Chicago’s Lyle Logan’s dedication to service is created for times like these
After 45 years in the banking industry, former Vice Chairman of Northern Trust Lyle Logan retired in 2025 to enjoy a life of service on seeral different fronts. His professional career may be coming to a close, but his commitment to the community remains as strong as ever. As a lifelong Chicagoan, Lyle was raised in a family that gave back. “My parents were teachers, and we were actively involved in the community. We ended up working with organizations that had been supported by United Way,” Lyle said. Lyle
From Janitorial Work to CEO: Steve Hightower Shares His Success Story
Stephen “Steve” Hightower founded Hightowers Petroleum Co. in 1982, continuing a family legacy of entrepreneurism that began in 1957 with the establishment of the family’s cornerstone business. From those humble beginnings and through persistence, drive and determination, Steve methodically began to grow his wholesale fuel distribution business into an energy solutions enterprise that today is recognized throughout North America for its customer service, integrity, creative fuel distribution model and expert handling of complex upstream and downstream issues. Hightower got his start working in his family’s janitorial business. Decades later,
Ashley LaLonde Talks Making History, ‘Dirty Dancing’ and Returning to Chicago
For Ashley LaLonde, returning to Chicago is a homecoming celebration. LaLonde, who previously performed in the national tour of Hamilton, is returning to the James M. Nederlander Theatrethis September with the new stage production of Dirty Dancing: The Musical. In the production, she plays Elizabeth, a brand-new character created specifically for this adaptation. The role also marks another meaningful chapter, as she made history in 2019 as the first Black woman and one of the first six women cast in Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. In a conversation with The Chicago Defender, LaLonde opened
Kwanza Jones makes history as first Black woman to become majority owner of MLB franchise
By Noral Parham History was made in Major League Baseball this August as Kwanza Jones and her husband, José E. Feliciano, were officially introduced as the new principal owners of the San Diego Padres following a record-breaking $3.9 billion transaction. With the unanimous approval of the league’s owners, Jones became the first Black woman to be a majority owner in an MLB franchise, marking a historic milestone in professional baseball.Feliciano also marked a significant league milestone in the transaction, becoming the second Latino majority owner in baseball
Meet the Black Woman Leading Maryland’s Public Defenders
A first-generation Haitian American, Natasha Dartigue reflects on faith, representation, poverty, public safety, and why communities — not just police — shape justice. by Rev. Dorothy Boulware Natasha Dartigue never expected to spend three decades defending people accused of crimes. After graduating from Howard University School of Law, she imagined returning home to New York after a few years in Baltimore. Instead, a year-long clerkship with Judge Roger Brown, the late Baltimore Circuit Court jurist, changed the direction of her life and placed her on a path of public service. Late