The List: 25 Women Mobilizing the City of Chicago
Link to the original article on Walker’s Legacy
October 19, 2017
Walker’s Legacy is proud to host its Annual Power25 Award hosted by WeWork, a global company that provides small businesses, startups, freelancers, large enterprises, and everyone in between with the workspace, community, and services they need to make a life.
Recipients of the Walker’s Legacy Power25 Award are women who thrive in an array of industries including technology, media, corporate business, and education. The award celebrates our recipients’ dedication to improving and innovating the Chicago, IL community
Learn more about our 2017 award recipients by viewing the gallery and join us for an engaging evening of empowerment and networking by registering to attend here.
Tarrah Cooper, Managing Director, Mercury
Tarrah Cooper is a seasoned media relations and communications strategist with vast experience in the government, non-profit and corporate sectors. Cooper is the Managing Director at Mercury, a leading global, bipartisan public strategy firm, where she was responsible for the business development and strategic communications at the firm’s new Chicago office. She previously served as a Press Secretary for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. She also worked in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Tarrah shows her commitment to several community organizations including Breakthrough Urban Ministries and the Primo Center for Women and Children where she serves on the board. She earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Tamara Prather, Executive Director, Surge Institute Chicago
Tamara Prather is the managing director and head of marketing at A Better Chicago, a venturing philanthropy fund focused on improving educational opportunities for low-income youth. She also participated in The Broad Residency in Urban Education program in 2013. In Chicago Public Schools, she lead initiatives to increase stakeholder engagement and developed a strategy to improve student achievement during school transitions. Tamara also created the first-ever district-led student advisory council to provide a forum for the CEO and other district leaders to hear the voice of students directly and engage them in hands-on work to help solve problems that concerns students most, such as violence, inequity, and lack of college preparedness. Tamara is a first-generation college graduate, with a B.S. in Business Administration from Ohio State University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Tarrah Cooper, Managing Director, Mercury
Dr. Tabitha Watts is a pediatrician in Chicago, Illinois and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Rush Oak Park Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital. She received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years. Dr. Watts accepts several types of health insurance, listed below. She is one of 4 doctors at Rush Oak Park Hospital and one of 41 at St. Anthony Hospital who specialize in Pediatrics.
Sylvia Puente, Pediatrician at Rush Oak Park Hospital and St. Anthony Hospital
Sylvia Puente currently serves as the Executive Director of the Latino Policy Forum and the convener of the Illinois Latino Agenda. Through the Latino Policy Forum, she works with more than 100 organizational leaders in the Chicago metropolitan region. She has been recognized as one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics in the U.S." by Hispanic Business magazine. Sylvia founded the Latino Leadership Council of the Chicago Foundation for Women, which has raised thousands of dollars to support organizations that provide services to women and girls. She also serves as a board director of Advance Illinois, a public policy agency working to improve education in the State, and was appointed by Governor Quinn to serve as chair of the Education Funding Advisory Board. She received her master's degree studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and received her M.A. from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Migdalia Diaz, Chief Operating Officer, Association – Latino Professionals For America
As Chief Operating Officer of ALPFA, Migdalia’s goal is to create a future where any Latino can look in any direction, in any industry, and find a Latino role model to emulate. Prior to joining ALPFA, Migdalia was the Priority Projects Manager for AIRINC, working with the Operations Committee to prioritize company projects and deliver those projects while also managing two suites of products. Prior to her role at AIRINC, Migdalia worked for 10 years in the International Assignment Solutions Group for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Hartford, Connecticut; Auckland, New Zealand and Boston, Massachusetts offices. She managed clients with small and medium-sized expatriate programs and assisted them with the specific tax compliance, policy and payroll-related issues unique to programs of this size. Migdalia also served in the Connecticut Army National Guard for eight years where she learned the importance of teamwork and of working efficiently. Migdalia graduated with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Connecticut. She has been an active ALPFA member for the past ten years since attending the ALPFA Convention in Miami in 2005. She served as the Chair of Marquee Events and has been the President of the Boston Chapter since October 2013. Under her leadership, the Chapter was recognized in 2014 as the Leading Chapter of the Year by ALPFA and was also honored by El Mundo Newspaper as Community Partner of the year.
