Rt. Reverend Sylveta A. Hamilton-Gonzales, Founder & Bishop of QKingdom Ministries, Inc.
Rt. Rev. Gonzales is the founder and Bishop of QKingdom Ministries, Inc., an Interfaith Community-Based Organization comprised of the New York Ecumenical Convocation, the Mystical Temple of the Rose and Flame, the Inter-cultural Awareness Council, the Education in Advancement Program/QK Scholarship Foundation, Woman of Great Esteem (WGE) Award, and M.A.C.A.D.E.M.Y. School of Science & Technology, where students such as myself are educated, inspired from interdisciplinary education. Bishop HamiltonGonzales was appointed as a Human Rights Commissioner by Mayor Bill de Blasio to create change in the world as she educates her students to do the same. Bishop Gonzales is also Chair for the Caribbean Research Center at Medgar Evers College, and a member of the Brooklyn Community Board 9. The trajectory of Bishop Gonzales’s mission as an agent for change on this Earth is in Spirituality, Politics, and Education. From advocating for the rights of her African-American community to creating the M.A.C.A.D.E.M.Y School of Science and Technology, reviewed and ranked highly on various review websites, she is seen as an astonishing educator and global leader to motivate her audience.
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A specific list of her various accomplishments would include her nomination as one of the 500 Greatest Geniuses of the 21st Century; she has also been recognized as an inaugural member of the International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England as one of the Top 100 Educators 2006; 2006 ONI Award recipient; 2007 Carib News Business Conference Marcus Garvey Award; Caribbean Food Delights’ Community Service Award; The Spirit of New York Award; the World Lifetime Achievement Award; Millennium Hall of Fame inductee; Who’s Who in International Leadership and International Distinguished Leaders; Proclamation from the Government of Bermuda. Finally, she is a member of the International Black Women’s Congress and the Progressive Democratic Political Association. Rt. Rev. Sylveta Hamilton-Gonzales is an amazing role model for the Advancement of our Humanity.
CARMETA V. ALBARUS, Founder and President of FURI
Carmeta Veronica Albarus, was born in Kingston, Jamaica and holds a bachelor’s degree in human services and a master’s degree in social work. She is the Founder and President of FURI (Family Unification & Resettlement Initiative) a non-profit organization, which works in close collaboration with other charitable organizations to provide tangible assistance to individuals who are deported to Jamaica. In this capacity she paved the way for Congressional Hearings in Washington D.C. on the issue of deportations and its impact on CARICOM Nationals.
For the past 34 years Ms. Albarus has been a death penalty mitigation consultant. She has worked on hundreds of criminal cases in the United States, many of them involving Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals. She is most noted as the mitigation consultant on the legal team which represented Lee Boyd Malvo, often referred to as the ‘Washington D.C. sniper’ case. She has appeared on CNN, BET, TVJ, CVM, Larry King Live, E! TV, MSNBC, the History Channel, and other television stations. Her work on behalf poor, disenfranchised young men of color has earned her a reputation as a fearless fighter for justice, and she is sought after as a presenter at criminal justice seminars where she speaks eloquently on the issue of race and cultural sensitivity in the advocacy process.
Ms. Albarus received numerous awards for her community service. Ms. Albarus is the author of the Making of Lee Boyd Malvo (The DC Sniper) Published by Columbia University Press and named as one of the ten best books on Criminal Justice by the Atlantic in 2012. She co-authored, with immigration attorney Joan Pinnock and fellow Jamaican, Alvin McLean, Handbook for Jamaicans Coming to the United States: A Key to a Successful Future.
Ms. Albarus is the mother and grandmother, and a member of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
Danyel Surrency-Jones, Head of Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator (BBA) program
Danyel Surrency-Jones is a visionary leader, known for her global business expertise and dedication to fostering economic opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. She is the head of Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator (BBA) program. With a passion for empowering Black entrepreneurs, Danyel leads the BBA program, which provides financial assistance, strategic business education, coaching, and marketing support. In her role as the head of Amazon’s BBA program, Danyel works to empower Black-owned businesses in Amazon's store. The program offers credits, cash investments, free services, onboarding support, educational resources, and monthly webinars with mentorship. It collaborates with organizations experienced in supporting Black businesses and communities.
She co-founded and was the CEO of POWERHANDZ Inc, a global athletic training and rehabilitation product tech company. Danyel is a seasoned business strategist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur with over two decades of executive experience in Fortune 500 companies like Philips Medical Systems and Medtronic.
Danyel is also the co-founder and president of The Power To Give Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers athletic and academic programs to underserved youth. She has been featured in Forbes, CNBC, Sports Illustrated, and Essence, and has delivered a TEDx talk on diversity and inclusion. Danyel resides in Frisco, Texas, with her husband, co-founder Darnell Jones, their two children, and their French bulldog.
Sparkle L. Sooknanan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
Sparkle L. Sooknanan was born in Trinidad and Tobago and is currently serving as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the United States Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, a position she has held since 2023. Prior to this role, she served as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice from 2021 to 2023. Sooknanan’s legal career began as an appellate attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice from 2012 to 2013. Sooknanan has an impressive judicial background, having clerked for esteemed judges in various courts. She worked as a law clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2013 to 2014. Before that, she served as a law clerk for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2011 to 2012, and for Judge Eric N. Vitaliano on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York from 2010 to 2011.
In addition to her government and judicial experience, Sooknanan has private practice experience. She worked at Jones Day, a law firm, from 2014 to 2021, where she eventually became a partner in 2020. Her exceptional legal skills and dedication to her work have been recognized by her peers and mentors throughout her career. Sooknanan’s educational journey is equally impressive.
Throughout her academic and professional journey, Sooknanan has demonstrated a deep commitment to the legal profession and the pursuit of justice. Her achievements, including her nomination as a District Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by President Joe Biden, reflect her exceptional qualifications, dedication, and passion for the rule of law.
Karlene Lawrence, DNP, ANP-C, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Coordinator, Co-Director, The Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatrics Education Interprofessional Team, SUNY Downstate
Dr. Karlene S. Lawrence was born in Jamaica. She obtained her baccalaureate nursing degree from Molloy College, in Rockville Centre with the goal of becoming a Nurse-Midwife. After obtaining a Midwifery and women’s health graduate degree from New York University she practiced in outpatient settings in Queens and Brooklyn. She received a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from SUNY Stony Brook University, School of Nursing. She is the Clinical Coordinator and Nurse Practitioner of the Brooklyn Initiative to Develop Geriatric Education; and Co-Director of the Bridge Interprofessional Team, at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University.
Realizing the care of her female patients was incomplete, being unable to also care for their male partners, Lawrence then obtained an Adult Nurse Practitioner post-graduate certificate. Over years of practice, it became apparent her passion was educating patients and community residents to prevent illnesses, instead of best treatment of a problem after it occurs.
Her clinical practice is focused on providing evidence-based preventive care, improving health literacy of patients, community residents and their families. As a health and wellness educator/speaker/presenter, Lawrence’s goal is to increase awareness, comprehension and adherence to the recommended preventive health screening guidelines. Dr. Lawrence’s program of scholarship and research is to improve health literacy to eliminate occurrences of health disparities, empower older adults through education to prevent diseases, promote health, and maintain wellness as they age-in-place.
