when

We Lead A Panel Discussion

Wednesday, 1:30 to 3 p.m., Franklin CD

Leadership is a journey and studies show that in the last four years the portion of women in senior management roles globally grew to 29%. Women leaders help close the wage gap, bring creativity and innovation, and have a positive impact on workplace policies. This expert panel of women leaders and bosses will share their secret sauce for leading authentically. They will also discuss the challenges they have overcome and helpful strategies they use to lead with intention and grace. Moderated by Yvonne Cherell, OUCAN CEO.

Toni Cunningham, Godman Guild

Toni Cunningham is an accomplished leader, motivator, workforce development professional, speaker and coach. Throughout her career, Toni has provided coaching and counsel to numerous individuals and businesses seeking to achieve their next stage of growth. She is the President and CEO of Godman Guild and the former Managing Director of Per Scholas. Her other roles have included time with Unite Us, the Columbus Urban League, American Electric Power and more. She also co-founded Black Tech 614 and Image Anu, LLC, her own full-service consulting firm.

A sought after speaker, presenter and facilitator, Toni truly believes in living out her purpose which is “helping people get to next” in both their personal and professional lives. Committed to excellence and continuous learning, Toni earned her master’s degree in marketing and communications from Franklin University and her bachelor’s degree from Ohio Dominican University. A lifelong resident of Columbus, she is also an alumni of the African American Leadership Academy as well as a 2019 American Express Leadership Academy Fellow. She has earned many awards and serves on several boards including the Ohio Workforce Coalition’s Leadership Committee.

J. Averi Frost, African American Chamber of Commerce

J. Averi Frost is the Executive Director of the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce. She is also Executive Director of Freedom Equity Inc., a start-up CDFI poised to provide an alternative to financing for Black-owned businesses in Central Ohio. As the proud daughter of serial entrepreneurs, Averi has always understood that there can be a gap in resources for some of our most disenfranchised business owners. She strives to bridge the opportunity gap between the wealthiest and the poorest members of the community.

Prior to her current roles, Averi served five years as Director of the Columbus Minority Business Assistance Center, a State of Ohio program hosted by the Central Ohio Minority Business Association. At MBAC, she developed and facilitated business development workshops and counseled clients in several areas including: marketing, government procurement and applying for minority certification. She has facilitated nearly 200 workshops and been involved in fund-raising efforts that netted more than $5 million over the course of her career. She serves on the board of the Columbus Empowerment Corporation and is an alumni of several other boards. She is graduate of Denison University and Eastmoor Academy High School.

Tracy Maxwell Heard, Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence

Tracy Maxwell Heard is the Executive Director of Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence, Inc. (MACC). MACC has been Ohio’s leading voice for cultural competence for nearly 20 years. She is a visionary who has seized this leadership opportunity to take MACC into unprecedented growth in this challenging time of discord by seeing it also as a season of openness that leads to a better way. She has an extensive background in leadership roles. She is the former Minority Leader in the Ohio House of Representatives having served in the legislature for eight years. In her professional life, she has served as everything from a regional corporate sales manager to a card-carrying UAW member, news anchor and non-profit executive director. She has been commended on numerous occasions with awards and national recognition for her work including receiving an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Wilberforce University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., serves as Board Chair for the Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity, and is the co-chair of the Public Policy Committee of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Central Ohio Chapter.

Toshia Safford, The Center for Healthy Families

Native New Yorker Toshia Safford is a trusted advisor and resource in both the public and non-profit sectors. As co-founder, president, and Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Healthy Families, she led a team of community stakeholders to launch Healthy Families Connections. The collaborative model is designed to move pregnant and parenting youth families on to achieving economic and social self-sufficiency.

Her career includes more than 25 years of successful clinical and human service experience with expertise in non-profit governance, leadership development and business strategy. She is committed to the individual and collective growth of our community’s most disenfranchised residents. She serves on many boards in Central Ohio including the Commission on Black Girls, the Overcomer Foundation and other groups supporting the advancement of women and girls.

Barbara Sykes, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation

Barbara Sykes is President and CEO of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. She is also a past State Director of Ohio AARP and Past President and CEO of Ohio United Way. A former threeterm State Representative and former Deputy Auditor in Summit County, she was the first AfricanAmerican woman to have served on Akron’s City Council.

She has been recognized for her community service through various awards such as the C. William Keck, M.D., M.P.H. Community Medicine Award, presented by Akron Community Health Resources, Inc. She was also named Legislator of the Year by the Ohio Association of Children Hospitals, Second Harvest for Hunger and Voices for Children of Greater Cleveland. Barbara earned both her undergraduate degree in social work and her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Akron.