USBC Board of Directors

Meet the National Leadership Team

kerwinChristal E. Watson is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Kansas Black Chamber of Commerce (KBCC, Inc.).  A job tailor made for her outgoing personality, her primary role for the past seven years is to collaborate with community and business resources to ensure service initiatives for minorities, women and disadvantaged business owners are implemented at their highest level of support.

Hard work and dedication is no stranger to this dynamo.  Christal has provided leadership in management roles with companies such as Sprint, United Way, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, and Truman Medical Centers; contributing skills to business process improvement, resource development and human resource management.  Her current role as CEO engages members, stakeholders, community leaders and business owners across the state in public and private sectors, to explore and cultivate opportunities for economic growth.

What distinguishes her from others in her field is her passion and determination to succeed.  In fact, the highly prestigious Ingram’s Magazine agreed.  Christal was honored in a recognition by Ingram’s in its selection of "50 Kansans You Should Know."  Each year they spotlight the finest talent in the region recognizing professional achievements. This special acknowledgement appeared in the March, 2014 issue and Christal was one of only four African Americans who were selected.  In addition, she was also among the select to be recognized in the first published inaugural edition and the 2014 recently published “Who’s Who in Black Kansas City,” celebrating African-American leaders and their achievements.

larry

Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (BCBCC)

President/CEO (2001 – Current)

Responsible for growth and direction of the BCBCC which has resulted in a 140% growth in 12 years.

Responsible for a diverse workforce that consists of 9 housing counselors, 2 vice presidents, and office manager, and a marketing person.

Responsible for the budget and accounting of all funds that are received and allocated for expenses.

Partner with the city, county, and state with Atax funding to promote tourism to support our businesses.

Responsible for the implementation of our micro loan program with USDA.

Support the South Carolina Housing Authority program which is a contract to help unemployed and underemployed citizens avoid foreclosure.

kelisha

Gen-X Consulting Group

Principal Consultant

Kelisha Garrett is the Principal Consultant at Gen-X Consulting Group, a firm focused in business development, strategic sourcing, vendor compliance, fundraising, and relationship management; and the Executive Director of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce which covers a 10 parish region in southern Louisiana.
 
Most recently, Kelisha was a part of the Supplier Diversity management team for Caesars Entertainment overseeing the Gulf South region and the DBE Regulatory Compliance & Community Relations Manager for Harrah's New Orleans Casino & Hotel.
 
Kelisha is a graduate of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI) 2012 and Brian Bell Leadership class of 2010. She serves as Vice-Chair of the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network and board member of the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. 
 
Her professional focus is to fostering economic development and sustainability by utilizing methods of opportunity awareness, education, and policy development that will organically stimulate the inclusion of local, small, minority and diverse business organizations throughout southern Louisiana.