Former Urban League president and Urban Empowerment Fund leader backs Dream Exchange
CHICAGO, Jan. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dream Exchange introduced another of its investors, Donald Bowen, who served as the National Urban League’s Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer as well as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban Empowerment Fund. Mr. Bowen made his investment after spending more than a year familiarizing himself with the exchange and its leadership and was invited to observe one of the Exchange’s Board of Directors Meetings.
“At the time of my investment, I was exploring what kind of partnership or strategic alliance might exist between the National Urban League and Dream Exchange. Those conversations evolved into something much deeper,” Bowen said. Over the course of a year, Bowen engaged with Dream Exchange leadership and staff, using the period as an extended due diligence process. His decision to invest came from observing how the organization operated and what drove its mission.
“What impressed me about Joe, Dwain, and the Dream Exchange team was their authenticity and sincerity. They put the mission first. That matters to me more than anything else,” Bowen said.
Joe Cecala, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dream Exchange, reflected on the relationship that developed during his initial conversations with Bowen.
“Don did not rush into this. He took his time, asked hard questions, and got to know who we are and what we are trying to accomplish,” Cecala said. “When someone with his experience and commitment chooses to invest after that kind of scrutiny, it validates not just our business model but our approach to this work. We are building something that has to earn trust, and Don’s investment reflects that trust.”
Bowen distinguished between programmatic approaches and structural change. His career has convinced him that addressing economic inequity requires more than incremental initiatives.
“You cannot create structural change by aggregating outcomes from programs,” Bowen said. “There are benefits to programmatic work, but that will not change laws or the systems that govern economic prosperity in this country. Dream Exchange is tackling systemic problems. It can have impact across the country, not just in focused locales. We need transformative change, and we need it at scale. We need to spend less time and money on band aids.”
DX Capital Partners Managing Member, Dwain Kyles, emphasized that investors like Bowen represent the kind of support Dream Exchange needs to succeed.
“Don invested with his heart as well as his capital,” Kyles said. “He understands that what we are building is not incremental. It is structural. It requires people who are willing to commit not because they expect a quick return, but because they believe the work needs to be done. Don has lived this fight for 40 years. His investment says this is how you actually create change. You cannot just talk about it. You have to be about it.”
About Dream Exchange
Dream Exchange is seeking registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a national securities exchange and intends to refile a Form 1 application with the Commission. If approved, it would be the first minority-controlled licensed stock exchange in U.S. history. The organization also supports a venture exchange model designed for smaller, early-stage companies that are often excluded from public markets. Learn more at www.dreamex.com.
Media Contact
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SOURCE Dream Exchange
