Chief Diversity Officer & Executive Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, City of Columbus

Mayor Ginther has appointed Jason Jenkins to serve as the city’s Chief Diversity Officer and Executive Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, effective immediately. Jenkins has been serving as interim executive director since November following the departure of Damita Brown.

Jenkins spent almost six years in the Mayor’s Office as Director of Community Affairs. Prior experience includes work at The Ohio State University in advancement and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Ohio in engagement. In 2021, Jason was named one of Business First’s 40 Under 40. He is also a graduate of the African American Leadership Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, both from Otterbein University.

President & CEO, Women for Economic and Leadership Development

Barb Smoot is the President & CEO of Women for Economic and Leadership Development (WELD), a national nonprofit that develops and advances women’s leadership to strengthen the economic prosperity of the communities it serves. As the driving force behind WELD’s rapid growth, Barb oversees the management of a 1,000+ membership base and the launch of nearly 100 programs annually. She serves as primary community liaison, overseeing fundraising, collaborative partnerships and development and implementation of WELD’s new strategic initiatives, including WELD’s national expansion. A master connector with a diverse network, Barb is highly sought after to help companies identify diverse board and executive talent. She is a subject matter expert on the recruitment and retention of women and women of color in the corporate arena.

In Barb’s current role, she builds programs to prepare women and women of color for advanced leadership opportunities including service on government boards and commissions and for-profit company boards. Under her leadership, WELD was selected for a coveted role to partner with the premier African American Directors Forum to implement strategies in the Ohio market to increase African American representation in the board rooms and C-suites of Ohio’s public companies.

Barb has a long track record of board and commission service in diverse roles and industries. She chairs the Advisory Board of Western Governors University Ohio, a nonprofit online institution with over 4,500 enrolled students statewide and over 260,000 graduates at the national level. She is a past board member of National Church Residences, the country’s largest not-for-profit provider of affordable senior housing and a national leader in supportive services with a footprint in over 310 communities and 25 states. Barb chaired the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee and also served on the board of their $100 million foundation. As a past commissioner on the Columbus Women’s Commission, Barb chaired the Gender Equity in the Workplace Committee, spearheading the development of the community strategy to build awareness of the gender and racial pay gaps and measures to help eliminate them. Under her leadership as committee chair, Columbus created its version of the pay equity pledge, The Columbus Commitment. To date, over 300 Central Ohio company CEOs have signed the pledge. Barb was appointed to the Westerville Board of Zoning Appeals and served over 3 years. Up until its acquisition by Nationwide Bank, Barb served on the Nationwide Federal Credit Union Board, an organization that had over $500 million in assets. Her roles included Second Vice Chair and a member of the Nominating, Executive Compensation, Budget/Finance and Supervisory Committees. As Nominating Committee Chair for the St. Joseph Montessori School Board, Barb modernized committee processes and served on the board at the start of a long-tenured CEO transition. She has also served on the Martin Luther King Arts Complex Board.

Barb is a proven, versatile leader with prior executive roles in the insurance industry where she honed extensive experience in strategic planning, profit and loss center management, line responsibilities, product management and business development. As Vice President of Business Development for Nationwide Financial’s In-Retirement Division, Barb, a past Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, led the development and implementation of IRA rollover strategies to retain customer assets from Nationwide’s nearly $100 billion Retirement Plans business segment and to attract new customers to the company. Previous roles also include serving as business development head for Income Products and product manager for the company’s individual life insurance line of business, a profit center that generated over $80 million in pre-tax operating earnings and over $175 million in first-year premiums and a variable universal life insurance product line ranked 4th in the industry at the time.

Barb received the 2022 Nuestra Familia Award from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission for her impact in Ohio’s Latino community. In May 2022, Barb was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Ohio Dominican University and served as their commencement speaker. She is a 2021 Otterbein University Honorary Alumna and a 2020 YWCA Columbus Woman of Achievement honoree. Barb was recognized as one of Columbus Business First’s 2019-2021 Power 100 and selected as Columbus CEO 2017 CEO of the Year for Small Nonprofits. She is one of Smart Business’ 2016 Smart 50 award winners and was recognized as the 2014 National Association of Women Business Owners’ Columbus Women’s Business Champion. Under Barb’s leadership, WELD was awarded the Columbus Business First 2019 Outstanding Diversity Organization (Micro Category) and featured as Community Network of the Year by The Women’s Book.

