Vernita Whitaker Naylor

Vernita Whitaker Naylor is an entrepreneur, author, advocate, and storyteller with a career focused on supporting underrepresented businesses. She founded Jabez Enterprise Group to educate small businesses on partnering with and selling to corporate and government buyers through procurement and supplier diversity programs. Naylor has spent more than 30 years educating and advocating for diverse business owners across industries including music, entertainment, supply chain management, and government contracting. Her expertise is informed by her experience as a former federal government employee and as a certified business owner working with Fortune 500 companies and government entities.

Naylor is the author of "Get the Cheese, Avoid the Traps: An Interactive Guide to Government Contracting" and "Speaking in Colors." "Get the Cheese, Avoid the Traps" serves as a resource for business owners and buying agencies to foster effective partnerships within procurement and supplier diversity. She is active in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion industry as a cultural equity advisor and collaborates with organizations such as Small Business Development Centers, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers, and Chambers of Commerce to enhance supplier diversity and government contracting programs. Naylor has been recognized as one of the nation's top 100 pioneering small business owners and received a White House invitation to represent business interests.

As an advocate, Naylor has spoken on behalf of small businesses at Capitol Hill and served on advisory councils, policy boards, and commissions. Her contributions extend to press releases, business journals, and policy initiatives. She has held roles such as marketing director for the Silicon Valley African Film Festival and contributed to community revitalization as the Small Business, Retail, Art and Culture Chair and Council Advisory Co-Chair for the West Oakland BART Station Project. Naylor also served as a park, recreation, and historical commissioner for Alameda County, overseeing the safety, funding, and maintenance of parks and historical sites.

Naylor's work as a storyteller includes roles as a voice-over artist, actress, and speaker. She has appeared in "AARP - 70s," "Beyond Bars," and "Suppressed 2024: The Fight to Vote." For more than 25 years, her efforts have focused on economic empowerment, small business advocacy, and cultural equity. Naylor participates in discussions on various platforms, councils, and roundtables, contributing to conversations on economic equity and small business development.