Every Heart Every Woman Episode 179 - Everything is Possible Over a Cup of Coffee - Anna Ocansey-Jimenez & Oneida Franco

About Anna Ocansey-Jimenez:

Anna Ocansey-Jimenez is a C-level accounting and finance professional and entrepreneur with nearly 30 years’ experience transforming the operations of both non-profit organizations and large global brands.  

An expert in streamlining operations and creating transparency in reporting, Anna has led organizations through transition and growth in multiple executive roles. Most recently, she served as Chief Accounting Officer at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, where she helped the institution navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, she served as VP of Finance for the Tenement Museum, also in New York. Previous employers included IBM, Fox News, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.   

In 2018, along with friend and business partner Oneida Franco, Anna co-founded The Whole Kitchen, Inc. (TWK) — a company that creates meaningful experiences around a shared appreciation for food, sustainability, culture, and introspection. On October 1, 2021, National Coffee Day, the pair launched Casa Dos Chicas Café (CDCC), a brand of TWK. CDCC offers organic, single-origin, specialty coffees sourced mainly from Latin America. The company’s goal and mission are to celebrate Latin American heritage whilepromoting equitable, sustainable practices along the entire coffee supply chain.  

Anna and her twin brother were born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Mexican parents. Shortly afterward, the family relocated to Ligonier, Indiana, where Anna spent her childhood. The first in her family to attend and graduate from a university, Anna completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Oral Roberts University School of Business in 1997. She later enrolled in the Becker CPA study course and passed all four parts of the New York State Certified Public Accounting exam.  

Anna is married to Christopher Ocansey, a Ghanaian American, and they have three children together: Joshua, Cristiana, and Olivia. 

About Oneida Franco:

A multi-faceted entrepreneur and finance expert, Oneida Franco blends 25+ years of finance and accounting experience and education with a deep understanding of the needs of small-to-midsize business owners. After two decades in the corporate and non-profit worlds, Oneida’s entrepreneurship journey began in 2017 when she found herself helping a growing number of friends and acquaintances with their finance questions. Recognizing a lack of practical guidance and tools, Oneida launched Franco  Blueprint (FB)  — an accounting and business management firm with the mission to up-level the businesses of artists, content creators and entrepreneurs. Often, individuals with brilliant ideas are looking to start their business and diversify themselves relying on different tools to get their business up and running as well as trying to understand the finance and operational side. That’s where Oneida saw Franco Blueprint as the solution - a one-stop service and support system for business owners tuned into the frequency of creation and abundance. Shortly afterward, Oneida’s partner Rick Diaz came on board as CFO, bringing an additional 25+ years of experience and expanding FB’s roster to include financial real estate development and construction accounting. In 2018, Oneida and business partner Anna Ocansey co-founded The Whole Kitchen, Inc. (TWK) — a business that creates meaningful experiences around a shared appreciation for food, sustainability, culture, and introspection. The pair launched Casa Dos Chicas Café (CDCC), a brand of TWK, in October 2021. CDCC offers organic, single-origin, specialty coffees sourced mainly from Latin America. The company’s goal and mission are to celebrate Latin American heritag