BLACK HISTORY IN THE MAKING

We celebrate the history being written by young black leaders of today, including artists, entrepreneurs, and academics.

​Dara Treseder is the Chief Marketing Officer at Carbon. Prior to that, she led marketing efforts at companies like Apple and Goldman Sachs. Dara is also an internationally recognized advocate for public health, women's issues, and diversity initiatives. She is currently a global advisor to UN Women initiatives.

​Tristan Walker is an entrepreneur who launched Walker & Company, which was sold to Proctor & Gamble in 2018.    Since, he has launched multiple other beauty and personal care brands focused on people of color. Tristan has previously worked with brands like Express, CNN and MTV.  In 2019, he was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 “World’s Greatest Leaders.”

Roz Brewer is the current CEO of Walgreens and the past COO of Starbucks and and CEO of Sam’s Club.  Brewer started as a scientist at Kimberly-Clark (brands like Huggies and Cottonelle). She currently sits on the Board of Directors at Amazon and was named one of Forbes Magazine Top 100 Leaders.

Jason Reynolds is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences, including “Ghost,” a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature. Reynolds has been selected as the seventh National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

ZZ Packer is a native Chicagoan whose book “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” earned her the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” Award.  Her work has been a part of The Today Show Book Club. She is currently teaching Creative Writing and  working on a book about post-Civil War America.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an author and journalist who has written for both Marvel Comics and The New York Times Magazine. In 2015, he won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction: “Between the World and Me.”  He is currently working a book about America during the Martin Luther King years.

Marcus Samuelsson is the youngest chef ever to earn a three-star restaurant review from The New York Times. He is currently the head Chef at the Red Rooster in New York and frequently serves as a judge on the Food Network show Chopped.

Carla Hall is multiple-year Top Chef contestant and co-host of the food and talk-show, Chew.  She worked her way up from making sandwiches for colleagues to the role of Executive Chef at some of the nation’s top restaurants. Her most recent cookbook is Cooking with Love: Comfort Food that Hugs You.

Romeo Hunte is an acclaimed fashion designer known for the fusion of his street wear collection and business attire line.  He was only one of a few to have his collections recently featured during New York Fashion Week.  Clients include Halle Berry and Beyonce.

John Cameron Urschel is a former NFL player pursuing his doctorate in Mathematics at MIT. He was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the 30-Under-30 to watch. He is the author of the book Mind over Matter: A Life in Math and Football.

Erica Joy Baker is an engineer and engineering manager in the San Francisco Bay Area, known for her advocacy of diversity and inclusion. She has worked at companies including Google, Slack, and Patreon, and she is currently a Principal Group Engineer at Microsoft. She is also on the advisory board of Hack the Hood and is a tech mentor for Black Girls Code.

Lisette Titre-Montgomery  is an American video game artist and designer who has worked at Backbone Entertainment, EA Games, Ubisoft, and Double Fine Productions working on games like Zombie Apocolypse II and Psychonauts 2.  She was named by Essence Magazine as one of 15 Women to Watch in the STEM field.

Joan Higgenbotham is an Engineer and Space Shuttle Discovery Mission Specialist. She attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago and Southern Illinois University.  She worked her way up through roles such as Electrical Engineer and Payload Specialist during pre-missions with shuttles Columbia and Atlantis.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist, author, and science evangelist. Tyson is credited with popularizing the study of space science with his book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. He has served on many federal commissions, including Man, Moon and Mars.

Nikki Selvestri is the founder and CEO of Soil and Shadow, an organization that coaches social and environmental entrepreneurs. She is most interested in the intersection of ecology and the economy.  She is also a Board Member of Greenpeace USA and was named by The Root as one of the 100 Most Influential African-Americans.

​Lauren Underwood is a graduate of Neuqua Valley High School and a member of the United State House of Representatives, Illinois District 14. When elected, she was the youngest black woman to ever be elected to Congress.  A former Nurse, Underwood is a advocate for universal health care and was previously a Senior Advisor to the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

​Tanisha C. Ford is an author, cultural critic and historian whose book Dressed in Dreams examines the history and power of black fashion.  She also writes for the Atlantic, the New York Times, and ELLE.com. She teaches courses on black feminism, fashion & beauty, movements for social justice, youth culture, and material culture.

ImeIme Umana is the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. While attending Harvard, Umana helped curate the university’s Hip Hop Archive and also worked for the Institute of Politics.   Umana also serves as a clerk for Federal Appeals Judge Robert L. Wilkins.

Ryan Coogler is a director, writer and producer of films that have won both critical praise and box-office success, These include Creed and Black Panther.   He often focuses his work on the people and topics other movies have forgotten.  He has been named to be one of TIME Magazines 30-Under-30.  He recently signed a long-term agreement to create exclusive content for Disney+.

Shawn Warren is Vice President and General Manager for Large Combat and Mobility Engines and Military Systems Operation at General Electric (GE). His current project involves re-engineering the engine for one of the most iconic planes in the military, the B-52.  Warren is a part of the African-American Forum at GE, which helps support African-American engineers and other employees.

Haben Girma is the first deafblind graduate of the Harvard Law School. Deafblind is a condition that leaves a person with almost no hearing and almost no sight. Girma currently practices disability law and is an international advocate for accessibility, particularly when it comes to accessing technology.