Unlocking Potential, Creating Lasting Impact

Empowering leaders. Elevating businesses. Transforming communities.

The Orenda Foundation

is not just an organization; it’s a powerful movement.
Our mission is to break down barriers, create pathways, and empower small and diverse entrepreneurs and emerging leaders to achieve success. Through education, mentorship, funding, and hands-on initiatives, we equip businesses and changemakers to not only navigate the landscape—but to transform it.

This is about more than social good—it’s about creating lasting impact. It’s about giving a voice to the underestimated and helping them rise to become undeniable.
What We Do: Our Programs & Initiatives
We’re believe in creating meaningful, measurable, and lasting change.
OC Emporium
Elevating Small & Diverse-Owned Businesses Through Visibility & Opportunity
Learn More
OC Emporium Orenda Leadership Lab
Developing High-Impact Leaders & Entrepreneurs
Learn More
Orenda Empowerment Fund
Fueling Business Growth Through Direct Investment
Learn More
InspireYouth Entrepreneurship Camp
Building the Next Generation of Business Leaders
Learn More

The OC Emporium

The OC Emporium is a thoughtfully curated, high-visibility showcase designed to connect small and diverse-owned businesses with influential corporate buyers, savvy consumers, and industry leaders.
Premier Vendor Experience
Minority-owned brands gain direct access to real buyers and key decision-makers.
Corporate & Retail Partnerships
We bridge the gap between small businesses and valuable procurement opportunities.
Business Growth Support
Our vendors receive exclusive training, marketing resources, and financial literacy tools to help them scale and thrive.
The OC Emporium provides a solution to the lack of access to decision-makers in Tampa Bay. Event proceeds will be donated to The Orenda Foundation to tackle the lack of access to knowledge by providing technical assistance microgrants to diverse business owners to strengthen their business infrastructure and increase capacity.

Upcoming Events

The OC Emporium

The OC Emporium is Tampa’s premier diverse business showcase that connects Executives directly to minority, woman, veteran, & LGBT-owned businesses. Executives witness each business’s unique product or service in a one-of-a-kind immersive experience while networking with other Tampa Bay business leaders.

Learn More
Orenda Leadership Lab
Game changers aren’t born—they’re nurtured. The Orenda Leadership Lab is a transformative leadership accelerator that empowers both emerging and established leaders with the skills, mindset, and network needed to create lasting impact.
Elite Leadership Development
Tailored for entrepreneurs, executives, and community leaders who are ready to elevate their influence and impact.
Actionable Strategy & Growth
Practical frameworks that focus on real results, helping you scale with purpose and precision.
Exclusive Access to Industry Leaders
Build relationships with top industry professionals, investors, and decision-makers who can unlock new opportunities.

The Orenda Empowerment Fund

Access to capital can transform everything. The Orenda Empowerment Fund is a powerful financial catalyst designed to support small and diverse-owned businesses in their journey to growth and success.
Capacity-Building Grants
Direct funding to help diverse businesses expand, strengthen operations, and create sustainable growth.
Exclusive Business Services Access
Collaborate with skilled professionals who provide strategic, financial, and operational support to give your business a competitive edge.
Financial Literacy & Business Coaching
Funding is just the start—we empower you with the knowledge, strategy, and coaching to maximize your growth for lasting success.
InspireYouth Entrepreneurship Camp
To build a stronger future, we must invest in it today. InspireYouth is an immersive, hands-on program designed to empower young entrepreneurs with the skills, confidence, and network needed to identify challenges and create innovative solutions. Get ready to watch them turn their ideas into thriving businesses!
Entrepreneurship Foundations
Equip young leaders with the core principles of business development, branding, and financial literacy to turn ideas into action.
Real-World Pitch Experience
Guide participants as they develop, refine, and pitch their business ideas to real investors, mentors, and industry leaders.
Exclusive Mentorship & Industry Access
Connect youth with successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and startup founders who provide valuable insights, opportunities, and real-world guidance.

Why Choose The Orenda Foundation?

ONE

We’ve Created the Blueprint
We make impact happen! We’ve helped businesses scale, communities thrive, and leaders rise to new heights.

TWO

We Deliver with Precision
No fluff, no buzzwords—just real, measurable outcomes that drive economic mobility and create lasting success.

TWO

We Connect You to Opportunity
With our extensive network of people, organizations, and funders, we ensure you're in the right room to make things happen.

