CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League

Page created by Charlotte Murray
 
CONTINUE READING
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS
 THE CHICAGO URBAN LEAGUE IMPACT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO BOOTH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

    IMPACT
    Leadership Development Program
                                                                         1
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
I N F O R M E D     |    M O T I V A T E D                   |    P E R C E P T I V E                    |    A U T H E N T I C                   |    T A L E N T

MISSION
    The mission of IMPACT is to create a pipeline of Informed, Motivated, Perceptive, Authentic,
    Connected Talent that will form the next generation of African-American leaders available to
    fill critical roles in the Chicago community and the business, public, and nonprofit sectors.

OUR PROGRAM ELEMENTS
                                                                                                                Table of Contents
    One-on-One MENTORSHIP
    Each IMPACT Fellow is paired with a senior leader who serves as a mentor.
    Mentors provide guidance in areas such as relationship mapping, work-life balance,                          Message from Chicago Urban League’s Interim President & CEO .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 4
    and board engagement.
                                                                                                                Message from IMPACT’s Executive Director .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 5
    Individual LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENTS
    Fellows take DISC and Hogan personal assessments. These assessments                                         Class of 2020 IMPACT Fellows  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6
    improve Fellows’ awareness of their leadership styles and interpersonal
    communications preferences.                                                                                 Our Education Partner: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 19

    CURRENT ISSUES Modules                                                                                      IMPACT Mentors .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20
    Current issue modules equip Fellows with a toolbox of facts and ideas
    that they can utilize when making critical decisions that affect others in                                  Sponsoring Organizations  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
    their city and community.
                                                                                                                What Our Alumni Say About IMPACT  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 22
    ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP Modules
    Led by Chicago Booth faculty, Academic Leadership Modules equip Fellows with                                IMPACT Alumni Association .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 24
    a framework for continued development. Topics include: ethics, negotiations, power
    and influence in organizations, decision making, and action and insight skills.                             Alumni – Past Classes .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25

    HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES Modules                                                               Program Partners .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
    An effective leader in Chicago should be aware of the moments that
    have shaped the city. Fellows learn about African-American history in Chicago
    and the roles and impact of African Americans in Chicago politics.

    LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP Speaker Series
    Lessons in Leadership features senior leaders who share their stories of
    triumphs, challenges, and lessons learned in their careers. Past speakers
    include: Kim Foxx, Andrea Zopp, Arne Duncan, John Rogers, Kurt                                              IMPACT                                         Earlier fonts used
    Summers, Brett Hart, and Mellody Hobson.

                                                                                                                 IMPACT
                                                                                                                                                               NEW HYBRID
                                                                                                                                                               Made top font bolder,
                                                                                                                                                               adjusted P, A, & C to be more like
                                                                                                                                                               second font

                                                                                                                 IMPACT
                                                                                                                 IMPACT
                                                                                                                 Leadership Development Program
                                                                                                                 Leadership Development Program
2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 3

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Three new versions
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                            CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                  I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D    |   P E R C E P T I V E      |   A U T H E N T I C     |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                        Three new versions
                                                        that should work well.

IMPACT Message from Interim President and CEO Barbara A. Lumpkin                                                                                     Message from Vice President and Executive Director Mavis C. Laing

                                              On behalf of the Chicago Urban League Board of Directors and our entire staff, I am                                   Since the IMPACT Leadership Development Program began in 2014, selecting
IMPACT                                        delighted to welcome the Class of 2020 Fellows to our IMPACT Leadership                                               Fellows has continued to be rigorous and rewarding each year. Rigorous because the
                                              Development Program.                                                                                                  process is highly competitive. Rewarding because each new cohort of individual
                                                                                                                                                                    achievers develops into a dynamic, connected group of African-American leaders.
                                              IMPACT transforms lives. We know this not only because our Fellows tell us so, but
                                              also because we see it in announcements from organizations across Chicago that                                       This year, we welcome 37 new Fellows into IMPACT. Over the next nine months, they
                                              have tapped IMPACT alumni for leadership positions. As the program enters its sixth                                  will take part in an intensive, multifaceted program that includes modules on
                                              year, it is gratifying to know that it is accomplishing what it set out to do. IMPACT is                             academic leadership, current issues, and historical and political perspectives that
                                              developing a robust pipeline of African-American professionals who are well prepared                                 have shaped Chicago. Through our Lessons in Leadership speaker series and one-
                                              to lead in Chicago’s private, public and nonprofit sectors.                                                          on-one mentoring, they will gain insights from some of Chicago’s most accomplished
                                                                                                                                                     African-American business and civic leaders. They will also receive personal assessments of their
                                 Increasingly, employers understand that diversity and inclusion matter. Yet, leadership diversity                   own leadership styles.
                                 remains a challenge. According to Chicago United, African Americans represent only 3% of C-suite
                                 executives at Chicago’s Top 50 publicly traded companies. As calls for inclusion grow, the League’s                 We also welcome 26 organizations that are sponsoring Fellows for the first time this year. You will
                                 2019 State of Black Chicago report notes that increasing diversity among leadership ranks will be                   not regret this decision. You join more than 100 corporate, nonprofit, and government entities that
                                 vital for organizations seeking to retain talent and even increase profitability.                                   have supported the professional development of emerging African-American leaders through
                                                                                                                                                     IMPACT. We know that, over the course of the program, our Fellows become more confident leaders,
                                 The Chicago Urban League applauds those organizations that recognize this and are helping                           who take innovative ideas and practices back to their workplaces.
                                 emerging leaders maximize their potential by sponsoring them for IMPACT. Since IMPACT began,
                                 170 Fellows have gone through the program. We envision being able to serve hundreds more, and                       I have had the honor of guiding IMPACT since its inception, and I have witnessed first-hand the
                                 we are grateful for the many partners who support the Chicago Urban League in this effort.                          individual growth of many of our Fellows. I have also heard countless inspiring stories of ways
                                                                                                                                                     participating in the program has changed their lives. For instance, since completing the program,
                                 We offer a special thank you to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, whose                           dozens of our alumni have received promotions, taken on roles of increasing responsibility, joined
                                 commitment as our educational partner has been critical. We are also grateful for the generous                      boards, or been recognized for their civic contributions. One thing I have heard time and time again
                                 financial support provided by Chicago Community Trust, the Field Foundation of Illinois, the                        is that our Fellows gain a new network of support and counsel as they build professional bonds that
                                 MacArthur Foundation, and US Bank. A heartfelt thank you also goes to our advisory council and                      extend across sectors and across cohorts.
                                 the influential leaders who have agreed to mentor this year’s Fellows, and to Mesirow Financial for
                                 hosting our opening reception.                                                                                      Those relationships are maintained through the IMPACT Alumni Association (IAA), which focuses
                                                                                                                                                     on continued professional development and community engagement for our program graduates.
                                 To our Class of 2020 Fellows, thank you for stepping up to invest in your future and in the future of               The IAA is working to inspire social transformation that will have a lasting impact on the face of
                                 Chicago. Prepare to be transformed.                                                                                 leadership in Chicago.
                                 In service to the movement,                                                                                         Before long, the Class of 2020 IMPACT Fellows will join this group, and I am delighted to introduce
                                                                                                                                                     them on the following pages. They represent diverse backgrounds, interests and sectors. As always,
                                                                                                                                                     they are talented, accomplished, and eager to grow in their careers. I am confident that each of
                                                                                                                                                     them will thrive and become stronger assets for their organizations and for our city.

