Dr. Armani A. Davis is a proud graduate of Steel Valley High School.  After Steel Valley, he attended Duquesne University, where he played football and received a Bachelors of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications. Upon graduation, he took a job with a major grocery store provider as a district manager. Armani left the work to further explore his passions and returned to school at Edinboro University where he received a Master’s of Arts in Managerial and Intercultural Communications and a Certificate in Conflict Resolution.

Shortly after graduation, he began working for Robert Morris University as a Retention Specialist, working with marginalized and conditionally accepted students. During this time, he helped create the first African American orientation program at Robert Morris, contributing to the highest first year persistence rate for conditionally accepted students. In dedication to his service to the Robert Morris Community, he was awarded Diversity and Inclusion Faculty/Staff member of the year. As a result of his leadership, he was later encouraged by leadership at the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education to apply for a State-Wide Fellowship opportunity to become faculty at one of the State Universities in Pennsylvania.  He was accepted and joined Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in May 2018 to teach and lecture as a Frederick Douglass Scholar in the School of Developmental Studies and the newly established Master of Strategic Communication Program. He currently works with IUP’s School of Education; Departments of Communications Media and Developmental Studies; and the newly established University College.  In August 2020,  Armani became the Faculty Lead for Coro Pittsburgh’s Fellows in Public Affairs Program to help in the developmental process of effective and ethical leadership for future public servants.

 

Armani’s life goal is to work to better ensure education efforts at underserved and impoverished communities, so the pool of the leaders of tomorrow will be substantially larger. Armani has been featured as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator across Pennsylvania and Ohio on topics such as social justice, mindset, branding, strategic planning, educational and self-awareness and more.

 

Armani continues to be active in his community with leadership positions in various organizations.  He is a member of the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education, The 100 Black Men of America, a men’s civic organization whose stated goal is to educate and empower African-American children and teens, and member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.  In 2017, Armani was chosen as a Fellow of the New Leaders’ Council, which is dedicated to providing a new generation of leaders with the tools they need to exceed and drive progressive change for the region. Armani is a Distinguished Alumni of Steel Valley High School, a Pittsburgh’s 40 under 40 awardee, a 2020 Western PA Rising Star Awardee, a Rho Boule Scholar, and a recipient of Duquesne University’s Mind Heart and Spirit Award. In May 2019, Armani received his Ph.D. from Robert Morris University.

Soleil Meade is the founder and CEO of Soleil Branding Essentials, a branding and design agency that assists individuals, organizations, businesses, and communities – large and small, define and enhance their brand identity through graphic and web design, strategic planning and development, executive tools and marketing services. She is also the founder of “I Am Handpicked,” a non-profit organization that focuses on exposing and evicting issues and elevating purpose in girls and women through mentoring, ministry, and meet-ups. The Beloved project which provides complimentary care packages for those with COVID-19, is also a shining initiative of her non profit. She is also a consultant for Mentoring Partnership of Pittsburgh, Lead Organizer for Take Action Mon Valley, and Board Member of Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens. 

 

Most importantly, Soleil is a woman who doesn't want to see another unfulfilled dream, inactive talent, or railroaded vision, so her life is dedicated to encouraging people to embrace the vision and purpose God placed within them

Very rarely does someone get an opportunity to turn their tragedies into triumphs. During Tammy Thompson’s life she has experienced homelessness, loss, and countless setbacks, but she has used her background to grow, educate, and inspire others. Through her journey, it became clear to her that “Poverty is not just about not having money.”

 

Tammy is an internationally recognized Poverty Expert. Through her company, T3 Media, a Social Justice Media company, she executive produced, We Wear the Mask, a documentary released in 2017, highlighting the stigma associated with women in poverty. She is also the owner of T3 Consulting. Through T3 Consulting, Inc., she facilitates and develops homeownership programs for local non-profit organizations in Pittsburgh. She is a certified Housing Counselor and has been teaching and speaking about financial literacy and educating families for 20 years. Currently, Tammy is the Executive Director of Circles Greater Pittsburgh, where she has developed multiple wealth building initiatives including, Catapult: Startup to Storefront and the Gallery on Penn, retail incubator program.

 

As a highly sought after speaker, Tammy shares stories of her life to illuminate her journey through poverty toward prosperity. Her story, “One Can of Carrots,” has become one of her signature talks and has resulted in the creation of workshops and a curriculum rooted in her expertise of “The Psychology of Poverty.”  “The Psychology of Poverty” training gives participants an opportunity to shift their perspective and recreate how they’ve been impacted by the psychological implications of poverty—it provides an avenue to re-route their relationship with money.

 

Her life’s work has been featured in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and many other publications.

 

Tammy is a mother of five and grandmother of 19.  She resides in Pittsburgh and is raising her granddaughter.