December 2021

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Sharon Y. Bowen made history this month, becoming the first Black woman to chair the New York Stock Exchange Board. Bowen has a nearly 40-year career in corporate transactional law and is no stranger to making history. In 2014, Bowen became the first African American appointed Commissioner of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Appointed by former President Barack Obama, Commissioner Bowen served until 2017. Bowen’s expansive career began as a corporate and transactional law associate at Davis, Polk & Wardwell before she became a partner at Latham & Watkins. Throughout

By Cherranda Smith, Black Information Network Mary McLeod Bethune was the daughter of formerly enslaved African people, a dedicated educator and advisor to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and her legacy will now live on at the nation's capitol. According to NBC News, a statue of Bethune will be replacing a Confederate general to represent the state of Florida at the nation's capitol. This replacement is historic, marking the first time an African American represents a state at the National Statuary Hall located within the US Capitol building. Bethune's trailblazing legacy will be eternalized in an 11-foot, 6,000 pound

Accomplished actor, director, educator and lifelong children’s literacy advocate LeVar Burton will serve as host of the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the televised semifinals on June 1 and finals on June 2, 2022, near Washington, D.C. Burton has won Emmy and Grammy awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He will serve as grand marshal of the Jan. 1, 2022, Rose Bowl Parade, themed “Dream. Believe. Achieve.” He has entertained generations as former host and executive producer of PBS’s “Reading Rainbow” (1983-2006); starring as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed television miniseries “Roots”

By Sherri Kolade The adage, “less is more” applies perfectly to this holiday shopping season for those ready to risk it all and overspend during this time that shouldn’t be taxing on your finances. Granted, during the holiday season, it’s easy to overspend on family, friends and other loved ones who made our nice list this Christmastime — especially when you see their eyes light up as they open their gifts from you. But this Christmas might be even trickier to navigate financially as prices increase and product shortages

Taco Bell announced that it has appointed Sean Tresvant as its Global Chief Brand Officer, effective January 10, 2022. Tresvant will lead Taco Bell into a new age of transformative global marketing, spearheading boundary-pushing, multi-dimensional efforts that drive culture, initiate change and create impact. From strategic omni channel initiatives to digital customer touchpoints, he will further elevate and differentiate the Taco Bell fan experience as the brand continues redefining innovation in its industry. Tresvant brings more than a decade of marketing success from his time with Nike as the

ATLANTA - Keisha Taylor Starr has been hired as chief marketing officer for Scripps Networks, effective Jan. 3, 2022. Taylor Starr will set the vision and lead marketing strategies across the portfolio of the nine Scripps national networks as well as direct the marketing, brand strategy, and creative for each network. She will be based in Atlanta and will report to Lisa Knutson, president of Scripps Networks. “Keisha is a remarkably talented executive whose multi-faceted experience marketing top brands and programming across multiple platforms will be a tremendous asset

Liberty Mutual Insurance Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Long today announced that Damon Hart has been named Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, effective Jan. 1, 2022. With this appointment, Hart joins the company’s executive leadership team and will report to Long. Previously, Hart was promoted to Deputy Chief Legal Officer in 2020 and prior to this, served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for litigation and coverage, overseeing the interests of Liberty Mutual and providing enterprise-wide coverage advice and opinions. Damon also spent

Today, Amazon announced it is committing more than $21 million to pilot a professional training, mentorship, and capital funding program to help promote real estate developers of color. This two-year, part-time professional development program, which is free for participants, aims to teach real estate developers of color how to advance their careers. It also aims to lower the barriers these developers can face when bidding for affordable housing developments. The goal of the program is to increase the number of professional real estate developers of color who are focused

ID.me, the secure digital identity network with 65 million members, announced it has appointed Erin Teague to its Board of Directors. Teague's experience leading the development of consumer-friendly technology will strengthen ID.me's commitment to "No Identity Left Behind," simplifying how all individuals securely prove and share their identity online. Teague currently serves as Google's director of product management at YouTube, where she leads several product verticals, including Racial Justice and Sports. She is also responsible for creating the YouTube Virtual Reality (VR) app, which is top-rated across VR platforms. For

CINCINNATI (December 2, 2021) – Cheryle Harrison has been appointed the head of Bounce, the nation’s popular entertainment television network serving African Americans.  Harrison has served in various roles at Bounce since it was launched in 2011 as the first Katz network. She will now be responsible for the overall strategic vision for Bounce, including brand strategy, programing, marketing, social media, digital and community relations. She is based in Atlanta and reports to Lisa Knutson, president of Scripps Networks. “Cheryle has been a driving force in Bounce’s development, growth and success since