RUBY ONYX & Gala
February 18, 2023
University of Cincinnati African American Alumni Affiliate
Thank
Red & Black Sponsors
Black Faculty Association
BlueSky Creative, Inc. & Saint Ursula Academy
CECH School of Criminal Justice
College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology
Darwin T. Turner Scholars Program
Department of Public Safety
Dorothea Goode Long
Jerome S. Jackson ’89
LifeCenter
Lindner College of Business
Marian Spencer Scholarship Program
Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Impact
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
RiskVersity
SURE Mechanical
University of Cincinnati Foundation
Fountain of Eternal Youth Sponsors
NBC4, WCMH-TV Columbus, Ohio
Rock of Truth Sponsors
College of Law
Patrons List
Justin Gibson, Bus ’05 and Jami Gibson, Nur ’12
Ashley N. Glass, CECH ’11
next lives here
INCLUSION LIVES HERE INNOVATION LIVES HERE IMPACT LIVES HERE
Proud supporter of the ONYX & RUBY GALA
Greetings Bearcats and Friends,
It has been a privilege and honor to serve these last few years as chair of the UC African American Alumni Affiliate (4A). We have accomplished a multitude of successes over the last year. We received the Network Impact Award, the Shani Scholarship Fund is now endowed, and we are exceeding our goal for the African American Cultural & Resource Center! With all this amazing news, I am excited to welcome you to our 2023 Onyx & Ruby Gala!
Like every year, we celebrate the academic, professional and civic achievements and contributions of the University of Cincinnati’s Black alumni, students, faculty and staff. So tonight, like every gala, make yourself known and enjoy drinks and good food while we celebrate us during Black History Month and provide opportunities for students to study abroad through the Shani Scholarship, supported by our alma mater.
From the day we set foot on UC’s campus, African American undergrad students and alumni have been trailblazers who sparked ideas, set trends and made sacrifices to pave the way for future generations of Bearcats — regardless of their ethnicity — to discover and achieve. I hope that, after this evening, you will feel motivated and empowered to invest your dollars and your time to our students at UC and the African American community at large.
Thank you so much for supporting the 4A board as we have been putting in place strategies that will continue for years to come. I will reiterate the Onyx & Ruby Gala’s importance to our students; it’s how we assist them to study abroad. It is our responsibility to ensure UC is aware of our students’ needs, and an inclusive place for all alumni. I will continue to challenge you to encourage your classmates and friends (even non-UC grads) to get involved, utilizing all platforms as we continue to advance 4A and our university. We hope you discover many other opportunities to stay engaged going forward.
Enjoy this special night of encouragement and celebrating one another, and GO BEARCATS!
Eku Williams, Bus ‘00 Chair, African American Alumni Affiliate
RiskVersity: Reducing Risk, Protecting Assets
RiskVersity provides expert risk management services for modern organizations across a variety of industries. From cyber and online risk to people and goods, our consulting services can provide peace of mind as well as bestin-class practice implementation.
“RiskVersity helped our organization eliminate and mitigate as many risks as possible. They were our trusted partner in our risk-management process, and they became an extension of our team. Our ongoing relationship provides peace of mind and confidence that we have done everything we can to remain compliant and protected against risks.”
— Will Woodward, CFO, Greater Cincinnati Foundation
www.RiskVersity.com
Smart organizations manage risk. Exceptional organizations prepare for it.Our 5-Step Risk Management framework is a helpful tool for organizations beginning their risk management processes and procedures.
Program
Emceed by Ewaniki Moore-Hawkins, Bus ’02, ’06
University Welcome
Emerging Leader Award
Bleuzette Marshall, PhD, A&S ’92, CECH ’01, ’09 Vice President for Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact
Isaac Smitherman, CEAS ’23 Student Body President
Ashley Townes, PhD, CECH ’10, ’12
Invocation Dinner
Student Trailblazer Award
Tower of Strength Award
Pillar of the Community Award
Raphael Hicks, CEAS, Bus ’23
Cecily Goode, Bus ’93, CECH ’00
Kerry Charles, A&S ’05
Shani Scholarship Presentation
Kamonta Heidelburg, PhD, A&S ’14, CECH ’16, ’22
Linda Bates Parker Legend Award
Georgia E. Beasley Legacy Award
Hon. Cheryl Grant, A&S ’66, Law ’73
Reginald Wilkinson, EdD, CECH ’98
Acknowledgments
Eku Williams, Bus ’00
Chair, African American Alumni Affiliate
After Party
Music provided by DJ Pillo
Ashley Townes, PhD, CECH ’10, ’12 Emerging Leader Award
Dr. Ashley Townes (she/her), is a native of Cincinnati and a proud Walnut Hills High School graduate. She earned both her Bachelor and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Cincinnati. While on campus, she was involved and held leadership roles across several organizations including ADVANCE, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Omicron Chapter, The Lambda Society, Sigma Phi Women’s Honorary and Order of Omega Honorary. She later received her doctorate degree in Health Behavior and Epidemiology from Indiana University in 2019. Her passion for health really evolved at UC. Dr. Townes worked as a Peer Educator in the Wellness Center and later gained experience working as a Public Health Law Intern, Community Health Educator and Disease Intervention Specialist in Cincinnati and the surrounding areas. She has worked on several initiatives related to the dissemination of national HIV prevention and care campaign materials tailored for African Americans, Hispanic/Latinx and transgender women of color. Dr. Townes has taught collegiate-level Human Sexuality courses, served as an Epidemiologist at the Ohio Department of Health, and currently holds a Postdoctoral Researcher role in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention’s Epidemiology Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Townes’ research and passion focuses on exploring the sexual experiences of Black women, understanding their access to health information and how they utilize sexual health services. In 2018, she received grant funding from the Patty Brisben Foundation for Women’s Sexual Health (based in Cincinnati) to translate sexual health research data into educational materials, and contributes to the LiveAlive Wellness Blog for Pure Romance. She’s been featured in Cosmopolitan, Psychology Today, Madame Noire, Woman’s Day, MindBodyGreen, MTV News and a variety of podcasts. Dr. Townes serves on the Editorial Board for the American Journal of Sexuality Education and has been a part of at least 15 academic papers that are available on Google Scholar or PubMed.