                                 Barbara A. Lumpkin                                                                                                  Again, thank you to all of our partners and supporters who make IMPACT possible.
                                 Interim President and CEO
                                                                                                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                     Mavis C. Laing
                                                                                                                                                     Vice President and Executive Director, IMPACT

4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           5
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                                                                                               I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D      |     P E R C E P T I V E    |   A U T H E N T I C       |   T A L E N T

      Annie-Beryl Akuamoah                                                                                                      J’ai Brown
      Customer Field Service Manager, Peoples Gas –                                                                             HR Business Partner, BMO Wealth Management U.S.
      WES Energy Group
                                                                                                                                             J’ai Brown provides strategic insight     J’ai received an MBA and Bachelor of Science in HR
                  Annie-Beryl Akuamoah serves as a         as a committee member on the career and                                           and support to the senior leadership      Management and General Management from the
                  Customer Field Service manager in        development group for the African American                                        team at BMO Wealth Management             University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and has her
                  Gas Operations for Peoples Gas           Business Group and the women’s development                                        across all aspects of Human               PHR and SHRM-CP designations. She is the
                  Company. With more than 13 years of      network at Peoples Gas.                                                           Resources, including employee             Workshop Chair for Chicago SHRM and mentors
                  experience in engineering, gas                                                                                             relations, diversity and inclusion,       youth with Posse Chicago and Chicago Scholars.
                                                           Annie loves to sing and is a music leader at her
                  operations, and management, she is                                                                                         talent acquisition, compensation,         She was awarded the 2019 Black Queens of Chicago,
                                                           church. She received a Bachelor of Science in
                  responsible for the Chicago North                                                                                          organizational design and career          2018 Wall Street in the Black Future Leader, and
                                                           General Engineering from the University of Illinois
                  District and oversees the daily                                                                                            development. Additionally, she is         2016 Chicago Scholars 35 under 35 awards.
                                                           Urbana–Champaign. Annie resides in Richton Park,
                  customer service requests to activate                                                                                      National Chair for BMO’s Black
                                                           a suburb of Chicago, with her husband and their                                                                             J’ai resides in Bronzeville with her husband, Frank,
                  natural gas delivery to customer                                                                              Professionals Network U.S. Previously, J’ai served
                                                           three children, Michael, Gabriel and Arianna.                                                                               and daughter, Kylee.
      homes. Annie is also responsible for regulatory                                                                           as the Diversity Recruitment Advisor, North
      compliance workload for gas pipelines. She serves                                                                         America. Before joining BMO, she worked in HR
                                                                                                                                and Claims at Allstate Insurance Company.

      Elsa Andrianifahanana                                                                                                     Kelly V. Carter, Esq.
      Associate, Jones Day                                                                                                      Associate Managing Director, CIBC US
                   Elsa Andrianifahanana is an attorney    She also served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable                              Kelly is Associate Managing Director,     Kelly has a passion for people and a commitment
                   in the Labor & Employment Group of      Ellen Lipton Hollander of the U.S. District Court in                              State and Local Tax (SALT) for CIBC US,   to mentorship and education. An avid supporter of
                   Jones Day. She represents clients       Baltimore, where she handled numerous cases on                                    responsible for SALT-based strategic      the arts, she serves on the Associate Board of
                   in various employment matters,          free speech and excessive force, among other                                      planning initiatives and ensuring         Lawyers for the Creative Arts, a not-for-profit pro
                   including anti-discrimination and       issues arising under the Constitution. Outside her                                compliance with all SALT-related          bono legal assistance organization. In an effort to
                   wage & hour litigation. She also        day-to-day practice, Elsa serves on the of board of                               regulations.                              increase diversity within the legal community, she
                   provides counsel on the employment      the Black Women Lawyers’ Association and is a                                                                               serves as a bar exam tutor, providing supplemental
                                                                                                                                             Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree from
                   aspects of cross-border transactions.   Program Director for the T.E.A. Directors Institute, a                                                                      exam process management for underrepresented
                                                                                                                                             Central Michigan University and a Juris
                                                           program aimed to increase the presence of African-                                                                          law students.
                   Prior to assuming her current                                                                                             Doctor from Wayne State University
                   position, Elsa practiced at Skadden     American women attorneys on corporate and                                         Law School. She is an active member       Kelly loves exploring Chicago museums, galleries,
      Arps, representing distressed companies under-       nonprofit boards.                                                    of both the Michigan and Illinois State Bars. She      and the restaurants in her West Loop neighborhood.
      going reorganizations and debt restructurings.                                                                            has more than 13 years of professional experience
                                                                                                                                advising companies on tax-related matters.

      Jereme R. Braggs                                                                                                          Crystal T. Clark, MD, MSc
      Senior Program Quality Engineer, Gogo Inflight                                                                            Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
                                                                                                                                Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology,
                   Jereme Braggs supports Gogo LLC         Prior to joining Gogo LLC, Jereme held senior FAA                    Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
                   as a Senior Program Quality Engineer.   and Supplier Quality Inspector positions with
                   Holding more than 10 years of           Northrop Grumman in the Electronic Sector and                                     Dr. Crystal Clark is a psychiatrist,      Dr. Clark’s mental health expertise has contributed
                   experience in the aviation technical    Aircraft Maintenance Technician roles with                                        researcher, and educator who              to newsworthy reporting from media outlets
                   operations and quality organizations,   American Eagle Airlines. Furthermore, he has                                      specializes in women’s health. Her        including NPR, the New York Times, and Chicago
                   Jereme has developed foundations in     volunteered with the Chicago Greater Food                                         novel studies investigating               Tonight. She received her Bachelor of Arts in
                   the commercial aviation sector,         Depository, Hashtag Lunchbag Chicago, supporting                                  psychiatric medications during            Psychology from Northwestern University and her
                   defense contract aviation sector and    food instability efforts in Chicago. Jereme is                                    pregnancy are informing medical           Master of Science and Doctor of Medicine from
                   the expansive inflight entertainment    pursuing a Master of Science in Aviation and Space                                practice. She is a director of the        the University of Louisville. She completed her
                   sector. His key responsibilities        Administration from Oklahoma State University in                                  Perinatal and Women’s Mental Health       psychiatry training at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore,
      include Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)        Stillwater, Oklahoma. With a 4.0 GPA and three                                    Fellowship. She is also the rising        Maryland. She resides in the North Kenwood
      Boeing and Airbus hardware conformities,             honors society memberships, he expects to                                         president of Marcé of North America,      neighborhood in Chicago with her accomplished
      engineering prototype hardware validation and        graduate in December 2019.                                           a national perinatal mental health organization.       husband, Dramaine Irions.
      onsite hardware installation support.
6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             7
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                                     CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                           I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D       |   P E R C E P T I V E      |   A U T H E N T I C       |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                            Three new versions
                                                            that should work well.