THREE

We Build Legacies, Not Short-Term Wins
This isn’t about quick fixes. We focus on creating meaningful, lasting impact that endures for years to come.

Board of Directors

Sherrel Sampson
Vice Chair
Nealy Wheat
Treasurer
Rafaela Amador-Fink
Board Member
Toiaya Crawford
Board Member​
Felicia Harvey
Board Member​
Luz D. Randolph, Ed.D
Board Member
Ryan Toth
Board Member​

Ready to Build, Scale & Lead?

Join our movement. Sign up for updates, insights, and opportunities to grow with us!

P: 813.384.7630
E: lrobinson@theorendaco.com

Sherrel Sampson

Founder & CEO, Canviiy
Vice Chair of the Board

Sherrel Sampson is the Founder & CEO of Canviiy®, an innovative, organic-based health & wellness brand headquartered in Tampa, Fl. Canviiy has official partnerships with Moffitt Cancer Center®, USF Health®, Tampa International Airport® and Orlando International Airport®. Canviiy has been featured by renowned media outlets including Forbes, Allure, Vogue, ESSENCE, Black Enterprise, AspireTV, and Cosmopolitan. Canviiy products are available in over 2,000 retail locations including CVS, Sally Beauty and JCPenney Stores. Sherrel is an active member of The Florida Bar Statewide Advertising & Solicitation Grievance Committee and serves as a Board Member of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. 

Prior to founding Canviiy, Sherrel led advertising teams as a marketing executive developing omnichannel marketing activations for over fifteen years in the verticals of shopper marketing, consumer healthcare (OTC), retail grocery and enterprise software. She holds an MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University and a BA in Marketing from Stetson University.

Nealy Wheat

Chief Financial Officer, Economic Development Council
Treasurer of the Board

An association and nonprofit executive, Nealy Wheat is the Chief Financial Officer for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. She brings more than 20 years of financial, human resources and administrative experience with nonprofit organizations and member associations. She is a graduate of The University of West Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Management. She earned a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Administration from Kennesaw State University. Nealy has presented at national and state conferences on best practices in association/non-profit financial and organizational management. Nealy earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2008 and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) designation in 2020.

Nealy was honored as a CFO of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2019. She has served on the board of directors for local, state and national organizations. Currently, she serves as a board member for the Florida Society of Association Executives and Friends of the Riverwalk. She is a graduate of Leadership Tampa and enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her husband and their rescue dog.

Rafaela Amador-Fink

Board Director

Rafaela A. Amador Fink was promoted to chief public affairs & communications officer in November 2021 and enters her ninth season with the Rays. In this role, she oversees broadcasting; baseball communications; corporate communications; diversity, equity and inclusion; public affairs; and social media. She works across departments to ensure consistent and effective communication internally and externally, manages all crisis communications and serves as the club’s government affairs liaison. Prior to joining the Rays, Rafaela served as an account director at a public relations and public affairs firm, was vice president of public affairs and communications at a chamber of commerce, worked in local politics and taught high school English. She received a 2009 Ford Foundation Fellowship for Regional Sustainable Development through the American Chamber of Commerce Executives and traveled to various cities in the U.S. and China throughout her course of study.  

Amador holds a bachelor’s in international studies with a Spanish minor from the University of South Florida. She serves on the board of directors for The Orenda Foundation, Tampa Theatre, Tampa Bay EDC, Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, is a member of the Tampa Bay Partnership’s Racial Equity Task Force, the Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations and USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy. She was also a founding board member of the New Leaders Council Tampa Bay chapter and served as an Honorary Commander at MacDill Air Force Base. Outside the office, she is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, and lives in Tampa with her husband, Jason, son, Maddox and rescue dog, Gonzo.   

Toiaya Crawford

CEO, Fifth Ave Management & PR
Board Director

Toiaya Crawford is a public relations pro, social media maven and proud Tampa native. When it comes down to it, she is a no-nonsense jack-of-all-trades. From event operations and design to promotion and social media, Crawford helps bring the client’s visions to life.

A graduate of the University of South Florida, she develops communication plans that get audiences talking. Her resume includes work with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Memphis Grizzlies, various athlete foundations and top restaurant brands. 

She is also an accomplished media expert, having penned pieces for ESPN’s The Undefeated, and serving as a featured guest on SiriusXM Canada and more. Her approach can be best described as creatively-driven and strategically-centered – all with a dash of humor.