Silvia Bonilla, MBA, Director, Small Business Development Center, Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Silvia Bonilla currently serves as Director of the Small Business Development Center at the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and as such, she's an accomplished and respected expert in the field of small business development. She previously worked as an educator in Chicago Public Schools. Silvia also has a passion for international affairs and serves on the Illinois Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and History from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Business Administration. Silvia was born and raised in El Salvador and was drawn to Chicago's delicious food and entrepreneurial spirit.
McGhee Williams Osse, Chief Executive Officer, Burrell Communications
McGhee Williams Osse is a seasoned marketing and advertising professional. She is Co-CEO of Burrell Communications Group, one of the leading and most highly regarded multicultural advertising agencies in the country with annual billings exceeding $200 million and a roster of clients that lead in their respective categories-- including Procter & Gamble, McDonald's, American Airlines, General Mills, Toyota and the SuperValu chain of grocery stores. McGhee holds a B.A. degree from Spelman College and completed post-graduate course work in advertising at the University of South Carolina. She recently completed Boardology Pipeline Training.
Maria Guerra Lapacek, Director of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, City of Chicago
Maria Guerra Lapacek is the Mayor's Director of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, a key office that serves as a liaison with elected officials, government agencies and community organizations at the local, state and federal levels. She previously served as the Commissioner of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP), First Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Counsel and Government Affairs, and a Deputy Chief Financial Officer and in the Office of Management and Budget as a Deputy Budget Director. She received a law degree and MBA from DePaul University and an undergraduate degree from the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
Lizette Williams, Multicultural Marketing Leader, North America, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
As Multicultural Marketing Leader, North America for Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Lizette Williams is responsible for driving the Company’s business objectives to win diverse audiences across the brands that encompass the $6 billion North America business, including Scott®, U by Kotex®, and Huggies.® Prior to her role at Kimberly-Clark, Lizette spent five years at PepsiCo in a variety of traditional marketing roles ranging from leading innovation for the billion-dollar Quaker Oatmeal and Snack Bars businesses to running base business strategy for Quaker Chewy Granola Bars and leading channel customer strategy, with relationship responsibilities for Sam's Club, Walmart, Costco, BJ's and Target. She has been listed in Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40," Advertising Age's "Women to Watch," and Black Enterprise "Top Women Executives in Advertising and Marketing." She is a proud Afro-Latina and Native of New York. Based in Chicago, she serves as Vice President of the Chicago Advertising Federation and chairs the Diversity Committee and also serves on the iHeartMedia Local Advisory Board.
Lauren McCadney Williams, Director of Marketing Delivery, CDW Corporation
Lauren McCadney Williams is a no-holds-barred change junkie with corporate and academic experience, known for her innovative approach to business. Currently, she leads the marketing delivery organization at CDW, orchestrating programs that are marrying digital, search, email, marketing automation, social media and analytics. Ms. McCadney Williams’ commitment to marketing extends to helping the next generation of marketing talent and her teaching assignments have included the University of Illinois, the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University. Her efforts have resulted in several recognitions, including being listed among BtoB Magazine’s top 25 digital marketers, iMedia’s “Top 10 Hottest Digital Marketers” and “Women to Watch in BtoB Marketing” by FierceCMO. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Lauren is an avid photographer. Two of her favorite subjects are her husband, Michael, and their Airedale terrier, Winston.
Kyra Kyles, Co-Founder, Myth Lab Entertainment & Former Editor-in-Chief, EBONY Magazine
Kyra Kyles is a multiplatform media executive and the former EBONY Editor and Chief/Senior Vice President. She originally joined JET magazine in 2011. Prior to these roles, Kyra worked for the Tribune Company's millennial outlet, RedEye. Kyra has been named one of Folio Magazine's Top 100 Media Executives, WVON and Ariel Capital's "Top 40 Under 40 Game Changers" and Chicago Defender's "40 Under 40 to Watch" lists. She won the coveted Jones-Beck Award from the Tribune for her work turning a humble public transit column, "Going Public" into must-read material. She is a proud alumna of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism where she earned two degrees in four years as part of an accelerated master's program.
