Hy-Lo News Honors 30 Black History Makers & Emerging Leaders

Constance Jones is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning news anchor/reporter who arrived in South Florida in 2008. For more than a decade, Constance has covered life-changing events, including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, President Barack Obama’s election campaign and the BP Gulf oil spill, along with devastating hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms. Constance has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Science, the Texas Associated Press and the National Association of Black Journalist for Excellence in News Reporting. She was recently featured as Miami’s 2014 Top 40 Under 40 Leaders of Tomorrow in the Miami Herald. She is a proud member of the National Association of Black Journalist and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Constance is the traffic reporter during Local News Mornings from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and co-anchor of Local 10 News at Noon Monday through Friday.

Mayor Oliver G. Gilbert III is a lifelong resident of the city that is now Miami Gardens, which was incorporated in 2003. Mr. Gilbert was appointed to the Miami Gardens City Council on March 26, 2008 to fill the vacant Seat 6. He was subsequently elected to office in the City’s August 26th, 2008 election. Mr. Gilbert was sworn in as Mayor on August 30th, 2012. Mr. Gilbert’s first position after graduating from The University of Miami Law School, with honors in 2000, was as the legislative assistant to State Representative Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall. He has also served as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County. Oliver currently serves as Chairman of the Miami Dade County Local Black Elected Officials, is the only African-American on the Executive Committee of the Miami Dade County League of Cities. Additionally, he is a member of North County Citizen’s Association; Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University National Alumni Association; the Sigma Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated; and Miami Fellows –Class V. He graduated from Miami Norland Senior High School; Florida A & M University; and the University Of Miami School Of Law with honors in 2000. Oliver is the proud father of Oliver IV.

Leah Ciera Wilcox, Young Professionals Community Advocate, is a lifelong resident of Miami, Florida. Having graduated from Miami Northwestern in 2005, she matriculated at Florida Memorial University and studied Broadcasting and Master Communications. Presently, Leah is an agent for VIP Global. In working vocations and volunteering, she found her passion in giving back to her community. As such, Leah has volunteered for a number of worthy causes including Parents of Murdered Kids—a group spearheaded by well known community advocate Tangela Sears. Sears has called Leah a blessing to the cause and “her right” as she humbly assists the group. Serving on panels, she can be seen at many local rallies, advocating for civil rights and injustice within the community. She is also a Christian and an active member of Friendship Baptist Church, where Rev. Dr. Gaston E. Smith is her pastor. She is the proud mother of three-year-old, little Miss Lailah Wilcox.

Barron Channer, MBA, CAIA is the CEO of BACH Real Estate, an affiliate of Woodwater Investments. BACH was founded with the inspiration of contributing to South Florida’s emergence as a world-class metropolitan area. A native of Miami, Barron is widely recognized as a rising figure in the real estate industry and emerging business leader in the community. His passion for real estate investing grows out of his personal philosophy of community, quality and opportunity. Barron has nearly a decade of experience with complex real estate transactions including acquisitions, restructuring and development. Barron obtained an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree with cum laude honors in Computer Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Recently, Barron attained the prestigious designation of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) after rigorous testing. He is active in the community as a board member for Baptist-South Miami Hospital and a national board member for The American Friends of Jamaica. Further, he contributes time as an advisor to young people aspiring to business and educational success. Barron personal experiences have made him a passionate proponent of the transformative impacts technology and entrepreneurship have on a community.

Madelyn Windley is the first Black woman to receive a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from George Washington University. Madelyn was born and raised in South Florida, and it is still and always will be my home, although currently lives in Washington D.C. She’s had a passion for mathematics since she was a student at Parkway Middle School in Miami Gardens, and her desire since then has always been to share that passion with her friends and peers. She graduated third in her class from Miami Carol City Sr. High, earned a BA in Math from the University of Florida, and an MA in math from George Washington University, located in Washington, DC. She’s currently a math tutor, and an adjunct professor of mathematics at Northern Virginia Community College. Considering the fact that math is not a subject that comes easily to most, she considers her math skills to be a gift, and she enjoys sharing it with those who need it. While she does enjoy teaching and tutoring, her dream that she’s been pursuing for the past 6 years, is to work for a federal government agency working in Mathematics and Statistics.