Felicia Harvey

Director Corporate Communications, Cognizant
Board Director

Felicia Harvey is an award-winning, multifaceted communications professional with over 18 years of experience in corporate communications, community engagement, media relations and diversity & inclusion. She is results-focused with a strong strategic sense and adept at constructing “out of the box” solutions and effective strategies/action plans to proactively address business problems and communications challenges. She has a demonstrated ability to interface effectively with executives, community leaders, government officials, and media representatives locally and globally. She has proven success in building corporate communications departments including mentoring and managing staff and increasing employee engagement and overall morale.

Felicia currently serves as Director, Corporate Communications for Cognizant. Prior to joining Cognizant, Felicia served as the Corporate Communications Director and led community/corporate relations, philanthropy, internal communications, media relations and academic outreach. She served as the Amgen Foundation lead for Florida and established Amgen Tampa’s Diversity and Engagement Councils.

An active and engaged member of her community, Harvey is a past Tampa Bay Business Journal “30 under 30” honoree, 2013 recipient of the Champion of Education Award from the UNCF Bay Area Leadership Council and was honored as the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida’s inaugural Woman of Promise in 2013. Harvey is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Florida Chamber Foundation, Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida and serves as the Chair of the UNCF Tampa Bay Area Leadership Council.  Additionally, she is a member of the Athena Society, Tampa Chapter of the Links, Incorporated and Tampa Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Harvey is a graduate of Florida A&M University.

Luz D. Randolph, Ed.D

Assistant Vice Provost for Diversity, Louisiana State University
Board Director

Dra. Luz D. Randolph is the Associate Vice Provost for Diversity at Louisiana State University. She is responsible for coordination of strategic planning and foundation work for the LSU Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to ensure the development and implementation of programs and services that foster a campus community committed to diversity and inclusion.

Previously, she served as the Executive Director of Development at St. Petersburg College Foundation where she was responsible for the college-wide fundraising efforts at St. Petersburg College. Since her arrival in January 2020, she guided the fundraising efforts surrounding the recently established Helios Titan Achievement Program (H-TAP) which received an initial funding of $85,000 and upon completion received a final gift of $1.3M dollar from Helios Education Foundation, the Social Justice Institute Microgrant awarded by the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee, the SPC Emergency Fund among other initiatives. Prior to her role at SPC, she served as Assistant Director of Development, Diversity Initiatives. Her primary focus was to assist in cultivating relationships between USF constituents and the Tampa Bay community that would enhance the university’s diverse students’ experiences. She successfully fundraised over $3.5 million for diversity initiatives and assisted in the development and implementation of the Black Leadership Network which aims to provide financial and mentoring support to African American students at the University of South Florida. Before coming to USF, Dra. Luz served as Director of the Candidate Empowerment Center (CEC) at Florida A&M University. In this role her team increased FAMU’s College of Education’s Teacher Certification passage rate by 75%. She also served as Assistant Director of the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Miami where she coordinated services and programs that challenged, motivated, and supported ethnically diverse students in their development at the University of Miami and sought to bring issues of diversity and multiculturalism to the foreground of campus conversation.

She is a double alumna from the University of South Florida with a B.A in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, College Student Affairs. She completed her Doctor of Education in Higher Education and Leadership Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University. Her dissertation focused on the experience of Latinas in Latina sororities at a predominantly White institution and the impact on their academic persistence. Since, she has presented on topics relating to Latinas and their college experience, philanthropy and diversity, and gender issues and sexual orientation. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Hispanic Services Council, Cetera, and Humanities Amped.

Ryan Toth

Regional Director, The Beck Group
Board Director

In his role as Regional Director, Ryan oversees all design and construction aspects of Beck’s Florida division. His expertise lies in his ability to create team synergies for the benefit of the project and its participants. Ryan’s propensity to understand complex design and construction challenges, find innovative solutions, and establish open and honest communication with owners and project team members results in successful projects from beginning to end.

Ryan grew up in Winter Haven, Florida and relocated to Tampa in 1994 to attend the University of South Florida, where he obtained both his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering – Structural, and Masters in Business Administration.

Ryan and his wife Charity have two sons, Isaac and Gabe. He is an avid University of South Florida Bulls fan, enjoys traveling, boating and spending time with his family.

Newsletter Signup

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date with all of our DEI tips and tricks.