Kelley O. Cambry, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Paige & Paxton
Kelley Cambry is the co-creator of the Paige & Paxton Elementary STEM curriculum. Their goal is to expose kids in major U.S. cities to STEM education. Kelley was instrumental in leading nationally recognized STEM pipeline programs for girls and youth of color as one of the founding team members of the New York Chapter of Black Girls Code. She was also a lead member of the planning team for #YesWeCode youth hackathons, designed to expose middle and high schools students to opportunities in computer science.
Halleemah Nash, Executive Director, iMentor
Originally from Compton, California Halleemah Nash is a demonstrated leader in all facets of nonprofit leadership. Her drive has contributed to a breadth of experience in public speaking and developing signature community-based outreach programs for universities, government agencies, churches, celebrities, athlete foundations and sports teams. Halleemah Nash made her debut as an influencer on the campus of Howard University where she honed her skills in leadership, networking, and embracing the principle of reaching back as one climbed. Her career in sports philanthropy began as a graduate student charged with developing a community-based program for Duke University Athletics that connected the men’s basketball team with at-risk youth to support mentorship and community engagement. She then joined the Chicago Bulls as Community Relations Assistant where she spearheaded numerous educational and recreational programs for the CharitaBulls Foundation. Halleemah not only utilizes her passion in her professional and entrepreneurial endeavors but also in her community where she is a sought-after public speaker. For two years Halleemah served as Youth Pastor at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and has also addressed audiences at panels, workshops, keynote addresses, commencements, and corporate engagements throughout the United States and abroad. As a motivational speaker, she shares her story of overcoming adversity as an inner-city youth and first-generation college student that graduated with honors and her journey in finding purpose through a life of service. Her story of triumph has connected her with audiences across racial, socioeconomic, and geographic boundaries. A graceful and inspirational force, Halleemah Nash lives by the Mahatma Gandhi quote “Be the change you wish to see in this world.” Her work in sports philanthropy and nonprofit management has been featured in Rolling Out, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR radio, ABC, NBC, and Marie Claire magazine. The author of the book Endless Summer scheduled to be released in 2014, Halleemah Nash shares inspirational messages to encourage balanced living.
Dima Elissa, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, VisMed-3D
Dima Elissa is CEO and founder of VisMed-3D, a biomedical design and consulting firm that uses AI to design, visualize, and 3D print body parts. She was selected by Chicago magazine as one of the top Women in Tech, ChicagoInno's 50 on Fire, MakeItBetter's Top Chicago Women in Science and by Chicago Tribune's BlueSky Vault as one of the Top 100 entrepreneurs in Chicago. As an LGBT White House delegate on Technology and Innovation, an adjunct faculty member teaching Entrepreneurship or as an in-demand speaker, she exemplifies her commitment to giving back and paying it forward. She was recently designated as the American Medical Woman's Association (AMWA) Tech and Innovation Lead under the Diversity, Inclusion & Innovation (DI&I) sector, she is building an accelerator to drive STEM for girls and women seeking healthcare careers or who want to commercialize business ideas to improve the practice of medicine. Dima also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at Harvard College, Board member of mHUB Chicago, President of the Chicago Chapter for Women in Bio, and Chair of the STEM steering committee for the Apareció Foundation. She received her B.A. in Chemistry from Hanover College and an M.B.A. from Texas A&M's May's School of Business with a concentration in Finance.
Dominique Jordan Turner, President & CEO, Chicago Scholars
Dominique Jordan Turner currently serves as the President and CEO of the Chicago Scholars Dream Team. Previously, she was the Chicago Director of the Posse Foundation and the Regional Director of Network Growth for the KIPP Foundation. Additionally, Dominique was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Panama. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University and an M.B.A. from Marquette University.
Geneen Harston, Vice President of News, Rivet Radio
Geneen Harston Coleman is a multimedia professional with experience in television, radio and audio production. She's a veteran of Oprah Radio, The Oprah Winfrey Show, FM News Chicago, WVON-AM, Keep Hope Alive Radio with Jesse Jackson, CBS Radio/WBBM Newsradio 780, and CLTV. Geneen was a member of the inaugural class of the Online New's Association-Poynter Leadership Academy Women in Digital Media. She is a Chicago native and a graduate of the Unversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Amara Enyia, Principal, ACE Municipal Partners, LLC
Amara C. Enyia is a public policy consultant who writes exclusively on issues of community and economic development, public policy, and systems thinking. She is a regular radio contributor for "The Commentators" segment on WVON 1690 AM where she provides commentary on local, national and international policy and politics. Dr. Enyia has municipal government experience in several policy areas and has worked as an education researcher, evaluator and policy advocate. She served as Executive Director for the nonprofit Austin Coming Together. She currently serves on the Board of the Illinois Commission for Diversity and Human Relations and serves on the Executive Leadership Team of 1919, an organization created for women in technology and entrepreneurship. She received Bachelor's degrees in Broadcast Journalism, Political Science, and News Editorial with concentrations in History and Philosophy. She also received a law degree focusing on International Law and development as well as contracts and negotiations. She holds a Masters’s Degree in Education and received a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies.