                                 Tiana Conley                                                                                                                          Ashley Floyd
IMPACT                           Vice President, Global Brands, The Kellogg Company                                                                                    Vice President of Institutional Advancement, LINK
                                                                                                                                                                       Unlimited Scholars
                                             Tiana Conley serves as Vice President            Before joining Beam Suntory, Tiana held a variety
                                             of Global Brands for the Kellogg                 of marketing roles at Kimberly-Clark and Procter &                                    Ashley Floyd is responsible for crafting   in Chicago, including the New Orleans Ballet
IMPACT                                       Company, where she is responsible                Gamble, including leading the $4 billion Global                                       strategic initiatives, communications      Association and the Museum of Science and Industry.
                                             for the $3 billion global brand                  Bath Tissue Portfolio as well as leading the P&L for                                  and fund development to support the
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               She serves as membership co-chair for the Big
                                             portfolio including Pringles, Special K          the North American Olay brand. She received a                                         overall visibility, impact and program-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Shoulders Fund’s Chairman’s Advisory Council and
                                             and Kellogg’s. Prior to joining Kellogg,         Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from                                      ming for LINK Unlimited Scholars,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               is a member of the Auditorium Theater’s Auxiliary
                                             she was marketing director of global             the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and                                    Chicago’s oldest scholarship and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Board and Chicago Women in Philanthropy.
                                             tequila at Beam Suntory, where she               a Master of Business Administration from Xavier                                       mentoring program exclusively serving
                                             led a portfolio of five brands and               University Williams College of Business in                                            African-American students.                 Ashley received her B.F.A. in Dance Performance/
                                             oversaw operations at the Casa Sauza             Cincinnati, Ohio. Tiana is based in Chicago and is                                                                               Choreography from the University of Southern
                                                                                                                                                                                    Over 10 years, Ashley has worked in
                                 Heritage Center in Tequila, Mexico.                          the mother of two children, Griffin and Ava.                                                                                     Mississippi, M.A. from the University of New
                                                                                                                                                                       diverse segments of nonprofit management, includ-
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Orleans, and M.B.A. (specializing in supply chain
                                                                                                                                                                       ing STEM education, arts and culture, and jazz
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               management) from Governors State University.
                                                                                                                                                                       music. She previously held positions with prominent
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               She resides in Chicago with her husband, Derrick
                                                                                                                                                                       organizations in her hometown of New Orleans and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Manuel, and their dog, Miles Davis.

                                 Nicholas E. Cummings                                                                                                                  Kenneth Gilkes, Jr.
                                 Chief Attorney, Tort Litigation, Chicago Transit Authority                                                                            Senior Analyst, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)
                                              Nicholas Cummings serves as a Chief             Nicholas was recently named Chair of Community                                        As a Senior Analyst in the Business        Prior to joining JLL, he served as an economic
                                              Attorney for the Chicago Transit                Programs for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorpor-                                    and Economic Incentives Group for          development project manager before being
                                              Authority’s Law Department, where               ated, Xi Lambda Chapter in Chicago. Before his                                        Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Kenneth          recruited to serve as a project manager for the City
                                              he is responsible for complex                   career as an attorney, he was responsible for the                                     Gilkes, Jr., is responsible for real       of Chicago. Kenneth earned a bachelor’s degree
                                              litigation of personal injury cases.            implementation and management of technological                                        estate site selection, specific to         from Fisk University, a Master of Public Administra-
                                              Prior to joining the CTA, Nicholas was          infrastructure for Fletcher Jones Automotive in                                       multi-state comparisons of statutory       tion from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and
                                              a Cook County Assistant State’s                 Chicago and SUA Insurance Company. He received a                                      and discretionary incentives,              a Financial Decision Making Certificate from the
                                              Attorney. He currently serves on the            Bachelor of Science in Human-Computer Interac-                                        calculating estimated incentives           University of Chicago. He also has a Master of
                                              Board of Directors for the Cook                 tion from DePaul University and a Juris Doctor                                        based on project parameters,               Science in Real Estate from Roosevelt University.
                                              County Bar Association, where he                from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Nicholas was                                        economic analysis, overall project         Kenneth currently resides in Chicago’s Bronzeville
                                 chairs the Judicial Evaluation Committee.                    born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He has lived in                       execution, and strategy.                                neighborhood with his wife, Angela, and their three
                                                                                              Chicago for more than 20 years and currently                                                                                     children—Kennedy, Leia, and Mina.
                                                                                              resides on the city’s South Side.

                                 Nathalie Essex                                                                                                                        Christina Harris
                                 Vice President of State Funding, Teach for America                                                                                    Director of Land Use and Planning,
                                                                                                                                                                       Metropolitan Planning Council
                                             Nathalie Essex serves as Vice                    Nathalie is passionate about advocating for equity
                                             President of State Funding at Teach              and diversity through her work to ensure that citizens                                As Director of Land Use and Planning       planning and landscape frameworks. As a
                                             for America. With more than 14 years             register to vote and understand their ability to influence                            for the Metropolitan Planning Council      landscape architect, she worked on projects at a
                                             of government relations experience               their lives. She also volunteers in underserved                                       (MPC), Christina Harris works across       range of scales, from managing neighborhood
                                             as an attorney in the private sector             communities in an effort to increase civic engagement.                                MPC initiatives to focus on the inter-     plans to detail design for parks. Several of her
                                             and state government, she previously                                                                                                   section of planning, development, land     projects have won awards from local chapters of
                                                                                              Nathalie began her career as an attorney and                                          use and open space and to consider
                                             served as Legislative Coordinator                                                                                                                                                 the American Society of Landscape Architects.
                                                                                              government relations specialist, representing clients                                 how these broad issues impact
                                             and Assistant General Counsel for                                                                                                                                                 She is currently active in BlackSpace Chicago.
                                                                                              in regulatory and judicial proceedings. Nathalie is an                                stormwater management and water
                                             the Tennessee Department of Human                                                                                                                                                 Christina received her master’s degree in
                                                                                              Alabama native who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee.                                     use, transportation and mobility,
                                             Services. She worked in both                                                                                                                                                      landscape architecture from Harvard University
                                                                                              She is a graduate of Spelman College and St. Louis                                    housing and community development.
                                 Democratic and Republican administrations,                                                                                                                                                    and her bachelor’s degree from Princeton
                                                                                              University School of Law. Nathalie loves college
                                 managing significant political shifts.                                                                                                                                                        University. Originally from the East Coast, Christina
                                                                                              football, traveling, and reading.                                        Prior to joining MPC, Christina practiced landscape
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               has lived in Chicago for more than 10 years.
                                                                                                                                                                       architecture and urban planning, with a particular
                                                                                                                                                                       focus on integrating resident engagement into
8                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      9
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                               CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                         I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D      |   P E R C E P T I V E      |   A U T H E N T I C         |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                          Three new versions
                                                          that should work well.

                                 Kelwin Harris                                                                                                                 Raquelle “Rocki” Hunter
IMPACT                           Director of Outreach and Engagement, Office of                                                                                Senior Director of Brand Development, Zoro.com
                                 Cook County Assessor
                                                                                                                                                                             With more than 15 years of leadership    Prior to joining Zoro, Rocki led brands at ConAgra
                                             Kelwin Harris is a city planner dedicated    Kelwin has served the Chicago community for                                        experience in brand, marketing, and      Foods and Procter & Gamble. Rocki serves on the
IMPACT                                       to creating equitable communities and        years in numerous roles. He led social services,                                   general management, Rocki Hunter is      Board of Directors for YouthBuild Lake County,
                                             empowering people who have histor-           economic development, violence prevention, and                                     a results-driven marketing executive     headquartered in North Chicago. She received a
                                             ically been excluded from connectivity.      nutrition and financial interventions in the Auburn                                with diverse experience across a         Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman
                                             Prior to his current roles as Director       Gresham neighborhood as director of a nonprofit.                                   breadth of B2B and B2C brands,           College and Mechanical Engineering from Georgia
                                             of Outreach and Engagement for the           He also served in the administration of Mayor                                      businesses, industries and categories.   Tech, as well as an MBA from Harvard Business
                                             Office of Cook County Assessor Fritz         Richard M. Daley. Kelwin is a member of the Board                                  She is currently responsible for         School. Rocki lives in Highland Park with her
                                             Kaegi, Kelwin was a senior outreach          of Acero Schools and is a graduate of Cornell                                      developing and managing the marketing    husband, Bruce, and their two children, Bailey
                                             planner with the Chicago Metropolitan        University and the Harvard University Graduate                                     and brand growth strategy, as well as    and Bruce II.
                                             Agency for Planning (CMAP), where he         School of Design. To unplug, Kelwin enjoys reading,                  media, advertising, digital, and content marketing
                                 translated policy and dense data into issues families    traveling, and curating ‘90s Hip Hop music.                          for the entire Zoro business.
                                 care about and discuss around the kitchen table.

