She Wins: Jennifer King Makes History as First NFL Black Female Assistant Coach
By Sherri Kolade Washington D.C.’s Washington’s Football Team did the thing recently by naming Jennifer King their assistant running backs coach for the 2021-2022 football season, according to an article from Essence Magazine. This hire resonated all the more because it made King the first Black female assistant in the NFL. King previously coached parts of three seasons as an intern, has a lengthy background working for the NFL, too. She was a participant in the NFL’s coaching clinics from 2015 to 2018, and she attended the NFL Women’s
Black Women Keep Something Brewing: Rosalind Brewer named new CEO of Walgreens
By Ashley Stevenson On March 15th, 2021 Rosalind Brewer will be named the new CEO of Fortune 500 Company, Walgreens. Brewer, currently COO of Starbucks and former CEO of Sam’s Club is a graduate of Cass Technical High School, located in Detroit, MI. She went on to graduate from Spelman and then Stanford Law School before becoming the first Black Woman to serve as Starbucks’ CEO and sit on the board of Amazon. In 2018, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Brewer during her address at the Sankofa
Black Woman Takes Over as Chief of U.S. Capitol Police
NNPA Newswire — Yogananda Pittman, a Morgan State graduate, takes over as acting Chief of the 2,300-member U.S. Capitol Police just one week after the violent insurrection desecrated American democracy. By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent A Black woman now has the task of restoring order at the U.S. Capitol. Yogananda Pittman, a Morgan State graduate, takes over as acting Chief of the 2,300-member U.S. Capitol Police just one week after the violent insurrection desecrated American democracy. The riot agitated by President Donald Trump on January 6 resulted
Tonya Allen to Leave The Skillman Foundation For New Pathway at Helm of McKnight Foundation
By Sherri Kolade Tonya Allen, The Skillman Foundation’s president & CEO since 2014, will be leaving her prestigious position to lead the McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she confirmed in a phone interview with the Michigan Chronicle recently. The Detroit-based Skillman Foundation children’s philanthropy helps the city’s youth achieve their highest aspirations. “Tonya has been a force at The Skillman Foundation and in Detroit. Representing the Foundation, she has held a laser focus on children and Detroit as CEO for the last seven years, including taking on leadership roles in
Biden-Harris team appoints more African Americans to influential positions
Monday, Nov. 30, was a big day for African Americans and national politics. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced members of its initial senior leadership team who will lead their Presidential Inaugural Committee. The committee is tasked with organizing activities surrounding the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20, 2021. Two of the members are African American; Tony Allen, Ph.D., who will serve as CEO, and Erin Wilson, who will serve as Deputy Executive Director. Also on Nov. 30, the Biden/Harris team announced the nominations of Wally Adeyemo
Archbishop Wilton Gregory Becomes First Black American Cardinal in the Catholic Church
By Danielle Sanders Archbishop Wilton Gregory becomes the first Black American Cardinal in the Catholic church’s history. Archbishop Gregory was born and raised in Chicago and ordained a priest in 1973. A product of the Englewood neighborhood, he grew up in a family that was not Catholic. They converted to Catholicism while in Catholic School. He attended Quigley Seminary, Niles College, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary school in Mundelein. He earned his doctorate in sacred liturgy in Rome from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute before returning to
Graham Media Group Hires Caroline Chambers As Senior Director, Diversity & Inclusion
Graham Media Group today announced that Caroline Chambers will join the company as its first Senior Director, Diversity & Inclusion effective November 2. Most recently, Chambers was the Vice President, National Director of Diversity Initiatives for Comerica Bank. In that role, she was responsible for internal and external diversity program management including market segment business development teams, employee resource network groups, diversity training, image consulting and philanthropic outreach to diverse communities. Prior to that, Chambers also served as Comerica Bank’s Vice President, National Director of Corporate Contributions and Charitable
REAL TIMES MEDIA NAMES DYANNA KNIGHT LEWIS REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT
Real Times Media (RTM) is proud to announce Dyanna Knight Lewis as Regional Vice President. In her new role, Dyanna will serve as a liaison with selected national RTM clients and be a central resource for all things digital, marketing, and special events. Dyanna will continue to oversee chicagodefender.com as the publisher. Dyanna Knight Lewis is a thirteen-year media professional and veteran employee at Chicago Defender, beginning her career as a senior account executive and climbing the corporate ladder. In Dyanna's recent position as Vice President of Chicago
Comcast promotes Dalila Wilson-Scott to chief diversity officer
Ms. Wilson-Scott will oversee all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion activities for the corporation. She will also continue to lead the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation and the company’s community impact work. “Dalila is a fantastic leader and passionate advocate and supporter of our corporate social responsibility efforts, which have been at the heart of our company for decades,” said Mr. Roberts. “In her new role, she will build on our strong foundation, partnering with leadership teams across our organization to continue to make our company and culture more inclusive, and
VICE MEDIA GROUP NAMES VETERAN BRAND EXECUTIVE NADJA BELLAN-WHITE AS GLOBAL CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
VICE Media Group CEO Nancy Dubuc announced that the company has appointed veteran marketing, brand and communications leader Nadja Bellan-White to its executive leadership team in the role of Global Chief Marketing Officer. Bellan-White will be the first to assume the newly-created global position, uniting VICE Media Group’s portfolio and teams across marketing, branding and communications internationally under one pillar. She will be responsible for aligning the company’s worldwide brand narrative across its five businesses and will amplify VICE’s authority as the world’s leading youth media brand, maximizing