Insightful Thoughts from Our Editor-in-Chief

Kay Wilson

power houses. Many who seem to have become greater, layering excellence upon excellence continuing the journey and building generations of results, like Lewis R. Smoot Jr.

Since the honor of starting with Mahogany Columbus, this issue has been the one I have looked forward to the mosthighlighting Central Ohio’s Most Influential Men of Color. I’m a #boymom, raising Kings in a climate where they feel they have a constant target on their back, this brings hope and possibilities close.

People say you can’t be what you don’t see. So, I took advantage of any opportunity I saw to share stories with my boys about men of color in areas of business, entrepreneurship, social justice and leadership.

Our July/August issue gives you page after page of Columbus

We also show that the days where age determines what positions you can hold are gone. Younger generations are making money and power moves, solidifying their expertise and taking on leadership positions earlier in their careers. With a dedication to diversity and inclusion, social responsibility, and mission-driven work, Columbus is seeing a new generation of change makers who aren’t just focused on their own growth but also on positively impacting their communities.

From construction to public office, we show phenomenal men of color who are proving that having purpose can make way for position, and collaboration can help change the game in the process. Although each of them has a story about what they may have overcome or how they had to navigate their share of slings-shots and arrows, they all show it’s better to lead with why they are here versus what position they hold.

We also learn from Dr. Ngozi Osuwagwu about what it means to be a success despite conditions, obstacles and tragedies, and sometimes because of them or from successful leaders like Roland Medrano whose journey elevating many of the top retail brands led him to want to invest in uplifting his community via the airwaves.

Each of these pages are strong and inspiring and testament to why networks and creating community matter–particularly when you’re facing institutional and generational headwinds to your success. I’m excited about this issue because if you’re reading this issue, you made it to the other side of the pandemic. A tragedy where communities of color continued to be the most adversely impacted. We also just had a Supreme Court decision on Affirmative Action, which reminds us of the not-sodistant tear-gas-filled air of protest for social justice. I think we all could use an oxygen tank hit of positivity. I hope in reading you will see our commitment to uplift the culture.

MEET A FEW OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Lawrence Stubbs, Operations Director, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management

Lawrence Stubbs is an Operations Director at J.P. Morgan Wealth Management, who leads service and support teams that guide clients and help the firm’s over 5,000 financial advisors provide exceptional service to their clients across the U.S.

J.P. Morgan Wealth Management clients can choose how and where they want to invest. They can do it digitally, remotely, or in person by meeting with an advisor in one of Chase’s over 4,700 branches or in a J.P. Morgan office. Lawrence and his team help all clients, whether they invest on their own or work with an advisor, open new accounts, complete account maintenance and change requests and process money movement transactions more easily and efficiently. He responds to employee and customer feedback to continuously improve the experience for clients and advisors.

Lawrence has over 25 years of experience driving customer satisfaction. He started his career as a customer

Woodie Green, Executive Director, Senior Banker – National Accounts Chase Auto

Woodie manages commercial relationships with large public and private automotive dealerships. He oversees a specialized portfolio of agreements in floorplan revolvers, commercial real estate, business acquisition and business deposits relationships. He also works strategically with various internal banking groups to deliver a full-suite of capital solutions and provide advice on navigating the market environment.

service phone representative at Chase and grew into leadership roles across the firm’s credit card, retail banking, fraud claims and wealth management businesses. A native of Ohio, Lawrence was also a key leader in expanding the customer claims team globally.

Lawrence is active in JPMorgan Chase’s Westerville and Ohio communities. He serves as the executive sponsor for JPMorgan Chase’s Westerville campus community, Courageous Leadership Development program and Columbus Black Leadership Forum. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness and applied economics from The Ohio State University. He lives in Westerville with his wife, Tiffany, and daughter, Lauryn.

Woodie Green is a National Accounts Senior Banker in Dealer Services for Chase Auto, which provides retail and commercial lending and other banking services to automotive dealerships across the U.S. Chase Auto is part of the JPMorgan Chase franchise and a leading provider of auto financing.

He joined the firm in 2016 as Vice President and Senior Manager of Strategic Marketing for Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group where he was responsible for consumer acquisition, loyalty and retention and overall go-to-market plans for the private label program. Prior to JPMorgan Chase, Woodie was the Strategic Marketing Leader at GE Capital,

Equipment Finance (EF). There, he was responsible for marketing and new business development strategies that offered middle-market wholesale and end-user financing in multiple industries. With close to 25 years of experience, Woodie has worked with many multi-national and multimillion-dollar companies across North America.

A graduate of Trine University, Ketner School of Business in Angola, IN, Woodie advocates for student and professional development, small business entrepreneurship, intellectual property development and protection and life-long learning. He’s a strong supporter of Junior Achievement, the NBMBAA (National Black MBA Association) and NABA (National Association of Black Accountants).