                                 Corey Haynes                                                                                                                  Tyeise Huntley Jones
                                 Sales Manager, CDW LLC                                                                                                        Director of Network Support, Chicago Public Schools
                                               Corey Haynes is an Academy Sales           Additionally, he serves as Marketing Chair of CDW’s                               Tyeise Huntley Jones serves as the        Science in Marketing and International Business
                                               Manager, covering the Corporate West       business resource group, BeU: Black Excellence                                    Director of Network Support at            from Georgetown University and an MBA from
                                               and SMB Central segments for CDW           Unlimited.                                                                        Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where       Cornell University. She recently earned a master’s
                                               Direct, LLC. He is responsible for                                                                                           she provides strategic leadership         degree in Educational Leadership from the Broad
                                                                                          Corey is an avid learner and loves the outdoors.
                                               enriching the CDW culture through                                                                                            support for Chiefs of Schools (area       Residency. Tyeise is also heavily involved in
                                                                                          Corey also serves as a mentor and divides his free
                                               new coworker engagement and for                                                                                              superintendents) who lead more than       diversity initiatives and recruitment at Cornell.
                                                                                          time between volunteering and playing with dogs.
                                               developing future sellers by enhancing                                                                                       600 schools in the district.
                                                                                          He currently resides on the West Side of Chicago in                                                                         Prior to attending business school, she worked in
                                               their natural skillsets, uncovering new
                                                                                          Logan Square.                                                                     Tyeise made a career switch into          public relations, as well as in the utility industry as
                                               business opportunities, and generating
                                                                                                                                                                            education in 2015 as a Broad Resident     a marketing analyst at the Southern Company.
                                               strategic relationships with partners
                                                                                                                                                                            at CPS. Previously she held leadership    Tyeise lives in Chicago with her husband, Daryl,
                                 and clients in current and emerging markets.
                                                                                                                                                               roles in Brand Management at SC Johnson and            and their two young sons, Justice and Chancellor.
                                                                                                                                                               Ferrara Candy Company. Tyeise holds a Bachelor of

                                 Latoya Hughes                                                                                                                 Michael Jones
                                 Supervisor, Community Justice Centers, Cook County                                                                            Human Resources Manager, Community and Diversity
                                 State’s Attorney’s Office                                                                                                     Programs, Rush University Medical Center
                                               Latoya Hughes has more than 17 years       Prior to joining the Cook County State’s Attorney’s                               Michael Jones has more than eight         disabilities recruitment strategies. Michael takes a
                                               of legal experience. In her current        Office, Latoya worked as an Assistant Public                                      years of strategic human capital          proactive and purposeful approach to building
                                               role, she manages a team of attorneys      Guardian, advocating for the rights of children in                                management, process improvement           strong talent networks that help to create long-term
                                               and staff who focus on the develop-        the child welfare system. She volunteers as a                                     and data centric business management      value and importance to Rush. One of the things he
                                               ment and implementation of crime           mentor and is a member of the Chicago Chapter of                                  experience. Michael is responsible        enjoys most about his role at Rush is being able to
                                               prevention programming, increasing         the National Black Prosecutors Association. Latoya                                for building and leading Rush’s           help community members rebuild and build out
                                               engagement and collaborations              is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-                            Corporate Social Responsibility           their future success through hiring.
                                               between the Cook County State’s            Champaign, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in                                 function as it relates to local hiring
                                               Attorney’s Office and members of the                                                                                                                                   Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from the
                                                                                          Political Science and Sociology as well as a Juris                                initiatives, which aim to hire and
                                               community as well as the prosecution                                                                                                                                   University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s
                                                                                          Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.                            retain individuals from communities
                                 of crimes of particular significance to the community.                                                                                                                               degree from Northwestern University in Evanston.
                                                                                          Latoya resides in South Suburban Cook County with                    that have been disinvested in throughout Chicago.
                                                                                          her son, Isaiah.
                                                                                                                                                               Michael also oversees Rush’s campus recruitment,
                                                                                                                                                               veteran recruitment and individuals with
10                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          11
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                              CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                         I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D        |   P E R C E P T I V E       |   A U T H E N T I C       |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                         Three new versions
                                                         that should work well.

                                 Jason T. Mercer                                                                                                               Ashanti Morgan
IMPACT                           National Account Manager, U.S. Customer Retail,                                                                               Global Manager of Inclusion & Diversity,
                                 Fonterra (USA)                                                                                                                Hyatt Hotels Corp.
                                              Jason Mercer has more than 10 years       Jason is treasurer for both the Chicago Area                                       Ashanti Morgan is charged with sup-           Prior to joining Hyatt, Ashanti held senior-level
IMPACT                                        of experience in strategy, finance and    Morehouse Alumni Association and Stanford Black                                    porting business and human resource           roles at DePaul University, Chicago Public Schools
                                              mergers & acquisitions-related roles      Alumni of Chicago Club. He is also a member of                                     leaders in ensuring Hyatt increases,          and Learning Point Associates (now American
                                              within multinational organizations        the Young Leadership Board for America Needs                                       develops and leverages a diverse              Institutes for Research). Ashanti’s passion is
                                              such as Lehman Brothers, Warner           You (Illinois) and 100 Black Men of Chicago.                                       workforce; sustains an environment            supporting mission-driven, community-based
                                              Music Group, Deloitte Consulting,                                                                                            of inclusion via a multitude of strategic     organizations such as LEEP Forward, Gary Comer
                                                                                        Jason earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate
                                              TreeHouse Foods and now Fonterra                                                                                             initiatives; and generates impactful          Youth Center and Year Up—sharing her expertise
                                                                                        School of Business and Bachelor of Arts in
                                              USA. As National Account Manager                                                                                             business results. Before taking on her        through consultation and volunteerism.
                                                                                        Business Administration from Morehouse College,
                                              for the U.S. Retail business for New                                                                                         current role as Global Manager of
                                                                                        where he was a four-year letterman in basketball                                                                                 Ashanti received a Master of Science in Instructional
                                              Zealand-based Fonterra, a global                                                                                             Inclusion & Diversity, she served as          Technology from Northern Illinois University. She
                                                                                        and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Alpha
                                 dairy co-op, Jason leads Fonterra’s retail growth                                                                             the Global Manager of Learning Strategy &                 lives in the Beverly community in Chicago with her
                                                                                        Rho Chapter). Jason resides in Bronzeville with his
                                 ambitions and brand awareness by solidifying                                                                                  Design at Hyatt.                                          husband Jacob and their three amazing children.
                                                                                        wife, Lydia.
                                 partnerships with distribution outlets (grocers,
                                 eCommerce, etc.) across the U.S.