Michael Hall is the founder of Digital Grass, a social impact group and diversity accelerator, Michael’s focus is to ensure that diversity is included in the technology and innovation landscape of South Florida. As Senior Managing Partner of MediumFour, Michael oversees the development of technology and marketing solutions to build and brand companies from inception to execution. Michael’s insatiable curiosity and unmatched drive propel Digital Grass’ results. Michael’s business sense started early. After launching his initial business venture at age nine, Michael later launched his first official company at 19. Today, he continues his success as an innovator and proponent of social entrepreneurship through Pretty Fresh, My Drink Ticket, Kurator, Timeline Brewery and Aeolus Motors, LLC (Electronic Motorcycles). Michael recently sold his development company M4Dev to Unicorn, LLC. Committed to transforming the professional landscape in South Florida, Michael has devoted himself to bridging the diversity gap in technology. From seeking to support Digital Grass, #W3RTech a social awareness effort for Diversity Inclusion in Technology and others as conduits for diversity professional development, to volunteering as a youth mentor with organizations such as The White House initiative My Brothers Keeper, #YesWeCode & Code Fever, his vision for progress is unwavering.

Connie Kinnard is Vice President of Multicultural Tourism for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Connie began her tenure at the GMCVB on June 1, 2015. A national search firm was engaged to conduct a search for top candidates to spearhead the newly created department dedicated to the GMCVB’s evolving efforts to raise awareness of the destination’s vibrant multicultural community. Ultimately, Connie’s 20 years of experience and success specializing in multicultural tourism made her the standout professional for the GMCVB position and the recommendation of the committee. Prior to joining the GMCVB, Connie held the position of Senior Vice President of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation. Connie is an active member of numerous industry organizations such as the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners, International Association of Hispanic Meeting Professionals, the Urban League and NAACP.

Samantha “Dew Wop” Salgado is a Haitian American businesswoman born February 21, 1980 in Miami, FL. She graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School and also received a certificate of from the Academy of Travel and Tourism, a unique magnet program. Samantha received her Business degree from Johnson Wales University with a discipline in Marketing. Shortly after receiving her degree in Business Samantha moved to New York and began working at Def Jam. After 9/11, Samantha moved back to Miami and began working with Iconz Music Group, best known for their most popular single “Get Crunked Up.” In 2003, Cecile Barker, the first African-American in the United States to own a hotel on Miami Beach –The Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Hotel– began a record label, SOBE Entertainment. Samantha was chosen to be SOBE Entertainment’s Marketing Coordinator branding Poe Boy Music Group and its first female rapper Jacki-O. In 2012 Samantha formed her own Special Events agency that coordinates and manages all aspects of producing an event. In 2014, Samantha became the Chief Operating Executive of 777 Urban Media Group (#777 UMG), a Miami-based agency. Samantha also became proud member of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Tourism & Hospitality Council. She has sphere-headed the unique partnership between the City of Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce and the inaugural REVOLT Music Conference on Miami Beach October 2014.

Brian Lee, also known as B. Lee, is the force behind some of the most memorable party experiences in South Florida. His signature holiday events garner crowds in the thousands often selling out. His parties offer a chill, sexy and sophisticated alternative for young South Floridians who want to turn-up with style & class. B.Lee is also the creative mind behind the popular and funny web series on DigherlowTV YouTube channel—which garnered thousands of followers. B.Lee is a Miami Gardens native, who graduated from Miami Carol City Senior High School. He often partners with Sleep’s Barber Shop in Miami Gardens on philanthropic and mentoring projects through school supply drives and free community fun day events.

Clayton Gutzmore had a passion for journalism at an early age. Growing up he would watch anchors like Dwight Lauderdale from WPLG Local 10 and Tony Perkins on Good Morning America. In 2010 he became the section editor of the Broward College newspaper, The Observer. He covered major entertainment stories and held multiple positions on the paper until he ultimately became Editor in Chief in 2012. During his tenure he guided other writers at Broward College and led the newspaper to earn 2 awards at the Florida College Press Association. Clayton has worked at many news outlets during his collegiate career. He interned with the investigative team at WTVJ NBC 6, had stories published in the Miami Herald and produced an on air story at 91.3 WLRN, the NPR affiliate in South Florida. Clayton was on the executive board of the National Association of Black Journalists for the last quarter of 2015. Currently Clayton is freelancing for The Miami Times, an African American owned newspaper, and All Digitocracy, an outlet that focuses on media and diversity. Clayton is the founder of the FIU Association of Black Journalist and the student representative of South Florida Black Journalist Association. He serves both chapters in their mission to bringing media related opportunities to the community.

