Meet Our Team

We are dedicated to using our collective knowledge and acumen in our roles as solution providers for the Junction BID area.

Our team of professionals come from a myriad of backgrounds and possess a plethora of varying experience that, together, provides a well-rounded depth of insight and serves an array of business needs.

Our Work

See how our team is making the Flatbush Nostrand Junction a vibrant space for community members and guests.

The BID

Becoming a Business Improvement District (BID) member unlocks an array of valuable services.

BID Volunteers

Kenneth Mbonu

President & Executive Director

Kenneth serves as the President / Executive Director of the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID. Prior to that, he developed and expanded Economic Development initiatives as a Principal of EastMB Group. His work focused on urban development priorities, creating effective public-private partnerships and business acquisition advisory. He played a key role in the revitalization of secondary commercial corridors in Central Brooklyn, that included real estate development, business attraction, information dissemination and data collection processes.

Kenneth also worked as a corporate banker with Bank of America and IDB Bank covering specialty finance, apparel and healthcare companies. As an entrepreneur, he purchased, operated and sold a specialty chemical manufacturing company in Northern New Jersey.

Kenneth is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP); member, board of trustees for the International Charter School of New York; board member, Northeast Economic Development Association; board member, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; board member Brooklyn Community Board 3; adviser, Dechets a l’Or, a triple bottom line waste management technology company in Guinea, West Africa and CORO alumnus. Kenneth earned an MBA in Finance from Pace University; BS in Biochemistry/ Microbiology and Medical Technology from the University of Nigeria and York College, respectively. He lives in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with his wife and two children.

Brandi Thompson Ullian

Development Manager & Webmaster

Brandi Thompson Ullian works with the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID in producing exciting programs and events for both Junction businesses and residents, as well as establish a web presence that showcases the dynamic and exciting aspects of the Flatbush Junction community. As a resident of the Junction area herself, she is dedicated to enhancing the vitality of the neighborhood in which she lives.

Brandi is a communications, media and events professional with over a decade of proven experience across all three fields. She is an honors graduate of New York University, where she received a Bachelors of Science degree in Communications. After a brief exploration of the marketing field, she pursued a career in journalism, working as a Web Reporter, News Writer and Producer for both WCBS Newsradio 880 and News 12 Long Island TV, as well as the CBS Radio Network’s weekly “Osgood File” program, featuring news legend Charles Osgood. During this time, she concurrently held a position as Webmaster with a local Queens online community organization called “Why Leave Astoria?”, which created programs, events and a interactive social web platform that helped put the Astoria community on the radar of media and real estate professionals.

In 2010, Brandi shifted from producing news to producing events, and accepted a role as an Events Manager for the President’s Office at Columbia University, where she organized a multitude of small and large-scale events annually for the school and New York City community. Some notable events included the University’s Commencement ceremony and the Kennedy Prize for Drama award ceremony, which hosted members of the Kennedy family.

Brandi left Columbia in 2014 to pursue a professional career as a vocalist. She currently performs regularly throughout New York City, and, in addition to her important role with the Junction BID, travels across the nation and globe performing for various artists in a multitude of venues.

Program Manager CDNA Program

Cuthbert Ayo Onikute

Cuthbert ‘Ayo’ Onikute (Ayo) manages the BID’s Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA) program. He has worked on community and economic development initiatives with Queens Economic Development Corporation, Flatbush Development Corporation, and Bridge Street Development Corporation.

Ayo also created and managed a community focused waste management company in Guinea, West Africa; where he led a needs assessment program to understand waste management practices and develop waste service deployment strategies. Ayo holds a MSc in Urban Planning from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University and a BA in International Studies, History, and African American Studies from University of Buffalo – SUNY.

Events Coordinator

Mahalia Desrosiers

Mahalia had previously worked as an intern with the Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID. She worked closely with the BID team curating and organizing events to aid in the development of Brooklyn’s vibrant Flatbush Junction commercial corridor. She was also involved in behind-the-scenes tasks with the entertainment team for NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and coordinating online events for the Environmental Defense Fund.

