– ARIANE KIRPATRICK –
Ariane Kirkpatrick is president and CEO of The AKA Team, a full-service commercial construction and facilities company. Based in Cleveland, the 10-year-old, multi-million dollar firm partners with its clients to provide collaborative management and construction services through three divisions.
No matter the scale of a project, the mission is to offer solutions with the company motto in mind: Always Known As the Team you can depend on. With services ranging from commercial waterproofing, pre-construction, and construction management to post-construction, Ariane selected a team with over 50 years of general contracting, construction management, and design-build experience.
– RITA BAUTISTA –
Rita Bautista is passionate about elevating culture and inspiring others. This first-generation American, born to Honduran parents, has worked extensively for more than a decade, representing the Latinx culture in education, government, business, and sports.
Her journey began after graduating from the University of New Orleans and receiving a fellowship from the Institute of Politics at Loyola University in New Orleans. It continued as she served on countless civic and non-profit boards, expanding her reach and experience.
Determined to develop a way for big brands to reach first-generation US Hispanics and the Latinx community through the authentic voices of podcasters, in 2019 Rita founded the Latina Podcasters, a podcast network group that includes the Latina Podcasters Network (LPN) and Latino Pods.
LP started with 30 podcasts in its network and was in its infancy when Rita lost her day job. Realizing that had to be the catalyst for her success, she used what could have been a big stumbling block to fuel her, and within two years has 50 podcasts in her network and annual revenue of over $1 million.
– DR. BELINDA KENDALL
Dr. Belinda Kendall is a remarkable entrepreneur, healthcare expert, and media personality widely known for her impressive achievements in business, media, and healthcare.
She is currently a Managing Partner with Kendall-Williams, L.P., a prominent consulting firm, where she provides strategic guidance and leadership to help organizations achieve their goals.
Dr. Kendall’s expertise and passion for media have led her to establish two successful companies, Promise Media Group, LLC, and Our Neighborhood Doctor, LLC. Promise Media Group, LLC is a multimedia production company that creates inspiring and informative content for individuals and organizations.
Our Neighborhood Doctor, LLC is a healthcare provider that educates and empowers individuals to take control of their health and well-being.
Dr. Kendall’s outstanding achievements have been recognized by several national magazines.
– MARTA CHEATHAM, MD –
Dr. Cheatham, aka Dr. C, currently serves as a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist in Southern California. Her practice includes providing emergent inpatient and routine outpatient care for underserved populations in several regions of California. She is currently exploring the addition of concierge obstetrics and gynecology services to her portfolio to provide tailored care directly to patients.
Dr. C was born in Washington, D.C. to W. Augustus and Ida Cheatham on Easter Sunday 1967. Family and friends often shared that she always wanted to be a doctor and conducted herself in such a manner. She was influenced by the international missionary stories she heard as a child, often on WGTS radio.
As time passed, the mantra: Mission starts at home, influenced her life’s work and promoted a closer walk with Jesus. Dr. C began her journey by preparing herself for a medical career at Pine Forge Academy and initiated her pre-med studies at the then Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama.
– Lalohni (LA) Campbell –
LA is the founder and CEO of Per/Se Media Group, a small — but mighty — creative communications firm that builds brand visibility, eats the digital/social media beast, and uncovers new ways to drive revenue for leading brands. Client partners range from automotive and consumer goods to nonprofits and technology companies such as Apple & Southern Co.’s PROPEL Innovation Center, BMW, Bronner Bros., Colgate, Operation HOPE, The John Lewis Legacy Foundation, the Atlanta Beltline Partnership, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, among others.
Culled from an Oscar Wilde novel, the name Per Se sums up her ethos: “There’s only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” For more than two decades, LA has been a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most innovative thinkers, business disruptors, and culture influencers. A crisis management expert, she has helped notable brands effectively communicate during times of chaos and change. At the height of the pandemic, LA created a fund to support Beauty & Barber industry professionals, which was largely funded by Procter & Gamble.
