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Give. Grow. Gather together. Building a stronger community brings out the best in everyone. Together, we can share more, create more change, and do more good for the places we call home. Urban League of Greater Atlanta, we are proud to celebrate your commitment and service to the community.
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The History of the Urban League Movement
The Atlanta Urban League was founded in 1920 as an affiliate of the National Urban League, to support African American families migrating from the rural communities of Georgia in unprecedented numbers to the vibrant industrialized city of Atlanta. It was the dawn of the industrial revolution and the 20th century, and Atlanta was a segregated city. These families were seeking opportunities and the Atlanta Urban League provided the much-needed support to connect with employment, job training, housing, health care and education for their children. Ninety-one years later, during the worst economic downturn many believe our nation has ever known, the Atlanta Urban League is just as relevant today, as it was in 1920. To more accurately reflect the region that it serves, the Atlanta Urban League changed its name to the Urban League of Greater Atlanta in January 2011. The agency works diligently to “Empower Communities and Change Lives!” Today, the League’s focus is preparing the workforce for careers in the 21st century and the new economy; raising the graduation rate among metro Atlanta students and preparing youth for college and careers; homeownership and wealth creation; entrepreneurship and small business growth; sustainable communities; and serving as an advocate for education, civic engagement and economic development and a voice for the underserved in our community. The National Urban League, founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, spearheads our nonprofit, nonpartisan, national community-based movement that has grown to 98 affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia across the country. URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER ATLANTA SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON | 5
Nancy Flake Johnson PRESIDENT & CEO
Nancy Flake Johnson is an advocate, educator, coach, collaborator, strategist, and champion for closing the racial wealth gap, civic engagement, and the advancement of the Black community. She is also an advocate for unity, race relations and equity for all people. Nancy became president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta in 2008. She has served as Vice President of Programs for the Detroit Urban League, led Howard University’s Small Business Development Center, operated an accounting and tax practice serving small businesses and non-profits and began her career as CPA with Arthur Andersen & Co. and Coopers & Lybrand, Big 8 CPA firms. Nancy is a Howard University and DePaul University graduate with degrees in accounting and taxation respectively and has a passion for empowering people, small businesses, and communities. She and her team operate the League’s economic advancement programing that focus on empowering youth, adults, families and small business owners through economic mobility and entrepreneurship, and advocating for justice and equitable policies and legislation, public and private sector partnerships. The League focuses on workforce development, entrepreneurship, youth and young adults, housing/ wealth building and social and racial justice. In 2020, in commemoration of its 100year centennial, the League launched as a Financial Empowerment Center, an integrated economic mobility model to close the racial wealth gap. In response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the League shifted to a hybrid model that includes in-person and virtual programs and services. The League also created a fund to provide emergency financial assistance and renamed the center - the Financial Empowerment & Emergency Relief Center (FEERC). Since the COVID 19 pandemic, the League has raised $6 million for rent, mortgage payments, utilities, food, and other urgent needs of families and provided technical assistance and grants totaling $365,000 for small businesses. Nancy’s community service includes serving on the WorkSource Atlanta Board, City of Atlanta Youth Entrepreneurship Council, Fifth Third Bank Advisory Board, the Business for America Advisory Council, the New Atlanta Action Forum Steering Committee, the Racial Equity Advisory Council for the National Skills Coalition, the LISC Equitable Small Business Recovery Taskforce and MAX Workforce Provider Council. Her most recent honors include being recognized by the State of Georgia Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council as the 2022 Rita J. Samuels Community Service Honoree, Georgia Trends Magazine as a 2022 Notable Georgian, 2021 Honoree as one of Atlanta’s 500 Most Powerful Leaders by Atlanta Magazine, the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of 21 Women Who Mean Business for 2020, and as a 2020 Tenured Woman of Influence by the Atlanta Business League. URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER ATLANTA SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON | 7
Tai A. Roberson BOARD PRESIDENT
Tai Roberson is Vice President and Community Relations Senior Consultant in the Social Impact and Sustainability division of Wells Fargo Bank, with philanthropic and community development responsibility for the State of Georgia. She is responsible for delivering the company’s community development strategic initiatives around CRA, including affordable housing, neighborhood stabilization and revitalization, community lending, service, and investments. As well as The Company’s Foundation strategies around housing affordability, financial health small business growth, and sustainability. She works closely with Wells Fargo’s line of business executives, market leaders, community stakeholders, and government officials to stimulate positive outcomes and solutions for the social, community, and economic development issues impacting the region. Tai has more than 25 years of banking experience in affordable lending and retail banking working for Wells Fargo and its predecessor companies and SunTrust Bank. Prior to rejoining Wells Fargo in 2017, Tai spent 10 years as a development executive with Clearpoint (CCCS of Greater Atlanta), one of the Nation’s largest nonprofit consumer credit counseling agencies focused on financial capability counseling and education. Tai currently serves as Board Chair of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta and sits on the boards of the Greater Women’s Business Council, Quest Community Development Corporation, Enterprise Community Partners SE (advisory board), and Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP advisory board). She is co-chair of the City of Atlanta’s Bank On Atlanta Program and Financial Empowerment Center and a member of HouseATL Funders Collective. She is a graduate of Leadership Cobb and active with many non-profits and leadership groups focused on education, youth development, affordable and sustainable housing, job readiness, and economic development. Tai has received numerous awards and recognition for her work in Community Development. Her most recent award was received on May 2, 2020, when she was honored and received a Proclamation from the Atlanta City Council. Her work in the community and housing has also been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Small Business Administration. Tai is a graduate of Spelman College and during her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, volunteering, and going to sporting events to watch her sons. She is married and has three sons.
