The DreamSpring Team

Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. 

Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.

Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.

Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award  (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.

From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.

Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.

Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling.  She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds.  Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations. 

Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.   

With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades. 

As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area. 

Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. 

Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.

Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.

Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award  (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.

From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.

Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.

Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling.  She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds.  Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations. 

Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.   

With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades. 

As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area. 

Edmond Johnson is the CEO of Premier Energy Holdings, as well as the president and CEO of Premier Manufacturing, Inc., based in Frederick, Colo. He has grown the company to one of the largest, third-tier, contract manufacturing operations. ColoradoBiz Magazine has recognized Premier Manufacturing as one of the fastest growing companies. Before founding the company, Edmond held various management and middle management positions in manufacturing operations and supply chain management with IBM, AST Computers, US Robotics, 3COM, and Maxtor Corp. In 2015, Edmond joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Denver Branch board of directors. On January 1, 2021, he was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s board of directors and has served on the head office board since 2019. He is also involved in his community, supporting various scholarship funds and charity programs. He received his master’s degree in business administration marketing from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. 

Anthony Sharett is the president of Pathward Financial. Prior to being appointed to his current role in October 2021, Anthony served as executive vice president, chief legal and compliance officer, corporate secretary since June 2020; and executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary since September 2019. Anthony was responsible for the overall strategic leadership and oversight of Pathward Financial’s legal team, enterprise risk, public policy and regulatory affairs, and corporate secretarial functions. Anthony also oversaw compliance; environmental, social, and corporate governance; and community impact initiatives.

Before joining the company, Anthony held legal and business unit leadership positions at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, including as the legal leader and interim president for Nationwide Bank and president of Nationwide Pet. Earlier in his career, Anthony was a partner at BakerHostetler where he was the national co-leader of the firm’s financial services practice group. He provided litigation, regulatory, and compliance counsel to banking and lending clients. Anthony has been nationally recognized as a champion for diversity, inclusion, and equity and has served in leadership positions for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity and for the American Bar Association’s consumer financial services’ diversity and inclusion committee.

Anthony is also a community steward as a greater Phoenix leadership member, and he serves on the Arizona Community Foundation audit committee. He is a member of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America. Anthony received his undergraduate degree in political science from Ball State University and holds a juris doctor degree from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law, where he is a member of the national council.

Yashoda Naidoo is the president and founder of Annapurna’s World Vegetarian Café in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM. She is also a former DreamSpring client. Since the café’s founding in 2002, Yashoda and the restaurant have received numerous awards, including the 2003 Phoenix Award  (sponsored by New York Life and awarded to a new business that overcame significant obstacle), the New Mexico Business Weekly’s Top 50 Women-Owned Businesses, and the Santa Fe Reporter’s Best Vegetarian Award for 10 consecutive years. Albuquerque Business First named Yashoda the Top Performing CEO in 2010, listed her among Women of Influence in 2011, and placed Annapurna’s as a Top 100 Privately-Owned Business. Yashoda received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Natal in South Africa and received her CPA qualification from the University of South Africa.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Ginny actively supports leaders and organizations that are creating a prosperous, vibrant, and equitable community for all Rocky Mountain residents.

From 2018-2019, Ginny was interim President and CEO of The Denver Foundation. Prior to joining The Foundation,Virginia was consulting Chief Financial Officer for The Boppy Company. She also provided strategic financial planning services to middle-market companies for acquisitions, financings, capital restructurings, and succession planning.

Earlier in her career, Ginny was a partner with The Wallach Company, a Denver-based investment bank, leading mergers and acquisitions for public and private companies. Before joining The Wallach Company, she held various finance positions with Wiland Services, Boettcher and Company, and Bankers Trust Company.

Ginny currently serves on the board of directors of Professional Assist Corporation and is chair of the audit committee. Previously she was chair of the board of trustees of The Denver Foundation. She has also served on the boards of Concepts Direct, Inc., Scholars Unlimited, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, and Girls Inc. of Metro Denver.

Betty Arkell is a shareholder at Buchalter, with more than 40 years of experience as a corporate and securities lawyer. Her clients include startup, emerging growth, and established companies, as well as venture capital and private equity funds. Betty specializes in corporate finance, mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, corporate restructurings, and general corporate counseling.  She also has experience in the formation of private and public venture capital funds.  Betty’s prior employment experience includes Equity Shareholder at Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C.in Denver, and nearly 10 years in the Venture Capital/Leveraged Buyout Group of Kirkland & Ellis, where she was a partner. In addition to serving on the board of DreamSpring, Betty is involved in numerous community and nonprofit organizations. 

Irvin Ashford, Jr. is the Managing Director, Head of Fair and Responsible Banking for Charles Schwab. In this role, Ashford manages a team with a focus on ensuring compliance of firm operations with standards of fairness and equity, as well as regulatory requirements safeguarding banking customers, including mandates under the Fair Lending Act and consumer protections from Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices. He worked with Comerica Bank from 2000-2023, most recently as Chief Community Officer, overseeing community reinvestment nationally. He and his team established the Comerica Money $ense program to teach sound financial principles to audiences that include pre-kindergarten students, seniors, and small businesses. Irvin serves on the board of directors for the Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation, the Dallas Theater Center, Kym’s Kids, and Focus on Teens. The New York native has also garnered several awards and honors. Among them: Savoy Magazine recognized Irvin as one of its 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America; in 2019, the University of Dallas inducted him into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame for his contributions to community and economic development initiatives in diverse and underserved communities. In 2016, Irvin became the first two-time winner of the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award. He received the Individual Achievement DiversityFirst Award from the Texas Diversity Council, and the Driving Diversity Advocacy Award for Outreach from the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. The National Association of Black Accountants and the National Black MBA Association also have recognized him for his leadership and support of programs benefiting low- to moderate-income individuals and communities in Dallas.

Jerrie E. Merritt serves as senior vice president and division community development manager for Bank of Nevada. Her banking career spans more than 40 years. Jerrie’s responsibilities include the progression and coordination of all economic development programs and projects, community development, as well as liaison responsibilities with state and local agencies, nonprofit development groups, and other participants in the community. She is chair of the board of directors for Work Force Connections and lends her experience and expertise to United Way of Southern Nevada, Communities in Schools, and Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is past board chair for Help of Southern Nevada. Jerrie has also served on the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Medicine Community Advisory Board and the UNLV Library Advisory Committee.   

With more than 30 years of extensive banking experience with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors, Alice applies her financial leadership acumen to several local and national service roles — including acting as Chairwoman of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce — for which she has received many awards and accolades. 

As head of the JPMC Community Impact Organization, Alice provided strategic counsel and served an integral leadership role in community engagement initiatives and localization strategy. In this capacity, she collaborated with Corporate Responsibility to bring together the best of business, philanthropy, and policy efforts to drive inclusive economic growth. In her last role with JPMorgan Chase, Alice led the Path Forward Initiative, a $30B commitment to advancing racial equity. Today, she is a co-owner at Kendall Milagro Inc., a boutique home builder with two decades of experience in the Dallas area.