WAYNE DAILEY
Wayne Dailey is an award-winning Creative Director from the Los Angeles market, where he provided 36 years of graphic design services. Dailey was Art Director/Traffic Manager of Creative Services at the Los Angeles Times for 20 years.
He also worked in the cosmetic and entertainment industries, including providing art direction for 10 years to the ten-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan. Dailey returned to his hometown, Cleveland, OH, in 2016 and became a GCLEABJ member. He provides Creative Direction/Consulting to Rhonda Crowder & Associates LLC, where he advocates for the fight against illiteracy and designs magazines, book publications, and teaches 9th-12th Graders graphic design.
Dailey’s recent career highlights include his positions as Creative Director for Cleveland Reads and Art Director/Annual Reports for the Cleveland Indians (Guardians).
HEATHER BEASLEY
Heather Beasley graduated from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, where she double majored in Secondary Education and History and minored in Black Studies. After completing her undergraduate studies, Heather completed two years of AmeriCorps service with College Now Greater Cleveland as an AmeriCorps College Guide. Upon service completion, she was hired as a full-time advisor. Heather has steadily advanced at College Now, and as the Director of Advising Programs and Services, she oversees ten federally funded programs serving various high schools in Northeast Ohio with a combined budget of $2.4 million.
Heather received her Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Tiffin University. She is an active member of several organizations and is the First Vice President of Lambda Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
MARK AKINS
Mark Akins is an author, sales professional, speaker, volunteer, certified mental health first aider, workshop facilitator, father, and husband. As founder of Gratifying Expressions LLC, Mark Akins believes that everyone has the right to express themselves.
Even though you are free to express yourself, do it in a way that makes others grateful that you did it. Mark dedicates his time and energy to challenging the perception of others. We are constantly told what to think and tested on what to remember. But when are we taught how to think on our own? Challenge your perception.
AARON JETER
Aaron Jeter currently teaches African American and World History at Solon High School since being hired in 2005. Before that, he taught history in Cleveland and in the Washington D.C. area for two years each. A graduate of Beachwood High School and Ohio University where he received a full athletic scholarship playing Division 1 Football, Aaron graduated from Ohio University’s Patton College, School of Education where he also had the opportunity to teach high school abroad in Ghana, West Africa for 6 months and was part of a business internship in Hong Kong for two months before graduating in 2001.
While at Solon High School, he helped to start the AP Psychology Program, African American Culture Club, and most recently partnered with Kent State University’s Africana Studies Department and will be teaching the first CCP (college credit plus) humanities African American History course in Solon High School.
as a nonpaid adjunct professor because he graduated last month from Cleveland State with his Master of Arts in History. This course will give Solon students 6 college credits upon graduating high school and save them nearly $5K in the process. Aaron Jeter is a proud dad of his two children Aubrey and Zachary, and helped to co-author a book published last year titled, “Let Us Make A Man, The Black Man’s Guide to Creating A Life of Significance, Impact, and Power.” Aaron is currently active in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Cleveland graduate chapter, a historically black fraternity, where he started the annual Zeta Omega 5K Run/Walk six years ago helping to raise nearly $10K for underserved senior high school students to receive college scholarships. When not teaching, Aaron enjoys running (running 11 full marathons), traveling with his children, and practicing the grappling martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
I love what I do, I enjoy what I do, and I thank those who’ve paid the way for me prior to instilling in me great knowledge about the business, the kitchen, the politics, and the ins and outs of the food industry.
