Dr. Olabunmi Agboola Dr. Olabunmi Agboola is a physician specializing in internal medicine, pediatrics, and allergy/ immunology. She completed her medical education at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2010. As one making a difference in the world, she conducts research at Duke University, where she studies the use of thymus transplant in preventing or treating complications from bone marrow transplant, and the impact of the environment on asthma in urban populations where her work can help change the quality of life for those who suffer with asthma. Dr. Agboola is a former secretary and treasurer for the Cook County Physicians Association. She believes in making an impact on future generations, which led her to tutor math and science at her church, high school, Malcolm X College and UIC in service to her community. She has served as a camp counselor for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Illinois, and also practices at the Sickle Cell Center at Wesley Long Hospital.
Dr. Agboola has received prestigious awards for her community service and academic achievement, such as the Martin Luther King and General Assembly Scholarship, and Billy Wright Adams Scholar Award. She is currently pursuing her Health Policy and Management degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with the sole goal of impacting government policy to close health disparities. Dr. Agboola travels and works all over the country. She was born and raised in Chicago and continues to call Chicago home.
Vanessa K. Allmon Vanessa K. Allmon earned a Master’s degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago. As a woman of excellence, Vanessa is committed to helping and empowering others, through diversity and inclusion, and professional achievement. In mid-2015, she joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis as its Inclusion Programs and Workforce Reporting Manager. Previously Vanessa worked at the American Bar Association’s Diversity Center, where she developed and executed diversity and inclusion programs and publications for the Commission on Sexu-
Emma Asante
Emma Asante serves as the Vice President of Special Projects and Community Relations for NBC 5 Chicago. She joined the team in 2014 after serving as Director of Community Projects for NBC’s Connecticut station for 10 years. Emma’s arrival to NBC 5 coincided with the launch of the station’s Making a Difference initiative focused on providing viewers positive and inspiring stories that highlight community leaders and organizations who are “Making A Difference” in the Chicagoland community. The station has exponentially increased the number of positive stories in NBC 5 News broadcasts and on NBCChicago.com and has assembled a robust Community Action Board of more than 100 local leaders to provide insight and direction to station leadership on a regular basis. The collaboration has propelled NBC 5’s Making A Difference initiative to one of the station’s signature brands – providing diverse storytelling while shining a spotlight on the unsung heroes in the Chicagoland community. Emma also oversees logistics and execution for the Chicago Marathon broadcast, community participation in political forums and debate broadcasts, and parade presentations, among other projects. Emma first joined NBCUniversal in 2004 as a Creative Producer. She soon transitioned to the role of Director of Community Projects, where she oversaw the launch of NBC Connecticut’s Partners in a Caring Community iniwww.chicagodefender.com
tiative. The brand focuses on connecting with viewers through the causes important to their everyday lives. Emma’s community leadership involvement has included Diversity Committee Co-Chair for the American Red Cross (CT), Urban League of Greater Hartford Board of Directors, Development Committee for HARC serving people with disabilities, Corporate Communications Committee for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Board of Governance for Hartford’s Journalism and Media Academy. She holds a Master’s degree in Communication from the University of Hartford, and a Broadcasting and Marketing undergraduate degree from Evangel University in Missouri.
Shani L. Audain Shani L. Audain is a native of Illinois and a dedicated servant to the communities of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Currently, Shani operates as Director of Community Outreach to Commissioner Larry Rogers, Jr. of the Cook County Board of Review and as Executive Producer to Chicago’s Windy City West Indian Carnival – the city’s only Caribbean event that actively celebrates the amazing culture of “Carnival.”
al Orientation and Gender Identity. She was later promoted to the Association’s Section of Intellectual Property Law. From 2008-2009, Vanessa worked at the Office of the Cook County State’s Attorney, and was promoted to co-lead diversity and inclusion programs. Prior to that she worked at the Office of the Illinois Lieutenant Governor as a Policy Assistant. During her tenure there she took the initiative to ensure that those women and persons of color of significance in Illinois were highlighted regularly on the office’s This Week in Illinois History Web portal. Her volunteer work has included: The Black Star Project Student Motivator Program; a joint partnership program between World Chicago and the U.S. State Department, hosting visiting African entrepreneurs and young leaders from several African countries; the Chicago Lights Student Tutor Program and more. Her civic engagement activities empowering others has included: leading voter registration drives as a Cook County Deputy Voter Registrar; serving as a Cook County Election Judge in several election cycles; heading the Rotary Club of Chicago’s first Diversity Task Force; and, in 2012 being appointed by the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer to the Illinois Jobs Advisory Council. In 2008 Vanessa was a featured panel speaker at the Define This! Young Women of Color Creating Change Conference at Bennett College, a HBCU.
Shani has grown Commissioner Rogers’ Outreach Department and its respective programs to become one of the most effective and sought after in Cook County. Similarly, under her direction, Windy City West Indian Carnival is becoming one of the city’s premier and fastest growing summer festivals. Ms. Audain’s strong background in community outreach, strategic planning, and communications has also led her to a number of volunteer opportunities and community leadership roles. She has worked closely with several suburban and city political campaigns, one in which she successfully led to victory as campaign manager. Her abilities have made her invaluable on all fronts. Shani earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and an MBA in 2006. She is a fiercely proud mother and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She has now set her sights on preparing her daughter for college, furthering her own education, and considering a possible run for political office in the near future.
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