                                                                                                                                                               Nakhia Morrissette
                                                                                                                                                               Regulatory Counsel & Midwest Director of State Affairs,
                                 Brittany Merritt                                                                                                              Solar Energy Industries Association
                                 Chicago Executive Director, Peer Health Exchange
                                                                                                                                                                            Nakhia Morrissette serves as Regulatory      She serves as Parliamentarian of the Black Women
                                              Brittany Merritt is a nonprofit           Prior to joining PHE, she served as Chief Program                                   Counsel & Midwest Director of State          Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., is a
                                              executive with experience in the public   Officer at Umoja Student Development                                                Affairs for the Solar Energy Industries      Founding Associate Board Member of Girl Scouts
                                              and private sectors, focusing on          Corporation, where she oversaw the vision and                                       Association, a national trade association    of Greater Chicago/Northwest Indiana, and is a
                                              business development, program             strategy of Umoja’s program portfolio. Brittany                                     dedicated to solar advancement, advocacy,    member of the Women’s Energy Network.
                                              development and implementation.           remains deeply committed to youth empowerment                                       and education. In her role, Nakhia over-
                                              At Peer Health Exchange (PHE), she is     and equity in Chicago as she serves on the                                                                                       Nakhia earned her Bachelor of Science in
                                                                                                                                                                            sees regulatory and legislative matters
                                              primarily responsible for cultivating     Auxiliary Board for Girls in the Game and is a                                                                                   Journalism/Mass Communications from North
                                                                                                                                                                            involving the growing solar market in all
                                              funding sources to support the growth     member of the Chicago Foundation for Women’s                                                                                     Carolina A&T State University and her Juris Doctor
                                                                                                                                                                            Midwestern states. With nearly a decade
                                              of programs, managing and growing         Southside Giving Council. Brittany holds a                                                                                       from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego,
                                                                                                                                                                            of legal experience, Nakhia previously
                                              the Chicago Board of Directors,           Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Howard                                                                                   California. She resides in the Oakland neighborhood
                                                                                                                                                               worked for the Illinois Commerce Commission, in
                                 and providing fiscal and organizational oversight      University and a Master of Arts in Sports                                                                                        of Chicago with her husband, Wesley.
                                                                                                                                                               private practice at Schumacher Electric Corporation
                                 for PHE Chicago.                                       Administration from Northwestern University.                           and as a law firm owner serving entrepreneurs.

                                 Michelle Mills Clement                                                                                                        Nubia Murray
                                 CEO, Chicago Association of REALTORS®                                                                                         Global Family Marketing Manager
                                                                                                                                                               McDonald’s Corporation
                                             Michelle Mills Clement is CEO of the       integral in the election of Congresswoman Robin
                                             Chicago Association of REALTORS®.          Kelly (D-IL) from Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District.                             Nubia joined McDonald’s with over a          Nubia was previously a Vice President in JPMorgan
                                             She previously served as President         In 2019, she was elected trustee for Bradley                                        decade of experience in sponsorship          Chase’s Sports & Entertainment Marketing division,
                                             and CEO of the Commercial Brokers          University and is active in the university’s Black                                  and partnership marketing, spear-            and served the Chase Foundation on the Strategic
                                             Association and association exec-          Alumni Alliance. She is an active member of Delta                                   heading global sports properties in          Initiatives team. Nubia is an active member of
                                             utive for the Washington State             Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.                                                          the US, Frankfurt, Singapore, South          Junior League Chicago and Delta Sigma Theta’s
                                             Commercial Association of REALTORS®.                                                                                           Africa and Sydney. At McDonald’s,            Chicago Alumnae Chapter. Crediting sports for
                                                                                        Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in communica-
                                             She is an active member of Association                                                                                         Nubia contributes to the strategic           developing her strong work ethic and competitive
                                                                                        tion from Bradley University and a master’s degree
                                             Forum of Chicagoland and ASAE:                                                                                                 oversight of the Family Experience in        drive, Nubia competed in track and field at Howard
                                                                                        in nonprofit management from DePaul University.
                                             The Center for Association Excellence,                                                                                         120+ countries and 36,000 restaurants        University and is a proud finisher of five Olympic-
                                                                                        She has a certificate in commercial real estate
                                 where she was recently named to their prestigious                                                                                          worldwide. She also tackles brand            distance triathlons and two New York City
                                                                                        from the University of Washington and earned the
                                 Fellows program.                                                                                                              alignment and relationship management of                  Marathons. Nubia is married to her elementary
                                                                                        Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification
                                                                                                                                                               McDonald’s nearly 30 different licensing partners,        school sweetheart, Brian Davis.
                                 A native Chicagoan, she enjoys political campaign      from ASAE.
                                                                                                                                                               including Universal, DreamWorks, and Disney.
                                 fundraising and volunteer management. She was
12                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          13
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                             CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                        I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D      |   P E R C E P T I V E       |   A U T H E N T I C      |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                         Three new versions
                                                         that should work well.
                                 Britney Robbins                                                                                                            Melanie Sillas
IMPACT                           Founder and CEO, The Gray Matter Experience                                                                                Vice President of Development, World Business Chicago
                                              Britney Robbins founded The Gray          Magazine’s Power 100 People’s Choice Award and                                   Melanie Sillas has more than 10 years      the Chicago Urban League, and Chicago Youth
                                              Matter Experience in 2016 to help         was featured on Fox32 and in Chicago Inno,                                       of experience in the public sector, and    Centers. Melanie received a Bachelor of Arts in
IMPACT                                        black high school students start          BlackEntrepreneur.com, DNAInfo Chicago and                                       her more recent work has been in           English from the University of Illinois in 2005, a
                                              socially conscious businesses. She        Chicago Tribune. She has also spoken at several                                  nonprofit fundraising. At World            Master of Science in Public Service Management
                                              has several years of experience           conferences and panels about the value of                                        Business Chicago, she has primary          from DePaul University in 2008, and a Certificate in
                                              working within Chicago’s business/        community development.                                                           responsibility for developing key          Fundraising Management from North Park
                                              tech community, including with some                                                                                        external alliances through the cultiva-    University in 2014. In her spare time, Melanie
                                                                                        Britney is passionate about entrepreneurship,
                                              of Chicago’s top venture capital firms                                                                                     tion and solicitation of corporate and     enjoys running half marathons and destination
                                                                                        education, youth and community and believes in
                                              and incubators: Sandbox Industries,                                                                                        foundation support, special events,        races, baking and volunteering with her sorority,
                                                                                        empowering others to use their passions and
                                              Lightbank and 1871.                                                                                                        as well as individual giving.              Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
                                                                                        strengths to create opportunities. She is also a
                                 She has been recognized as one of Ariel Investments’   published children’s book author. Britney received                  Prior to joining World Business Chicago, Melanie
                                 40 Under 40 Gamechangers and in Essence                her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric with an English                    held fundraising roles at the University of Chicago,
                                 Magazine’s Woke 100. She was a finalist for Ebony      minor from the University of Illinois in 2009.

