The Chicago Urban League has selected 41 emerging leaders for the 2022 cohort of its IMPACT Leadership Development Program, an intensive, nine-month program that helps Black professionals advance in their careers while building a more diverse pipeline of leaders across Chicago.
The cohort, which includes talented individuals from the corporate, government and nonprofit sectors, is the program’s eighth since IMPACT began in 2014. Fellows are nominated by their employers and are selected through a competitive application process. More than 100 organizations in the Chicagoland area have sponsored IMPACT Fellows.
“IMPACT continues to raise the bar in attracting high-achieving and accomplished individuals to participate in an incredibly competitive selection process,” said Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. “The deep pool of qualified candidates seeking to increase their leadership skills, along with the growing need for diverse leadership in Chicago, resulted in our expanding the program’s cohort size this year.”
In partnership with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, one of the world’s leading business schools, the League invites prominent academics, subject matter experts, and industry leaders to share their knowledge and insights with Fellows through day-long classroom experiences and supplemental sessions. IMPACT Fellows will also receive leadership assessments and mentoring. As more people get vaccinated, IMPACT plans to get back to in-person learning sessions.
“We are appreciative of the continued support from our academic, business and civic partners who help to make IMPACT one of the most sought-after leadership development programs in Chicago,” said Mavis Laing, Vice President and Executive Director of IMPACT.
Program partners include the MacArthur Foundation and corporate, nonprofit and public sector organizations who sponsor Fellows.
Sessions for the 2022 IMPACT class will run from September 2021 through May 2022. Applications for the 2023 class will be available in March 2022. For more information visit the IMPACT program page on our website.
The 2022 IMPACT Fellows are:
| Michael Allen | Principal, Evanston SD 65 |
| Sharisse Allen | Executive Vice President, Balton Corporation |
| Anthony Bolden | Director of Programs, Chicago Debates |
| Warren Broome | Vice President, Senior Risk Manager, BMO |
| Erika Callahan | Director of Corporate Communications, Heath Care Service Corporation |
| Aspen Clemons | Deputy Chief of Staff, Chicago State University |
| Ayo Dahunsi | Associate Director- Equity, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, AbbVie |
| Danielle Davenport | Manager – Sled Capture, CDW Government |
| Aquisha Davis | Vice President & Sr. Consultant/Project Manager, Northern Trust |
| Natae Eaves | Vice President/ Project Management Manager, JP Morgan Chase |
| Brandon Fair | Managing Director – Corporate Real Estate, United Airlines |
| Derrick M. Fleming, Jr. | Managing Director of Strategic Engagement, Chicago Scholars |
| Alonzo Foster | Project Manager, Peoples Gas |
| Robin Glover | Senior Director – Finance Transformation, Salesforce |
| Ameera Haamid, MD | Attending Physician- Emergency Medicine, EMS Assistant Medical Director, Cook County Health |
| Stephen Harris | Senior Manager – Strategy & Operations, Boeing Global Engagement, The Boeing Company |
| Gianne James | Senior Vice President, Governance and Assurance, FIRST Insurance Funding- Wintrust Company |
| Sarah Janvier | Executive Director- Musculoskeletal/Orthopedics Service Line, Advocate Aurora Health |
| Arielle Johnson | Senior Policy Advisor & Acting Deputy Director- Business Enterprise Program, State of IL Central Management Services |
| Nigel Jones | Senior Marketing Manager, Molson Coors |
| Mallory Littlejohn | Legal Director, CAASE (Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation) |
| Eboney Lofton | Chief Academic and Accountability Officer, Oak Park District 97 |
| LaKesha Lundy | Sales Finance Manager, PepsiCo |
| Charles Mayfield | Executive Director of Procurement, Chicago Public Schools |
| Brittany McGhee | Director of Young Professional Programs and Community, Chicago Council on Global Affairs |
| Shannon McGhee | Director of Community Impact and Engagement, mHUB |
| Nikki Newsome | Chief Culture Officer, Facebook |
| Leroy Nix | Director of Market Strategy, Southern Company/Nicor Gas |
| Victor Nminibapiel | Audit Partner, Ernst & Young LLP |
| Heather Nooks | Strategic Sourcing Manager, McDonald’s |
| Olusegun “Segun” Ogunleye | Division Administrator and Director, Lurie Children’s Hospital |
| Aaron Patterson | Design Manager, Infrastructure Engineering, Inc. |
| Venroy Porter | Senior Manager – Regional Logistics, BASF |
| Kelly Presley | Chief Public Safety Legal Counsel, IL Dept of Corrections |
| Sean Proctor | Senior Counsel, Allstate Insurance Company |
| Rachel Purches | Assistant Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago |
| Jason Smith | Supervision Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago |
| Kyle Sneed | Vice President – Institutional Government & Nonprofit Banking, Huntington National Bank |
| Immanuel Umenei | Global Segment Manager, Renewable Energy, Littelfuse, Inc. |
| Christopher Watts | Executive Director, The Kindness Campaign |
| Alexis White | Chief Administration and Finance Officer, Office of the City Clerk |
