Lawyer Ashley Kirkwood hangs up a new shingle to assist Black women in business
Former trial lawyer Ashley Kirkwood is preparing to welcome 1,000 Black women entrepreneurs and professionals to Black Women Sell Live® 2026, a three-day sales and business conference taking place Sept. 25–27 at the Omni Hotel in Atlanta. Kirkwood left a $300,000 partner-track legal career to become an entrepreneur and founded the sales training company Speak Your Way To Cash® in 2018. A Northwestern Law graduate, she previously worked as a federal trial attorney and at Kirkland & Ellis. Her first Speak Your Way To Cash Live event attracted just
Meet the maverick who left her ‘good government job’ to grow a lucrative rental company
Lakeesha Bussey, a retired Army veteran, former financial analyst, and longtime federal employee, is now the founder of Park Play Party, a six-figure party rental and children’s entertainment company. She is also the founder of Bussey Events, an event venue company with locations in Maple Heights and Northfield, Ohio, and Party Side Hustle, an education platform created to help others build profitable party businesses. She started ParkPlayParty with a vision of making children’s celebrations easier and more memorable for families. Her company provides character entertainment, bounce houses, concessions, tables
Tribute to a global visionary: The extraordinary life of Dr. Karl Dwight Gregory
Dr. Sheila T. Gregory There are lives whose influence is so expansive that telling their story means telling the story of a city, a movement, and a nation. Dr. Karl Dwight Gregory, born March 26, 1931, stands among the most consequential yet understated figures in American public life. Economist, civil rights strategist, educator, institution builder, soldier, and global advocate, he dedicated his life to advancing justice through intellectual rigor, community service, and institution building. His journey connected Detroit, Washington, D.C., Ann Arbor, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean, yet
Simone Price of Center for Employment Opportunities announced as 2026-2027 Obama Foundation Leader
Simone Price today announced her acceptance to The Obama Foundation’s Leaders program, joining more than 150 changemakers from around the world in the 2026-2027 class. Following a competitive selection process, Simone will be one of 50 Leaders participating in the Leaders USA program, where they will receive training in values-based leadership development to strengthen their skills and scale their work across public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Price is the director of advocacy and organizing at the Center for Employment Opportunities, a nonprofit organization where she leads advocacy and
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
Jay Butler’s decades-long Detroit radio run concludes
More than 60 years after he became a leading voice in the Detroit radio market, Jay Butler retired from WDET 101.9 FM radio on Aug. 2. “This is it,” Butler declared toward the end of his final broadcast. “Before I go, I need to say thank you to the people of Detroit. Thank you for accepting me… I was just a small-time country boy from Jackson, Tennessee. You took me into your homes with open arms. I took me into your kitchens, your living rooms, your cars on
Maurice Fears Sr. named new executive director of 125-year-old Chicagoland nonprofit
Off The Street Club recently announced the appointment of Maurice Fears, Sr. as its new Executive Director, effective August 3, 2026. Fears brings more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience – including multiple executive roles at major Chicago area youth service organizations – to Off The Street Club, a storied 125 yer-old nonprofit committed to the care and development of the Second City's young people. Off The Street Club provides hope, opportunity and guidance so that disadvantaged youth in Chicago and its nearby suburbs can unlock their
Clifford Pointer III shocks sports world, makes history at AAU Junior Olympic Games
An 8-year-old Chicago track athlete is drawing national attention after delivering a record-setting performance at the 2026 AAU Junior Olympic Games held at Drake University in Des Moines, IA. Clifford Pointer III, a member of Chicago's Gately Park Athletic Club, captured the 9-year-old boys' 400-meter championship title at the AAU Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa, running 58.70 seconds and breaking the previous AAU Junior Olympic Games record of 59.25, which had stood for 10 years. For Gately Park Athletic Club, however, Pointer III's record is just one part
Kyaien O. Conner is the new Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Kyaien O. Conner has been named the dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work following a comprehensive national search. A nationally recognized scholar, educator and leader, Conner assumed her new role on July 15, 2026. Conner (A&S ’02; SOC WK ’04G, ’08G; SPH ’07G) is a four-time Pitt graduate, having earned a BS in psychology from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, MSW from the School of Social Work, MPH with a specialization in minority
North Lawndale College Prep CEO Jemia Cunningham-Elder Named to Class of Leadership Greater Chicago Signature Fellows
Jemia Cunningham-Elder, Chief Executive Officer of North Lawndale College Prep, has been selected to join the 2027 Class of Signature Fellows with Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC). She is one of just 43 leaders chosen region-wide for the organization’s premier civic leadership development program. “I am honored to be named to the 2027 Class of Signature Fellows,” said Cunningham-Elder. “Leading North Lawndale College Prep has taught me that our scholars’ futures aren’t only shaped by what happens inside our walls. They’re shaped by housing policy, economic opportunity and decisions