STAFF

Mr. Verchot is the founding director of the University of Washington’s Consulting and Business Development Center and a Lecturer in the Marketing Department at the Michael G. Foster School of Business. As the National Lead for Ascend, he engages corporate procurement professionals to sponsor small business suppliers into the Ascend National Cohort.

Michael has co-authored studies on business lending disparities, African American businesses in Washington State, and minority-owned businesses in clean tech. He has served on over a dozen nonprofit boards and governmental advisory committees, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. Michael holds an MBA from the Foster School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts.

Ms. Manzo is the Director of National Programs at the University of Washington's Consulting and Business Development Center. In her role, she leads the Ascend operations for the National and Cities programs. During her MBA, she also served as an Ascend Fellow and supported The Tenure Project. She co-founded the Latinx Affinity Group and hosted the inaugural Latine Alumni Celebration. Ms. Manzo earned her MBA from the Foster School of Business and received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine.

Ms. Flores Perez is responsible for marketing and communications for Ascend. Participants will constantly be receiving information from her about program logistics. She is a graduate of the University of Washington with a Master's in Hispanic Studies (Literature) and Master's in Business Administration. She is currently working on her Juris Doctorate.

Dr. Bussey is the founding Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, a global leader in supporting minority-serving institutions through process improvement and organizational development. With over 20 years of experience in business management across corporate, small business, educational, and nonprofit sectors, she leads strategic teams to advance minority entrepreneurship through research, training, and consulting. An adjunct professor at Morehouse College, Dr. Bussey holds a doctorate in business administration and a master’s in strategic management from Edinburgh Business School, as well as an MBA from George Washington University. She is a Project Management Professional, Certified Quality Auditor, and Certified Teacher of Entrepreneurship. Her research focuses on leadership behavior and strategic change in small firms. She is the director of the Morehouse Ascend Hub.

Ms. Harris is a strategic enterprise leader specializing in delivering sustainable solutions that transform organizations. She drives measurable improvements in talent acquisition, streamlines processes, fosters leadership development, enhances employee engagement, mitigates risk, and improves operational efficiency. With a vision-driven approach, she aligns operating models, capabilities, and tools to enhance business performance. Through strong partnerships with leaders, she identifies and mobilizes teams to implement effective strategies. Danita is a certified facilitator for Birkman, Wilson Learning, Achieve Global, and the Association for Talent Development. She currently serves as Small Business Executive Program Director at the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, where she leads initiatives to support organizational growth and development. She manages the Ascend Morehouse Hub.