Nikeshia Fomby

I currently serve as Community Development Manager for the Summit City Entrepreneur and Enterprise District (SEED)/City of Fort Wayne and Director of FuseNEI an interactive entrepreneur resource platform. As a Community Development Manager, I collaborate with city constituents to promote entrepreneur and business development, growth, investment incentives, job retention, and relocation. I work closely with entrepreneurs and small business owners located within the SEED District to provide entrepreneur education resources through the BUILD Program, grants, tax incentives, and networking opportunities. Prior to working for the City of Fort Wayne, I spent more than 20 years working in various sectors of social services including Indiana Family Social Services Administration, Fort Wayne Housing Authority, and Parkview. I am the owner of Blue Rose Agency LLC, a newly formed business and real estate consultation firm. I hold an MBA from Western Governors University, a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Grand Canyon University, a graduate of the 2023 Indiana Economic Development Course (Ball State University, Indiana Communities Institute) and 2023 Community Development Course (Ball State University, Indiana Communities Institute). I am a board member of the Fort Wayne Black Chamber of Commerce, a steering committee member for Gateways for Growth (Amani Family Services), a member of Greater Fort Wayne Women’s Network, Young Leaders Northeast Indiana (YLNI), the National Black MBA Association, a Build Institute Facilitator and a member of Greater Fort Wayne's, Leadership Fort Wayne class of 2024.

I am excited to participate in MSEF for strategic partnership building, accessing WIOA funding, and economic impact reporting. SEED is a 501C3 established by the state of Indiana working in partnership with the City of Fort Wayne. SEED serves a specific population of entrepreneurs and small business owners who could benefit from the skills gained from the MSEF fellowship. Effectively integrating measurement and evaluation plans will more accurately detail the impact of SEED programming on the entrepreneurial community increasing the opportunities for state and local funding.