Raquel serves as The Chair of the Arts & Entertainment Committee for the Atlanta Black Chambers.  She also is a Creative Consultant for The Atlanta Black Chambers.

Raquel has a passion for community and the experience to back it up. Her entrepreneurial spirit and creative problem solving have contributed to her success in a variety of roles in rural and local communities and the corporate world. A transplant from New Jersey, Raquel currently calls Atlanta, Georgia, home. Raquel assists businesses, individual brands, organizations, and non-profits with change management and developing infrastructure.

You can learn more about Raquel by visiting her LinkedIn page.

Fun facts about her.
She is a professionally trained dancer.

What is her role within the Atlanta Black Chambers, and what led her to become involved in this organization?
She has worn many hats in the ABC and became a member in 2015. She has shown up at all of the events and eventually started to do the work to support the ABC

How does her mission align with the Atlanta Black Chambers works to support Black-owned businesses in the Atlanta area?
She is an advocate for black-owned businesses, especially those that are just starting out. She enjoys being a part of the beginning and helping people figure out. She is a problem solver, out come focused. She began with the end in mind. Atlanta is a great city to be a black business owner.

What are some of the key challenges facing Black-owned businesses in the current economic and social climate, and as an exemplary leader of the Atlanta Black Chambers, how she addresses these challenges?
Aside from Access to capital. She would say the myth that there is not enough for everybody. She knows we can ALL eat, she has witnessed it, but most of us operate in silos, afraid to support each other and ask for assistance. If we do not address that we should NOT be competing, but instead we should we collaborating, this will be our downfall. Again, there is enough and we can all eat.

Her three success stories or achievements via her contributions to the Atlanta Black Chambers.
One of the highlights is breathing life into the Arts and Entertainment Committee and how she has leveraged this role to open many doors and find herself in rooms she never knew she wanted to be a part of. Her favorite contributions and achievement was not just showing up at a new business’ open house OR ribbon cutting, but turning on the camera and introducing that business to ABC audience. As the original voice of Tuesday Talks, she is proud to see how far the chamber has come.

What are her goals for the future of the Atlanta Black Chambers, and how does she envision the organization evolving to meet the needs of its members and the wider community?
She would like to the A&E Committee on the map as a resource for Artists and for those that support Artists (the attorneys, the behind-the-scenes professionals, set designers, crafts services, prop masters and so on). She sees the ABC becoming a beacon for others that are looking to be a part of something bigger.

Life’s Motto / Powerful Quote.
I will act now, do it scared, and learn from my mistakes. Failure is a data-rich resource.