pleasure–and service. As an Atlanta resident, she maintains her connection to Spelman College, visiting for special events including her recent Golden Homecoming convocation. In 2014, the late Dr. Jane Smith, who served as Spelman’s vice president for college relations and graduated from the school in 1968, invited Dover to become a founding committee member of the school’s Spelpreneur entrepreneurship
during a Spelpreneur networking event in 2017, during Dunlap’s junior year. Now an entrepreneur herself, the 2018 graduate said Dover’s mentorship has influenced her desire to grow her own business. “I remember meeting Ms. Dover during a speed dating type of mixer,” said Dunlap. “I just so happened to sit at the table where Ms. Dover was. I was shy, but we got acquainted with one another and we blossomed. We’re Spelman sisters, church sisters, and golf buddies.” Dunlap said the mentee mentor relationship turned into a friendship, and they now schedule time for brunches, church visits, and spa days to keep in touch. Dover offers business tips and tools, but Dunlap provides something in exchange. “I’m trying to get her to do more of that self-care. We’re very busy individuals, so we have to make free time on our calendars,” said Dunlap, an Atlanta-based life insurance producer. “I also take a lot of business direction from Ms. Dover. I’m one of the only Black women at my firm. Dealing with the microcosm of racism, she helped guide me. She said you just need to start your own agency. I would be very lost business- wise if it wasn’t for Ms. Dover. I don’t know many Black women that own their own company at that level. That inspires me.”
educational initiative dedicated to honing
students into entrepreneurs. Ten years later, Spelpreneur now offers three programs for students curious about entrepreneurship, provides resources to develop their businesses, and hosts weekly opportunities to learn tenets to start a business, or grow their side hustles, and a ten-day startup pitch competition. “I had the honor to go back and participate with some of the students,” said Dover. “It’s wonderful to engage with the students and pour into them, and they poured into me, too. It’s a wonderful experience to be on campus, sharing with the students and seeing how that program is growing and thriving. Being in Atlanta gives me an opportunity to touch base often with my alma mater.” Taking the program a step further, Dover continues to mentor Spelman alumna Ve’lesa Dunlap. They met
received early exposure to workplace challenges for Black people. After a job transfer to Chicago, she found a mentor in SB Fuller, founder and presdient of Fuller Products Company, president of the South Side Chicago NAACP, and the National Negro Business League. Known as the “dean of Black entrepreneurs,” he laid the foundation for Dover’s entrepreneurial journey, she said. In DoverStaffing’s early years, Dover was able to find clients in her HBCU network, including Rep. Roger Bruce of the Georgia House of Representatives. The 1975 Morehouse College graduate formerly served as Spelman College’s vice president for human resources. In
the early 2000s, he sought DoverStaffing to build out his team. “I was told about her recruiting agency, and I contacted her to help hire people we needed on campus. We’ve remained friends,” said Rep. Bruce. “The whole nature of her company is to help people find employment opportunities and take care of themselves. It’s not just her company making money. It’s about using that money and resources to help other people. I applaud her big time for that. I did everything I could to help her be successful. Sanquinetta is an absolutely beautiful person.” While Dover runs her successful company around the clock, she is able to mix business with
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