Program Instructors
Expert Learning at Every Level
ICIC’s programs are distinguished by the caliber of instruction they provide. Across ICIC programs and trainings, including those sponsored by Goldman Sachs, Intuit, and Santander, curricula are developed and taught by experienced practitioners and professors from leading institutions such as Babson College, NYU Stern School of Business, and Harvard Business School. This approach delivers measurable outcomes, giving entrepreneurs education that is credible, consistent, and immediately actionable.
Honoring a Lifetime of Leadership
This year, we honored Dr. Lynda M. Applegate with ICIC’s Lifetime Leadership Award, recognizing her enduring impact on the organization and the entrepreneurs we serve. A longtime board member, retired Harvard Business School professor, and instructor in ICIC programs, Dr. Applegate has helped guide ICIC since its founding, shaping strategic growth and playing a key role in launching the Manufacturing Accelerator Program. As she reminds us, “Building businesses is a team sport,” a spirit that continues to define how we support small business owners today.
Meet the 2025 Instructors
The following faculty and practitioners lead ICIC’s Building for Growth, Inner City Capital Connections, and Manufacturing Accelerator Program.
Aaron Thomas
Senior Relationship Manager
Business Banking Division
M&T Bank
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Abby Nguyen-Burke
Senior Vice President
Equity Alliance for Business, Eastern Bank
Program: MAP
Andrew Krejci
Technology Project Manager
Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Program: MAP
Anthony Krake, CSP
Loss Prevention Manager
The Baldwin Group
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Anthony Hood
Former Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer
First Horizon Bank
Program: ICCC
Belen Fernandez
Agile Coach
Agile Engine, Indeed
Program: ICCC
Cohort: Latinx
Benson Shapiro
Malcom P. McNair Professor of Marketing Emeritus
Harvard Business School
Program: MAP
Chris Burger
Assistant Vice President and Director of Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
Program: MAP
Daniel Bonilla
CEO
Bozanova Business Solutions, Inc
Program: ICCC
Cohort: Latinx
David Graves-Witherell
Senior Relationship Manager, Business Banking Division
M&T Bank
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
David Roache
Growth Leader
DJR Advisory Services
Program: BFG
David Yanez
Founder and CEO
Andonix
Program: MAP
Deborah J. Frazier
Director, Senior Wealth Management Advisor
LRG Wealth Advisors
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Derrick Collins
Dean, College of Business
Chicago State University
Program: ICCC
Dobbin Bookman
Director of AI Initiatives
ICIC
Program: BFG, ICCC, MAP
Dominick Belfiore
Vice President Business Banking Relationship Manager
M&T Bank
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Donna M. Ennis
Associate Vice President, Community-based Engagement & Co-Director, Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM)
Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute
Program: MAP
Erica Denham
President
Denham Marketing
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Gail Ayala Taylor
Clinical Professor of Business Administration
Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
Program: ICCC
Haniyyah Madyun
Senior Estimator
Hensel Phelps
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Herb Wong
Relationship Manager, Business Banking Division
M&T Bank
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
John Carrier
Senior Lecturer
MIT Sloan School of Management
Program: MAP
Katherine Steadwell
Director of Purchasing and Fiscal Services
George Mason University
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Kevin Cutillo
Client Executive
The Baldwin Group
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Kevin Jackson, CFP
Executive Director, Private Wealth Advisor
LRG Wealth Advisors
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Luis Alamo
Founder and President
Alamo Insurance Group, Inc.
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Melanie Lamar
Owner
Performance Metrics, LLC
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Naz Abbasi
Senior Pre-Construction Manager
H.J. Russell & Company
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Orlando Espinosa
Co-founder and Businesses Advisor
Emineo Media
Program: ICCC
Cohort: Latinx
Patrick McCarthy
Fractional CFO and Co-Founder
My Startup Consulting
Program: MAP
Paul Ballantine
Financial Advisor
Program: BFG
Peter Gibbs
President and CEO
Foundation Surety and Insurance Solutions
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Rena Clark
Principal
AlignPath Advisory
Program: MAP
Rosa Santana
Founder and CEO
Santana Group
Program: MAP
Rupi Kaur
Estimator & Diversity and Outreach Manager
Elaine Construction
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Sameer Sarfraz
Safety and Risk Control Professional
Alamo Insurance Group, Inc.
Program: BFG
Cohort: New Jersey
Shalei Simms
Dean, School of Business
The State University of New York College (SUNY) Old Westbury
Program: ICCC
Cohort: Western MA & Boston
Stepan Chiloyan
Relationship Manager, Business Banking Division
M&T Bank
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Steve Bookbinder
Managing Director
Workforce and Leadership Effectiveness
Program: ICCC
Steven Ferguson
Principal Research Scientist
Managing Director, Georgia AIM
Georgia Institute of Technology
Program: MAP
Susan Perkins
Visiting Professor of Strategic Management
New York University, Stern School of Business
Program: ICCC
Suzzette Waters
A & O Public Information Manager
Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM)
Program: BFG
Cohort: Boston SCALE
Terry Esper
Managing Director
Workforce and Leadership Effectiveness
Program: ICCC
Tessa Garcia-Collart
Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship
University of Missouri-St Louis
Program: ICCC
Cohort: Latinx
Tiffany Barnett White
Associate Professor of Business Administration and Advertising, Bruce and Anne Strohm Faculty Fellow
Gies College of Business, University of Illinois
Program: ICCC