A diverse group of 20 accomplished African-American professionals under age 40 has been selected as the 2015 class of Salute to Young Leader Award recipients.
Chosen by their peers, all of the awardees will be profiled in the February 19 edition of The St. Louis American and will be honored at the St. Louis American Foundation’s fifth annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception on Thursday, February 19 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Wells Fargo Advisors is supporting the 2015 Young Leaders event as the presenting sponsor.
This year’s impressive class of Young Leaders includes a partner at one of the area’s largest law firms, a neurosurgery resident at an elite medical school, and two individuals who, in the wake of the unrest in Ferguson, co-founded an activist collective young people’s organization focused on education, grassroots power and leadership.
Other Young Leaders include a city manager, the station manager of the American Red Cross division at Scott Air Force Base, and the owner/general manager of a professional sports team.
While their career paths are diverse, they have one thing in common. They are all high-performing, young African-American professionals who have already received some success in their professional field while working to give back to the community. They are deserving of this recognition and accolade for their good work from their own community.
“A critical element of sustainable progress and success in a community is able, committed leadership,” said Donald M. Suggs, president of the St. Louis American Foundation. “These young people represent our best hopes and aspirations for a better future for our community.”
Tickets for the Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception are $25, and can be purchased online at stlamerican.com, or by emailing kdaniel@stlamerican.com or calling 314-533-8000.
The 2015 Class of Young Leaders is:
Abdul-Kaba Abdullah
City Manager
City of Berkeley
Koran Bolden
President
Street Dreamz School of Business and Performing Arts
Christian J. Bonner
Brokerage Analyst
Wells Fargo Advisors
Kwofe Coleman
Communications Director
The Muny
Khalia Collier
Owner & General Manager
St. Louis Surge Women’s Professional Basketball
Charli Alexa Cooksey
Executive Director and Co-Founder
inspireSTL
Chalana M. Scales-Ferguson
Associate
Lashly & Baer, P.C.
Brittany Ferrell
Co-founder
Millennial Activists United
Jovita M. Foster
Partner
Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Tamica Gibson
Team Leader
Edward Jones
Sarajeni Hammond
Director, Talent Management
Monsanto
H. Courtney Hinton
Station Manager
American Red Cross Scott AFB, IL
Matt Nelson
IT Security Analyst
Express Scripts
LaTanya Reeves
Community Development Officer
Enterprise Bank & Trust
Walé Soluade, MBA, CDP
Corporate Inclusion & Diversity Manager
Commerce Bank
Bradley H. Stephens, MD
Neurosurgery Resident
Department of Neurological Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
Kimberly Burke-Thomas
Project Manager, U.S. Bank
Founder, QKE 4 Growth
Kristin Thompson
Financial Advisor
Renaissance Financial Corporation
Nicole Woodie
Community Outreach and Player Involvement Manager
St. Louis Rams
Ashley Yates
Co-founder
Millennial Activists United