JaKathryn Ross finds her job as executive director of Youth Entrepreneurs at Georgia-Pacific Corporation fulfilling. It’s “watching the development of the students and seeing them achieve things that they never thought they would and turning their passion, skills and interests into viable businesses that would generate revenue,” that keeps her motivated.
Six years ago, Youth Entrepreneurs was launched to keep the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and spark alive among high school students. Serving sophomores and juniors primarily, the program is implemented as a credit-bearing, non-elective course in Atlanta Public Schools and the DeKalb County School systems and is taught by Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship certified teachers.
“We cover the various stages and processes of developing a business. We distinguish the difference between an idea and an opportunity. We teach students how to write business plans and prepare them for the National Business Plan Competition,” she says.
“It’s rewarding to see the light bulb come on [and] seeing the business come to life. It’s antidotal to see a young man, like Danny, who sat at the back of the classroom as quiet as a mouse, become a finalist in our regional business plan competition; and to see a young lady like Raven, who thought that her only option after high school was to join the military, open her eyes and see opportunities that a college education bring,” says Ross.
Ross comes from a long line of educators and has an entrepreneurial mind-set. “I want to make sure that the young ladies take advantage of opportunities they have and learn to develop strong working relationships and alliances with each other and take more risks … men are more likely to do so because of their backgrounds in team sports. Women should [not fear the competition],” she encourages. –yvette caslin
If it were left up to Caree Jackson, the obesity epidemic in the nation would be unheard of. A staunch advocate for healthy living, the nutritionist proselytizes, “It’s not just about a diet and exercising every now and then, but really to implement a lifestyle change.”
For the past year, Jackson has been working on obesity prevention in the early child care and education setting, a CDC children’s initiative. The campaign, Let’s Move Childcare, focuses on improving foods and beverage options for children while increasing physical activity and improving breast feeding and infant nutrition practices.
Jackson’s research will be published in an action guide for states that will provide how-to guidance on obesity prevention efforts in the childcare setting. “We are currently working with the providers who serve our youngest population, ages zero to 5-years-old, and parents; you really are going to see the effect later in life. By helping to form healthy habits right now, starting early, learning early, you can prevent so many things, particularly in the African American community. We need to focus on prevention and not fixing the problem,” explains the ORISE research fellow.
“I started my career on the community level when I graduated from Howard University. I worked with Baltimore Head Start and my focus was obesity prevention. Here at CDC, I am able to provide input on policy, which works well because I have an understanding from both sides. I am able to be a voice for the community and to convey to policymakers on the federal level, what works,” she shares.
Passionate about educating the community on nutrition, Jackson’s written a play, Little Red Riding Through the Hood and a catchy hip-hop song titled “What’s Best for Me.” “I use theater, dance and music to communicate messages. I really do a lot of mentoring and workshops and presentations for youth groups, churches and my interest has been to communicate this in a very innovative way,” she shares. –yvette caslin
Music and arts are vital to a child’s education and the benefits are beyond what many imagine. “Statistics and data show that music stimulates the left and right brain, elevating the whole body, mind and spirit toward success,” offers Annette D. Jackson, executive director of The Ken Ford Foundation.
The proof of that premise is evident in our fascination with TV shows like “Glee” and “High School Musical” that we can’t get enough of the arts.
“We are working to convince the legislative body to make music a sport. That means that every single child from kindergarten up will have an instrument in their hands,” says Jackson, a former public school educator. “My daughter and son, Taylor Jackson and Thomas Christian, play violin. My son can play Ken’s [Ford] ‘State of Mind,’ by ear.”
The Ken Ford Foundation’s goal is to keep string music in arts programming through a program titled, “Making the Violin Fun.” It’s an effort to spark an interest in all students, not just members of the orchestra. “If they know that the violin is cool and fun, then they will have a greater interest in string music,” explains Jackson. “Education is so very important to us at the Ken Ford Foundation. Children in Georgia schools need to not just be adequately educated, but superiorly educated.”
With the help of dedicated volunteers, the foundation hosts a concert every year and is assembling a Ken Ford Symphony, which is an intergenerational symphony for 7-year-olds to seniors. “It will rival the Atlanta Symphony. We take our workshop for violin, viola, cello and bass players — and, of course, orchestra itinerants — into schools who seek more innovative ways to teach Bach and Beethoven, adding some jazz and soul so students are encouraged to play,” Jackson shares. –yvette caslin
There’s a feeling in the air that this is Andra Hall’s moment. Her delicious cupcakes are adored not only by Atlanta foodies at baby showers, birthday parties, weddings and high teas, but also by sweet lovers in Florida, where she launched her bakery business.
Hall quit her full-time job with the government to care for her daughter, devised a business plan and picked up an apron.