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Sponsors
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Letter from the President & CEO Thank you for coming today to celebrate the Spirit of the League with us in person for the first time since 2019. Today marks the 10th time we’ve held the Spirit of the League luncheon to honor high achievers – those who are widely known and those whose stories over achievement, sometimes against all odds, serve to inspire us and validate the work that we do together. This year’s Champion honorees – nationally-known entrepreneurs Pinky Cole and Derrick Hayes – and our client and partner honorees all exemplify the Spirit that guides our mission. We also salute our staff, board of directors, and business and community organizations for their priceless commitment to the League’s work. Our 2022 client awardees include two high school graduates from our Project Ready partnership with the Atlanta Public Schools; and three adult clients whose inspiration paths are leading them to stability, homeownership, and entry into the high demand-high wage technology field with the help of corporate and community partners GEICO, Caliber Collision, Techbridge and Back on My Feet. The men, women and youth who come to the Urban League for guidance and support only need a beacon to light the path as they pursue their goals, and they take it from there. But we would be unable to guide them if it were not for contributors like all of you who believe in our mission, who see that none of us can really live a good life unless all of us have a fair chance. We are eternally grateful to you for your partnership and generous support of the work we do – including stepping up to maintain and expand our reach during the pandemic. Thank you for your presence today and your ongoing investment of time, talent and treasure in the League. Let’s celebrate the Spirit of the League today and carry it with us in our daily lives and be beacons of hope to others along the way. With Gratitude and Hope for the Future!
Nancy A. Flake Johnson President/CEO
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Lori Wilson
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
Lori Wilson joined the WSB-TV Channel 2 in 2017. She helps Georgians get ready for their day as the anchor for Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 a.m. - 7 a.m. Lori has covered everything from Hurricane Irma and the coronavirus pandemic to the passing of several legendary civil rights leaders here in Atlanta. Her most memorable moment was covering protests in Atlanta following the death of George Floyd. Lori is an Emmy awardwinning anchor and reporter. She graduated from Indiana University. Before joining WSB-TV, Lori worked in Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Shreveport, Louisiana. She is a children’s book author, a member of National Association of Black Journalists and the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
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Program Mistress of Ceremonies Lori Wilson, News Anchor, WSB-TV Channel 2 Welcome & Purpose Myra Reeves, Director, DEI Associate Engagement, The Home Depot & ULGA Board Member Special Presentation Natalie Hall, Fulton County Commissioner of District 4 Spirit of the League 10th Annual Awards Luncheon Proclamation Introduction and Recognition of Sponsors Nancy Flake Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta Introduction of Minister Wendolyn Larkins, Program Manager - Adult Services Innovation Dr. Joseph M. Ripley, Sr., Founder and Pastor of The Body of Christ Church International, U.S.A.,
- LUNCH Music by Anonymous Da Band Spirit of the League Rising Star Award Presentations Shenika Cowart, Program Manager, Project Ready (YAYAS) presents awards Alyssa Davis Angel Walker
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Program Spirit of the League Empowerment and Partner Award Presentations Johnette Brown, Senior Director, The Urban Center for Financial Empowerment and Wealth Building presents Empowerment Awards Portia Powell Ashley Winston George Worth Adwoa Ghartey-Tagoe Seymour, V.P., Litigation, Albertsons Companies & ULGA Board of Directors, Board Co-Chair, and Strategic Planning Committee presents Partner Awards GEICO Caliber Collision Techbridge Back on my Feet Special Presentation Nancy Flake Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta Conversation with Champion Honorees Pinky Cole and Derrick Hayes Nancy Flake Johnson, Interviewer Award Presentation to Pinky Cole and Derrick Hayes Nancy Flake Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta Acknowledgements & Closing Remarks Tai A. Roberson, VP, Wells Fargo Senior Community Development Officer & Chair, ULGA Board of Directors
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Honorees SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE RISING STARS ALYSSA DAVIS
completed her high school graduation requirements early in December 2021 and returned to Midtown High School last month to walk across the stage with her peers. Additionally, as a dual-enrolled student, she took courses at Atlanta Technical College, where she received a diploma in Event Planning. During her time in with Project Ready, Alyssa exhibited a focus and maturity that left no doubt about her post high school path. Her achievements in the program included becoming a Project Ready Ambassador and a National Urban League Youth Council member. With several scholarship offers in hand; Alyssa will attend Georgia State University in the field of Nursing this fall.