Mahalia has gained varied experience in events coordinating and marketing; and is a graduate of St. Francis College, with a BA in Communication Arts.

Advisory Group

Assistant Professor of Sculpture, Brooklyn College

Eto Otitigbe

Eto Otitigbe is a polymedia artist who sets alternative narratives into motion; creating spaces for unique experiences. His interdisciplinary practice includes sculpture, performance, installation, and public art.

Otitigbe's work has been in national and international exhibitions such Bronx Calling: The Second AIM Biennial, organized by the Bronx Museum and Wave Hill. He has participated in residencies at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, The John L. Warfield Center for African and African American Studies, Austin, TX; 701 CCA, Columbia, SC; Center for Book Arts, New York, NY; and Luminary Center for the Arts, St. Louis, MO. Otitigbe’s fellowships and awards include the CEC Artslink Project Award, Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship at the National Museum of African Art.

His curatorial projects include the es ORO Gallery (2007-09) and the Topophilia Exhibition (2017) as part of the Meeting Festival in Denmark. Otitigbe’s public art practice includes temporary and permanent installations. He contributed to the creative expression on the exterior surface of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers.

He is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture in the Art Department at Brooklyn College and the Director of the Turnbull Gallery in New York. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, his M.S. in Product Design from Stanford University (M.S.) and his MFA in Creative Practice from the University of Plymouth.
www.etootitigbe.com

Executive Director, Brooklyn Arts Council

Rasu Jilani

Rasu has vast experience advocating for the Brooklyn cultural and creative community. Most recently, Rasu applied his dynamic cross-cultural curatorial skills as the Cultural Network Curator at Lambent Foundation, where he translated Lambent’s core values and organizational practice to foster collaboration and exchange among grant partners in New York City, New Orleans, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Prior to Lambent, he served as Director of Recruitment and Community Engagement for the New Museum’s art and tech incubator, NEW INC, where he built a professional network of artists, designers, technologists, and entrepreneurs into a cohesive workspace that reflects New York’s diverse and multi-faceted artists. Rasu is also a reputable facilitator in the cultural sector, the founder of Coup d’état BROOKLYN and Coup d’état Arts, and was a producer for Afropunk.

Founder of CaribBeing

Shelley Worrell

Shelley is a cultural entrepreneur born in NYC and raised between Brooklyn & the Caribbean. She is the Founder of CaribBeing, a thriving venture at the crossroads of culture + art + lifestyle that collaborates with some of the Caribbean’s most visionary talent and brands. Worrell led the movement to name Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean, to support and celebrate hyperlocal Caribbean-American communities and culture.

Since founding CaribBeing in 1999 Worrell has produced 400+ immersive experiences reaching over 250k attendees in partnership with top corporations and cultural institutions— The Brooklyn Museum, BRIC, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, James Beard Foundation, Municipal Art Society, Queens Museum, Google Arts & Culture, Studio Museum in Harlem, Prospect Park Alliance, Food 52, VoX Media and others. She has made presentations across Europe and the Caribbean.

Worrell’s multi-platform & cross-cultural activations have been featured by Black Enterprise, Caribbean Life, NBC and Hyperallergic and she has been personally profiled in The New York Times and Good Morning America.
Worrell began her career working for top media and technology brands including Google, The History Channel, A&E, Time Warner and YouTube with senior roles in strategic partnerships, global business development and digital operations spearheading the successful launch of over 100 digital and TV products. In 2018 she joined the US Department of Commerce as Head of Caribbean Partnerships and currently serves on the board of NYC & Co and Prospect Park Alliance.

Shelley holds a BA in Cultural Studies from CUNY, Brooklyn College and a MA in Media Studies from the New School. She lives in Brooklyn and enjoys traveling and gardening in her spare time.