Barb is a graduate of Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics.

City of Columbus

Born and raised on the south side of Columbus, Council President Shannon Hardin is committed to building an equitable future that works for every resident in our city. As Columbus grows, Council President Hardin is focused on fostering an inclusive economy by partnering to build mass transit and affordable housing, empowering small and minority businesses, and providing youth with pathways to the middle class. Regardless of the issue, Council President Hardin views public policy through the saying, “If it’s not for all, then it’s not for us.”

Based on his own experience going to Columbus City Schools and graduating college with six-figures of student debt, Council President Hardin developed the Columbus Promise - an initiative to allow Columbus City School graduates to attend Columbus State Community College for free with special coaching and support. For Columbus to be the best place in America to learn, earn, and find your career, we need to make bold investments in education. That’s why Council President Hardin worked with Columbus State, Columbus City Schools, and I Know I Can to create a free, guaranteed pathway for students to get a credential or degree. Talent is distributed evenly, but opportunity isn’t. Council President Hardin started the Columbus Promise because Columbus can’t wait.

Council President Hardin believes that investing in transportation and infrastructure connects residents to jobs, education, and healthcare. As Co-Chair of the Insight2050 Corridor Concepts Initiative, Council President Hardin led a collaborative effort to analyze what focusing new housing and business growth along high-capacity transit corridors could mean for our region’s economy, health, and environment. This study has gained traction as the vision for Columbus’ future, and has evolved into LinkUS Columbus, a collaborative initiative to develop advanced rapid transit and transportation options near housing and jobs. With a million people expected to move to Columbus before 2050, Council President Hardin will continue to push for a transportation system that works for all of us

Understanding the racial inequities that impact communities of color every day, Council President Hardin worked with former Mayor Coleman to create Columbus’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative. My Brother’s Keeper aims to reduce opportunity gaps for young men of color through city-wide goals, service provider coordination, and collective action. Council President Hardin examined how past marijuana laws primarily burden black men, particularly young black men. Through the leadership of Council President Hardin and Councilmember Shayla Favor, Council passed a two-part marijuana justice package: decreasing penalties for low-level marijuana possession and supporting record sealing services to get formerly incarcerated residents back into safe housing and good-paying jobs. As a result of state and city action, City Attorney Zach Klein will no longer prosecute low-level marijuana offenses.

Over the years, Council President Hardin has stepped up to lead big projects for the Columbus community. President Hardin led the charge to restructure Council. Council placed a bundle of reforms recommended by a citizen-led commission to improve accountability and neighborhood representation on the ballot. These changes overwhelmingly passed in May of 2018. Similarly, Council President Hardin drove the effort to nearly double public support for arts. The more than $6 million increase will improve family access to Columbus’ cultural gems while stabilizing civic treasures such as the Lincoln Theater, the King Arts Complex, and other historic arts establishments.

Council President Hardin serves on the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and the National League of Cities Board of Directors. He was appointed to Council in 2014, subsequently won election in 2015, 2017, and 2021. Council President Hardin earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and is a proud member of the Mount Olivet Baptist Church. Council President Hardin is married to Ben Zachrich and, together, they are raising their son Noah Hardin-Zachrich on the Near East Side.

Senior Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence, The Ohio State University

My research and teaching focus on women’s experiences in political institutions and the impact of public policies on women’s lives. I am currently working on a book entitled, Perceptions of Power and Influence: The Impact of Race and Gender in American State Legislatures, which examines the impact of race and gender on the distribution of power and influence in U.S. state legislatures. Based on this research, I was awarded the Best Dissertation in Women and Politics by the Women and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. I am particularly interested in the ways in which institutions preference gender and racial norms through their institutional arrangements, norms, preferences and day to day operating procedures.

In my courses, I address various public policies affecting women and girls including work/family and workplace diversity policies; empowerment for women living with HIV/AIDS; violence against women and girls; and welfare reform. My policy work is informed by my experiences as a senior research and policy associate with the Center for Women Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., which is the oldest feminist research and policy organization in the country. I continue to focus on public policies impacting women and communities of color as a faculty affiliate with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity here at OSU.

