SPEAKERS & SPECIAL GUESTS

Vicktory Life Founder
Director of Student Development, Life Skills and Therapeutic Mentoring Program
Dwight is a proud graduate of Virginia Tech. While at Virginia Tech, Dwight played for the legendary Coach Frank Beamer as an offensive lineman from 1994-1999.

He help lead the Virginia Tech Hokies to five consecutive bowl game appearances and two consecutive Big East conference championships. As a senior in 1998, Dwight was selected All Big East and served as team captain. Dwight was also a three-year letterman and received numerous athletic team and individual awards. In May 1999, he earned a B.S. in Sociology and a B.S. in Family and Child Development. Upon graduation, he attended the Baltimore Ravens mini-camp as a free agent before returning to Virginia Tech as a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the football team.

In 2000, Dwight played in the Arena Football League and started as a lineman with the Norfolk Nighthawks. Later that same year, Dwight worked as a group home counselor and developed a therapeutic recreational program for at-risk youth in Prince William County. As a result, Dwight was a recipient of the Innovative Thinker Award issued by the Prince William County Molinari Juvenile Shelter. Dwight has also previously worked as a Social Worker for Prince William County, where he evaluated the needs of families, provided them with resources, expedited adolescent recovery, and provided crisis intervention. As a result of his hard work and commitment to children and families, Dwight received C.A.S.A’s Outstanding Social Worker of the Year award in October 2005. He has also worked as a high school football coach, a case manager, a behavior specialist, and a mental health and substance abuse therapist.

In August 2010, Dwight graduated from Liberty University with two Master’s degrees: one in Marriage and Family Therapy, and the other in Human Services with a Specialization in Family Therapy. In addition to these responsibilities, Dwight is a columnist for 247 Sports VTScoop.com where he writes a weekly column covering the Virginia Tech football team. In 2017, Dwight became a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and now working on earning a Doctorate degree.

Over the last 27 years, Dwight has conducted motivational presentations and workshops focused on empowering youth and their families to become successful in all their endeavors. Dwight is committed to assisting with the educational, spiritual, mental, and physical development of all young people. In an effort to help youth achieve their dreams of becoming successful, he created Victory Life in 2018 and works as the Director of Student Development. In this role, he provides therapeutic mentoring to at risk youth focuses on goal setting, career development, time management, and life skills.

Jummy Olabanji co-anchors News4 Today, the #1 morning news in Washington, D.C.A native of Fairfax County, Olabanji has spent most of her life in Virginia, graduating from Westfield High School in Chantilly and Virginia Tech. She earned a Master's degree in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University.Olabanji started her journalism career as an intern for NBC4. She has also worked for stations in Charlottesville, Norfolk, and New York City.She has been honored for her work with two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for breaking news anchor coverage, two Virginia Associated Press Awards and eight EMMY Awards.Olabanji is an advocate for organ donation and sits on the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation. She is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, The Links, Incorporated, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.Along with her husband, Olabanji lives in Washington, D.C.

Maurisa is the Founder and CEO of Spotted MP (Marketing + Public Relations) an award-
winning small, women, and minority-owned boutique marketing consultancy that provides
distinctive and innovative strategies for brand growth. Maurisa has over 25 years of professional
marketing, communications, and events experience. Bravely leaving corporate America and
launching her business in 2008 during a major economic recession, Maurisa is known for her
mission-driven work ethic, creativity, and expertise that delivers results for clients. Since the
launch of her firm, her impact and influence with local and national clients have grown, and she
has established a strong reputation as a valued and trusted resource. Her areas of focus
include economic development, retail/restaurant/hospitality, real estate, lifestyle, and non-profits, and has been the face behind creative projects for a variety of businesses and brands
within those industries.
For companies looking to raise their profile, her work has resulted in placement in regional and
national print and broadcast media outlets, including The Today Show, Good Morning America,
CBS Evening News, CNN, New York Times, Essence, Travel + Leisure, Forbes, The
Washington Post, Bloomberg, FOX, PBS, Washington Business Journal, Washingtonian
Magazine, Forbes and other leading media affiliates.
Some of Maurisa’s notable clients include:
● Tysons Corner Center, one of the top 10 shopping centers in the country
● Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Collection properties, prominent in the northern Virginia
and DC region with Salamander Middleburg and Salamander DC.
● Whitman Walker a DC-based community-centered enterprise committed to advancing
social justice and equality through health
● National non-profit In A Perfect World who empowers the next generation of global
changemakers with skills and opportunities needed to succeed and thrive, founded to
honor and build upon the philanthropic work between In a Perfect World founder,
Manuela Testolini and Prince.
● Recently in September, she was tapped to design and orchestrate the PR launch
strategy for acclaimed chef’s much anticipated restaurant Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi
located in Washington D.C., featuring an Afro-Caribbean concept honoring DC Surveyor
Benjamin Banneker and his West African Dogon Tribe ancestry. Her agency was also
part of the project planning team