Empowering Food Entrepreneurs in Chicago

Jackson is first-generation Guatemalan-American who grew up in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. Jackson is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools, and attended Northeastern Illinois University. She is an award-winning content creator and restaurant operations consultant with over a decade of experience in international, multi-concept dining, and quick service operations. Jackson specializes in developing operational foundations and processes for high volume concepts; built to launch, scale, and sustain profitability from concept to completion. Previous experience includes; Starbucks, B&B Hospitality, Michelin-Rated concepts: Quiote and Todos Santos, and the University Club of Chicago.

Brian is first-generation Mexican-American who grew up in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood and is a graduate of Chicago Public Schools. He acquired his Master’s in Accountancy Science at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana along with his Certified Public Accountant license. He began his career at Deloitte, one of the top accounting firms in the world, where he gained valuable insight into corporate accounting and tax strategies. After his time in the corporate world, Brian set out to seek a more fulfilling role in his community. He now operates a CPA firm in Chicago providing accounting, tax, and specialized CPA services. His clients consist of small- to medium-sized businesses including restaurants, food manufacturers and nonprofits.  Brian and his team have helped aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs alike reduce tax exposure, increase profits, and raise funding while staying federally and state compliant. Brian specializes in startup consulting for entrepreneurs.

Hector is first-generation Mexican-American who grew up in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. A graduate of Chicago Public Schools and the first member of his family to go to college. He attended City Colleges of Chicago and Northeastern Illinois University where he majored in Business Administration. He has always felt a deep sense of commitment to his community and a desire to give back. He grew up working in his father’s furniture business which helped instill a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Prior to DRK he spent 9+ years at Groupon where he worked in various risk management and legal roles, managing projects aimed at improving the tools and resources available to local businesses on the platform. He led efforts to launch the first Latinx employee resource group aimed at recruiting Latinx employees, advocating for Latinx-owned businesses, and providing culturally relevant offerings to Latinx consumer base.

Chris has over 10+ years of experience in building community collaborations to drive collective social impact through educational development. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and African-American Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master's in Higher Education Administration from Florida International University. Dedicated to improving community college graduation rates in Chicago, Chris's work at One Million Degrees showcases his commitment to equitable education. Recently appointed as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement at the American Marketing Association (AMA), Chris is instrumental in embedding DEI principles across the organization. His efforts aim to create a more diverse and inclusive marketing industry, amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups. Currently, as the Director of Partnerships and Communications at DRK, Chris drives strategic partnerships to support food and beverage entrepreneurs.

Melissa is first-generation Mexican-American who grew up in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood. She has a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Over the last 12 years she has worked at many organizations in Chicago including The Noble Network or Charter Schools, Mars, Inc. and most recently TransUnion as a Senior Financial Analyst. Melissa is committed to leveraging her experience in finance and accounting to empower diverse entrepreneurs to achieve their financial goals and drive sustainable growth. Her aspiration is to collaborate with forward-thinking people to implement robust financial strategies that support business objectives and foster a culture of transparency and accountability.