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Mayor Leonardo (Leo) Williams is a former teacher and school administrator. He was elected to the Durham City Council in December 2021 and sworn in as mayor in December 2023. Mayor Williams is a proud graduate of North Carolina Central University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Music Education and a master's degree in Educational Leadership. While attending NCCU, Leo met his wife, Zweli, and they are the proud parents of their son, Izaiah Williams.

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Mayor Williams was recognized twice by Durham Public Schools as Teacher of the Year and was also recognized by the Triangle Business Journal with a “40 Under 40” award for producing innovative practices in education. He transitioned from full-time educator to full-time small business owner when he and his wife opened Zweli's, the first full-service authentic Zimbabwean restaurant in the United States.

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While serving on the City Council, Mayor Williams continues to apply his experience and passion in education, entrepreneurship, and commitment to addressing deep social issues to make Durham a united community that provides safety and prosperity.

Thom Ruhe is President and CEO of NC IDEA, a private foundation committed to helping North Carolinians realize their full entrepreneurial potential. He is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor, and philanthropist who works with entrepreneurs, governments, universities, and NGOs around the world to embrace the entrepreneurial ecosystems and mindset needed to grow equitable, vibrant economies. He spent the first 18 years of his career in various startups and high-growth companies and the last 18 years helping others do likewise. During his seven-year tenure at the Kauffman Foundation, he directed the Foundation's programs addressing entrepreneurship education, mentoring, access to capital, and fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne is CEO of Wocstar Capital and Co-founder of the Wocstar Fund, an early-stage venture fund using a female arbitrage strategy ​​by investing in women of color tech entrepreneurs (“Wocstars”). Gayle (pronounced: Gay-lä) was named "10 Women Changing the Landscape of Leadership" by the New York Times, March 2021, Top 10 Women of Influence in Venture Capital by Venture Capital Journal, July 2022, One of the Top Black Venture Capitalists by Business Insider, February 2024, and One of Forbes’ “50 over 50,” August 2024. Gayle has over 30 years of Wall Street and tech experience. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and the University of Michigan, she began her career at Sun Microsystems and later served as a mergers and acquisitions banker at JPMorgan.

An urban innovator, Talib draws on his vast expertise in technology, finance and real estate to build vehicles that launch, fund and help support Black entrepreneurial enterprises across the USA. From his time in Silicon Valley to the Aspen Institute and in the Research Triangle, Talib combines his experience in the corporate world with his accomplishments as a serial entrepreneur. He served as a Google Entrepreneur-in-Residence (2015–2017), founded a CDFI-backed HBCU Entrepreneurship Center, designed an education and career readiness non-profit called Knox St. Studios, and built from the ground up Black Wall Street Homecoming, an organization that connects black-owned businesses with the venture capital, start-up capital, and equity capital need to connect and thrive. In his work with Partners in Equity, Talib concentrates his energy on securing owner-occupied real estate and supporting ownership within the historically overlooked Black entrepreneurial ecosystem across the USA., whether it be in the tech space or with Main St. brick-and-mortar businesses. Talib Graves-Manns serves as Managing Partner– Partners in Equity, Founder & Executive Director– Knox St. Studios, Co-Founder, Autopilot Worldwide, and serves as a ResilNC Fellow as well as Planning Commissioner for the City of Durham.

Commissioner Nida Allam currently serves as Chair of the Durham Board of County Commissioners, where she is in her second term after first being elected in 2020. She was sworn into her current term on December 2, 2024. During her tenure, Commissioner Allam has championed progressive initiatives, including successfully raising the minimum wage for Durham County employees and securing property tax relief for low-income residents. She maintains an active role in reproductive rights advocacy through her service on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. Her extensive public service experience includes senior leadership in the North Carolina Democratic Party, chairing the Durham Mayor's Council for Women, and working as political director for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Commissioner Allam was recently selected for the prestigious Third Cohort of the Hunt Institute's State Policy Fellows program. Currently, she serves on numerous local boards and committees, including the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization Board, and the NC Museum of Life and Science.

Tammie Hall is an Assistant County Manager with over 30 years of government experience in finance, construction, procurement, and constituent services. She previously served as Assistant to the Secretary and Division Director in the NC Department of Administration and spent eight years as a Congressional Policy Advisor.

Tammie conducted the first Statewide Disparity Study in state government, the largest of its kind in the country, and implemented the first small business grant fund in state government, successfully deploying over $40 million to businesses during the pandemic. She was also awarded a $1.5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to train and develop small businesses. In higher education and local government, Tammie played a vital role as part of the senior leadership team for significant bond initiatives, including a $3 billion referendum for facilities, a $1 billion referendum in Wake County, and an $800 million referendum for educational facilities and improvements in Guilford County.

Currently, she is a board member of the Dominion Energy Environmental Council and Elizabeth City State University, as well as Chair of the Raleigh-Durham International Airport Board of Directors. A Leadership NC graduate, Tammie was honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper for her outstanding public service. A resident of Durham, Tammie is a proud double HBCU graduate, holding a B.S. from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) and an EMPA from North Carolina Central University (NCCU).