Ayesha Jaco, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Lupe Fiasco Foundation
Ayesha Jaco is a Co-Founder of MU.R.A.L. (Magnifying Urban Realities and Affecting Lives) and she previously served as the Director of the Lupe Fiasco Foundation. Ayesha is the founder of Move Me Soul, a dance company that provides teens and young adults with professional dance training and life skill development. She is a faculty member at Northeastern Illinois University, Jacob Carruthers Center for Inner-City Studies. She was recently awarded a Freedom Fighter Award from the DuSable Museum for African American History for her community and youth development efforts. Ayesha holds a Bachelor of Science in Dance and Mass Communication from Illinois State University and a Masters of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago.
Dr. Joyce Valeria Brown, Founder, Joyce V. Brown Consulting Group, LLC
Dr. Joyce V. Brown is an experienced educator with professional service in the areas of school counseling, student support initiatives, and curriculum development. Serving within the 3rd largest district in the United States, Chicago Public Schools, she has been a teacher, counselor and district director of school counselors. Under the direction of Superintendent, Arne Duncan, (currently the United States Secretary of Education and Greg Darnieder, currently Senior Advisor to the Secretary on the College Access Initiatives), she designed and led a professional development initiative to repurpose high school counselors to increase college and career readiness. In 2005, the Illinois School Counselor Association (ISCA) recognized Chicago Public Schools as the most outstanding counseling program in the state. Retiring in 2008, she has served as a national consultant to the US Department of Education FAFSA Tracking Initiative, College Board, National Office of School Counselor Advocacy, Education Trust and Chicago Public Schools. She is the Lead Partner of Joyce V. Brown Consulting Group, an organization that provides coaching and leadership training to schools and school districts across the nation. Dr. Brown’s research interest centers on transition practices between grades 8 and 9, with a special focus on personalization and relationship building to support student achievement and decreased dropout rates, as 9th-grade students enter high school. She has created a 12 Touch High School Transition Model© and was at the forefront of designing, leading and implementing Freshman Connection, a Chicago Public Schools four-week summer transition program for 31,500 eighth grade students.
Carmen McDonald, Founder, Design Tech
Carmen has had a love affair with all things design as early as she could remember. Formally trained in Architecture she transitioned to a career in Web & Graphic Design, as her career progressed, she found herself immersed in user experience design and information architecture. Carm is currently Sr. Product Designer at CDW and teaches UX Design part-time at General Assembly.
Candice Smith, Director Global Engineering & External Technical Affiliations, Boeing
As an electrical engineer at Boeing, Candice Smith has worked on many challenging projects from integrating the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing system into the aft seat of a F/A-18 fighter jet to architecting a controller that could control autonomous and manned air/ground vehicles. Her advice to African-American women interested in engineers is just to get started. Get started in your pursuit and stick with it. She believes there is an incredible community of diverse women in STEM and supporters of women in STEM who have done great things, will do great things, and is willing to reach back to champion their success.
Dr. Dorene P. Wiese, , Chief Executive Officer at American Indian Association of Illinois
Diana Palomar, Vice President, Community Affairs, ABC7 Chicago
Palomar is all about making connections: On the job, she’s a news station’s public liaison, and when she’s not working, she’s mentoring young women, a role she considers one of her most important. “You never know how what you say or do can impact another person,” she says. “It makes you more thoughtful in how you live your life.” A widow with no children, Palomar’s on the board of the National Museum of the Mexican Arts, Metro Family Services, YWCA and Casa Centrale.
Vickey Montgomery Head of Industry, Auto, & Real Estate, Google
Rika Lee, Chief Operating Officer, Betty Shabazz International Charter School