Mia Rojas, a Miami native, has championed epilepsy awareness to honor son Kevin, who suffers from the neurological disorder. Seven minutes after Kevin was born, he had a seizure due to cortical dysplasia, an abnormality that can be present at birth and can be a common cause of intractable epilepsy in children. Kevin continued to have seizures which caused him to have his first brain surgery at 3 months old at Miami Children’s Hospital—a procedure performed by Dr. Sanjiv Bhatia. Since then, Kevin has had two more surgeries, but he’s a healthy 8-year-old now. Mia admits that at first she was ashamed and hurt for her son’s disorder. She blamed herself until she did research to learn more about what causes epilepsy. She learned so many people have the disorder, but don’t talk about and then she decided to change that. She said that inspired her to want to bring awareness to the disorder and she gets her family, friends and community involved—using social media as a driving force to get the word out. Three years, ago she joined the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida’s walk for the cause and to date she has singlehandedly raised $3475 for the Foundation. The walk has become an event she and Kevin look forward to.

Moses Washington is the founder, producer, director, actor, and Playwright of MoWash Productions. MoWash Productions is a pioneer result of a College Organization that he started– Independent Artist Association (IAA) University of Oklahoma. The Miami native, has produced seven inspirational stage plays that have been delivered to packed audiences in South Florida, Oklahoma, Dallas and Maryland. Most recently his stage play, “The Moment of Truth”, delivered to his largest audience to date at the brand new 1,200 seat Lauderhill Performing Arts Center in Lauderhill, Florida was a resounding success. Washington is a native of Miami-Dade County and former football and track star at Miami Carol City Senior High School. As a child, Moses was diagnosed with Specific Learning Disability (SLD). He overcame that and went on to graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor’s Degree in African American Studies and a Master’s Degree in Human Relations. He is currently in pre-production for his next play, “Three Sides to a Story.”

Myya Passmore is the founder and CEO of M.A.R.S. Marketing Group LLC. The Miami native,is a fearless upcoming entrepreneur in the creative and tech industry. Her firm is an innovative creative lab that elevates brands with dynamic social and video content as well as advertising. She has worked on some exciting projects where her firm was instrumental in increasing sales and online presence of big brand names such as Steve Harvey, The Florida Classic, The Orange Bowl, and DC Employment Services to name a few. She obtained her Bachelors of Science degree in Telecommunication News from University of Florida and her Master’s from Florida International University in Integrated Marketing Communications. She’s also a proud Miami Northwestern High School alumnus. Remember the name; she is sure to make South Florida headlines in due time with her work ethic and creative drive now that she has returned to Miami to make it her firms headquarter location.

T. Bernie joined Compass when she was inspired by their tech savvy approach to real estate that allowed her to index her skills, aesthetic sensibility and extroversion. A former marketing executive, she flourished for 15 years in New York City at companies including L’Oreal USA, The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., Citigroup and American Express. These experiences and academia honed her detail orientation for design, benefit, value and customer service. For lifestyle balance and flexibility, she returned home to South Florida and her PR roots. She relishes independent, remote work from her sunlit home office and Magic City’s active options for cosmopolitan play; a favorite is yoga happy hour on South Beach. Bernie’s evolution into real estate was fueled by a zeal for downtown Miami’s dynamic growth. She grew up in the community and is a dot connector passionate about matching a client’s urban preferences to a “white hot” property for investment, additional residence or relocation. T. Bernie received her Master of Professional Studies in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management from the Fashion Institute of Technology and her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations from the University of Florida.

At the age of 33, Tamilla Mullings was planning events for the city of Miami Gardens, her hometown, which has a population of more and 100,000 residents. In late September 2014, she was given the news that her time with her former employer would come to an end. God allowed that chapter to end, in order for her to move on to something that will allow her fulfill her dreams. The opportunity presented itself, and after much prayer, Tamilla decided to become her own boss and also empower women in and around her community—which is to start her own non-profit organization. She began Beyond the Curves to empower women and encourage them that no matter their size, they should embrace their curves because they are all more than our curves. The organization raises money for scholarships, host fashion shows spotlighting curvy women, and hosts an annual women’s conference that focuses on the empowering women to love their bodies—inside and out. Tamilla is passionate about family, community, helping and empowering others, people who know her best would say she’d give you her last or the shirt right off of her back.

