Ebony N. Thomas, Esq.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Ebony Nicole Thomas is a Major in the United States Army. She currently serves as the Command Judge Advocate for the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Before her current position, she served as the Deputy Legal Advisor for the People First Task Force, at the Pentagon. Before that, she received her LL.M. in military law with a focus on government contracts from the Judge Advocate General’s School in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before that, she served as a Military Justice Advisor and Special Assistant United States Attorney for Aberdeen Proving Ground. Ms. Thomas also formerly served as an Army Prosecutor, a Legal Assistance and Operational Law Attorney, and an Administrative Law Attorney in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Ms. Thomas is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her grandmother and mother, both of whom were teachers, taught her at an early age the importance of education. Ms. Thomas received her primary and secondary education through public and private schools. After high school, she went on to attend the United States Military Academy Preparatory School, then at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and was then accepted into the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, graduating in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering Management with a focus on Civil Engineering. Upon graduation, Ms. Thomas commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Adjutant General’s Corps. In 2011, Ms. Thomas deployed to Iraq for 11 months to support Operation New Dawn. In 2013, she applied and was accepted into the Army’s Funded Legal Education Program, and graduated in 2017 from the Marshall-Wythe Law School at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a Juris Doctor degree. That same year, she received her license to practice law in Pennsylvania. In 2022, Ms. Thomas was admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court.

Ms. Thomas’ awards and decorations include: Meritorious Service Medal; Army Commendation Medal (3 OLC); Army Achievement Medal (1 OLC); Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon; Army Staff Identification Badge; and Parachutist Badge.

Ms. Thomas’ mission in life is to serve not only her country but also her community – thus the Urban Dream Initiative was born.

Allan Castro-Paz

President of Board & Chief Investment Officer

Mr. Allan Castro-Paz attended West Point and consistently ranked amongst Dean’s List recipients graduating with B.S. in Engineering and Math Sciences Concentrations. He has served multiple C-Suite level roles within Defense, Architecture & Engineering Professional Services, and Data Science/ Artificial Intelligence Consultancy while developing “Alpha-Infinity”, a patented A.I. Polyglot Algorithm. Allan was born in Honduras, Central America and immigrated to North Central, Florida where he excelled academically, graduating high-school with a 4.62 GPA and an Associate’s degree. He holds improving Public Education, Healthcare, and Mental-Physical Health as his life’s priorities. He recently withdrew from Harvard’s Data Science Degree Program to focus on his Four Life Passions: Alpha-Infinity, Nascent-Infinity, his Military Career, and Urban Dream Initiative.

Krystal A. Merchan

Chief Operating Officer

Major Krystal A. Merchan is a 2007 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Area Studies – Latin America and a Master’s Degree in Diplomacy and Post-Conflict Reconstruction from Norwich University.

Krystal is a veteran Army officer with 13 years of service, 3 combat tours, and varied leadership experience as a platoon leader, detachment commander and executive officer. She honed her expertise while serving at the Army’s Strategic Human Resources Command, making her the vital and dynamic leader she is today. Excelling in her military career, giving back to her community and profession through service in the Gold Vault Chapter of the Adjutant General’s Corps Regimental Association, the ROCKS, Inc. and the Women’s Mentorship Network – Fort Knox, MAJ Merchan’s ceaseless energy and motivation are the lifeblood of the UDI.

Krystal is an avid runner and lover of functional fitness. She is married to Mr. (Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army Retired) Juan Merchan and they are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, ages 2 and 9.

Dr. Daniel Fagbuyi, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer

DR. Daniel Fagbuyi, M.D., \\’Fah-boo-ee\\, is an Emergency Physician and well-known disaster medicine subject matter expert providing strategic leadership in disaster preparedness, emergency response, and business continuity both nationally and internationally. Recently, he served as Medical Director for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management at Children’s National Health System. He is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine where he earned his M.D. at the age of 25. He is board certified and one of the first and youngest African Americans appointed by the US Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, to the National Biodefense Science Board to provide expert advice and guidance on complex issues of preventing, preparing for, and responding to adverse health effects of public health emergencies. Dr. Fagbuyi also served as Special Medical Advisor to the Food and Drug Admiration (FDA) Office of the Commissioner and Pediatric therapeutics working on medical countermeasures and drug approvals. Under the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, Dr. Fagbuyi was involved in combat and civil military operations serving as an infantry man/battalion surgeon on the front lines caring for more than 800 soldiers while deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 101st Airborne Division. He was Liaison to the Iraqi Ministry Health, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and numerous local medical treatment facilities. Furthermore, Dr. Fagbuyi has authored and co-authored various medical literatures and delivers expert testimony to the Bi-Partisan committees and congressional leaders on the Hill as needed. As spokesperson/medical expert, Dr.  Fagbuyi seeks empower the public by providing timely, tangible, and easy to digest public health information and education. He has made appearances in both lay and professional media (radio, TV, and print) to include the Washington Post, NPR, FOX, ABC, Associated Press, CNBC, Science, CBS and the Today Show. In his quest to broaden global health security, Dr. Fagbuyi provides expert advice and consultation in the United States, Japan, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Qatar. His global footprint continues to expand with his role as CEO of Erudition, LLC.