Raphael Hicks, CEAS, Bus ’23 Student Trailblazer Award
Raphael Hicks, a Cincinnati native, is a graduating senior earning his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Material Science and Engineering, and his Master of Business Administration through the ACCEND program. Raphael is a proud Darwin T. Turner Scholar, University Honors Scholar and consistent Dean’s List recipient. He currently serves as President of Collegiate 100 Black Men’s Honorary, Director of Black Student Affairs for Undergraduate Student Government, Communications Co-chair for the National Society of Black Engineers, and an ambassador for the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS).
Raphael is also a proud member of the Mortar Board: National College Senior Honor Society, Omega Chi Epsilon Chemical Engineering Honor Society and Cincinnatus Honorary Society. His past leadership includes the 2018-19 cohort of the Transitions Program, Habari Gani Ambassadors, Brother 2 Brother, United Black Student Association Leadership Committee and Executive Board, Student Diversity and Inclusion Council, and CEAS Tribunal.
Raphael has received numerous awards for his positive impact and contribution to UC, including being the 2022 recipient of the African American Cultural & Resource Center’s Theodore Berry Award of Excellence for his strong commitment to leadership through his service to students, the university and the surrounding community. Raphael was also the 2021 first runner-up for the Mr. & Ms. Kuamka competition. Upon graduation, Raphael accepted an offer to work at Procter & Gamble in their Supply Network Operations division while continuing his dedication to ensuring his people are celebrated, cherished and valued.
Cecily Goode, Bus ’93, CECH ’00 Tower of Strength Award
Cecily Goode currently serves as the Director of Catalyst Application Services for Business Core Systems (BCS) in the division of Digital Technology Solutions. She leads the team that develops, maintains and provides technical support for Catalyst, UC’s enterprise-wide student information system.
Cecily is a native Cincinnatian. After graduating high school, she attended University of Cincinnati where she received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance as well as her Master of Education in Educational Foundations. Cecily is a Darwin T. Turner scholarship (formerly Minority Scholars alumna). She has great empathy for the stress many families face paying for college, which is why she’s dedicated most of her career to supporting, counseling and encouraging students through financial literacy to achieve their educational pursuits. She began her career as a Financial Aid Advisor in Student Financial Aid. And for the next quartercentury, Cecily served in various roles at UC, primarily specializing in student service. She has helped thousands of students (and their parents) navigate the federal financial aid process, while also guiding them on how to best leverage other university resources toward their goal of graduation. She later became the Director of UC’s One Stop Student Services, an innovative, centralized student service center, with expanded service areas that included registration and records, financial aid, billing and collections. She lives by the motto 'to whom much is given, much is required.’ Her commitment to student development in her various volunteer roles at UC is reflected by the recognitions she’s received, which includes UC’s Just Community Award and UC Black Women on the Move’s Marilyn Kershaw Legacy Award of Courage and Service. She also served over 10 years as a volunteer for the African American Alumni Affiliate (4A), to encourage alumni to reconnect with the university, and to solicit their engagement and financial support. Today, Cecily remains committed to empowering young people and cultivating efforts that promote student success.
Kerry Charles, A&S ’05 Pillar of the Community Award
Kerry Charles is a 2005 graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences, earning a degree in Communication. He is a weeknight anchor for NBC4 in Columbus, OH. He joined the station after working as an anchor/reporter in Atlanta, GA. Prior to that, he spent seven years as a morning news anchor in Greensboro, NC. He has also produced and/or reported in Columbus, Cincinnati and Shreveport, LA.
Kerry’s interest in broadcasting started at an early age. While attending Crestview Middle School, he became a host for “Kids Sundae.” The weekly radio program aired on WCBE 90.5FM. He was also a young anchor and reporter for the Kids News Network, the weekly television program aired Saturday mornings. In his years away from home, Kerry covered a variety of stories. He followed two viewers to the Bahamas to check on their families and childhood homes following Hurricane Dorian. He covered a presidential debate and three national political conventions. Kerry anchored special coverage on the scene of the Charleston church shootings, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom and Super Bowl LIII. During the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, he interviewed several entertainment icons.
Kerry believes in giving back to the community. When he is not visiting with local students and organizations, Kerry is busy serving on boards for St. Stephen’s Community House and the Neighborhood Design Center. He engages in service projects through memberships with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the National Association of Black Journalists. During his time in North Carolina, he helped launch an ongoing effort that gives kids free haircuts, lunches, grooming lessons and access to financial literacy workshops. An Emmy Award winner, Kerry is a member of the Morehouse College MLK College of Ministers and Laity (2018). The honorary college honors professionals who, in part, use their platform to better the lives of others. In 2014, the University of Cincinnati named him a Communication Alumni Champion.