Judge Tanya Brinkley was elected In August of 2012 as a Miami-Dade County Court Judge, after being nominated for gubernatorial appointment. She one of two black women on the Miami-Dade Circuit bench. Judge Brinkley was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she obtained her Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance in 1991. After attending the CLEO Six-Week Summer Institute at Georgetown University School of Law in 1992, Judge Brinkley attended the University of Miami School of Law, where she also studied at the London College of Law, before earning her J.D. in 1995. Judge Brinkley is assigned to the criminal division at the South Dade Justice Center, where she presides over misdemeanor crimes, domestic violence cases, and uncontested divorces. Judge Brinkley is actively involved in her community. She was recognized by Legacy magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business for 2012. Judge Brinkley was awarded the 2010 Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. Bar Association Pro Bono Award, and the 2009 Ray Pearson Guardian Ad Litem Pro Bono Award by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Family Division Judges for her representation of children in contested family cases.

Kiara Garland is the Public Information Officer and Community Liaison for the office of City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon. In her work she provides services to residents of the District 5 area, works with local, state and federal employees, resolves both residential and business concerns, among many other duties. Before working for the City of Miami, Kiara was a volunteer intern for the city where her hard work and dedication proved that she could take on larger tasks as a PIO. She also worked as a enrichment instructor for Cool Kids Learn, a non-profit organization that provide an academic based afterschool program for young students. Kiara has also volunteered with the Florida Department of Health in Leon County, working on projects to combat HIV/AIDS.

The Dream Defenders is an uprising of communities in struggle, shifting culture through transformational organizing. The Organization was founded by Umi Selah, F.K.A. Phillip Agnew and FAMU alum, to combat racial violence after Trayvon Martin was gunned down in a Florida suburb in 2012. The Dream Defenders are said to be among the young activists defining Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream for the 21st century. With member across the state of Florida, with a headquarter in Miami, Fl, the Dream Defenders has mobilized communities nationwide against racial profiling, the school-to-prison pipeline and “stand your ground” laws. The Dream Defenders have amplified the #BlackLivesMatter campaign that exploded in the wake of the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The group’s vision includes the belief in people over profits, that nonviolent resistance is “the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom,” and they are fundamentally committed to nonviolence as they’re means of struggle against a violent oppressor.

James Love and Nijai Clarke are Miami Gardens natives, who have a passion for fashion. The duo, who also go by, J. Love & Prince Elegance, are two-thirds of The Black Affair Fashion House. As the CEO’s of the fashion house they are the designers, photographers, make-up artists, and models that help keep their business thriving. In November of 2013, group, who includes James’ sister, model Gabriel Love, decided to create the fashion house to break the mold of what the fashion industry thinks it should be. When they discovered that Black History and the Arts were being taken out of the school’s curriculum, they decided to create The Black History Project. The Project, which had humble beginnings, was a way for the group to fuse fashion, art and history. The event takes place every Black History month in South Florida, and over the past four years it has grown to a much anticipated event, with close to 200 people attending this year’s show. The project includes children and adults models, info boards, and apparel displays. The Black Affair Fashion House is in the works of taking the Black History project to different cities.

Eleanor Lewis- Ferguson started braiding hair as a hobby and then by word of mouth by her clientele started to grow. She has worked many jobs, but braiding hair has always been what people called her “side hustle.” She jokingly remembers stories being told of how as young child she would play in her dolls’ hair until all of their hair eventually fell out. However, her side hustle became her main source of income when “Ella’s Braids” became wildly popular locally. She gained social media attention and her followers grew to more than 56,000 on Instagram. The hashtag, #TeamEllaBraids , has garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and comments. She now has people from around the country booking her, so they can too rock the signature “Ella Braids”. Eleanor says she was born to style hair and believes it is what God called her to do. She initially thought pursuing Law is what she was supposed to do, but believes God had a different path for her to take. She said she prayed and asked for God’s guidance, and now she does what she loves. In July of 2013 she stepped out on faith and quit her job at the Department of Children and Families to pursue braiding hair full-time, and she hasn’t looked back.

