Dr. Shari Hicks-Graham

Board Certified Dermatologist Downtown Dermatology

In her 18-year career as a board-certified dermatologist and two-time entrepreneur, Columbus native Dr. Shari Hicks-Graham is one of a few Black dermatologists in the Columbus area.

“Columbus is home for me. My grandparents moved from Louisiana in the 1940s and served in leadership roles at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, which is located only a few blocks from our current office location in downtown Columbus,” says Hicks-Graham.

Hicks-Graham is a graduate of Spelman College and the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She completed a research fellowship at Harvard’s Wellman School of Photomedicine. She also served as an intern in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Her dermatology residency was completed from 2002 to 2005 at the Los Angeles County Medical Centers. She returned to the area in 2005 after completing her training.

“My father also practiced medicine at Grant Medical Center and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, so I feel very grounded in our community. The support and mutual understanding runs deep and is very meaningful to me daily,” she says.

At her practice, Downtown Dermatology, Hicks-Graham and her team help people with many different types of skin conditions, including general medical and aesthetic dermatology, and surgical procedures. She also performs skin screenings for skin cancer and treats common skin conditions, such as acne, psoriasis and eczema.

“Everyone has a story that impacts their experience with their own personal health and interactions with healthcare professionals,” Hicks-Graham says. “It may relate to their childhood, family history or recent events, particularly since 2020 with COVID-19 and the struggles that our country faces around racism and inequality relating to other social determinants of health.”

Treatments for hair disorders are also part of her general medical practice including diseases of the scalp and hair. Her patients with textured kinky and curly hair had the most difficulty finding relief from their scalp conditions and often objected to how their hair looked and felt with prescription shampoos and topical therapies. She saw the embarrassment and emotional stress that this caused, so she created a solution. In 2017, Hicks-Graham launched LivSo, a product line that treats dry, itchy scalp specifically for people with curly hair.

“My job as a dermatology physician is to listen and offer my best medical treatments and recommendations for lifestyle modifications so that people can experience their best life, feeling less encumbered by what ails them,” she says. Also, building patient trust is at the center of her work.

“I am grateful that my patients trust me, and I have worked intentionally to remain present despite the challenges of private practice. My goal is to remain as available to and transparent with patients as possible so that they may continue to have access to the healthcare that they deserve.”

Stephanie Hightower President and CEO

Columbus Urban League

For more than 105 years, your Columbus Urban League (CUL) has stood as an advocate and resource for Black and urban communities. Our dedication to growing wealth, education, earning power and small businesses while supporting strong families forces us to constantly evolve.

And our latest evolution calls us to: Reframe our thinking; Rewrite our dialogue; and reshape our priorities.

Why reframe? Because everything we believe or do starts in our own head, or more specifically, with our perceptions. Our team at CUL team has dug deep into this idea when exploring the asset-framing approach championed by Trabian Shorters. Shorters explains how we, as humans, pay more attention to the negative facts than positive ones. Lots of research over the years prove that negative impressions and stereotypes are quicker to form and harder to change.

Ever wonder why society today still reports data and statistics with a view of what’s wrong or missing?

I’ve been as guilty of this type of thinking as everyone else. I grew up believing that you focus on the problem to be solved, the challenge to be overcome. You build a case for support by presenting difficult facts, like “Nearly half of Black children live in poverty” or “Black women earn the least per hour for their hard work.”

Sobering truths may motivate us to act. But they should not guide our initiatives to achieve social justice, racial equity and an inclusive economy. Singular focus on what is wrong does not necessarily lead us to what’s right.

Worse, this practice results in labels that reinforce the very stereotype we hope to rise above. For instance, calling Columbus Urban League staff “case managers.” What does that say to our clients, except that they’re cases to be managed?

We unintentionally prolong that which we aspire to change.

How does the conversation change when we replace the label “at-risk child” with “near-potential child?” Every child, every family has talents, gifts, assets and unrealized abilities. Let’s nurture and develop them.

