2022 Boost Conference Executive Bios

Rexy Rolle Vice President of Operations and General Counsel, Western Air

Rexy Rolle serves as Vice President of Operations and General Counsel at Western Air, the largest privately-owned airline in The Bahamas. Rexy has made international waves in the aviation industry for spearheading the expansion of the airline, including the acquisition of jet aircrafts and significant market share in key routes in the region. As an Aviation & Corporate Attorney, she oversees the legal & regulatory affairs as well as the day-to-day flight operations. Rexy has been featured in Essence, Forbes, BET News, Conde Naste, Travel Noire, Brand Eins and numerous other international media outlets. She received her BS at the University of Ottawa with Joint Honors in Political Science & Communications and her MA at Lynn University in Mass Media & Communications, summa cum laude. Rexy obtained her Juris Doctorate at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. She is licensed to practice law in California, Washington D.C. and The Bahamas. Rexy harnessed her aviation & business law expertise by working on various transactions at one of the largest business firms in southern California, though she recognizes her parents and early airline experience as the best tools for business conditioning.

Rexy credits GOD as the foundation of their success. Outside of work, she can be found creating music, dancing and continuing her philanthropic efforts.

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Nicole Smart Founder & Principal Consultant Smart EDI Solutions

Ms. Smart is the Founder & Principal Consultant of Smart EDI Solutions, with over 15 years of experience in leading, managing, and supporting collective bargaining operational procedures, diversity & inclusion strategic initiatives, and global human resources for complex organizations. In her consulting capacity she supports organizations such as Girls Inc. of New York City, BossmakeHer, Women of Power and Transformation (WOPAT), and on the latest musical in previews on Broadway – Paradise Square.

Skilled in change management, diversity, equity & inclusion strategy, employee engagement, global human resources, leadership development, organizational culture analysis and development, and talent optimization, she has also helped to lead and drive initiatives for multiple organizations such as the National Football League and Actors’ Equity Association. She is also a public speaker and adjunct at NYU – SPS, Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport where she teaches graduate students about the business of professional sports. Smart is a board member for Women in Sports & Events (WISE) – NYC Metro, and serves as the professional development chair.

Smart holds a master’s degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Leadership and Management Studies with focus areas in Organizational Management and Development from New York University.

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Wade Rakes Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Peach State Health Plan A Subsidiary of Centene Corporation

Wade Rakes serves as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Peach State Health Plan. Wade manages the largest health plan in Georgia, serving over 1.4 million Georgians with high quality Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Health Insurance Marketplace plans through a team of over 800 professionals and a budget of $6 billion.

Wade joined Centene in 2010 as an intern. Prior to assuming his current position, Wade served as Regional Vice President, Business Development, Growth, and Expansion. Wade also created Centene’s globally recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion practice as the company’s first Chief Diversity & Inclusion officer.

From 2002 to 2006, Wade served in roles of increasing responsibility at Showtime Networks in New York including Manager for On Demand and Spanish Language Marketing, Business Analyst to the Chief Financial Officer, and Special Assistant to the Chairman and CEO. Wade earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Princeton University with a Certificate in Political Economy in 2002 and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Strategy in 2011.

Wade is Chair of the Board of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a 30-year-old organization that supports the election and appointment of openly LGBTQ individuals. He is also Chair of the Board of Beyond Differences, a national organization serving over 1 million students in 9,000 schools focused on ending social isolation.

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Kim Folsom Founder and CEO First Capital Partners

Kim Folsom is the founder and CEO of Founders First Capital Partners. Founders First focuses on BIPOC-owned service based and light manufacturing companies that repay their loans through pledging a percentage of their revenue. BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

Kim is a brilliant high-tech executive and serial entrepreneur who has been founding, leading and growing innovative companies for more than 25 years. Ms. Folsom is also the founder of Founders First CDC, a not-for-profit, community development organization and micro-small business accelerator committed to helping underserved and underrepresented small business owners overcome the challenges they face due to a lack of access to capital and human capital business growth expertise. Founders First CDC supports business owners by increasing business capacity, resulting in higher revenue growth and providing more premium wage jobs. Since its founding in 2015, the firm has provided funding and growth support to about 500 member companies. As a social entrepreneur, Ms. Folsom is dedicated to leveraging the power of market forces and sound business practices to address disparities in revenue and job growth among businesses led by underrepresented founders. She has raised more than $30 million in institutional venture financing, and has founded or served as a key executive for multiple successful ventures, including showUhow (acquired by Sellpoints), DriveCam (now Lytx) and Seminarsource. Before devoting her energies to entrepreneurship, Ms. Folsom was an executive at National Dispatch Center, Luce Forward, Alltel Systematics and Great American First. She earned her MBA degree from Pepperdine University and her bachelor’s degree in Information Systems with a minor in Economics from San Diego State University.

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Vincent Marigna Executive Director Braven

Vincent Marigna has dedicated his career to the public and non-profit sectors. Vincent’s position as Teach For America (TFA) corps member inspired him to dedicate his life’s work to ensure all students have access to a quality education. After completing his two-year corps commitment, Vincent Marigna joined the staff of TFA in 2005 as a Program Director.

As a TFA Program Director, Vincent worked to implement various programs that helped improve corps members’ overall performance. Wanting to expand his skill set beyond teacher development, Vincent left TFA in 2007 to join KIPP New Jersey.

In his first role at KIPP New Jersey, Vincent led and managed a team focused on the talent services, including talent management, leadership development, talent acquisition, and onboarding. During his tenure as Director of Strategic Human Assets, Vincent helped centralize KIPP New Jersey’s talent recruitment and onboarding functions as well as leadership development and training.