I received both my Ph.D. in Political Science and Certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Before joining the faculty of The Ohio State University, I was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Chief Health Equity Officer, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Chyke Doubeni, MD, MPH, joined the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center as chief health equity officer July 1, 2022. Dr. Doubeni also serves in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute as associate director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and holds a faculty appointment as a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

In addition to his roles within the medical center, Dr. Doubeni works closely with the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA). He is a leader in the RAISE initiative focused on recruiting new faculty who have a research focus on health equity topics. Working with OAA and the health science colleges, he leads the development and implementation of a new Center for Health Equity within the university that will serve as an interdisciplinary incubator for health equity research collaboration across campus and provide opportunities for professional development and training in the field.

Dr. Doubeni is tasked with leading Ohio State’s continued efforts to address the underlying drivers of disparities in health care that adversely impact marginalized groups and foster more equitable care and health outcomes. With our land-grant focus on research, education and patient care that improves the lives of those in our community and our state, Dr. Doubeni leads the vision and strategic direction of the medical center’s health equity and healthy community initiatives in collaboration with leaders, faculty, staff and learners.

Dr. Doubeni came to Ohio State from Mayo Clinic, where he served as the inaugural director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Health Equity and Community Engagement Research. In addition, he served as director of the Community Engagement Program in the Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science, deputy director for community outreach and engagement, including minority accrual on the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Executive Committee, and professor of Family Medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Nationally recognized for his work in cancer prevention and public health, he is a current member of the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors, as well as a section editor for diversity, equity and inclusion of the American Gastroenterological Association’s Gastroenterology journal. He served from 2017 to 2021 as one of 16 members of the prestigious U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), which makes evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services to promote the health of all Americans and beyond. In 2021, he served as the lead author for the USPSTF’s report: “Addressing Systemic Racism Through Clinical Preventive Service Recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force” published in JAMA.

At the Wexner Medical Center, he brings together the diversity, equity and inclusion, anti-racism and civic and community engagement efforts. Under his leadership, we will develop new and enhance existing clinical programs and care delivery mechanisms, as well as community engagement and outreach programs, to equitably improve health outcomes in the communities we serve.

Dr. Doubeni received his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Lagos College of Medicine in Nigeria. After completing additional training in the United Kingdom, he completed a family medicine residency at Duke University and a preventive medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts, where he also earned a Master of Public Health degree and served as the medical school’s interim associate vice provost for diversity. He also completed a fellowship with the National Cancer Institute Scholars Program.

Dr. Doubeni’s numerous accolades include a 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the President of the United States for accomplishments in research, mentoring and community service and the 2019 Sadie Gerson Distinguished Scholar Award from the University of Pittsburgh.

Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, Dr. Doubeni was the Harrison McCrea Dickson, M.D. and Clifford C. Baker, M.D. Presidential Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and served as chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

CFO, National Center for Urban Solutions

Pamela Gregory is the Co-founder of the National Center for Urban Solutions (NCUS), The African American Male Wellness Agency (AAMWA), Academy for Urban Scholars High Schools and NCUS TEC. She has been systematically empowering individuals across the nation to become self-sustaining for more than 20 years.

Operating from the motto, "Just do the work!" Gregory fosters empowerment and change through collective action. She has been a powerful voice of influence and advocacy, raising awareness regarding health disparities amongst African Americans in cities throughout the United States. Committed to changing lives and providing resources that have created stronger communities, she takes a 'hands-on' approach to service by investing in people.

Establishing one of the largest health initiatives for minorities in Central Ohio, she has been an instrumental part in raising millions of dollars in funding, directly impacting more than 50,000 families. Providing resources that have brought health care services directly to residents; giving access to free health screenings, physician referrals and health care providers, Gregory has been a part of the solution. Pamela's work has expanded across 15 cities nationwide.

Invested in the total well-being of people, Gregory has overseen the establishment of urban community programs in core areas such as education, financial wellness, health and wellness and workforce development.

In 2021, Gregory expanded her vision founding Uplift Her, a holistic awareness initiative designed to extend the life expectancy of women of color. Providing health education, support and resources to women of color, Gregory rallied community partners and sponsors to provide yet another resource of sustainability for the community.

Gregory holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University and currently serves as a board member on the Franklin Park Conservatory Women's Board, NCUS TEC, AAMWA and SisterServ. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and active member of Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith where she serves on the Community Task Force & Health/Wellness Ministry.

Gregory's work has received recognition from Ohio Governors Ted Strickland and John Kasich and President Barack Obama and most recently has been recognized in Forbes, Black Enterprise & Inc.