That doesn’t mean we ignore or diminish the challenges poor children and children of color face. Failing schools, drugs and violence in their neighborhood, fewer mentors and role models to coach them, our children may experience these things.

Reframing our internal narratives helps rewrite the entire community’s dialogue. Consider these facts:

• Black women are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs today.

• Black men are among the most involved fathers and the group most likely to serve in our country’s armed forces.

• In 2021, 26% of Black adults ages 25 and older had earned a bachelor’s degree or more, up from 15% in 2000.

Doesn’t it make sense to invest in these upcoming leaders? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see what they could do if someone stretched out a hand or removed a barrier?

It’s a different conversation when we focus on strengths and successes. Once we’ve reframed our thinking and rewritten our dialogue, we can begin reshaping our priorities – and realizing our full potential.

Lark Mallory President

and CEO

Affordable Housing Trust

Ilike to say that I get to wake up every morning and address the hottest topic in town-housing. As President & CEO of the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus & Franklin (AHT), I spend my days meeting and working with developers, local officials, banks, and community advocates about how we can bring more affordable housing units online in Central Ohio. Although it’s a subject at the forefront of everyone’s mind, affordable housing can be a weighted term that looks and feels different depending upon who you are talking to. But to put it simply, affordable housing at its most basic level means households don’t spend more than 30% of their income on the place they call home. That also means what is affordable for my barista as Starbucks is not the same as what is affordable for me, or for an elementary school teacher, or for a senior citizen.|

In Central Ohio, housing is critical as opportunity and growth are abundant in the region (see Intel as just one example) and will be for the foreseeable future. With that growth comes new jobs and more people, but we are behind on the housing. According to the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, we should be building nearly 19,000 units annually to keep up with projected growth and demand, but in 2022, just over 12,000 housing permits were obtained. Yes, we are behind, but I’m confident that with collective effort from partners across the region and creative ideas we can solve this problem.

At AHT, our mission is to create and preserve affordable housing by investing in developments throughout Columbus and Franklin County. Since 2001, we’ve partnered with developers to deliver more than 13,000 housing. And we’re continuing to do our part to tackle our housing challenges with programs like the Emerging Developers Accelerator Program and AHT’s Grant Program for Housing Innovation. The Emerging Developers Accelerator Program (EDAP) is AHT’s 6-month training program that supports developers who are women and people of color with comprehensive technical assistance, education, and access to capital to help build and preserve affordable housing. In addition to providing participants with the opportunity to accelerate their businesses and close the racial wealth gap, the program is also helping increase the supply of affordable housing units throughout the Central Ohio community. AHT’s Grant Program for Housing Innovation helps fund home repairs and subsidizes housing-related initiatives for eligible nonprofits. Home repair grants specifically address exterior or interior home repairs to improve health and safety, accessibility, and code violation concerns, while non-production grants help support initiatives for already existing housing.

As our community continues to work towards new and innovative solutions for housing our neighbors, AHT is proud to serve as a partner on these efforts. Every single housing unit matters.

Elizabeth Martinez CEO

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Elizabeth Martinez sees herself in the youth of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Growing up against a backdrop of poverty and family struggles, she was fortunate to have opportunities and mentors as a young girl that supported her achievements, allowing her to reach her academic potential receiving her B.A. in psychology, Ohio Christian University. Today, Martinez works tirelessly to advocate for mentorship in children’s lives.

“Young people are born with success genes, and adults have the opportunity to be meaningful partners helping them access all of their gifts, foster and nurture them and support them as they tackle life hurdles.” Martinez says.

Martinez joined the agency in 2003 and was elevated to the top post as President and CEO in 2016. Her long tenure at the nonprofit has been “inspired by the power, promise and potential of young people.”

As President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, Martinez believes that showing up for young people when they need a network of support is the deepest expression of humanity. While showing up is the first step, building genuine connections is where BBBS can tap into change and transformation on both sides of the relationship.

