Special Events Minority Entrepreneurs Networking Event Wednesday, 2/28 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Raytheon Amphitheater, Egan Engineering Minority Entrepreneurs Networking Event Sponsored by the Office of Business Development, City of Boston         Donnie Perkins, Moderator NU Affirmative Action & Diversity Donnie Perkins became the Dean and Director of Affirmative Action and Diversity at Northeastern University in June 1998. Dean Perkins is responsible for leading and overseeing a diversity agenda to create a campus environment that respects, celebrates, and values our differences and similarities as a foundation for a vibrant connected community that prepares tomorrow's leaders. Prior to joining the leadership team at Northeastern, Dean Perkins served as Executive Assistant to the President for Human Relations and Director of Affirmative Action at Central Connecticut State University. Mr. Perkins held several equity, policy, and leadership positions in higher education at the Connecticut Board of Governors for Higher Education and served as Director of Manpower Training and Education Services for Community Action Committee of Danbury Inc. in Danbury, Conn. Mr. Perkins has worked in education, training, affirmative action, equal opportunity, human relations and diversity for more than twenty-five years.     Perry Catchings Functional Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Perry L. Catchings, Sr. is the Co-Founder, President/COO of Functional Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a start-up company involved in the development and commercialization of a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease, and Executive Vice President/COO of Prime Organics, Inc., a contract manufacturer of fine chemicals for biotech and pharmaceuticals companies, located in Lowell, MA. Mr. Catchings is a versatile executive with more than 30 years of R&D, chemical scale-up, chemical manufacturing, and General Management experience. Prior to joining Prime Organics he spent more than 20 years at Polaroid Corporation, which at the time was the world leader in instant imaging with sales greater than $2 billion. Perry holds an MBA from Northeastern University, an MS in Organic Chemistry from Atlanta University, and a BS in Chemistry from Jackson State University. Perry serves on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center and National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).     Donna Gittens Causemedia Deemed causemedia’s official “Rainmaker,” Donna has succeeded in building an exceptional advertising/social marketing agency to partner with companies who are doing well by doing good. A Boston native and resident, Gittens launched causemedia in 1997, following a twenty-year career as a corporate executive at WCVB-TV (Boston’s ABC affiliate), and an innovator in community programming. While there, she developed and managed nationally syndicated public service campaigns and developed strategies to expand local programming into defined growth markets. Donna Gittens is an established member of both the communications industry and the community at large. She is a trustee of the Boston Public Library Foundation, member of the Women’s Network Advisory Board, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Overseers for Children’s Hospital, the Freedom Trail Foundation and St. Mark’s Main Streets program. In 2006, she received the 2006 Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurship from the Women’s Network from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.     Ky Nguyen Beaujolais Restaurant Ky Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. with his family at the age of five years old. He grew up in Danvers, MA and graduated from Tufts University with a BA and MA in Economics. In 1999, Ky started Homcenter.com with two college friends, which has now grown into a company with 50 employees and producing 15mm per year in revenue. After help building Homecenter.com, Ky joined the Liberty Square Asset Management, a hedge fund in Boston, MA. At Liberty Square, Ky was involved in the trading and day to day operations of the hedge fund. Through out his academic and professional career, Ky has always been involved with the hospitality industry. To help pay his way through Tufts, Ky worked at Johnny D’s, a local restaurant and bar in Somerville, MA. While recently living in New York, Ky worked as a busboy and then waiter at Pastis, a popular New York City restaurant. He also has completed the French Culinary Institute’s Opening and Running a Restaurant course that solidify his restaurant experience.     Diego Osomo Su Casa y Mas Diego Osorno has successfully led companies and built value in financial and real estate services businesses for over 6 years. Drawing upon his background in economics and business, Mr. Osorno has a strong track record of achievement through his hands-on, energetic, and action-oriented leadership style. Currently, Mr. Osorno is President of Su Casa y mas, a real estate, mortgage and Insurance company that specializes in providing sales and purchase of real estate, home financing ( in all fields), primarily home owners and commercial insurance, to all the Hispanic community in MA and GA. Under his leadership, the company is expanding its offerings, growing into new geographic regions, and continuing to deliver superior work to its customers. Mr. Osorno started his profession as a Registered Representative in a small wall street Firm in Boston in December of 1999, He received many awards for being number one producer among 52 offices; He later joined H&R Block® in 2001 and worked there for three years, He learned the corporate structure at the Block and decided with Mauricio Osorno and Ricardo Villamil, his two partners, to go their own way and started what now is Su Casa y mas. He has managed to successfully create a full service company that offers mortgages, real estate and insurance. His involvement in the community has been very notorious through the Creation of he “Latin American Business Association” L.A.B.A which is a none profit organization which mission is to help the Latino local businesspeople be successful. Mr. Osorno as founder of Su Casa y mas has led a significant growth that has allowed the company to successfully bring investment opportunities to his customers and employees not only in Massachusetts but in the state of Georgia. Thus, maximizing Su Casa y mas’ growth rate to an astonishing 100% within last year along. Under his leadership, Mr. Osorno put a vision and business strategy in place, rationalized and combined several business units, grew revenues significantly, and measurably improved the quality of delivery and customer satisfaction. Mr. Osorno has studied at Boston College business and Finance where he not been able to complete his studies due to his full commitment towards his business and family success. Mr. Osorno hopes to successfully graduate on the year 2012 on Business and Finance and pursue similar areas of studies such as International Business and Banking and Finance. Su Casa y mas was a student and participant through Ricardo Villamil at ICE Inner City Entrepreneur, program sponsored by City of Boston and Boston University which allows local business owners to take their business to the next level thought hands on training, pier to pier to sessions and networking.