Erika Baez-Grimes, Erin Phillips Cukor and Michelle Ray named to Enterprising Women Advisory Board 

Cary, NC -- Monica Smiley, CEO and publisher of Enterprising Women magazine, has appointed Erika Baez-Grimes, Erin Phillips Cukor and Michelle Ray to the Enterprising Women Advisory Board. 

“Erika, Erin and Michelle are phenomenal business builders who each in their own fields are renowned for their accomplishments and generosity to their fellow entrepreneurs and their communities. We are enormously proud to name them as part of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board,” said Smiley.

Enterprising Women, the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners, chronicles the growing political, economic, and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women in 185 countries.

Erika Baez-Grimes, CM&AP, is an award-winning M&A advisor, founder, and dealmaker with more than 15 years of experience leading complex transactions across a range of industries. Her portfolio of companies, deliver certified business valuations, transaction strategy, asset protection, and ownership transition services, guiding founders through critical inflection points in their businesses. Those who know her best call her the Linchpin!

Her firms have earned a national reputation for achieving premium outcomes for founder-led and family-owned businesses, operating at the intersection of capital, optimization, protection, and exit. Beyond advisory, Erika holds active LP ownership stakes across multiple industries, giving her a firsthand understanding of what founders stand to gain and lose in any transaction.

That dual perspective has made her one of the most trusted voices at the intersection of dealmaking and economic inclusion. She is recognized for advancing topics like entrepreneurship through acquisition and expanding the ownership conversation in underserved and underrepresented communities. 

Erika is a proud member of Entrepreneurs of Purpose, a legacy program of the Enterprising Women Foundation, and several executive leadership organizations, including the world's largest CEO peer advisory organization. She believes peer advisory is one of the most powerful catalysts for leadership growth, accountability, and long-term business success.

For Erika, the work does not end at the closing table. She contributes to national initiatives focused on pathways to ownership, economic mobility, and youth entrepreneurship, because she believes the next generation of owners is already out there, they just need someone to show them the door. Erikathebroker.com

Erin Phillips Cukor is the Founder of Pennington Gray, a premier private advisory firm that has been shaping the fundraising, membership and ticketing landscapes of America's most prestigious cultural institutions since 2012.

Erin’s career is defined by high-stakes execution. She has engineered record-breaking audience and membership growth and is the visionary behind the emerging importance of paid premium visiting experiences for museums. Clients have included The Metropolitan Museum of Art; The Whitney Museum of American Art; Philadelphia Museum of Art; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and many more. Notably, she is the industry’s definitive "go-to" advisor for massive-scale new building launches, recently collaborating on monumental opening projects with LACMA | Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the New Museum. Her paradigm-shifting leadership earned her a 2026 Enterprising Women of the Year Award as well as The Museum of Modern Art’s coveted Lee Tenenbaum Award.

Beyond her advisory, Erin is a sought-after speaker. who shares how she bridges the gap between elite revenue generation and peak cognitive performance. As a Yoga Alliance certified teacher, she speaks on how radical stillness and calm alignment can unlock superior executive function.

Erin currently sits on the Aviation Philanthropy Council for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, is an active member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), has served on the board of the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association, and has mentored the next generation through the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). www.penningtongray.com

Michelle Ray, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, is CEO and Founder, of Blackwell HR, a results-driven Human Resources Executive and Business Partner. Michelle has used her dynamic human resources background and blend of experience in both private and publicly traded sectors to affect positive change in the organizations she works and consults with. She has proven successful in creating cultures of collaboration, and implementing positive change to achieve workforce excellence.

She is a recipient of the 2026 Enterprising Women of the Year Award.

Michelle is a graduate from Virginia Tech and has a Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Human Resources from George Washington University. She holds a SHRM-SCP and SPHR certification. Michelle is a member of the Forbes Human Resources Council and an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program.

She is an avid runner, reader and disability advocate. She is a certified RRCA Coach; coaching the charity racing teams for the National Down Syndrome Society.  https://www.blackwellhr.com/

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ABOUT ENTERPRISING WOMEN MAGAZINE:

Enterprising Women, with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, is the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners that chronicles the growing political, economic and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women. The magazine provides a friendly meeting place, a public forum and a national stage for the critical issues confronting women’s businesses and daily lives from the unique perspectives and experiences of entrepreneurial women. Published in both print and digital editions, the online edition of the magazine reaches one million readers in 185 countries. For more information, please visit https://enterprisingwomen.com or call (919) 362-1551.