– DR. LINDA D. WOODARD –
Dr. Woodard considers herself a Bent Arrow. She began her professional career as a sales/lubrication engineer for a major oil company. In 2005, she became an entrepreneur and president of the LDW Group LLC. In July 2017, Dr. Woodard began working full-time in her business. During that year and the next, the LDW Group LLC won competitive multi-year bids and was selected as the One-Stop Operator for the comprehensive American Job Centers
(AJC) for CareerSource Northeast Florida (Region 8-2017-current) and CareerSource Central Florida (Region 12-2018-2021). The One-Stop Operator ensures that the AJC partners provide a seamless customer-focus delivery from services to customers who utilize the One-Stop Center.
Dr. Woodard has multiple years of experience in workforce and career development. From 2015-2017, Dr. Woodard served as the Associate VP of Workforce Education for Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ).
– LILY GOODWIN –
Lily Goodwin, known by her entertainment name, DJ Lily Jade, an 8-year-old disc jockey and media personality, enjoys ROCKIN’ places with music genres of Top 40, Old School Hip Hop, and R&B, or anything else you’ll find on TikTok.
DJ Lily Jade began her turntable journey in 2020 to bond with her dad (a DJ himself) during the pandemic. The young DJ quickly gained attention through her social media sets and became featured on local news outlets. DJ Lily Jade has performed at virtual activities, collegiate athletic competitions, the City of Cleveland Mayoral events, corporate events, festivals, and a Pre-Game show for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
DJ Lily Jade can be heard every Saturday morning (11 am -12 pm) on the Lily Jade Show at 95.9 FM WOVU, Cleveland. Through her radio show, she has interviewed: the likes of elected officials, athletes, female entrepreneurs, and many more. She served as a Cleveland Cavs Kid Club Jr.
– LESLIE FLEURANGES –
Leslie Fleuranges is the Founder, Owner, and Comforter-in-Chief of
Tender Loving Care Pet Nursing Hotel, a home away from home for anxious, mature, and special needs cats and dogs. TLC also specializes in offering customized, one-on-one dog enrichment activities for pets who need socialization and do not thrive in a group play situation.
Prior to opening this unique business in 2020, Leslie worked for 16 years as a marketing, innovation, and product development leader for Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Topeka, Kansas. She identified key market gaps and led a team in the development of innovative new products for Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet pet food product lines.
Prior to Hill’s, Leslie worked in New York City for several Fortune 500 firms as a marketing and innovation leader. Leslie arrived in Kansas City, MO to work for Hallmark Cards, where she directed a cross-functional innovation team in the $400 million Hallmark Gifts Division; and initiated, developed, and led the highly-successful launch of the Maya Angelou Life Mosaic Card and Gift Line.
– SHEILA MARMON –
Sheila Marmon has a passion for the launch and operation of new businesses in the digital media industry and has created innovative platforms for over 20 years. With a focus on growth markets, her expertise delivers meaningful ROI for diverse publishers, investors, and multinational clients.
As Founder + CEO of Mirror Digital, an interactive media and advertising company, she helps Fortune 500 brands tap into the fastest-growing US consumer base: the multicultural market. Sheila has executed over 800 digital campaigns in this space for clients including AT&T, Clinique, Comcast, Disney, Ford, General Motors, Intel, Macy’s, Procter & Gamble, Universal Pictures, Walmart, and other leading brands.
In addition to entrepreneurship, Sheila’s multi-faceted media career includes leadership roles in operations, new ventures, and finance at Time Warner (now WarnerMedia), Morgan Stanley, and Essence Communications.
– RHONDA CROWDER –
Rhonda Crowder is the CEO of Rhonda Crowder & Associates, a creative services agency that specializes in developing messaging and design strategies for marketing and fundraising campaigns. She is also the associate publisher of Who’s Who in Black Cleveland, a freelance journalist, literacy advocate, and author. She published a murder mystery titled, Riddles, in addition to writing six yet-to-be-released books.
Her career started at the historic Call & Post newspaper where she worked as a general assignment reporter for over a decade after obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in creative writing, editing, and publishing from Cleveland State University.
She currently serves as the president of Greater Cleveland Association of Black Journalists (GCLEABJ) and is vice president of Friendly Inn Settlement board of directors. She coordinates literacy-based initiatives across Cleveland as well.
Rhonda has been awarded a Rotary Group Study Exchange Fellowship and recognized by I CAN Schools, El Hasa Court #47 Women of the Year (2018).