For most of us, the experiences and events with evidence of great success can be linked to a positive relationship with a role model, whether it be a mentor, parent, teacher, or coach. Conversely, young people who do not have access to the right relationships are often placed at a disadvantage. That’s why, for young people in particular, strong mentoring relationships are a foundational resource for future success.

The experiences some of our youth face today can be incredibly traumatic. As a result, we must explore holistic approaches that ensure they have the resources needed to achieve their full potential. Being seen, valued, and heard by adults in their ecosystem is central to building the creativity, brilliance, and restorative sense of hope and promise among our youth. That foundation, constructed with enriching experiences, support, and opportunities is central to creating on-ramps for success.

Big Brothers Big Sisters serves area youth through leadership development and its core one-to-one mentoring program, bringing relational exchanges between youth and adults which helps create new systems, new generative giving cycles, which use the power of relationships to propel everyone toward a more equitable future.

Martinez speaks often about youth participation as an essential factor in the creation of a resilient community. Sharing that youth are often the most directly affected by their challenges which make them uniquely equipped to take action and drive change. She believes that Columbus will continue to flourish with the help of thriving ecosystems of interconnected, supportive organizations, businesses, nonprofits and government agencies.

Identifying the myriad ways, we can connect with and support each other to help build a strong, vibrant Columbus that serves the needs of every individual and family in our region.

Sheri Neal Accountant

Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS) Board Chair, Maroon Arts Group

Hailing from the Morgan Park neighborhood in Baltimore, MD, it was there that Neale came in close contact with infusions of art through music, religion and culture. Neale, an accountant at Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS) by day, serves as the Board Chair of Maroon Arts Group in Bronzeville on Columbus’ Near East Side, where she is also a resident. It’s a position she sees as the perfect bridge - paying homage to the legacy of her mother’s roots, her father’s support and the culture that raised her.

Neale’s mother is a Peabody-trained pianist. She served as the Minister of Music for their local church - a Catholic congregation - where she was charged with introducing gospel music to the body of worshippers. In addition, her mother directed various community choirs. Add this intimate exposure to the influence of Morgan State University, the historically Black college and university (HBCU) for which her neighborhood was named and an influx of theater, athletics and live music that surrounded her. Neale had art and faith as guides, cradled in Black culture and stories.

“Art…has always been a way for me to emote - to express,” she said. “I don’t know my life without it.”

And so it was an artistic expression she looked to for comfort and to make sense of the world in 2015. Neale and friends were collectively grieving the widely publicized deaths of Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, and countless others. She was reminded of a former classmate who wrote and directed a stage play that deeply resonated with her years before. Neale and friends galvanized to bring the production to Columbus. After multiple arts organizations declined their support, she wasn’t deterred. The production lived on to have a successful weekend run. The community demanded more from the collective. And Maroon Arts Group was born.

The first few years of its inception, Maroon Arts Group thrived on donations, hosting open mic nights and other grassroots events that Black artists and community members wanted to see come alive as the rebirth of Bronzeville began to take shape. Their first landmark was solidified with the Movement Pursuing Art, Commerce and Community (MPACC) Box Park, located at 925 Mt. Vernon Avenue. It houses three repurposed shipping containers, for performance space, an art gallery and a soul-vegan pop-up restaurant.

In 2021, Maroon Arts Group further solidified its presence in Bronzeville on behalf of Black culture and Black art. They purchased the historic York Mason Building, which houses the Pythian Theater, just west of the Box Park, designed by Black architect Samuel Plato in 1926. The building houses a legacy of music, culture, arts and education.

Maroon Arts Group, aptly named for enslaved people throughout the African diaspora who fled chattel slavery and formed their own settlements, is building one of its own.

It’s all a continuation of the foundation of her parents. Their roots of tenacity have bloomed boldly through Neale’s leadership - where Black culture is pushed, celebrated and seen.