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Angel Reese plans to retire her mother. Reese, born in Randallstown, MD, on May 6, 2002, to Michael Reese and Angel Webb Reese, has grown into an influential athlete, already making her mark in the WNBA by holding the record for most single-season rebounds — before being surpassed by A’ja Wilson. Reese’s athletic genes come from her parents , both of whom played basketball in college. Her mother, Angel Webb Reese, played for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also had a professional career in Luxembourg. Michael Reese played at Boston College and Loyola University (Maryland) before competing overseas in Luxembourg, Austria, and Portugal, mentions USA Basketball. “My whole family played basketball. My aunts played basketball, my brother plays basketball, my grandparents played basketball. So, it kind of was like, ‘You’re gonna do this,’” Reese told Just Women’s Sports. Unsurprisingly, Reese picked up...
Ira Salls is an inspiration for her history-making role as a McDonald’s franchisee. Salls, a Cincinnati, OH, native, graduated from Northern Illinois University and later earned both an MBA and a master’s degree in public administration from Northwestern University. She secured her franchise title in 1991, as she explained during an interview with WHAS 11 in 2021. Before becoming an owner and operator, she first worked at the fast-food chain as an accountant. “I was hired by McDonald’s because I already had a degree and (was) a CPA. McDonald’s was forward thinking, and they wanted Black CPAs working in their accounting department,” she recalled to the outlet. Salls’ pivot to owning her own McDonald’s locations led her to become the first Black woman franchisee of the chain in Kentucky and Indiana in 1991, the Louisville Business Journal reports. She would go on to become one of the company’s most successful operators, managing six locations in Louisville, KY. She also understood the...
Tori Bell is helping companies ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not an afterthought. Interest In DEI Work The Agnes Scott College graduate’s interest in DEI work was sparked during her early career stages in investment banking in Atlanta, GA, at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. She served as an analyst and associate program manager between 2012 and 2015, managing the summer analyst program, her LinkedIn mentions. She later joined Jopwell, a career platform for minority students and professionals. The platform had received backing from a number of investors, including Magic Johnson, who had participated in a $3.25 million seed round in 2016, according to Inc. magazine. “What I saw during my time there was that you can hire diverse individuals into these major companies, but if they’re not prepared to support them i t’s kind of like you’re yelling into a void, ” Bell told AFROTECH™. “You’re not really doing much to move the needle, because you’re going to see turnover...
Nikki Fargas and Keia Clarke are making history in the WNBA! According to Diverse Representation, the duo are currently the only Black women holding CEO or president roles in the league. Both women have proven to be enhancers to their respective teams. Since 2021, Fargas, a former University of Tennessee student athlete, has held the position of president of the Las Vegas Aces, bringing valuable experience from her tenure as head coach at Louisiana State University, where she led the team to six NCAA Tournament appearances, notes Just Women’s Sports. Speaking of her appointment in a news release, Fargas said, “We are going to do everything in our power to make our front office the best in the business and provide our players with all the tools they need to bring a championship to Las Vegas.” Fargas fulfilled that promise in 2022 when the Las Vegas Aces earned their first WNBA championship. What’s more, they doubled that feat by winning again in 2023. View this post on Instagram A...
Jessica Taylor has landed her coffee product in a new major retailer. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Taylor, a former Toyota diversity, equity, and inclusion business partner, became the founder of Ezra Coffee in 2021. The idea for the company stemmed from a soy and nut allergy developed by her sister who was also lactose intolerant. Taylor started conjuring recipes on a stove top, creating flavors that could be enjoyed without milk-based creamers. That passion and drive has now grown into an array of products sold through Ezra Coffee such as Candied Yams and Toasted Southern Pecan light roast coffee, as listed on its website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ezra Coffee Company (@ezracoffeeco) Since launching, the company has secured placements in Target’s online store and was also stocked in more than 40 Texas-based H-E-B stores by October 2023. “This has been such a labor of love and an amazing experience, and I can truly say I could have not done this with out you...
