DR. MICHAEL BASTON
Dr. Michael Baston is the fifth president of Cuyahoga Community College (TriC), based in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a national thought leader on the role of community colleges in shaping educational success, supporting regional workforce reforms, and developing executive leadership teams.
“Tri-C has always been an institution where people come here with intention,” Baston said.
“A lot of people may go to other places not knowing what they want to do, but when they come here they have a plan.”
With the average age of a student at Tri-C being 26, Baston makes a good point. Tri-C is a place where students can come and develop their skill set by taking courses that are affordable and offer a wide range of degrees and certificates. Baston focuses on strengthening the college’s nearly 60-year mission of providing high-quality, affordable, and accessible education services that help keep Cleveland’s talent in Cleveland.
The college offers courses in the trades like police and fire and rescue. The college offers two-year degrees for those looking for nursing and other degrees. Finally, the college offers four-year degrees for those looking to earn and bachelor’s degree.
As a national guided pathways and equity Transfer initiative coach for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Baston is noted for his work with leadership teams at two and four-year colleges across the nation, helping them integrate student success initiatives to advance college completion and labor market entry success.
Among many other professional honors and activities, Baston is co-chair of Jobs For the Future’s Policy Leadership Trust and a member of the AACC Board of Directors Executive Board, chairing its audit and finance committee. He received the National Council on Student Development’s Terry O’Bannon Gold Prize in 2015 and the NAACP Community Leadership Award in 2010.
“Students today are looking for a very focused path to success and opportunity. And because of that, they know if they come to a place that is going to value them, and a place that is going to be affordable to them, that they can’t lose.” Baston said.
“Today students are electing to go to a community college by choice.” Baston continued, “There are scores and scores of high school students who are getting college credits while they are in high school.” Baston said.
Tri-C is one of the largest colleges to offer credit-plus programs in the area.
“We are a professional development organization for the entirety of a career. You may get a degree in engineering, but have to come to Tri-C to get an additional certificate here because it is not offered anywhere else.” Baston said.
Baston went on to say that Tri-C offers online courses to anyone across the country who is interested in going to college. The college’s future is bright with Baston at the helm and he has become a welcomed star in the Cleveland community.
CODE M salutes Dr. Baston, along with the nine other achievers in our April Issue. Well Done!
NICHOLAS E. PERRY
Nicholas E. Perry is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Presidents’ Council (PC), Northeast Ohio’s only economic development organization for black-owned enterprises. Guided by a board of corporate and entrepreneurial C-suite executives, the organization focuses on providing leadership, innovative ideas, and resources to accelerate the growth of black-owned businesses and thus contribute to the overall economic development in Northeast Ohio.
Prior to PC, Perry served as the Executive Director for Mt. Pleasant NOW Development Corporation, a non-profit formed in 1988 to address the housing needs in the City of Cleveland’s Ward 3.
His achievements included leading equity and debt underwriting of LIHTC units; increasing the annual operating budget by 172 percent; establishing two evolving regional coalitions: 1) The Southeast Merchants Coalition, which ensures cross-pollination of customers and shares resources, bolstering local businesses; and 2) The Cleveland Ten Point Coalition that provides wrap-around services focused on reducing gun violence in the neighborhood.
; and collaborating with the Cuyahoga County Aggregated Solar Project to develop a “Green Initiative,” which created a sustainable future and cost savings for Mt. Pleasant’s 57,000 sq. ft. building.
MAXIMILLIAN L. HAMILTON
Maximillian L. Hamilton is the CEO & Founder of Rogue Media Group, LLC (RMG), a U.S. Veteran Owned & Operated Company. RMG is the premier multicultural advertising, marketing, and media agency that leverages the power of business data, virtual & live experiences, digital media, social media, original content, advertisement, and network affiliates to connect brands to an educated and affluent target audience.
The company is headquartered in New York City and has operations in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, DC. RMG maintains a prestigious roster of Fortune 2000 clients. Today, the list includes AARP, Creating Healthier Communities, Couples Resorts, Jamaica, Dallas Mavericks, NBA, Diageo, NA, JPMorgan Chase & Company, John Hancock, FINRA, Legal & General, America, Lexus, Manulife, Morgan Stanley, to mention a few.
ENRIQUE YOUNG
Mr. Enrique Young is the founder and CEO of FEBA, Inc. Dba FEBA Security Services. The company has been in existence since November 2014 and provides armed and unarmed security guards, event staffing, and live scan fingerprint background checks to federal, state, and commercial clients. Mr. Young holds licenses in the states of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia and several other statewide security credentials.
With its headquarters in Largo, Maryland, FEBA Security Services is certified as a Service Disable Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) in the state of Maryland. To FEBA’s credit, the company was recognized by the Washington Post newspaper for contributing to the increase in job opportunities in Prince George County, Maryland, and recognized as the Diversity Supplier of the year by the MGM National Harbor in 2023.