ANGEL WALKER
spent three years in Project Ready at Booker T. Washington High School, and she absorbed everything the program had to offer. It has been a pleasure watching her grow from a young teenaged girl to a poised, confident young lady who graduated with her school’s highest honor: Valedictorian. When we met Angel, she was a very quiet young lady who would shy away from any activities that required her to speak up. Fast forward to present day, Angel has lead Project Ready sessions, will be an intern through our partnership with Bank of America this summer and did a phenomenal job on her Valedictorian speech last month. Angel has chosen to attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, a Jesuit Catholic University that is ranked among the nation’s best universities. True to the expectations she set for herself, Angel will be studying Biomedical Science with the goal of becoming an anesthesiologist.
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Honorees EMPOWERMENT HONOREES GEORGE WORTH
a veteran, came to Urban League in July 2020 to help him get his finances in order to become a homeowner. His credit score was low and his debt ratio high, but he had every intention of elevating his score and learning successful financial management. He started with a Homebuyers Education Workshop and moved on to financial coaching sessions. It took a little while, but Mr. Worth resolved all his debt and pulled his score up to 780!
ASHLEY WINSTON
decided that she wanted to prepare herself for a career in a highdemand field. But with no background in technology, she wasn’t sure she could break into the field nor what to expect when she entered a program with the League’s partner, Techbridge. But Ashley says, “I have experienced wonderful opportunities including cloud computing training, resume makeovers, leadership assessments, and I even created my own application!” Ashley collaborated with experienced professionals on social justice iniatives, learned from great facilitators, gained invaluable skills, and landed her first technology job! Ashley credits her “won’t give up” attitude, the rigorousTechbridge program, and the League for facilitating her chance to “pivot into something great.”
PORTIA POWELL
struggled through a series of stumbles that resulted in incarceration. She paid her debt to society and was released right as the pandemic crisis threw nearly everyone into turmoil. What a time to find oneself starting from scratch with an unreliable 17-year-old car as the only available transportation for yourself and your elementary school-aged daughter! Portia took a crucial step toward stability when she signed up for financial empowerment, credit counseling and household budgeting courses. The League’s job and career coaches helped her find employment at U-Haul, where she has excelled and was recently promoted to the role of Senior Sales Reservationist.
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Honorees COMMUNITY PARTNERS
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Honorees CHAMPION AWARD HONOREES
PINKY COLE
Nationally acclaimed entrepreneur and brand strategist Pinky Cole founded Slutty Vegan in Atlanta in 2018 and sky-rocketed to culinary stardom. In 2019, she founded The Pinky Cole Foundation to give back to communities like the ones she knew in childhood in East Baltimore and in Harlem, where her culinary story began. Within the first six months of opening, Slutty Vegan’s revenues grew to $4 million. The brand added four locations in Georgia with another announced for Athens, as well as Birmingham, Alabama and Brooklyn, NY. With her partner, Derrick Hayes, the ventures keep growing.