She’s the founder of CamiCakes, a fast-growing cupcake confectionary with two Atlanta locations — Buckhead and Vinings — and is quickly taking the reins as a baking legend in the city. Yes, she’s Atlanta’s very own dessert duchess. Hall says modestly that she and her husband, Curtis, “are just ordinary people.” CamiCakes, named after Hall’s daughter Camille, grossed $2 million in 2010.
“We are looking at expanding to Charlotte, [N.C.], next,” she reveals. “My goal is to open one store a year.” The two original CamiCakes are in Florida.
Hall graduated from her mom, Earnestine’s, soul food kitchen and spent family trips to the library burying her head in cookbooks. “My mom was the ‘cake lady,’ she made cakes for everybody during the holidays. I wanted to learn and I was always in the kitchen following her around.”
CamiCakes offers 18 classic cupcake flavors including strawberries ‘n cream, chocolate on chocolate, sweet potato, carrot cake and red velvet — a Southern favorite that is topped with “velvet cream cheese frosting studded with lightly-toasted pecans.”
Hall says she enjoys giving back by donating her culinary creativity to churches and social causes like breast cancer awareness. –yvette caslin
Amy Eslami is driven. The multicultural marketing manager for BACARDI USA, received some valuable advice long ago, “Know what you want and go after it. Be confident, believe in yourself and never give up,” and it’s what keeps her motivated and on strategy.
And, she has a long-term vision for her career goals, which she uses as a road map to reach her final destination — success.
“I am the liaison between BACARDI USA’s marketing brand teams and the local sales teams in my division. I work collectively with the sales teams to build on the national marketing platforms and bring them to life in the local markets. [It’s important for me to establish] customer loyalty and market share by implementing innovative marketing programs that connect, engage and speak to the multicultural consumer,” she explains.
How does she do it and stay ahead of the competition?
“Social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enable us to reach very specific subsets of people based on their personal preferences and interests. Many of our brands have Facebook profiles, which have allowed us to target our multicultural consumers and create strategies based on addressing individual interests.
“Know your audience. Marketing efforts should be subjective — we understand you, not objective — we observe you. This is the key to marketing success,” she continued.
Eslami is often on the road traveling between key marketing regions in her division — Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee. Quite often, she heads south to the corporate office in Miami, and north to their divisional office in Boston.
But the trip that had her beaming is the one she took in August to France, where she visited the Grey Goose vodka distillery. She describes it as “an amazing experience.” –yvette caslin
Many V-103 FM listeners are quite familiar with Ryan Cameron’s sidekick, Elle Duncan. It’s her skillful articulation, cheeky personality and ability to go toe-to-toe with the fellas on sports statistics that keeps listeners captivated during the afternoon drive, from 2 to 6 p.m.
But there are quite a few things about this Atlanta-area native that you may not know. For one, when Duncan isn’t on the air or doing sideline reporting for the Atlanta Hawks, she’s feeding the homeless on Courtland Street and working with several charities, including; Habitat for Humanity, Go Red for Women, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Enchanted Closet, collecting prom dresses for girls in need and finding sponsors.
And, Duncan isn’t seeking any accolades.
She maintains a deep admiration for her sister, Kelli, who was born with a severe hearing loss, but is now enjoying a career as a Clayton County firefighter. “She’s in the auditory clinic commercial that runs on channel 11 driving a fire truck. It is so cute.” Duncan continues, “She runs into burning buildings and she can’t even hear. She’s incredible and amazing.”
Growing up, the sisters were heavily involved in sports. “I love, love sports. My sister and I participated in three or four sports at a time … softball, cheerleading, basketball, gymnastics, competitive swimming. We are a sports-oriented family. When we weren’t playing sports, we were watching it on television. My fondest memory while growing up is eating wings and watching football with my family. I’m a big fan,” she says.
–yvette caslin
As students strive to make viable career choices and working professionals navigate career transition and growth, Brown Mackie College continues developing a well-rounded offering of programs to open the doors to new opportunities and a host of careers.
Having a successful job placement rate despite a distressed economy has given Brown Mackie College something to be proud of. “For the last few years, our campus has placed 65 percent of its graduates into their fields of study … paralegal, medical assistant and surgical technology to name a few,” shares Crystal Celestine Shepherd, the new president of Brown Mackie College Atlanta.
“We have had great success and my vision for the campus is a continued healthy, steady growth in student enrollment, the financial wellness of the campus operation, the [wellness] of students, faculty and staff, and [ever-increasing] success in student employment placement,” she says.
Shepherd has spent the bulk of her career as a hotel executive. One day, she received a call from a recruiter that prompted her to make the move to academia; she was intrigued and admits, “I fell in love with it.” Hired as president of Everest College, she worked there for six years before coming to Brown Mackie in March.
The wife and mother of four enjoys being a role model for her students and being in a position to help nontraditional students transition from careers in construction and real estate to more sustainable industries like medical programs.