DR. MARLON FULLER
Dr. Marlon “Doc” Fuller is a distinguished philanthropist, inventor with 4 patents, entrepreneur, Doctor of Pharmacy, investor, and renowned speaker, balancing these roles while also being a devoted father of four. Together with his wife, Christina, he co-founded CoolKids.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial literacy education to children aged 8 to 16 nationwide, positively impacting over 27,000 young lives. This fall, they will bring their financial literacy curriculum to schools nationwide utilizing edutainment to keep students engaged and incorporate his upcoming book, “The Canvas Inside”.
Dr. Fuller’s innovative spirit shines through his pioneering creations both within and outside of the financial literacy space. His multi-faceted approach to educating through eduTainment includes the world’s first G-rated financial literacy album, “The Syllabus” (TheSyllabus.com), the groundbreaking streaming financial literacy TV app, “JAR” (www.Jar.TV), and a first-of-its-kind financial literacy business and music festival for kids, “FinLit Fest” (FinLitFest.com).
MICHAEL J. GARNER
Michael J. Garner, MBA, was appointed New York City’s first Citywide Chief Business Diversity Officer by Mayor Eric Adams on February 16, 2023. Mr. Garner formerly served as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). His tenure at the MTA spanned 14 years from February 2009- through February 2023. He is a diversity champion, making it his personal and professional mission to create a more diverse business environment wherever he’s been.
By creating new programs, Mr. Garner and his teams have been responsible for more than $20 billion in payments to New York State/City Minority and Women-owned Businesses. In addition, since Mr. Garner’s arrival, the MTA has improved its hiring of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians by 20% across the MTA’s six different operating agencies.
Since his arrival at the MTA in 2009, Mr. Garner has designed the country’s leading MWDBE Business Development Program based on dollars paid. As the architect of the MTA’s Small Business Mentoring Program, Mr. Garner has transformed the largest transportation system in North America with a results-driven construction mentoring program.
LAZAR FAVORS
As an entrepreneur, Lazar Favors contracted with his 1st African American spirit brand as a Michigan Marketing Manager from May 2019 to February 2022. During that time, he successfully grew the placement of this brand from 11 stores to over 4,000 retailers in the state of Michigan. Since then, he has become the Legacy Liaison for over 70 Black-owned spirit brands across the U.S., including some internationally.
Black Spirits Legacy, LLC is a branding/marketing management company that provides distribution opportunities and access to relationships that could provide capital or mentorship for Black-owned spirit companies. Our goal is to increase Black representation in the spirits industry. We curate high-quality signature experiences called, “A Taste of Black Spirits,” which has expanded to 5 cities across the U.S.
GREGORY LOCKHART
Gregory Lockhart is a seasoned professional with a rich background in the television industry, boasting an impressive career spanning 38 years. Having dedicated his entire profession to local television news as a photojournalist and visual storyteller, Gregory garnered invaluable experience and expertise, making significant contributions to his various employers and the audiences who benefited from and enjoyed his work before retiring in September 2020.
Transitioning from his dynamic career in television, Gregory redirected his passion and energy towards community service and leadership roles. Since 2003, he has been an integral part of the esteemed organization, 100 Black Men of Greater Cleveland, Inc., being recently elected Chairman. In this current role, Gregory brings a unique perspective having served as a member on various committees, on the board of directors, as a primary fundraiser, and in many other diverse areas within the organization. He has demonstrated unwavering commitment and dedication to uplifting and empowering the local community, particularly focusing.
AARON TAYLOR
Aaron Showtime Taylor, the man who served over a quarter of a century inside the California Dept of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is a man on a mission. Since being released on Oct 16, 2020, he has worked as a Sports Broadcaster and play-by-play commentator for the Venice Basketball League, and American Basketball Association; and has had a guest appearance as the public address Announcer for the Golden State Warriors. He appeared on NBA Countdown with Maria Taylor, the Kelly Clarkson Show; he’s hosted a TEDx event – where he was also a presenter – was the intro/outro voice for the 42nd Sports Emmy Awards, has several short films with the Golden State Warriors YouTube channel Warriors Ground, and he also signed and films his podcast “Hard in the Paint” at the World Famous Coin Academy in Pasadena, CA.
He is also the Voice that begins track #4 on the iconic hip-hop album “The Chronic” by Dr. Dre – The Day the Niggaz Took Over –.
DR. OKEY K. ENYIA
Dr. Okey K. Enyia is the Founder & CEO of Enyia Strategies, a Washington DC-based health policy consulting firm. Most recently, he served as the Senior Policy Advisor at the Alliance for Health Policy where he oversaw the policy and content development for selected Alliance educational and other programmatic activities; provided subject matter expertise to major grant and sponsorship opportunities; and contributed to the Alliance’s health equity strategy and community/patient engagement initiatives.
Prior to that, he served as a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives and on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Dr. Enyia recently earned a doctorate in public health (health policy concentration) from the George Washington University School of Public Health. His dissertation was the first-of-its-kind study to examine the Affordable Care Act and its impact on access to care for Black men.