John Gilmore

Chief Strategy Officer

John is Bond Portfolio Manager and Vice President of Portfolio and Trading at Academy Asset Management in Chicago, Illinois. Previously he was with the Vanguard Group in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania leading quantitative, Machine Learning strategies.

John graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a B.S. Engineering. He also holds a M.S. in Engineering and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology focusing on financial systems, and he holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

After graduating from West Point, John commissioned as an Engineer Officer in the United States Army. He served as a Platoon Leader, Operations Officer and Executive Officer in the 1st Cavalry Division and deployed to Iraq. He then served as an Aide-de-Camp for the 2 Star Commander of the Transatlantic Division who oversaw US and NATO development in Western Asia, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Mr. Gilmore then served as the principal representative to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for planning and facilitating the program has become the largest Department of State/Defense development program in the Middle East at $10 billion in projects.

Since leaving the Army, John has been in financial investment management. Specifically, he is a leader in using new quantitative and technology solutions to solve banking and investment problems. Mr. Gilmore brings his expertise, education and talent for programmatic management and implementation to a most important focus area of the Urban Dream Initiative: economics and development.

Jeramy Singletary

Chief Financial Officer

Jeramy Singletary is the Urban Dream Initiative’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He oversees all aspects of the organization’s finances, including the development and management of budgets, preparation of financial statements and reporting to the board. Before joining Urban Dream Initiative, Jeramy spent nine years in the United States Army as a logistics officer where he held a variety of leadership roles. He continues to serve in the United States Army Reserve. Jeramy currently works as a shift leader at the world’s leading glass container manufacturer, where he leads a team of 25 employees in the continuous operation of production activities. Jeramy holds a Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Information Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York.

Racine Randolph

Chief Human Capital & Academic Outreach

Lieutenant Colonel Racine R. Randolph of the United States Army currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Pentagon’s Army Talent Management Task Force.

Prior to serving on the Task Force, Racine served in support of Army Forces in Korea where she played a key role in developing and executing unprecedented personnel policy in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. She previously served in the Officer Accessions Directorate of the Army’s Chief Personnel Officer, where she was personally responsible for developing and executing the integration of the first female officers into Infantry and Armor combat branches.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Racine graduated from Central High School of Philadelphia, the second oldest public high school in the nation. Racine later went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree. She next earned a Master of Arts degree in Human Resource Management from Webster University and a Master of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

While dedicated to God, family and country, Racine has also demonstrated commitment to scholarship and social action as a founding member of the Tau Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a founding member of West Point’s Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). As a teenager, Racine was one of the original members of the Eastwick Commandoes Drill Team – a youth empowerment group in the inner city of Philadelphia. Racine will employ the full spectrum of her experience to further the mission of the Urban Dream Initiative.

Shay Armanas

Vice Chief Executive Officer

Shay Armanas is a Manager at Common Securitization Solutions located in Bethesda, MD. There, Ms. Armanas works within the Transformation team focusing on Project Management and Operations. She has over fifteen years of project and operations management experience predominantly focused in the Financial Services and Government sectors including commercial and consumer banking, lending and capital markets. Ms. Armanas’ main areas of effectiveness include supporting agile project delivery as the Release Train Engineer (RTE), process workflow analysis, technical delivery management for mobile application development, project management, requirements documentation, third-party/vendor management and strategy development to improve complex processes and ensure functional readiness.

Ms. Armanas is a native of Beaumont, TX. After high school, she went on to attend the United States Military Academy located in West Point, NY. In 2005, she graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems Engineering and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Signal Corps. In 2006, Ms. Armanas deployed to Mosul, Iraq for 15 months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and in 2009, Ms. Armanas deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Following her time in the military, Ms. Armanas went on to work at Ernst & Young prior to assuming her current position.

Ms. Armanas lends this expertise to the Urban Dream Initiative as the Vice Chief Executive Officer.

Sylvia Amegashie

Vice Chief Operating Officer

Sylvia Amegashie is the Vice Chief Operating Officer at the Urban Dream Initiative. Ms. Amegashie brings to UDI her passionate interest in human rights, women’s empowerment, and youth employment with an extensive professional and educational background that so reflects.