Born and raised in South Florida, artist Jai Demezier had many local influences. One of those influences includes his Haitian ethnicity that incorporates many vibrant colors, rich history and spirituality. Coming from a family of artist it was nearly impossible for Jai to not carry a pencil and sketch book—which he’d jot down anything creative that came to his mind. Jai tries not to confine or label himself to a particular art movement/genre but rather mix them together accordingly. Jai is a Broward College Alum, loving husband and devoted father. He is the owner of Jai Artistry, a creative art company, and sister company Easel Social Canvas, a mobile art and Entertainment company). In the summer of 2015, Jai worked on the Carol City Middle beautification project creating two murals, which now helps to beautify the 37TH Avenue thoroughfare. He decided to do this community project to get more involved and create an art outreach program that focuses on assisting the youth to aspire to their greatness.

Ricky Vasquez, social media star, rose to social fame in 2012 with his witty skits, Q&A sessions and talented and creative dance routines. He is one of the leading South Florida based online content creators. The Miami Native, graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School. He then went on to attend Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Upon returning home, Ricky began chronicling some of his daily adventures online which then grew to creative well-produced segments. That allowed him to create a partnership with a local production company to create his own online-based talk show. The social media personality has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, as well as tens of thousands of friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter respectively. Ricky is an emerging entertainment correspondent who was has interviewed Marlon Wayans, and many other Hollywood stars.

State Representative Kionne L. McGhee, born November 23, 1977, is a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 117th District, which includes southern Miami-Dade County, stretching from Richmond Heights to Florida City, since 2012. Kionne was born in Miami, and attended Howard University, where he graduated with a degree in political science in 2000, and the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he received a Juris doctorate. After graduating, McGhee wrote “A Mere I Can is American,” his memoir, and started working as an assistant state’s attorney in Miami-Dade County. Florida House districts were reconfigured in 2012 and Bullard successfully ran for the Florida State Senate, meaning that the newly created 117th District, which included most of the territory in the previous 118th District, was an open seat. McGhee opted to run there in the Democratic primary, he was able to comfortably defeat his opponents, receiving 65% of the vote. He advanced to the general election, where he was elected unopposed. In 2014, when the legislature considered a bill that would have allowed “unlicensed gun owners to carry their weapons after evacuating during an emergency,” which McGhee voted against when it was considered before the House Judiciary Committee, saying that it would result in “local militias.” The Miami Herald praised McGhee for his “sensibly cast” vote against the legislation, which it called “misguided.”

Tavaris Williams started the LightHouse of Alms, Inc. non-profit organization, 501(c)3, as a commitment to work with residents and organizations to make measurable, sustainable improvements to his community and individuals. The Miami Gardens resident does most of his community engagement in the area as well as surrounding communities, including Overtown. His work includes mentoring young men, community clean events as well as hosting a quarterly forum at North-Dade Regional Library that discusses ways to stay involved and to improve the community. He has partnered with the Lupus Foundation, Diabetes Foundations, Project H.O.P.E., Red Kangaroo and Urban Peace Project.

Marc Young is a radio personality and producer at Hot 105, an affiliate of Cox Media Group. He began his career in radio in 1990 and has worked in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Baltimore, before landing here in Miami. Marc loves South Florida’s beaches, boating and fishing. Marc gives listeners much needed entertainment during their work day or drives home. In his iPod you can find Gang Starr, Jay-Z, Clipse, Jim Jones and Swizz Beatz.

Jimmy “J.Nick” Nichols founded JNICK Management Group, Inc in 2011. Since then has gone on to manage various successful businesses and political campaigns. JNMG is a Business Consulting Firm providing “Business Solutions with Integrity”. J.Nick works with each of his clients to evaluate, discern, define & develop strategies to maximize their bottom-line, brand & capacity to ensure a return on investment. His mission is to connect people, companies and institutions to maximize thier clients, customer’s, associate’s and affiliate’s Return On Investment. J.Nick is also very active in community affairs who champions voting, non-violence and citizen community engagement.

Karlene Chavis is a meteorologist and the newest member of the 7 NEWS Weather Team. She joins the station from CBS Local 2 in Palm Springs, California where she was a morning weather anchor. A native of Scottsdale, Arizona, Karlene received a Bachelor’s Degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University This reporter turned weathercaster developed a passion for communicating meteorological science to others as undergrad. She has a Master’s Degree in Geological Sciences from Mississippi State University. In addition to weather forecasting, Karlene worked as a published photojournalist, newspaper reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, and web entertainment reporter for Gannett Company, Inc. In her down time she enjoys hiking, yoga, and fencing. Karlene’s presents the forecast Saturday mornings during Today in Florida from 8:00AM-10:00AM.