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...

Who’s Who In Black Cleveland is proud to announce that nationally recognized board leader, retired banking executive, and distinguished civic leader Margot James Copeland will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 18th Edition unveiling and networking reception on August 31, 2026, at the InterContinental Cleveland. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose leadership, service, and impact have created lasting change in their communities and beyond. Throughout a remarkable...

Who’s Who In Black Cleveland proudly announces that Vanessa L. Whiting, President of A.E.S. Management Corp., attorney, investor, and civic leader, will author the foreword for the upcoming 18th edition of Who’s Who In Black Cleveland. The 18th edition will celebrate the achievements, leadership, and impact of Black professionals and entrepreneurs throughout Northeast Ohio while continuing the publication’s tradition of honoring Black excellence across the region. “Ms. Whiting’s long...

By Sherri Kolade Photo by P. A. Greene  Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead’s upbringing in two worlds—Washington, DC’s chocolate city and South Carolina’s quiet dirt roads—shaped her story of race and identity. Summers spent on her grandparents’ farm in Lexington, South Carolina revealed the racial dynamics of the South, while WDC nurtured her intellectual growth and pride in her Black heritage.  After earning a history degree from HBCU Lincoln University,...

BY RHONDA CROWDER, PHOTO BY L EWI S B U R R E L L Raised by a renowned TV journalist father and a mother who made her career as a reading specialist and educator, it’s only natural Alison Bibb-Carson would develop a knack for communication arts, particularly writing and speaking well. And although many expected her to follow in her dad’s TV news footsteps, she set out to...