Dr. Portia Preston Helps ‘Strong’ Black Women Legislators and Leaders Manage the Hustle
Portia Jackson Preston, PHD, is the founder and CEO of Empowered to Exhale, where she works with individuals and organizations to create a culture of sustainable wellness and performance. As an associate professor of public health at California State University, Fullerton, she focuses on inclusive approaches to wellness and creates innovative programming to support students, faculty, and staff. Portia holds a BA in cultural and social anthropology from Stanford University, a master's of public health from the University of Michigan, and a doctorate of public health from
Lisa Harrison Named Board Society Ambassador of American Heart Association Metro Detroit Division
Lisa Harrison, senior sales immunology specialist at Johnson & Johnson, has been appointed to serve as Society Ambassador of the American Heart Association’s Metro Detroit Board of Directors. In this role, Harrison will lead a group of health care, business, and community leaders in driving the Association’s mission in Metro Detroit and advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Harrison began her two-year term as board society ambassador on July 1. “The eradication of heart disease in our communities is deeply personal for me,” Harrison said. “My beloved father
Detroit’s Own Johnathon Banks Returns to Kronk to Empower Next Generation of Champions
On August 1, the hallowed red and gold walls of the Kronk Boxing Community Center echoed with the sounds of gloves snapping, shoes sliding, and laughter rising. But beyond the flurry of jabs and footwork, something deeper was unfolding. World-renowned boxing trainer and former heavyweight contender Johnathon Banks, a proud son of Detroit and product of the legendary Kronk gym, returned home to host a free, one-day youth boxing camp that combined athletic instruction with powerful life lessons. Dozens of local boys and girls, many stepping into the
Nothing stops Kahlil Darden: Champion of Young Black Kings and Queens
Kahlil Darden is the force behind Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens. He’s a 2019 Penn Hills High School graduate, a 2024 Clark Atlanta University graduate, and tireless community voice for the youth and young adults of the region. He also received the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 under 40 award on May 9, as part of the Class of 2025. He’s just 24 years old. He’s doing a lot and going places - fast. And, just when they say there’s nothing for the kids to do in
Mariah Stackhouse is a Driving Force for Minority Women in LPGA
Is there any club more closed to Black women than professional golf? The answer is yes
Dr. Daren Ellerbee Named CEO of Pittsburgh Scholar House
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Dr. Daren Ellerbee has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh Scholar House. Pittsburgh Scholar House (PSH) is an affiliate of the Family Scholar House based in Louisville, Ky. A respected leader and Pittsburgh native, Dr. Ellerbee most recently served as the head of the Pittsburgh Innovation Team for the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. In her new role, she will focus on elevating and expanding PSH as a critical leader and resource within the
UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax Receives GSV’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Lomax joins the ranks of legendary pioneers, recognizing a lifetime of transformative leadership advancing the future of education through innovation, partnership, and purpose. Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and chief executive officer of the UNCF, was honored recently with the prestigious GSV 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego—one of the world’s leading convenings of education, innovation, and impact. One of the nation’s foremost thought-leaders on HBCUs and higher education, Lomax has led UNCF in its efforts to engineer partnerships with reform-focused leaders and
Karen Morrison Named Foreword Writer for 19th Edition of Who’s Who In Black Columbus
Date: August 6, 2025 COLUMBUS, OH — Who’s Who In Black Columbus is proud to announce Karen Jefferson Morrison, President of the OhioHealth Foundation and Senior Vice President at OhioHealth, as the official foreword writer for the publication’s upcoming 19th edition. With more than 30 years of leadership at OhioHealth, Morrison is a respected healthcare executive, lobbyist, and philanthropist whose influence spans local, state, and national platforms. She leads strategy for external relations, overseeing community health, government affairs, and corporate reinvestment for one of the nation's top ten
Black Podcaster Colah B. Tawkin Keeps it Green — and Real
By Aaron Foley With a hit podcast, “Black in the Garden,” Colah B. Tawkin connects Black people to the healing properties of plant life and nature, dispelling stereotypes in the process. Tawkin is a self-taught expert on gardens, flowers, horticulture, botanicals and different types of plants. Her relationship with nature began with her childhood in Jacksonville, Florida. Each week, Colah B. Tawkin takes to the digital airwaves to celebrate Black people’s relationship with nature, dropping knowledge about plant life. Tawkin — that’s a stage name, if you haven’t caught it —
Detroit’s Young Investors Are Being Mentored Into Million-Dollar Mindsets
By the time most kids are learning how to open a lunchbox, Gail Perry-Mason’s young “investors” are learning how to open a stock portfolio. Across the city of Detroit, where wealth gaps have long been written off as inevitable, Money Matters for Youth is reshaping the narrative with a blueprint that starts early, builds intentionally, and reaches far beyond bank balances. What Perry-Mason has built goes far beyond a seasonal program thrown together for show. It’s a cultural shift in motion—rooted in legacy, powered by purpose,