                                 Johnni Rodgers                                                                                                             Alexandra “Alex” Sims
                                 Director of Marketing, The Laughing Cow,                                                                                   Founder and CEO, APS & Associates
                                 Bel Brands USA
                                                                                                                                                                         Alex Sims believes that one’s birthplace   campaign manager for Kurt Summers’ race for City
                                              With more than 10 years of experience     Throughout her career, Johnni has played an                                      and economic status should not             Treasurer and directed his impactful 77 in 77
                                              in the consumer products industry,        integral role in the marketing, innovation, and turn-                            disproportionately determine one’s life    platform. After Summers’ election, Alex was named
                                              Johnni Rodgers has taken on the           around efforts across many well-known brands,                                    journey. A native of Metro Detroit, Alex   Senior Advisor for the Treasurer’s Office and helped
                                              challenge of reinventing the historic     including but not limited to Planters®, Kashi®,                                  majored in social policy at Northwestern   advance an agenda of financial equity.
                                              flagship brand, The Laughing Cow,         Eggo®, FruitLove® and Kraft® Macaroni & Cheese.                                  University. Inspired by President Barack
                                              which is core to Bel Brands’ $4 billion                                                                                    Obama’s social policies, she accepted      The establishment of APS & Associates distills the
                                                                                        Johnni serves on the Board of Directors for Chicago
                                              global portfolio. Her responsibilities                                                                                     an appointment to head his 2012            remarkable skills and talents Alex has honed. Two
                                                                                        Debates (formerly Chicago Debate Commission).
                                              range from full-brand P&L respon-                                                                                          presidential campaign for Missouri.        years into business, her vast client base has ranged
                                                                                        She received a bachelor’s degree in economics
                                              sibility to developing and executing                                                                                       Following President Obama’s historic       from the Obama Foundation to the Black Aldermanic
                                                                                        from UCLA and an MBA from the University of
                                              the roadmap to accelerating                                                                                   victory, she became a state coordinator with            Caucus to JB Pritzker for Governor.
                                                                                        Chicago Booth School of Business. Originally from
                                 growth in the U.S.                                                                                                         Organizing for Action before relocating to the
                                                                                        San Diego, Johnni currently lives with her husband,
                                                                                                                                                            Chicago headquarters. Alex later served as
                                 Prior to joining Bel, Johnni came from the             Aaron, in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.
                                 Breakthrough Innovation group at Kraft Heinz.

                                 Mironda Ross                                                                                                               Rendel L. Solomon
                                 Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers                                                                                           Managing Director, Muller & Monroe Asset
                                                                                                                                                            Management LLC
                                             Mironda Ross is a Deals Director in        When Mironda is not helping her clients realize the
                                             PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC)              value of a deal, she proudly serves as a volunteer                               Rendel Solomon is a Managing               his MBA from Columbia Business School. In June
                                             Advisory practice. She has more than       with Ladies of Virtue and a mentor with Chicago                                  Director with Muller & Monroe Asset        2016, he founded the nonprofit One Stock One
                                             10 years of consulting experience,         Scholars, organizations committed to empowering                                  Management (M2), a Chicago-based           Future NFP (OSOF) to turn one million youth into
                                             helping her clients strategically and      the next generation of leaders in underresourced                                 private equity firm that manages $1.2      public company shareholders. OSOF uses workshops
                                             tactically execute on mergers and          or underrepresented communities. Mironda                                         billion on behalf of public pension        to expose young people to stocks and ownership;
                                             integrations, divestitures and carve-      graduated with honors from the University of                                     plans. He serves on the investment         then the organization purchases gift certificates for
                                             outs, and overall business transfor-       Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Manage-                                    team and leads sales & marketing           public company stocks so that each student can open
                                             mation across a range of industries.       ment Information Systems and Computer Science                                    and client services. Prior to joining M2   their first investment account. Rendel is a member of
                                             Her expertise includes large-scale         and an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross                                in 2008, Rendel worked as an               100 Black Men of Chicago and has been recognized
                                 project management, human resources, change            School of Business. Mironda currently resides in                                 engineer at P&G in Cincinnati.             by Ariel Investments, Chicago Defender, Chicago
                                 management and communications, Day 1 readiness,        Bronzeville on the South Side of Chicago.                                                                                   Community Trust, Chicago Urban League, Ebony, and
                                                                                                                                                            Rendel obtained his Bachelor of Science in
                                 employee transitions and workforce planning.                                                                                                                                       WVON for his accomplishments.
                                                                                                                                                            Electrical Engineering from Tulane University and
14                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     15
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                              CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                         I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D          |   P E R C E P T I V E       |   A U T H E N T I C       |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                          Three new versions
                                                          that should work well.
                                 Thomas K. R. Stovall                                                                                                         Jeremey Watson
IMPACT                           President, Intention Mastery                                                                                                 Art Director of Global Digital Content Marketing, Groupon
                                              An alum of the Tennessee State             (ThinkLikeAStartup.global), teach entrepreneurs                                  As Art Director of Global Digital               Before joining Groupon, Jeremey held a number of
                                              University Electrical Engineering          and business leaders practical ways to quickly close                             Content Marketing for Groupon,                  creative and industrial design roles, including
IMPACT                                        department, ironically, Thomas K.R.        gaps between intentions, deliberate actions, and                                 Jeremey Watson sets the strategy for            furniture design, fashion design and package
                                              Stovall has never actually worked a day    measurable outcomes, to make bottom line revenue                                 visual storytelling and marketing               design for a range of consumer brands including
                                              as an engineer. He started his entre-      predictable, and amplify growth in their companies.                              campaigns for digital channels across           KitchenAid, SC Johnson and Ed Hardy. Outside of
                                              preneurial career selling luxury custom                                                                                     16 countries. He also manages the               work, Jeremey is an avid photographer, artist and
                                                                                         Thomas is an author, a sought after speaker and                                  international design team. Since                fashion designer who also finds inspiration
                                              car accessories online from New York
                                                                                         facilitator, a Google Entrepreneur in Residence, the                             joining the company in 2012, Jeremey            through his passion for travel. Jeremey currently
                                              to California out of his dorm room at 19
                                                                                         founder of an enterprise microfeedback company,                                  has held a number of leadership roles           resides in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.
                                              years old, and he never looked back.
                                                                                         and the creator of an organization that catalyzes                                that have elevated the Groupon brand
                                              Thomas’ online courses and group           growth for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs                            through the new channels he has defined globally.
                                 training programs (IntentionMastery.com),               (ImBlackInTech.com), with almost 6000 people in
                                 along with his problem/solution think tanks             the membership network across 16 countries.

                                 Marcus Thomas                                                                                                                James Williams
                                 Senior Manager of Customer Marketing, Reynolds                                                                               Director of Finance, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives
                                 Consumer Products                                                                                                                          James Williams has more than 15               James serves on the board of directors of the
                                              Marcus Thomas has more than 10                                                                                                years of experience in accounting and         Village Method, a nonprofit youth development
                                                                                         managing pricing and promotional plans for Hefty
                                              years of leadership experience in                                                                                             finance. As Director of Finance at            organization, and of the Roseland Youth Center. He
                                                                                         products across all sales channels.
                                              marketing, sales and operations plan-                                                                                         Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI),       received a Bachelor of Science in Business with an
                                                                                         Prior to joining Reynolds, Marcus held positions at                                he is responsible for financial manage-       emphasis in Accounting from San Francisco State
                                              ning, and supply chain management. In
                                                                                         Kraft Foods, ConAgra Foods, and OfficeMax, Inc. He                                 ment across all subsidiaries and              University and a Master of Science in Nonprofit
                                              his current role at Reynolds Consumer
                                                                                         received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics                                 affiliates. He is also responsible for        Management from North Park University in Chicago.
                                              Products, he is responsible for develop-
                                                                                         from the Wharton School at the University of                                       facilitating strategic planning for new       He also is a CFA Charterholder. James resides in
                                              ing sales and marketing strategies to
                                                                                         Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Marcus currently resides                             business opportunities. Prior to joining      the Hyde Park neighborhood on the South Side of
                                              drive market share, revenue, and profit
                                                                                         in the near western suburbs of Chicago with his                                    CNI, he was an investment officer at          Chicago, with his wife Paris and their three children,
                                              growth for the Hefty Brand. He is also
                                                                                         wife, Dawn, and their two daughters, Leah and Avery.                 the California Public Employees Retirement System.          James III, Zariah and Gabriella.
                                              responsible for developing and