In 2018, Vincent became the Executive Director of Braven Newark, a career and leadership development accelerator program run out of Rutgers Newark. In this role, Vincent is responsible for supporting first generation college graduates with attaining a strong first job.

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Alicia Guevara Chief Executive Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC

Alicia D. Guevara is Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC (BBBS of NYC) – the first woman to lead the 117-year old nonprofit. Ms. Guevara brings deep knowledge, passion and experience in youth development, having rooted her life’s work in pursuit of social justice issues of access and inclusion for young people. She firmly believes, “Every young person needs a caring, consistent adult in their corner – a ‘Big’ of their own.” For this reason, Ms. Guevara is committed to carrying forth Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC’s legacy to meet the diverse needs of all youth across our City, ensuring they have the opportunities and tools needed to succeed by igniting their potential and promise.

Her career has taken shape by impacting diverse audiences across myriad social justice issues including community development, criminal justice, workforce development and college access. She has served at the helm of regional centers within national youth serving organizations, including as executive director of Peace First and of Year Up. Prior to her current role, she was executive director of Part of the Solution (POTS).

Ms. Guevara is a graduate of Columbia University and also earned an executive education certificate for senior leaders in nonprofit management from Columbia Business School. She prides herself on being a native New Yorker who has mentored numerous young people through multiple channels.

Alicia lives with her husband and two young children, all of whom enjoy spending time outdoors and rooting for NY’s “home” teams.

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Celeste Warren Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence Merck

Celeste Warren is Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence. As the leader for Merck’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence, she is responsible for working with Merck’s global leaders to advance and embed diversity and inclusion throughout the organization to enhance the employee experience and maximize business performance.

Ms. Warren joined Merck in 1997 and has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility within the organization.

Prior to joining Merck in 1997, Celeste worked for nine years at Kraft Foods, Inc. and General Foods.

She has been honored with many awards, including: Black Enterprise’s “Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion” Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” Women’s eNews’ “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” Diversity Global Magazine’s “Influential Women in Global Diversity” Diversity Woman Magazine’s: “Elite100” List She serves on the boards of RWJBarnabas Health Systems and “All In Together” and Merck’s Political Action Committee. She is also a member of CNBC’s Workforce Executive Council and World 50’s Inclusion and Diversity Impact Community.

Celeste’s articles on diversity, equity and inclusion have been featured in numerous national and global publications and she has had the opportunity to speak at various events across the world.

Celeste attended the University of Kentucky where she earned her B.S. degree. She received her master’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

She is the wife of John Warren and the mother of two children, Christina-Celeste and John Steven, Jr.

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Demesha Hill Head of Diversity & Community Relations Managing Director Janus Henderson Foundation

As Managing Director of the Janus Henderson Foundation and Head of Diversity & Community Relations for Janus Henderson Investors, Demesha serves as a champion for community engagement programs and provides leadership and strategic support for the corporate diversity and community outreach initiatives.

In her role, she actively develops global corporate wide community employee engagement opportunities and fosters the 12 diversity & inclusion employee resource groups. Demesha invests time collaborating outside of Janus Henderson with non-profit organisations such as INROADS, Innovations for Learning and Junior Achievement. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio and Colorado Succeeds.

Prior to joining in 2001, Demesha held multiple leadership roles in various industries. She earned a Master of Science in Organisational Leadership, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Associate of Applied Science Degree in Paralegal and holds a Certificate in Corporate Citizenship Practice.

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Jarryd Anderson Counsel WilmerHale

Jarryd Anderson serves as Counsel in WilmerHale’s Financial Institutions Group. Anderson provides bank regulatory advice to domestic and international banks, non-bank financial institutions, fintechs, and tech companies on transactional, regulatory, supervisory, and enforcement matters. Mr. Anderson’s experience covers all aspects of the regulatory framework, from traditional bank regulatory issues to cutting-edge regulatory and legislative developments in financial innovation.

Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Anderson served as Vice President and Senior Counsel at Wells Fargo & Co., where he advised enterprise functions on applicable prudential banking laws and regulations, compliance policies, and related risk containment and mitigation efforts. Before joining Wells Fargo, Mr. Anderson was Vice President and Counsel at TD Bank and Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at The Clearing House Association.

Mr. Anderson previously served as a regulatory policy advisor in the Banking Supervision and Regulation Division of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. While at the Board, he played a pivotal role in the Fed's post-Dodd-Frank Act recovery and resolution work, assisting in rulemaking and regulatory policy matters, reviewing G-SIB resolution plans, and representing the Board at international fora. Prior to joining the Board, Mr. Anderson also worked in the Legal Department and Supervision, Regulation, and Credit Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

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Stephen Elmore Assistant Vice President at Morgan Stanley

Stephen Elmore is an Assistant Vice President for the Global Sports & Entertainment (GSE) division at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. He joined the firm in November 2021, after serving in leadership roles at one of the nation’s top PR firms and several seasons as a NCAA Division I men’s basketball coach, which included a 2015 NCAA Tournament berth.

At DKC, Stephen led the agency’s inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practice while executing strategic marketing and communications strategies for several high-profile clients in Sports, Entertainment and Media. He also co-launched the firm’s business division aimed at helping global brands foster greater, authentic connections with Black and Multicultural audiences.

A proud Princeton alum and former student-athlete, Stephen serves on the University’s Association of Black Princeton Alumni (ABPA) board and Annual Giving Committee for his graduating class. He also holds a Master’s in Sport Management from The Citadel, where he lettered in basketball as a graduate senior.

Stephen was born and raised in New York City, is a self-proclaimed foodie, and member of Congregation Rodeph Sholom.

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