Shamari Lewis

With an entrepreneurial spirit, “outside the lines” leadership approach, and passion for helping others succeed, Shamari Lewis is an innovaLve and authentic business consultant, community political worker, and creative impresario with a unique skill set shaped by real-world experience. His proven record of achievement includes leveraging ironclad partnerships with esteemed equity stakeholders, deploying grassroots markeLng strategies, and managing digital, mobile, and social media sales while execuLng transformaLve business models, advancing brand development, and maximizing revenue growth.

A passionate advocate for improving the world around him—“BE the Change” is his philosophy—Shamari has made anti-recidivism his mission by furnishing the tools and resources to help those who wish to contribute to society to do so. Once incarcerated for felony fraud himself, Shamari considers himself an open book regarding his experiences, believing that by sharing his story with honesty and transparency, he can more thoroughly inspire others. Having learned profoundly from his mistakes, Shamari turned his life around and discovered his true calling in community outreach and giving back to a myriad of philanthropic causes, principally empowering rehabilitated nonviolent felons to rebuild their lives for successful futures. Currently, Shamari serves as CEO for 2 groundbreaking organizations he founded: LexisExodis Corp, to fight housing discrimination for the formerly incarcerated, and the National Organization for Anti-Recidivism and Economic Opportunity (NOAREO), a nonprofit dedicated to providing business advice and economic empowerment for life after prison.

Always gifted with a keen eye for future trends, Shamari was chief creative officer for Lib Music as well, where he brokered a joint venture deal with multiplatinum R&B sensation Akon’s KonLive/Interscope to acquire Flex Sirleaf as the first native Liberian to sign with a major record label; Shamari even authored the storyline for Sirleaf’s “Holy Ghost Fire” music video. In addition to this role, Shamari has widely performed consulting services, open pro bono, for multiple agencies with a focus on fundraising, marketing, and operations; representative clients include such prominent organizations as the Southern ChrisLan Leadership Conference (SCLC) and the A.D. King FoundaLon. He hosted delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo, showcasing Atlanta and its offerings through the State Department; partnered with Atlanta Wealth Society to secure funding for film projects to bring business to Georgia’s capital city; and raised capital to bankroll Divide Nine (Vixlet), a cuing-edge animation studio focused on social media plajorms, gaming, and animated films.

Earlier in his career, Shamari was selected by then-Mayor Kasim Reed to lead marketing and capital-raising efforts for I’m Booked!, a reading initiative that partnered with the Salvation Army and local credit unions to help disadvantaged children. As a lobbyist, he created Georgia Metro Zoning, a startup enterprise to address complex zoning issues, and during the economic crisis, Shamari counseled clients on business funding and credit mamers for Telco Telecommunications. Shamari also appeared in “Tigerland,” an American war drama directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell. With the money he earned from his appearance in that movie, Shamari invested in Onege, a sophisticated, high-end men’s clothing store designed for professional athletes. Later he enrolled in Florida Memorial University in Miami, where he became deeply involved in local politics as a voice for working families and voter advocacy and campaigned for former Mayor Willie Logan.

Shamari recently earned an Influence & Persuasion in Leadership certification from Harvard Division of Continuing Education, as well as a certification in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. He is currently writing a book and plans to run in the coming years for the city council in Jacksonville, FL, where he presently resides.