                                 Anthony D. Tindall                                                                                                           Nykia Wright
                                 Policy & Special Projects Manager, Forest Preserve                                                                           Interim Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Sun-Times
                                 District of Cook County                                                                                                                   Nykia Wright is Interim Chief Executive        Consulting, and North Highland Worldwide Consulting.
                                             Anthony Tindall manages the policy,         Anthony received a Bachelor of Arts in Political                                  Officer of the Chicago Sun-Times. In           Nykia has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from
                                             sustainability, and climate resiliency      Science from Johnson C. Smith University in                                       May of 2019, she was named one of              Carnegie Mellon University, International Business
                                             agenda for the Forest Preserve              Charlotte, N.C., and a Master of Public Admini-                                   the top 10 most powerful women in              Certification from the University of Cambridge
                                             District of Cook County, a 70,000-acre      stration from DePaul University in Chicago.                                       Chicago journalism. Before joining             (England), and an MBA from the Tuck School of Busi-
                                             public land management agency.              Anthony currently serves on the National Advisory                                 the Sun-Times, Nykia was a strategy            ness at Dartmouth. She has also studied business at
                                             Prior to joining the Forest Preserve,       Board for the Union of Concerned Scientists in                                    consultant with experience in financial        the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India.
                                             Anthony served as an associate              Cambridge, Mass. He is also a coach for One                                       management, business restructuring,            She is a member of the 2018 Crain’s Chicago Business
                                             director at the Francis W. Parker           Million Degrees in Chicago and was one of the                                     performance improvement, supply                40 under 40 class, and also a member of the 40 game-
                                             School. He also previously held             inaugural fellows for Chicago United for Equity in                                chain, and human resources. Her work           changers under 40 class, a recognition bestowed from
                                             positions at the University of Chicago      2018. Anthony resides in the Rogers Park                             history included roles with JPMorgan Chase, Huron           a partnership between WVON and Ariel Investments.
                                 and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.                 community in Chicago.

16                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            17
CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS - IMPACT Leadership Development Program - Chicago Urban League
IMPACT                                                                                                 CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS                         I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D   |   P E R C E P T I V E   |   A U T H E N T I C   |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                           Three new versions
                                                           that should work well.
                                 Bryce Yancy                                                                                                                     Our Education Partner
IMPACT                           Director of Government Affairs, Chicago State University
                                              As Director of Government Affairs at          Fortune 500 companies and other large organizations,
                                              Chicago State University, Bryce Yancy         including the University of Chicago, Ford Motor
                                              is responsible for advocating for the         Company, and American Airlines. In addition, he was
                                                                                                                                                                 The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
IMPACT
                                              university’s interests with federal,          a co-convener of the Coalition for Police Contracts                  Chicago Booth hosts each of our monthly sessions at its state-of-the-art Gleacher Center
                                              state, and local governments.                 Accountability, an organization that advocates for                   in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. Members of Booth’s world-class faculty provide
                                                                                            changes to the Chicago Police Department                             instruction on various academic topics that are relevant to our Fellows’ leadership
                                           Prior to joining Chicago State, Bryce
                                                                                            contracts.
                                           served in senior staff roles on political                                                                             development.
                                           campaigns for Illinois state represen-           Bryce is a proud Chicagoan, and is civically involved.
                                           tatives, Chicago aldermen, U.S. Senate           He serves on the boards of Joel Hall Dancers and                     In addition to Booth faculty, Chicago Booth Executive Education has been an amazing
                                           candidate Andrea Zopp, and Chicago               Center, and PEAK Chicago. He is a graduate of                        partner of IMPACT since the program’s inception. Executive Education staff have provided
                                 Mayor Rahm Emanuel. He also consulted for                  Michigan State University.                                           invaluable support at each of the program’s monthly sessions and many supplemental
                                                                                                                                                                 events and activities. We are incredibly grateful for their remarkable partnership.

Gleacher Center, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business’ downtown Chicago facility

18                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            19
IMPACT                                                                                                 CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS        I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D       |   P E R C E P T I V E       |   A U T H E N T I C       |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                                      Three new versions
                                                      that should work well.

IMPACT
                                 Our Mentors                                                                                                    Sponsoring Organizations

