Meet Our Team

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Millie Chu

Founder & CEO

Millie Chu, founder of Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab, has been committed to economic inclusion, community development, education, inclusion programs, and building infrastructures to strengthen equity and equality for BIPOC and the underserved around the world for nearly two decades.

In 2019, Millie was featured in Forbes as an immigrant leader who helps and inspires other immigrants to become entrepreneurs. In addition, she has been in the U.S. News and World Report along with dozens of media publications on economic and social justice, business and inclusive entrepreneurship.

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She has provided direct consulting and growth strategies to over 700 organizations, launched more than 90 startups, and taught business and international entrepreneurship for 10 years at Michigan colleges and universities.

Globally, she created programs in the Middle East to benefit refugees and women owned businesses, and assisted entrepreneurs in the advanced technology industry across Asia, Europe, and South America.

When embracing work-life harmony, you can likely find Millie enjoying time with her loved ones, pampering her fur babies, gardening or exploring a new adventure.

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T.Rose Malone

Business Plan Specialist

T.Rose empowers entrepreneurs by helping them to write stellar business plans, transforming ideas into reality.

Armed with this invaluable tool, entrepreneurs are able to effectively evaluate their business’ potential, attract investors and lenders, and grow their enterprise. As a coach at the Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab, she mentors underrepresented and SEDI-owned small businesses, guiding them in launching, expanding, and accessing capital.

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With a background as a college professor, she designed and taught entrepreneurship curriculum, while her ownership of an international fitness franchise led her to train fellow franchisees on business development overseas.

Drawing on research and personal entrepreneurship, she established WriteYourPlan.com in 2017 to assist entrepreneurs in crafting comprehensive business plans.

T.Rose, a dedicated mother of two motivated daughters, holds a master’s degree in guidance and counseling, and has excelled as a human resources consultant, public speaker, business owner, and international business consultant.

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Sharonda Simmons

Equity & Engagement Consultant

With over a decade of executive leadership experience, Sharonda Simmons has a proven track record of building high performing teams and creating sustainable infrastructure.

At Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab, Sharonda trains organizations on diversity, equity and inclusion principles. She has a deep-rooted passion for social justice and has served as a trained facilitator in Intergroup Dialogue for over 15 years. She has trained and facilitated social identity development curriculum for universities, educators, non-profit professionals, and community members since 2007.

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It is Sharonda’s personal belief that agencies are most successful when social justice and equity principles are embedded in the systems and fabric of an organization. In 2020 she founded Thrive and Shine LLC, a professional development and mentorship space geared toward supporting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) young professionals.

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Colette Douglas

Soft Skills Development Specialist

Colette brings 30 years of training and consulting experience to the business community. At Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab, she specializes in delivering communications and soft skills training from a DE&I lens and incorporates a wealth of best practice techniques.

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She sets a positive attitude with pre-class communications to answer the question, “Why are we doing this?” before training begins which has created immeasurable impact, willingness, and active participation.

As an entrepreneur herself, Colette is a certified WBE and Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) and President of Elite Customer Service (ECS), an Ann Arbor, Michigan based consulting firm.

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Guiqiu Wang

Career Consultant & Linguistics Specialist

At Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab, Guiqiu supports the team as a career consultant and linguistics specialist. She is an international educator and has 10+ years of experience working for economic development and social impact organizations facilitating people-to-people communications exchange between the U.S. and China.

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She is a certified career coach with a proven record in helping international students and skilled immigrants land their first professional jobs in the U.S. Guiqiu provides consulting on cultural competency, resume training, building networks and more. She assists BIPOC and the underserved in career development to attain fulfilling work and to scale their career.

At GEBL, she also provides translation and interpretation services to benefit Chinese-speaking business owners, translates technical business training documents, and develops talent recruitment and retention strategies for skilled international STEM workforce.

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Kristin Gapske

Business Consultant

Kristin is a business consultant for Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab specializing in serving underrepresented business owners.

She was the founding director of the Entrepreneurship Center at Washtenaw Community College and grew the center from its opening in 2014 into a thriving community hub for business advice, in-depth campus and community resources, and inspiring community events.

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Kristin is an entrepreneur and successful business founder with additional wide-ranging experience in nonprofit business and economic development, and a recipient of WCC's inaugural Equity in Action award. She led an importing company and distributed home decor products wholesale in the US for 15 years.

In addition, Kristin has many years of nonprofit volunteer experience in the US, Australia, and Southeast Asia, specializing in organizations supporting women, underrepresented entrepreneurs, artists, and students.

She enjoys helping fellow entrepreneurs fill the gaps between dream, startup, and growth, and assists in connecting the dots to resources, education, mentors, and entrepreneurial support organizations. She also sits on the board of the Ypsilanti-based nonprofit organization Friends In Deed.

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Timothy Rygwelski

Program Assistant

Tim is a Program Assistant at Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab who provides program and client support for underrepresented small businesses.

In addition to GEBL, his professional experience includes working in economic development for the Michigan SBDC as an Intake Coordinator helping small businesses get connected to resources and entrepreneurial assistance in the community.

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As a student at Saginaw Valley State University, he is pursuing two bachelor's degrees in marketing and in business management; upon completion, he plans to obtain his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree. He also serves as the President of Tau Kappa Epsilon at SVSU.

As a young professional, he is excited to turn the next chapters in his professional career and to continue growing as a leader who values diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of his life.

Outside of work and school, Tim enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

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Shonna Hawkins

Attorney

Attorney Shonna Hawkins is an accomplished trial lawyer, counselor, and tireless advocate. For the past 20 years, she has successfully represented individuals and businesses throughout Michigan and Texas. She has represented clients on a multitude of matters—including business formation and development, employment matters, wills and trusts, guardianship, and conservatorship.

She also represent clients in civil matters including real property purchases, commercial lease negotiations, employment disputes, and estate planning.

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Shonna is on the legal team at Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab and provides consulting and coaching on legal matters for small businesses. She is passionate about educating current and aspiring entrepreneurs about best practices in forming and operating a business.

Shonna is a proud graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and she holds degrees from Loyola University New Orleans in Philosophy and English Literature. Since 2010, Shonna has been a partner at DeYampert & Hawkins-The DeYampert Law Company PLLC in Southfield, MI.

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John Deyampert

Attorney

John is an experienced trial and appellate attorney. An alumnus of the United States Department of Justice's prestigious Attorney General Honors Program, John has handled complex litigation and successfully argued cases in courts across the country.

He founded The DeYampert Law Company PLLC in 2010. John specializes in Family Law, Business Law, Courtroom Advocacy and oversees the law company’s mission to help Detroit plan for prosperity and protect clients from injustice, abuse, and predatory acts.

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John is on the legal team at Global Entrepreneurship Business Lab providing his expertise and consultancy on business legal matters for diverse small businesses. He uplifts Michigan through his work in community service and professional workshops on economic empowerment and the legal system in S.E. Michigan.

John graduated summa cum laude from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and received the West Publishing Award for outstanding legal Scholarship. John worked as a law clerk for the Honorable J. Dale Wainwright (Former Associate Justice for the Texas Supreme Court) and the Honorable Kenneth M. Hoyt of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. John is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review, and has taught trial advocacy and persuasive skills at the National Advocacy Center.

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