Elonda L. Gatewood has more than a decade in business development experience, providing organizational structure, change management and financial management.  Elonda has a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in finance from Maryville University.

Elonda’s career has provided her experience in finance with companies such as Stifel and Equifax, business and event management with American Airlines Center, Dallas Mavericks and Prada.  Elonda explores her creativity through fashion design of couture garments for editorial spreads, fashion shoots, and developing brands through private labeling. She is opening her first fashion design academy, affiliated with a textile store in Dallas, TX.

Marc Anthony Porch is a social scientist, as he's called by his elder statesmen Sudan Mahmoud. He launched Black Ball in Peoria, Illinois November of 1995 at Peoria Northwoods Mall. He was the first black person to own and operate a store in this mall. Marc is a life long Baseball historian, as a child his elders were amazed at how he would give them real time box scores statistics on a daily basis from reading the sports section of the local newspaper.
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He's been intrigued and fascinated with history, the actual facts which is truth all his life. Marc realized many of the great players he would read about in the sports section of his local newspaper were great Black men. He understood Negro League Baseball was much more than just baseball. The owners, men and women, were the foundation of the economic business base that was Black Wall Street nationwide. The Black Ball Caravan will be the driving force in the revitalization of the once pristine business communities nationwide.
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Our focus still will be honoring the Negro League teams, players, owners and to partner with MLB, to revitalize little league baseball in the inner cities, to shape and mold the next-generation players, businessmen and businesswomen. It's an honor to be Barnstorming for the past and present living legends of the Negro Leagues.

H. Sudan Mahmoud; (Un-regulated Cambrist Forex trader) Specializing in commodites, Oil, and Precious Metals) very well versed in Bio-Mass productions Zea-Maize ( corn) along with sludge removal and viable Real Estate development and International Financing procurement.
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President and CEO, Energy,
Oil, and Transportation Inc.
205 North Michigan suite 800 Chicago, IL 60601

Member of Muslim Scientists and Engineers.

Carolyn Vazquez, community organizer, fundraiser and event project manager with more than 2 decades of event planning experience has been an innovative and a resourceful leader of executive level planning teams in Illinois, hosting a variety of multi-faceted events.

She received her Liberal Arts degree from Chicago State University and as a Chicago native, has always been involved in initiatives to help enhance the lives of people. Always outgoing in personality, Carolyn shifted gears and started working in Development/Fundraising fields with a natural lean towards event/project management.  Later, there was an emphasis on marketing and Public Relations where immediately prior to working with Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Donor Network, Carolyn utilized those fundraising skills at the American Liver Foundation as an Event Manager. Years of professional experience and this “cross-training” of skills has provided Carolyn with the ability to weave several different levels of knowledge to assist in leveraging partnerships in the community. Committed to a sense of volunteerism, she served 5 years as the event project manager at the non-profit organization Rebuilding Together assisting homeowners with major home improvements to ensure that children were warm, safe and dry. Carolyn was involved in several Toy Drives in the Chicagoland area, most notably the Dick Bionde 48-hour Toy Drive, raising over $20K and collecting more than 35,000 toys helping families and students on the Westside of Chicago/West suburban communities.  Regionally, she was able to lend assistance in the Central Illinois area with the Peoria Housing Authority. Utilizing solutions-based outreach while raising awareness about health issues and the disparities in many communities.

As a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. she has always been involved in raising awareness for social causes. As an active member of the United States Racquetball Association, she is ranked for her performance on the court. She was named Illinois’ Most Improved Player and competes nationally in professional level racquetball tournaments. She is a 6 time gold medalist and a 3 time silver medalist in a variety of skill divisions for her performance in the USA National Singles and US Open competitions. She continues to compete in Regional events and actively serves on the Illinois State Board of Directors in her fourth season as a USRA/Safe Sport certified coach with the Junior Racquetball Team. Carolyn is leading the way for the future of Illinois racquetball, developing High School programs and enhancing academic opportunities for urban youth through unique fitness experiences. Carolyn has received several awards for her community volunteerism, mentorship and leadership. In 2010 she was named by the Chicago Defender as one of Chicago’s 50 Women of Excellence and received the Presidential Leadership Award for her conference planning management and expertise from the American Multicultural Association of Transplant (AMAT) professionals. She was honored by the Chicago Police Department for her involvement in their CPS youth mentoring program “We Care Role Model” program and in 2022 she was awarded a $1.5M grant from Chicago Mayor Lightfoot to renovate Rainbow Beach as part of the Chicago Community Works Challenge. Carolyn remains passionate about helping the next generation and making a difference.
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The tenor is closely associated with the role of Sporting Life, which he recently made his contract debut with the Metropolitan Opera and Atlanta Opera. In recent past, at Teatro San Carlo in Napli, Italy, Seattle Opera and Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Hollywood Bowl's premiere performance of Porgy & Bess in concert, Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of Porgy and Bess as well as in Cape Town Opera's guest engagement at the newly opened opera house in Oslo, Norway a couple of seasons ago. He has also preformed the role in Japan, Germany, Sweden, Austria, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sicily, The Grand Canary Islands and in this country at Union Ave Opera, Opera Pacific, and in Francesca Zambello's production at both Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera. Lyric Opera of Chicago, Fort Worth Opera, and Glimmer GlassFestival. Also, has brought his portrayal to Paris's Opera-Comique, the Theatre de Caen, the Granada Festival, the Opera de Luxembourg, and the Santa Fe Symphony. He has made numerous appearances with the St. Louis Symphony. Smith is an alumnus of the New England Conservatory of Music and University of Missouri-St. Louis.
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