Sheena Allen has announced the closure of a venture supporting unbanked communities. Since 2018, Allen has been the founder of CapWay, a mobile bank inspired by her upbringing in Terry, MS, a small town near Jackson, where there was only one bank at the time. “Jackson has some of the highest rates of unbanked residents in the United States,” Allen previously told AFROTECH™ . “I was very familiar with people not having fair or proper access to mainstream financial services and products.” Creating a solution, CapWay offered savings tools and allowed users to cash checks, establish checking accounts, and send money from their phones, as AFROTECH™ reported. Allen also believed the fintech company’s offerings geared for underserved communities were essential back in 2018 given that she felt this area had been overlooked by Silicon Valley. “Silicon Valley’s definition of real-world problems and everyone else’s definition of real-world problems are not the same,” Allen said. “They live in...
Serena Page could soon be stepping into the haircare industry. Page is the Season 6 winner of Peacock’s “Love Island USA” alongside her boyfriend, Kordell Beckham. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the pair split a prize pool of $100,000 for their victory. Since leaving the show’s villa, opportunities have been endless with partnerships that include NYX Cosmetics, Dunkin’ Donuts, Spotify, and Cécred. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CÉCRED (@cecred) During the ESSENCE GU Disruptor Summit held in Atlanta, GA, on Oct. 12, 2024, Page revealed that while she is in her influencer bag she hopes to step into her businesswoman era by 2025. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Girls United (@essencegu_) Her desires could materialize into leading her own haircare line, which is already in the works. This wouldn’t be her first step into entrepreneurship as she ran a braiding business for four years when she attended the University of Texas at San Antonio. As a result of her...
It is no secret that women face more challenges than men in the workforce. From pay discrepancies to patriarchal views on leadership, many women have found it harder to navigate pathways to career success. Although these circumstances are true, they do not eliminate the reality that many women have overcome social constructs and systemic barriers to excel across several industries. But does career success equal happiness? A report from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) indicated that work happiness is strongly influenced by engaging in meaningful work, feeling valued by coworkers, and enjoying daily tasks. For women, however, the context is more nuanced. According to Forbes, job satisfaction differs significantly between men and women. The Conference Board’s latest survey reveals that women are notably less satisfied than men for the seventh consecutive year in nearly all aspects of their jobs. This wasn’t always the case — between 2011 and 2016, satisfaction levels were nearly...
A movement that was birthed out of the COVID-19 quarantine has raised millions of dollars to support Kamala Harris’ quest as the first Black woman president of the United States. “Win With Black Women” (WWBW) is a mantra and group conceptualized by Jotaka Eaddy, a social impact consultant in politics and technology who founded Full Circle Strategies. She understood the importance of community early on as a high school student looking to attend a conference geared towards those seeking law careers, Fortune reports. Raised in a humble environment in South Carolina, the $3,000 cost for the conference was out of reach for her parents. However, through the support of Black women church-goers she was able to attend. “Black women in my church and in my community sold chicken dinners and held bake sales to raise money to send me to that conference and to put me on an airplane that many of them have still never been on,” Eaddy said, according to Fortune. She went on to make history as the...
Allyson Felix has created what she wished existed, centering women in a major way with her new sports management firm. The retired Olympic legend and sprinter has launched Always Alpha, the first management firm dedicated exclusively to women’s sports , supported by Dolphin. Founded by Felix, her longtime business partner and brother, Wes Felix, and sports executive Cosette Chaput, the firm “aims to empower modern women who are breaking barriers, owning their voices, and creating a better future on and off the field of play,” Dolphin shared in a press release. “Young athletes often ask me how I’ve diversified and consistently grown my business across marketing, media, entrepreneurship, venture, entertainment and impact,” Felix said in a statement. “Wes and I did it ourselves piece by piece, out of necessity — because there wasn’t another option for transforming our vision into reality.” She added, “With Always Alpha, we’re taking everything we learned and creating the modern...