Design Lead XD, Wunderman Thompson

Adrian Franks

Adrian is an UX creative director & designer. He is a product designer, painter, big concept thinker, and a creative force. Creativity fuels him and he has used that energy to soar through a 27-year career in design, advertising, and the arts.

Adrian started his career in Atlanta, as a designer and art director for advertising agencies. He has created work for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Toyota, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Walmart, Bank of America, Citi Bank, Chrysler, Ford, and multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, among others.

Adrian is also versed in wearable technology––he created one of the Apple Watch’s first apps––and has extensive experience solving design and digital challenges for FinTech.

Recently, he has expanded into design for film as well as film-related merchandising and product design. His collaborations with iconic filmmaker Spike Lee resulted in work for films like Chiraq, Michael Jackson: From Motown to Off the Wall, and the ESPN documentary Two Fists Up.

Adrian's creative thinking and design skills have earned industry recognition, including a Gold Addy for the Publix Greenwise micro-site and a Bronze Addy for the Florida’s Natural Orange Diaries Blog. In 2015, he was featured in the Communication Arts “Insight” column, and Advertising Age named him one of 40-under-40 to watch. Most recently, he was recognized by American Illustration for excellence in the field of illustration and design.

VP Leasing, SkyHarbour Group

Andre Sigourney

Andre’s successful career in real estate brokerage has included more than 100 commercial real estate transactions, with value exceeding $1 billion. He served as Vice President on CBRE’s NY/NJ Industrial and Logistics team, representing some of the nation’s largest institutional real estate operators and occupiers.

Andre currently manages Member Leasing at SkyHarbour Group, working to ensure that the SkyHarbour offering is optimized for each individual member’s needs.

SkyHarbour is an aviation infrastructure development company building the first nationwide network of Home-Basing Solutions (“HBS”) for business aircraft. SkyHarbour develops, leases and manages general aviation hangars across the United States, targeting airfields in the largest growth markets with significant aircraft populations and high hangar demand. SkyHarbour’s HBS campuses feature exclusive private hangars and a full suite of dedicated services specifically designed for home-based aircraft.

Immigration Lawyer

Stephanie Jean-Phillipe

Stephanie Jean-Philippe, an experienced immigration attorney; is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey. Her practice, the Law Office of Stephanie Jean-Phillipe Pllc, includes working on employment-based petitions including EB1, EB2, L1, H1B and O1. Her knowledge and experience with business related matters is reflected by her successful representation of clients in obtaining employment-based visas including intra-company transfers, investors’ visas, and temporary workers. Stephanie also works on non-employment immigration cases such as family-based immigration petitions, naturalization, special immigration juvenile petitions, abused spouse self-petitions, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), asylum, and US visas.

Stephanie has extensive experience appearing in deportation proceedings on behalf of clients applying for cancellation of removal and asylum among other forms of relief adjudicated by an immigration judge. She is a zealous advocate for clients in removal proceedings before the Immigration Court.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University and a Juris Doctor degree from Cardozo School of Law.

Director, Citigroup Global Markets

Jaime Moore

Jaime Moore is a seasoned veteran in the capital markets industry with over 25 years’ investment banking experience. He currently serves as Director Citigroup Global Markets, where he heads the supervisory analyst group that covers the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA); with oversight responsibility for research products covering several asset classes that includes equities, fixed income, currency and commodities. Prior to that, he was a lead economic consultant to governments, Fortune 500 firms, multinational companies and corporate leaders.

A supporter of arts, culture and community development, he managed a team that developed the business plan, secured commercial space and buildout financing for Wilmington (Delaware) Central Business District’s first, full-service Caribbean restaurant in 1994. The restaurant was voted City of Delaware’s Small Business of the Year after three years in service. Jaime is the founder and president of El Fogon Center for the Arts. El Fogon is a founding member of the Bronx Arts Alliance; a member of various boards, he continues to provide strategic advice and mentoring to various start-up and accelerator companies.

The Junction BID Enjoys Expert and Veteran Oversight

Meet the BID Board Members