 A more than 30-year banking veteran, Emma currently serves as the executive director of the Wall Street Project, an organization that challenges corporate America to end the multi-billion dollar trade deficit with minority-owned businesses. The Wall Street Project uses research, education and negotiation to persuade companies to close the gap by hiring and promoting more minorities to corporate boards and awarding more contracts to minority businesses. Emma is the Founder of United Bank of Philadelphia where she served as Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from its inception in March 1992 until June 2000. United Bank is a minority owned and controlled full service commercial bank dedicated to fostering community development by offering financial services to traditionally under-served neighborhoods, with a special sensitivity to African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and women. It is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). To open United Bank, Chappell, the first African American woman in the United States to start a commercial bank from scratch, personally raised over $6 million in capital, selling stock at $10 a share, subsequently raising an additional $8 million for a total of $14 million in capital. Under her leadership, United Bank in eight years grew from a dream to assets of more than $140 million with eight (8) branches, 24 automated teller machines (ATM's), and one hundred employees. Citing this unprecedented growth, in 1999 United Bank received the coveted Blue Chip Enterprises Award, sponsored by Mass Mutual and the US Chamber of Commerce. Internationally, she is a founding member of the boards of directors of Reinvest in South Africa (RISA) mutual fund; and the Southern Africa Enterprises Development Fund (SAEDF) --a President William J. Clinton appointee--a $100 million fund. Emma currently serves as treasurer of (SAEDF). Nationally, she serves as a member on the Board of Directors of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and the Board of Governors of American Red Cross. This leader has received more than 700 prestigious awards including most recently, The Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World award in London England . She also received the first annual Paradigm Award from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber Of Commerce, the highest award given specifically to women business leaders. Emma is also the recipient of five honorary doctorate degrees from Albright College , Beaver College , Eastern College , Lincoln University and Rosemont College .
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