History was made on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, as the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders faced off in the first NFL game featuring women-led teams. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, The Raiders are led by Sandra Douglass Morgan, the first Black and Asian woman to serve as an NFL team president, taking over from Dan Ventrelle. The Panthers are led by Kristi Coleman, who replaced Tom Glick as president. The Panthers defeated the Raiders 36-22 on Sunday. Photo Credit: Louis Grasse Coleman was named president in February 2022, followed by Morgan in July of that year. According to the Raiders, the two women have formed a strong professional relationship over the past two seasons, with Morgan even joining Coleman for the Panthers’ International Women’s Day celebration in 2023. “You do feel a little bit more comfortable when you have someone else you can call,” Coleman shared, per the Panthers. “While Charlotte and Vegas are obviously two very different markets, the role and what you’re...
By capitalizing on her status as a leading beauty influencer, Jackie Aina has built the foundation for a prosperous business empire. How It Started Aina, a Nigerian-American born in California’s San Gabriel Valley, came from humbling beginnings. BuzzFeed News mentions she has six siblings, with an even split between brothers and sisters. She recalls “growing up with nothing” at times, bouncing around shelters with her mother and siblings. “Growing up, I had no leverage, I had no rich uncle,” she said, per the outlet. “We got kicked out of a shelter, we couldn’t get to another one quick enough. And when you’re a mom of seven, It’s not easy.” To change her outcome, Aina studied medicine at the California State University, Business Insider reported. That route did not pan out for Aina, and she made the decision to serve in the Army in 2008, after being convinced by her then-boyfriend. They would marry — although they later divorce — and she moved to Hawaii to live with him where she...
Vonnya Pettigrew, Hon.D., is concentrating all her interests in one place — a property building located on Baltimore, MD’s Waterfront. But that’s just the start. The Baltimore Times reports Dr. Pettigrew comes from a communications background stamped by a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland College Park. During her time in higher education she landed opportunities to intern under President Bill Clinton as a speech writer. She also interned for a television show. “It was a political show that was produced on Capitol Hill and filmed out of Reuters newswire, and so I fell in love with television and film,” Pettigrew told the outlet. Root Branch Media Group Pettigrew also learned scriptwriting and took her skills to create content for TV One and Discovery Channel. Now, she is investing in her own media empire. In 2006, she launched Root Branch Media Group, which she named for her family’s property in South Carolina. “When I established my business, I wanted it to...
Overcoming barriers is one thing, but creating opportunities for others to do the same is another. After nearly two decades of working as an executive at JPMorgan Chase, Thasunda Brown Duckett became the president and CEO of TIAA, which works to close gaps in retirement and provide equitable opportunities for investment. At the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) Business Summit during the ESSENCE Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, Duckett spoke about how the impact she’s making extends past the financial retirement services company and how her serving as a Black woman CEO can provide inspiration for young Black women. When it comes to the imposter syndrome that those who look like her often face entering corporate spaces, Duckett shared guidance with AFROTECH™ for how future Black executives can navigate such challenges. “When you think about imposter syndrome, which we all have at certain points in our life, I think the most important thing is as you’re going through life,...
Over the years, Thasunda Brown Duckett has gained global recognition for her monumental career strides, impact, and influence. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, the TIAA president and CEO’s historic feats include, in 2021, becoming the first woman to lead the financial retirement services company in more than 100 years as well as one of two Black women to helm a Fortune 500 company. What’s more, Duckett was named on Forbes’ list of “The World’s Most Powerful Women” in 2023 and TIME’s “100 Most Influential People of 2024” the following year. As Duckett continues to make efforts toward closing the racial retirement gap and women’s retirement gap and tirelessly advocates for DEI, she credits her foundation for fueling the leader she is today. On July 5, 2024, at the Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) Business Summit during the ESSENCE Festival Of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, she thanks her parents, Otis and Rosie Brown, for teaching her the level of resilience required to be a...