splendid speakers – the majestic minister and activist Dr.

Freddy Haynes, and the marvelous mental health advocate Corey Minor Smith, as well as insightful intellectuals like the gifted James Peterson, and trendsetting wealth builders and philanthropists Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano, all presided over by the visionary contractor and brilliant businessman Eli Smith,” said Dr.

Dyson. “The Dream Summit is a fantastic vehicle to inform, inspire, and instigate social change through deep thought that leads to transformative action.” Breakout sessions will feature a wide range of topics including but not limited to: Clarifying the Dream; Building, Establishing, and Maintaining Wealth; Family Business; Value of Education; Civic Engagement; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Technology; Health & Wellness; Philanthropy & Successful Non-Profit Management.

Click here for Agenda topics. Additional Dream Team brilliant minds, industry pioneers, game-changers, technology gurus, entrepreneurship experts, and social activists include in the speaker lineup include: Vicky R. Brackens, CHFC, President & Financial Planner, Brackens Financial Solutions Network, LLC Kelsey Davis, Founder and CEO, CLLCTVE Laura Cueva, President and CEO, Interior Innovations Anthony Q.

Davis Sr., Syracuse City School District Superintendent Joanie Mahoney, President, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Sam Rowser, Executive Director, On Point for College Venus Quates, President and CEO, LaunchTech, LLC Click here to see the full roster of speakers Click here for ticket information My Dream Summit will conclude with the Dream Gala III on the evening of Saturday, September 16, at Syracuse University’s National Veterans Resource Center.

Tickets for the summit and gala can be found here. My Dream Summit started as the brainchild of Smith after he held a successful Dream Gala, an employee appreciation and award ceremony for the construction industry in 2019. Smith, owner of E. Smith Contracting, the largest black-owned construction company in upstate New York, had a vision to provide hope and resources to marginalized communities through increased entrepreneurship.

In 2020, Smith teamed up with Co-Founder Entrepreneur El-Java Abdul-Qadir, and Author/Disney+ Host Arel Moodie, to form the Dream Team. Together, they launched the first My Dream Summit in August 2022. For more information, visit www.mydreamsummit.com