Our public envoy, committed to share our passion, our world view, and our crusade are our Brand Ambassadors, carefully selected to align with our core values, to exhibit high standards, and who deeply understands the student athlete journey ― its pitfalls, challenges, inequities, benefits, and rewards.
Marques Ogden is a former NFL athlete that was drafted into the NFL by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. Marques played for almost 6 years in the NFL, and is also the younger brother of Hall of Fame Left Tackle for the Baltimore Ravens Jonathan Ogden. After the NFL, Marques took his experience and started a construction company in 2007 that specialized in the area of site work, and utilities. Marques and the business experienced massive growth in the first five years, and went from a $0 revenue company to an 8-figure revenue business. Unfortunately Marques did not maintain the key things he needed to in order to sustain the business and in 2013 after spending millions of dollars on one project in a time frame of 90 days, Marques had to declare a Chapter 7 bankruptcy!
Shortly after filing his chapter 7 bankruptcy, Marques took on two jobs. One as a private instructor teaching football to youth, and a hard working custodian in downtown Raleigh. Through hard work, perseverance, determination, and grit, Marques transformed himself into a national and international keynote speaker, executive coach, best selling author, and thought leader. Marques has worked with clients like The NFL Player Engagement Dept., AXA Advisors, The Home Depot, JP Morgan and Chase, Siemens Technology, and many others. Marques’ biggest driving force is to help inspire others with his story, so they can learn from his mistakes and hopefully not make the same mistakes he did!
I have carved out paths for myself as an athlete and a leader in the corporate world through unrelenting perseverance and a will to win. All the highs and lows in my life, all of my failures and past successes, have placed me where I am today.
My experiences have allowed me to distinguish myself authentically, personally, professionally and athletically, and I have reached heights in all three lanes that didn’t seem possible to a little girl born to Jamaican parents.
Raised by a single mother majority of my life sports became a haven. In high school I was a varsity volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field athlete. I worked really hard because I knew that my mother did not have the funds to send me to school so I would need to get a scholarship. My skill sets in the shot put provided me a full scholarship to Northeastern University in Boston where I also competed in the weight throw, hammer, discus and sometimes threw the javelin to gain points for the team. Putting my heart and mind in all I do lead me to achieve things many thought I could not.
As a US-Jamaican dual citizen, I had the privilege of representing my country Jamaica in Track & Field in the 2008 Olympics. I'm the owner of a global empowerment brand Moving in Faith, LLC, and I was one of the most accomplished mortgage bankers now business consultants at the No. 1 lending company in America.
I have been using my unique platform to faithfully motivate and advocate for others who are pushing to achieve their personal vision of success and find their own voice.
You will quickly find that during presentations and workshops that there is power in my voice that empowers. You will feel the warmth of my smile and take in my contagious, hearty laugh, along with my authentic personality that will connect with all in the room, allowing them to see themselves in me, leaving inspired, ready to execute, and embrace and own the greatness within themselves.
Companies and organizations such as Quicken Loans, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Northeastern University, Eastern Michigan University, NCAA, Mary Kay, The International Olympic Association, and others have all enjoyed working with me and I look forward to helping many more.
Kareem Neal is a self-contained special education teacher in Phoenix, AZ. He has taught students with cognitive delays for 23 years. He is the recipient of the 2019 Arizona Teacher of the Year award, and was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Northern Arizona University for his contributions to special education in Arizona. He is also a 2019-2020 Understood Teacher Fellow.
Kareem’s passion is connecting all students in schools, springing from his awareness that students with cognitive delays did not truly feel like members of their school communities. This led him to evaluate his own educational journey and how students in black communities often did not feel like education spaces were for them. He is now a restorative justice trainer for the Phoenix Union High School District. He focuses on building community through eliminating bias that comes from lack of connection with people who are different from each other. This work has led him to winning the Arizona Education Association’s Diversity Grant and the Maryvale Revitalization Committee’s Educator Excellence Award, and being named vice president of the Phoenix Union High School District’s Black Alliance.
Kareem’s academic journey was filled with adults who let him know that he was capable, which he attributes to being a lifetime learner. Too many students aren’t afforded that same opportunity, and Kareem is working tirelessly to change that.