DERRICK HAYES
Fulfilling a promise to his late father David Hayes, Derrick “D” Hayes has taken a business that began as a small water-ice shop in 2016 and launched it into a nationally recognized brand, Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks. A native of Philadelphia, where the “cheesesteak” was born, Hayes now oversees a thriving brand with store locations across metro Atlanta. He anchors his business philosophy in community involvement, quality food, and exceptional customer service. In 2021 Hayes earned an illustrious spot as a Forbes 2021 Next 1000 Honoree. He channels his community involvement through the David & Derrick Hayes Foundation and is co-owner of the vegan cheesesteak concept “Dinkies” with partner Slutty Vegan restaurant phenom Pinky Cole. 18 | URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER ATLANTA SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON
Past Honorees 2019 RASHAN ALI 2018 KERI HILSON 2017 DWIGHT HOWARD 2016 KESHIA KNIGHT PULLIAM 2015 KEKE PALMER 2014 DAVID BANNER 2013 TERRI J. VAUGHN 2012 SOLEDAD O’BRIEN 2011 MO’NIQUE 2010 TYLER PERRY URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER ATLANTA SPIRIT OF THE LEAGUE AWARDS LUNCHEON | 19
Board of Directors MR. WILLIAM COSSEY, JR. Vice President HR Technology Services Cox Enterprises, Inc. MR. MARK DAWSON Managing Partner Benton & Muse Consulting Board Co-Chair: Strategic Planning Committee MS. BEVERLY FERGUSON Senior Director, Community Affairs Georgia-Pacific
MS. CHARMAINE WARD-MILLNER Director, Corporate Relations Georgia Power Company Board Vice Chair MS. MYRA REEVES Director - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Home Depot Board Assistant Secretary Co-Chair Personnel Committee
MR. JEFFREY D. HORST Krevolin & Horst, LLC Board Secretary
MS. TAI A. ROBERSON Vice-President Senior Community Development Officer Wells Fargo Board Chair
MR. G. SCOTT HULSEY Principal Kobre & Kim LLP
MR. PAUL SCHUR General Manager Slalom, LLC
MR. RANDY KOPORC President and CEO Fifth Third Bank – Georgia
ATTY. ADWOA GHARTEY-TAGOE SEYMOUR Adwoa Ghartey-Tagoe Seymour Vice President Litigation Albertsons Companies Board Co-Chair Strategic Planning Committee
MR. JEFF MAGGS Managing Director Brunner Board Co-Chair – Marketing & Communications Committee
ATTY. MARC TAYLOR Partner Taylor English Duma LLP
KESHAUNDRA J. MALONE Senior Vice President Preferred Banking Region Operations Manager
MR. MICHAEL TWUM Senior Accountant Atlanta Housing Authority
DR. BRITTANY MARSHALL Center for Disease Control and Prevention
MR. WALEED ZAYID Directorm Centralized Services GEICO
MR. LARRY MCHUGH Mentor. ATDC Georgia Tech Chair – Fund Development Committee MR. DEROLD MCIVER Senior Vice-President Community Development Manager, North Georgia, Truist
STEVEN SIMMONS Coca Cola -Retired executive Chair of Finance Committee
*Board Chair Emeritus
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Planning Committee Nancy Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta John E. Armstrong, Jr., Chief Fund Development Officer DeShaun C. Blake, Executive Administrative Coordinator to President/CEO John Moye, Sr. Director, Policy, Legislative Affairs & Civic Engagement
CONSULTANTS Getchel Caldwell, Executive Development Consultant Judy Davis Carroll, Chief Operating Officer, Senior Consultant & Principal, R. H. Bolton, Inc Cecilia Cheeks, Founder/Principal, Cecintel Public Relations Diane Larche’, Larche’ Communications.com Otis Threatt, lieneur, Inc
VENDORS Accolades, Inc. AEE Productions Anonymous DA Band CM Productions Forde Fotog, LLC Graphics in Atlanta
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Entertainment
ANONYMOUS DA BAND Known mostly for their smooth urban jazz/funk sound, Anonymous Da Band is a multitalented group made up of four Atlanta born and raised young men in their 20’s. The group has been together for the past ten years and has performed for numerous benefits, social events, and festivals including the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Wade Ford Summer Concert Series. Additionally, they were selected in a nationwide search to perform at Prince’s Paisley Park for the Musicology Battle of the Bands. As the opening act for the likes of Najee, Chrisette Michele, Maysa Leak, and other top entertainers, Anonymous Da Band has become Atlanta’s premier funk fusion bands. This summer, they will also take the stage at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. You might even catch a listen to one of their singles in rotation on WCLK Radio, Atlanta’s Jazz station! With their smooth, yet energized creative mix of a variety of music genres from Old School R&B to Jazz, Funk and even GoGo, they are poised to make a massive impact on the music world. Members of the band are Xavier Davis on keys; Xavier Jones on bass; Langston Michael on sax and Justice Michael on drums.
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