Speakers
Katherine Graham-Smith is a powerhouse keynote speaker, accomplished government contractor, and founder of Heritage Contracting, a multimillion-dollar construction firm serving federal agencies with excellence and integrity. With over a decade of hands-on experience in construction and government contracting, Katherine brings strategic insight, operational knowhow, and purpose-driven leadership to every stage she steps on.
She is passionate about helping women entrepreneurs build with clarity, confidence, and control—empowering them to shift from hustling to leading, and from operating blindly to scaling strategically. Her message resonates deeply with women who are determined to stop playing small and start leading boldly.
Katherine has spoken for a range of audiences—from small business owners and supplier diversity professionals to federal agency partners and economic development leaders. Most recently, she delivered the “Level Up” motivational speech and taught the Estimating & Bidding workshop at the City of Norfolk’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s Small Business Symposium. She also served as the Keynote Speaker for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), where she inspired entrepreneurs to grow sustainably, lead with strategy, and build lasting legacies.
Her story and business success have been featured in Black Enterprise Magazine, ABC News, Women We Admire, and Who’s Who in America, where she was named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of VA also in Construction and Civil Works. Katherine was also honored by President Barack Obama at the White House for her achievements in overcoming obstacles in business and her outstanding leadership as a woman entrepreneur.
Derius D. Swinton, M.S.W., M. DIV., is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Swinton & Associates LLC, also known as The SOAR Group. With a mission to help individuals and organizations cultivate lifestyles and workforces that are safe, healthy, productive, and successful, Derius has led this minority-owned small business for more than 30 years, demonstrating firsthand what it means to soar beyond limitations.
A nationally and internationally respected leader and speaker, Derius is known for his dynamic presence and engaging style as a facilitator, consultant, trainer, and presenter. His rare ability to blend lived experience with cutting-edge insights allows him to transform principles and goals into meaningful action—for individuals, teams, departments, companies, and entire organizations. His non-traditional, thought-provoking approach is especially powerful in today’s evolving economic, societal, and workplace landscapes.
Derius has earned numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career. He was selected as the only African American among thirteen U.S. representatives for the International Educational Fellowship Program in China—a testament to his innovative and impactful approach to learning, achieving, and leadership. His other honors include the Outstanding Leadership Award sponsored by Reader’s Digest, the Virginia Collaborative Leadership Program Award, and the Amigo Award from the New Mexico Diversity Committee and Sandia National Laboratories. He also played a pivotal role in facilitating an international partnership funded by the Kellogg Foundation, which created the organization’s first-ever International Collaborative Partnership between communities in South Africa and the United States.
As an author and self-publisher, Derius wrote Soar Beyond Your Limitations, a motivational guide designed to help readers transition their personal mission into reality, overcome obstacles, and develop a life-improvement plan rooted in practical strategies.
Derius is also the creator of the SOAR brand—an acronym for Stretch Out and Rise. The brand promotes empowerment and personal growth and includes a clothing line available online.
Derius has served as a keynote speaker and featured presenter across the globe, including in China, South Africa, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and countless communities across the United States