                                  Carol Adams                                  Leo Harmon                 Diane Primo                           ACCESS Community Health Network                      Laborers’ Local 1001 Union
                                 Jacinda Adams                                 Darrious Hilmon            Juliette Pryor                        Advocate Health Care                                 Ladies of Virtue
                                                                                                                                                Alcatel-Lucent Technologies                          LINK Unlimited Scholars
IMPACT                           Terrell Anderson                              Patricia Brown Holmes      Reginald Reed                         Allianz                                              Loop Capital Markets LLC
                                 Linda Crane Boyd                              Emmitt House               Gary Rozier                           America Needs You                                    Luckett & Ashford Attorneys at Law
                                 Carole Brown                                  Kym Hubbard                Jelani Rucker                         APS & Associates                                     Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
                                                                                                                                                Art Institute of Chicago                             McDonald’s USA
                                 Karen Caldwell                                Andre Hughes               Shari Runner                          Associated Bank                                      Metropolitan Planning Council
                                 Dorothy Capers                                Perri Irmer                Kelly Saulsberry                      Bel Brands U.S.A.                                    Molior, Inc.
                                 Dorval Carter                                 Derrick Johnson            Zaldwaynaka Scott                     Bernstein Private Wealth Management                  Morgan Stanley Investment Management
                                                                                                                                                Black Box Creative Inc.                              Morpheus Consultancy, LLC
                                 Adela Cepeda                                  Tiffany Hamel Johnson      Brian Sleet (deceased)
                                                                                                                                                Black Ensemble Theater                               Motorola Solutions, Inc.
                                 Gregory Chappell                              Emil Jones                 Eric S. Smith                         BMO Harris Bank                                      Muller & Monroe Asset Management
                                 Elvin Charity                                 Eugene Jones               Melody Spann Cooper                   Canadian National Railroad                           Noble Network of Charter Schools
                                                                                                                                                CDW                                                  North Lawndale Employment Network
                                 Virginia Clarke                               Sharon Jones               Lovetta Spencer
                                                                                                                                                Chicago Association of Realtors                      Northwestern University
                                 Karen Collins                                 Karen Kerr                 Stephanie Springs                     Chicago Housing Authority                            Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
                                 Michelle Collins                              Lerry Knox                 Kurt Summers                          Chicago Mayor’s Office                               Office of the Cook County Assessor
                                 Les Coney                                     Connie Lindsay             Jonathan Swain                        Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives                     Office of the Cook County Board President
                                                                                                                                                Chicago Police Department                            Office of the Honorable Roderick T. Sawyer
                                 Cheryl Cooke                                  Phyllis Lockett            Desiree Tate (deceased)               Chicago Public Schools                               Office of the Illinois State Treasurer
                                 Tarrah Cooper                                 Lyle Logan                 Stuart Taylor                         Chicago Scholars                                     Olive-Harvey College
                                 Toni Cornelius                                William Lucas              Stephen Thomas                        Chicago State University                             Peer Health Exchange
                                                                                                                                                Chicago Sun Times                                    Peoples Gas
                                 Risa Davis                                    Gregg Lunceford            Donna Thompson                        Chicago Transit Authority                            PwC
                                 Ronald DeNard                                 Sonya Malunda              Dominque Jordan Turner                Chicago Urban League                                 Reynolds Consumer Products
                                 Donna Grant Dorsey                            Lester McKeever            Paula Thornton-Greear                 Children’s Home + Aid Society                        Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP
                                                                                                                                                CIBC US                                              RLM Media
                                 Sidney Dillard                                Eric McKissack             Sherri Thorton-Pierce                                                                      Robert R. McCormick Foundation
                                                                                                                                                City of Chicago
                                 Derek R.B. Douglas                            Dorri McWhorter            William Towns                         Commonground Marketing                               Rush University Medical Center
                                 William Farrow                                Marquis Miller             Chad Walker                           Cook County Board of Review                          SGA Youth & Family Services
                                                                                                                                                Cook County Health and Hospitals System              Solar Energy Industries Association
                                 Michael Fisher                                Dara Munson                Alex Washington
                                                                                                                                                Cook County Pension Fund                             St. Bernard Hospital
                                 Rahni Flowers                                 Ina Murray                 Pamela Wedgeworth                     Cook County Risk Management                          St. James Lutheran Church
                                 Rebecca Ford Terry                            Cheré Nabor                Darrell Williams                      Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office                Teach for America
                                                                               Stephanie Neely            Melvin Williams                       CS Insurance Strategies                              The Gray Matter Experience
                                 Janel Forde
                                                                                                                                                Curtis R. Monday Insurance Agency                    The Kellogg Company
                                 Esther Franklin                               Gerald Nixon               Rufus Williams                        Digital Bridge Solutions                             The Northern Trust Corporation
                                 Anne Fredd                                    Cheryl Pearson-McNeil      Vince Williams                        Dominican University                                 Thornton Township High School District 205
                                 Richard Gamble                                Audrey Peeples             Sherman Wright                        EnTrust Realty Advisors                              Travelers Insurance
                                                                                                                                                Federal Defender Program                             Underwriters Laboratory (UL)
                                 Gary Gardner                                  Terry Peterson             Andrea Zopp                           Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago                      United Airlines
                                 Maria Green                                   J. Todd Phillips                                                 Fetch Public Relations                               United States Attorney’s Office
                                 Nickol Hackett                                Adrienne Banks Pitts                                             Firefly Millward Brown                               United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
                                                                                                                                                Flowers Communications Group                         University of Chicago
                                                                                                                                                Foley & Lardner LLP                                  University of Chicago - Section of Emergency Medicine
                                                                                                                                                Fonterra USA                                         University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
                                                                                                                                                Forest Preserve District of Cook County              University of Illinois at Chicago
                                                                                                                                                Gogo Inflight                                        Urban Partnership Bank
                                                                                                                                                Greene & Letts                                       US Bank
                                                                                                                                                Groupon                                              US Foods, Inc.
                                                                                                                                                Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP                             Walgreens Co.
                                                                                                                                                Hyatt Hotels Corporation                             Wang Kobayashi Austin, LLC
                                                                                                                                                Illinois Department of Central Management Services   Washington, Pittman, & McKeever
                                                                                                                                                Illinois Department of Children & Family Services    WillowCreek Community Church - Chicago
                                                                                                                                                iMentor                                              Wintrust Financial Corporation
                                                                                                                                                Inner Vision International                           WisdomTree Inc.
                                                                                                                                                Intention Mastery                                    World Business Chicago
                                                                                                                                                JLL                                                  World Sport Chicago
                                                                                                                                                Jones Day                                            Year Up
                                                                                                                                                K.L.E.O. Community Family Life Center                Zekelman Industries
                                                                                                                                                Kirkland & Ellis LLP                                 Zoro, Inc.
20                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          21
IMPACT                                                                     CLASS OF 2020 FELLOWS             I N F O R M E D   |   M O T I V A T E D   |      P E R C E P T I V E   |   A U T H E N T I C   |   T A L E N T
Leadership Development Program

                                          Three new versions
                                          that should work well.

What Our Alumni Say About IMPACT
IMPACT

                                                                                                                                       LeDeidre Turner
IMPACT                                                                                                                                 IMPACT Class of 2018

                                                                                                                                      “I walked away from each Lessons in Leadership session more confident
                                                                                                                                       in my abilities than before the session began. I was encouraged to step
                                                                                                                                       out of my comfort zone and take steps to advance my career rather
                                                                                                                                       than waiting for the traditional path in the position I had at the time.
                                 Torrey L. Barrett
                                 IMPACT Class of 2015
                                                                                                                                      “The support system is unmatched. I am connected to a group of people
                                                                                                                                       who celebrate each other’s successes and encourage each other
                                 “When I first joined IMPACT, I had an idea of building a $23.5 million                                through their trials. After I applied for my previous job, which was my
                                  housing development to help hardworking families on the South Side of                                first supervisory role, one of my fellow cohort members spent five hours
                                  Chicago have quality housing with retail options similar to those that                               prepping me for the interview.”
                                  downtown affluent families enjoy. IMPACT helped me take my project
                                  from concept to completion. I was able to leverage the skills and tools
                                  I gained through the program to put together a development team to
                                  complete this difficult project.                                                                    Jennifer Hodges
                                                                                                                                       IMPACT Class of 2018
                                 “My mentor, Gary Gardner, invested in me. He helped identify funding
                                                                                                                                      “I became a more self-aware and confident people leader. I was promoted
                                  sources, as well as much needed counsel to protect my interest and the
                                                                                                                                       twice within my organization over the course of two years and was
                                  project. As a result of the program and my mentor, whom I still speak
                                                                                                                                       offered more opportunities to lead initiatives across the United Way
                                  with today, we recently celebrated the grand opening of the KLEO Art
                                                                                                                                       system. Much of the work I was leading was important, but I was not
                                  Residences, a 58-unit mixed-use project with retail on the first floor
                                                                                                                                       comfortable vocalizing the impact of my contribution of projects and how
                                  that will also house an upscale, affordable boutique restaurant and
                                  banquet hall.”                                                                                       it affected team, and organization prioritizes. After completing IMPACT,
                                                                                                                                       I became more vocal in raising challenges that were being overlooked,
                                                                                                                                       tactfully promoting my contributions, trusting my intuition and judgement
                                                                                                                                       and sharing my perspective with the leaders of the organization. I trusted
                                 Jerremy Howell
                                 IMPACT Class of 2017
                                                                                                                                       that as a creative, African-American woman and a business professional,
                                                                                                                                       my perspective is important and matters in any seat I hold.”
                                 “Not only did IMPACT meet my expectations, the program exceeded them.
                                 The connections to the market through the mentorship program provided
                                  me with exposure to names and networks that I would have never been
                                  able to access so fast without the program. The access to top professors
                                  at Booth gave me the institutionalized structure I needed to be focused
                                  and allowed me to continue to pursue my passion for education.”

22                                                                                                                                                                                                                       23
You can also read