Her professional experiences include eight years as an officer in the U.S. Army, civilian government consulting, and extensive broadening in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ms. Amegashie has extensive globetrotting experience and fluency in three languages (English, Akan, and Swahili). In early 2021, Sylvia will start a position with the U.S. Department of State in the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Sylvia is a 2019 Boren Fellow and received her M.S. in Foreign Service (MSFS) at Georgetown University in 2020, with a concentration in International Development and a certificate in African Studies focused on West and East African regional affairs. Sylvia also received her B.S. in Human Geography at the United States Military Academy (USMA) in 2007. Currently, she lives in Northern Virginia with her dog, Smoky. Sylvia enjoys playing the role of fun aunt, trying new foods, and running.

Colonel (Retired) James H. (“Jim”) Robinette, II

Chief Legal Counsel

United States Army Colonel (COL) (Retired) (Ret.) Jim Robinette was originally commissioned in 1987 from West Point as an Armor Officer. After service in Germany during the Cold War and deployment to combat in Desert Storm, he received his law degree from Notre Dame in 1994, and joined the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, where he served for more than twenty more years before retiring in 2017.

COL (Ret.) Robinette’s Army assignments as a Judge Advocate include the following: service as a Judge Advocate, Fort Riley, Kansas; General Counsel for the Army in Northern Iraq (2007- 2008), and as the Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. military in Afghanistan (2003); environmental work the Army’s Environmental Law Division; service as Deputy and Acting General Counsel at Fort Drum, New York, and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (10th Mountain and 25th Infantry Divisions, respectively), and as the Army’s General Counsel at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii (25th Infantry Division); Professor in the Administrative & Civil Law Department at the JAG School in Charlottesville, VA; and final assignments as General Counsel at the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command and then at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York.

At West Point, COL (Ret.) Robinette assisted in its transition (including the effort to secure Congressional authorizing legislation) to a sole source agreement with a nonprofit organization for athletics goods and services. His experience and passionate service lends itself to the Urban Dream Initiative and its imperatives, where he is proud to contribute in his role as Chief Legal Counsel.

After retirement from the Army, Jim taught senior cadets constitutional and military law, as well as an elective in environmental law, as a visiting professor from Purdue University, in USMA’s Department of Law, before serving as an attorney at the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

In addition to Mr. Robinette’s degrees mentioned above, he holds an LL.M. from the Army’s JAG School, and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His military education includes the Army’s Command and General Staff and War Colleges.

Jim is a member of the bars of the State of Missouri, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Claims. He is married to the former Carol Anne Burton of Springfield, Missouri. Both of their children are on active duty: Zach, UVA ’16, with the Air Force; and Haley, USMA ’18, with the Army.

Thomas E. Loyd III

Chief Technology Officer

Thomas Loyd is the Chief Technology Officer for Urban Dream Initiative. He comes from a military dependent and prior military background. He was born in Utah and grew up around the planet as his father served in the U.S. Army.

Thomas first enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Infantryman and served a couple of years over in Germany. After that, he attended BYU and enlisted into the Utah Army National Guard where he worked as a linguist in counter-intelligence. While attending BYU, he attended AFROTC and upon graduation commissioned into the U.S. Air Force.

In the U.S. Air Force, Thomas served as an Air Force Intelligence Officer. He also had the opportunity to go and work as both an instructor and curriculum developer for the U.S. Air Force’s Squadron Officer College teaching the Big Five (Leadership/Followership/Team-Building/Communications/Problem Solving) to the Air Force’s company grade officers. He also had a stint where he served in NATO working with officers from all over Europe.

In various jobs within the Air Force and Joint assignments, Thomas has worked with communications systems and software. He has also held various jobs where he managed and worked with various forms of digital media for distribution. Now retired from the Air Force, Thomas works as a contract database programmer full-time. He also volunteers his time and talents to manage and administer his church’s media ministry. He is also an unabashed geek that enjoys working with PC systems for all purposes: media, gaming, programming, and building/configuring them.

Thomas is married to Veronica D. Loyd and they have four children and seven grandchildren. When he has time, he loves to play with his grandkids online as a PC gamer (not a console gamer) and challenge them as best he can. He wins some and loses a lot but has great fun in the process!

Domeca Newsome

Chief Marketing Officer

A Bluff City Memphian by way of Mississippi, Domeca fell in love with community outreach when she was only a teenager. Encouraged by her mother to enter volunteer work at a local nursing home at the age of 13, Domeca quickly developed a deep desire to commit to charitable causes. Determined to continue giving back, she balanced participation in events such as Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity and the Boys and Girls Club of America with pursuing her Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Psychology from the United States Military Academy at West Point.  Her devotion to community outreach planted the seed of servitude that would later manifest itself as a career of military service to our nation.  Throughout her military career, Domeca has stayed connected to her roots by remaining engaged in community and philanthropic efforts.  The opportunity to work with the Urban Dream Initiative merges Domeca’s passion with the organization’s resources and devotion to impact change in the community.