Passionate about family, life and seeing people reach their greatest potential, Pamela Gregory is changing lives, not just offering the solution, but "Just doing the work!"

Franklin County Commissioner

Commissioner Erica C. Crawley is a mother, advocate, and veteran. As the first Black woman Commissioner, her commitment to serving every resident, every day comes from her lived experiences and deep understanding of what working families need to thrive, and not just survive. Commissioner Crawley has always stood with the most vulnerable among us – working to ensure access to high-quality childcare, affordable housing, supportive addiction, mental health treatment, better maternal health outcomes, and first-rate veteran services for those who have bravely served our nation. She currently serves on numerous boards.

Like so many of her constituents, Commissioner Crawley has known what it’s like to fight and work hard to get ahead. Originally from Youngstown, Commissioner Crawley’s family reflected the story of successes and struggles that so many families share in our community. She is a first-generation college graduate, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, focusing on juvenile delinquency from Cleveland State University. She also holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Walden University and a Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School.

Crawley has spent much of her life making a difference by serving others and helping them find their voice. She served in the United States Navy earning the Naval & Marine Corps Achievement Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. Additionally, she has advocated on behalf of children and families with the Cuyahoga County Job & Family Services, YMCA Head Start/ Early Head Start Program, Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), and the Black Child Development Institute.

In 2018, Crawley was elected to represent Ohio’s 26th House District, which included much of eastern and southeastern Franklin County. During her time in the legislature, her priorities focused on maternal health, infant mortality, birth-to-five initiatives, housing and food insecurity, and veteran issues. Crawley served on the House Finance Committee, Finance Subcommittee on Primary & Secondary Education, Primary & Secondary Committee, Armed Services & Veterans Affairs, Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC), and was appointed to the Governor’s Commission on Infant Mortality, the Commission on Minority Health and was a founding member of Ohio’s Black Maternal Health Caucus.

Commissioner Crawley is the mother of twin girls. She enjoys spending time with them and traveling with family and friends. 

Deputy County Administrator for Health and Human Services, Franklin County

Deputy County Administrator Bivens oversees the Board of Commissioners’ health and human services agencies and the Franklin County Department of Animal Care and Control (including the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center). The health and human services agencies include Job and Family Services (JFS), which is the county's largest agency and core social safety net, the Office on Aging, Child Support Enforcement, and Justice Policy and Programs. Ms. Bivens first joined Franklin County in 2004 as a JFS case manager before leaving to begin her own home healthcare administration agency. She returned to Franklin County in 2015 to serve as Chief Operating Officer for JFS and was appointed Director of the agency the following year.

Ms. Bivens holds leadership positions on the National Association of Counties Human Services and Education Policy Steering Committee, and the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association. She also serves on numerous local boards and workgroups, including the Franklin County Community Based Correction Facility Governing Board, the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, and the Children of Incarcerated Parents Action Group. She previously served as an elected member of the Whitehall City School Board, as Vice President of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce, and as chair of the Board of OhioMeansJobs Columbus-Franklin County. Ms. Bivens is a graduate of Capital University.

Community Development Relationship Manager, Huntington National Bank

Daphne joined Huntington in June of 2022 with over 15 years of banking experience. At heart Daphne is a native Clevelander who relocated to Columbus in 2014 and has become emersed in the diverse communities and the culture of the capital city. She is a graduate of Ohio Dominican University where she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science. Daphne’s career in banking includes various roles to include Personal banker, Assistant Manager, Branch Manager and Business banker. In her free time Daphne enjoys traveling, cheering on her 4 Children who are active in sports and trying new restaurants with her Husband.

In-House Counsel and Legal Analyst, City of Columbus

Niyah Walters is a young lawyer who is passionate about law and community. A Detroit native but she spent her formative years in Toledo, Ohio.

Niyah received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Wright State University. She earned her Juris Doctor from University of Toledo College of Law with a certificate of concentration in Environmental Law. She has been a licensed attorney and member of the Ohio State Bar for six years. She currently works for Columbus City Council, where she serves as in house Counsel to Council and is a legal analyst in their Legislative Research Office. She is President of the Columbus Urban League Young Professionals, a big sister in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, a fellow in the African American Leadership Academy, a graduate of the YWCA Leadership for Social Change Program, a graduate of the Ohio State Bar Association Leadership Academy, and a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter. Niyah's mantra is "Be the change you wish to see."