Building Black Futures Webinar

Briana K. Joyner

Briana Joyner joins us as the new Executive Vice President of People and Culture. Previously, she was the interim executive director for Hallie Q. Brown and the chief human resources and inclusion officer for the Minnesota Historical Society. A passionate leader, Briana brings extensive experience in organizational development, behavioral science, strategy, culture transformation, and diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. 

She has served on multiple boards, including as Board President for Hallie Q. Brown, Director for Solid Ground, and Trustee for the OD Global Network. She was named a 2023 Notable BIPOC Executive by Twin Cities Business Magazine and a 2022 Women in Business honoree by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 

Briana holds two B.A.s in Marketing and International Business from St. Cloud State University and an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas. She has also held leadership roles at Target Corporation and other Twin Cities organizations.  

Dr. Terresa Moses

Terresa Moses is a proud Black queer woman dedicated to the liberation of Black and brown people through art and design. She uses creativity as tools of community activism like her exhibition, Umbra, and her community distro project, Stop Killing Black People. She created Project Naptural and co-created Racism Untaught. She has published two books, Racism Untaught and An Anthology of Blackness.

Moses is the Owner & Creative Director at Blackbird Revolt— an abolitionist design and production studio. She is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design, McKnight Presidential Fellow, and Director of Design Justice at the University of Minnesota. She is the Owner of Black Garnet Books— an independent bookstore in Saint Paul curating books from authors of color.

She earned her doctorate in Social Justice Education at the University of Toronto. She serves on the advisory board of the Black Liberation Lab and co-founded Hatch & Flock.

Links: Blackbird Revolt | Project Naptural | Racism Untaught

Dionne Sims

Dionne Sims graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Bachelor’s in Communications in 2018 before starting a career in UX Design in the Twin Cities. In response to the community uprisings in 2020, she founded Black Garnet Books, the only queer, Black-owned bookstore in the state of Minnesota. Dionne currently lives in Champaign, IL, and works as an instructor with the Professional Booksellers School — an organization that provides training, education, and mentorship to independent bookstore professionals — following the sale of Black Garnet in 2024.

Links: Substack | Instagram | Professional Booksellers School

Denisse Pachuca

Denisse Pachuca is a seasoned financial professional with over 20 years of experience and a diverse career at BMO since 2013. She has held roles including Branch Manager, Business Banker, and now Senior Regional Manager of the Zero Barriers to Business Program, covering WI, MN, IA, NE, and the Dakotas.

She serves on the boards of United Community Center and Crisol Corridor and participates in committees for Tempo Milwaukee, Pearl for Teen Girls, and the Black Business Professionals Network. In 2023, she was recognized as one of Wisconsin’s 40 Most Influential Latino Leaders.

As a Business Banker, Denisse managed banking relationships and lending for businesses with revenues up to $10 million. She was also an ambassador for BMO’s Empower Community Benefit Program, launched in 2020 to provide inclusive banking solutions.

She leads the Zero Barriers to Business Program, empowering Black, Latino, Women, Native American, Veteran, Asian, and LGBTQ entrepreneurs by increasing access to capital, education, and strategic partnerships.

A proud Latina, Denisse is dedicated to advancing financial literacy and economic equity in underserved communities.