A member of the National Council of Negro Women, Urban League Atlanta and several chambers of commerce, Shepherd volunteers and enjoys public speaking.
Working in a learning culture has inspired Shepherd to take the next step. She is currently studying for her doctorate degree in organizational leadership at Argosy University. –yvette caslin
Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Goldie Taylor is no holds barred when she reports on current events and political news. If she could have it her way, Taylor would change the public discourse around race and economic parity, because historically the conversation has been “them” and “me” instead of “us” and “we.”
“Certainly, there are ways to act legislatively, especially in terms of prioritizing public education. But the real answer begins with us. What are we all personally willing to do to press change in our own communities?” she explains about advancing the conversation.
Taylor is brainy and there’s no agreeing to disagree with her, because she manages to change your perspective before she finishes her argument. Living a “life replete with miracles,” she attributes much of her success to her childhood hero. “My late uncle Albert Ross showed me through example the value of character and integrity, and filled my spirit with the encouragement to paint the sky. While he pressed me to get an education, he also taught me the importance of common sense. But more than anything, it was his incredible work ethic,” shares Taylor.
The president of Goldie Taylor OmniMedia LLC points out how social media has democratized consumer brand marketing. “The advent of social media — in the way it empowers individuals to “democratize” the messages they receive — has changed that. Today, it’s about hosting a conversation that is deeply personal, driven by culturally relevant messaging that meets consumers at their point of need. As an agency, our ability is to contextualize the most pertinent insights and deliver.”
Taylor most admires her mentor and friend Don Logan, retired chairman of TimeWarner Media. And when it comes to the best advice she’s ever received, her grandmother Catherine Blackard Jones would say, “You wouldn’t worry so much about what other people said or thought about you, if you knew how little they did.” –yvette caslin
When Kimberly Edmunds started her career in telecommunications, her mother gently suggested that she consider utilizing her University of Southern California education elsewhere, thinking the cellphone business was a fad. Now more than two decades later, Edmunds is overseeing customer service operations at Cox Communications and is the recipient of many distinctions, including Multichannel News’ 2011 Wonder Woman of the Year. She is also a fellow of the prestigious Betsy Magness Leadership Institute.
As the senior vice president of customer experience at Cox, Edmunds leads a team on the front line of the business and has a significant impact on growing and retaining customers. A big part of her job is to develop strategy that will take the company from point A to point B and “leapfrog our competitors.”
“You can get these services — voice, video and data, from a myriad of companies. In this competitive environment, the way we do business and treat customers is paramount,” she offers. “My duties at Cox are in good alignment with my business and personal values around creating relationships that are meaningful.”
One of Cox’s childhood heroes is her maternal granddad, Robert Lee Allen, who encouraged her when her six older siblings teased her. She recounts, “My granddad would say ‘Kimmy Gal, your head is bigger because you are smarter than everybody else.’ He set the credence that I could be smarter.”
Cox supports employees’ interests in serving the community and Edmunds has taken advantage of the opportunity to serve on several nonprofit boards including, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Rainbows United, and is currently volunteering with Wellspring Living for Girls, an organization formed to help women and girls who have been victims of sex trafficking and exploitation. –yvette caslin
Lisa Williams is the executive director of Living Water for Girls, a nonprofit organization that cares for victims of sexual exploitation ages 12 to 17. Spurred to start the non-profit organization, after reading an article some years ago in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about abuse, Living Water for Girls cares for up to 10 girls at a time and offers home schooling, traditional and nontraditional therapy through vocational training, art, gardening and equine therapy.
Williams recounts the content of the article. “She [the 10-year-old victim] was sitting [wearing] a jumpsuit with shackles around her ankles. She was being charged with prostitution. The john … pimp or trafficker wasn’t being charged. I had to do something,” she laments.
“Many of our girls, up to 85 percent in the studies, have been victimized in their home, which means that they are easy prey for a pimp. There’s no discrimination on sexual abuse,” Williams explains.
If she could have one wish granted to turn the tragedy around, Williams admits she would need more. “I need three wishes. Stop the demand. Without the demand there would be no need for supply. Fund and provide critical therapeutic services for children already victimized by this heinous crime. All who’ve recruited, harbored, arranged transactions, transported, transferred, sold, rented or traded children for the purpose of sexual exploitation [need] to be held accountable for their crimes to the fullest extent that is allowed by the laws of this nation,” she declares.
“We have a very simple campaign goal for 10,000 people to join our ‘Ten for Ten’ campaign by donating $10 a month for a year or a one-time donation of $120 in honor of their family members and friends,” she offers. –yvette caslin
For more information, visit www.livingwaterforgirls.org.
JaKathryn Ross finds her job as executive director of Youth Entrepreneurs at Georgia-Pacific Corporation fulfilling. It’s “watching the development of the students and seeing them achieve things that they never thought they would and turning their passion, skills and interests into viable businesses that would generate revenue,” that keeps her motivated.
