"BEWCAkron | Wellness, Education & Community Support"

Charmaine Thurman

Deputy Director of Contracts and Administration at Summit County Department of Job and Family Services (SCDJFS) has over 25 years of government and community service. Currently, she provides management oversight of SCDJFS’ administrative and client service contracts.

Charmaine is passionate about empowering African Americans through the collective works of the Black Economic and Wellness Coalition of Akron. She is Treasurer on the board of the Akron Rites of Passage Institute and resides on the Council of Elders.

Cecil Lipscomb

Executive Director, The United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland (UBF). Founded in 1981, UBF is a charitable organization that provides financial (grants) and technical support to neighborhood-based organizations, offering a full range of health and human service programs for the residents of Cleveland’s African American and lower income communities.

1st Vice Chair, Board of Directors at Eliza Bryant Village, the oldest continually operating African American long-term care facility in the United States, serves as a visiting member of the Board of Directors for United Way of Greater Cleveland and recently appointed to the Cleveland Public Library Board. Co-Chair of the United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Equity Leadership Council, Cecil gives attention to improving race, diversity, equity and inclusion practices within the community.

Judi Hill

President of the Akron Branch of the NAACP after serving as Vice President for over 10 years. She is a dedicated community leader and advocate on behalf of our community. She retired from the Akron Public Schools in 2008 where she served as teacher, curriculum specialist and administrator with over thirty years of service advancing the educational development of youth and strengthening community partnerships district-wide. She served on the Citizen Drug Advisory Committee for Akron Municipal Court, and the Use of Force Committee with the Akron Police Department.

She also serves on numerous other boards and organizations, including Leadership Akron, Towpath Credit Union, Christ Child Society of Akron and the Advisory Board of the American Cancer Society. She is a graduate of Leadership Akron Class of XXII and Leadership Akron NEXT Class III. She received numerous awards locally and throughout the region; Project GRAD Akron Community Service Award, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Child Advocate Award, and University of Akron’s College of Education Alumni Award to name a few.

Rev. Raymond E. Greene Jr.

The founding Executive Director of The Freedom BLOC, The Founding Director of The Freedom ROC, and Field Director for Black Fork Strategies and has been working as an organizer and electoral operative in Ohio for more than 15 years. He has founded grassroots organizations such as My Brother’s Keeper NEO, which focused on training and supporting formerly incarcerated men, served as a pastor of a local church, and as worked as an organizer and field staff for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative and Stand Up for Ohio.

In 2018, Ray led Black Fork’s voter registration program that successfully registered over 140,000 voters, served as the deputy director for signature collection for Issue 1 that successfully qualified for the ballot, and led the Get Out the Vote operation which knocked on more than 350,000 doors.

Ray has held almost every position in an electoral program – as a canvasser, phone bank lead, directing a local office, as a regional director, and statewide program director. He has also worked on a variety of programs and developed Black Fork’s popular education curriculum. Ray has also been deeply involved in local and statewide organizing around campaigns such as Ending The School to Prison Pipeline, reforming housing policy in Akron, bail reform, and statewide policy to eliminate collateral sanctions for returning citizens.

Ray is a graduate of Ohio Christian University, where he graduated with his Associate's Degree in Pastoral Studies and his Bachelor's Degree in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counseling.

Karla McDay

MSW-LISW-S, is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with a strong background in mental health treatment. She has extensive experience in addressing development, housing insecurities, and mental health issues among transition-aged youth. Formerly, she managed a 36-bed residential treatment facility and a federally funded Transitional Housing program for homeless youth at organizations like The Children’s Home of Cincinnati and Summit County Children Services.

Ms. McDay is also known for spearheading the Summit County Youth Emancipation Task Force, where she collaborated with multiple agencies and service providers to establish a comprehensive network of resources for youth aging out of foster care.

Dedicated to combating youth homelessness, and advocating to empowering individuals and creating positive change in her community, she is the Founder and Executive Director of Harmony House, a nonprofit focused on youth housing needs. In addition to her nonprofit work, Ms. McDay is a mental health therapist in private practice and a professional trainer who has presented nationally on culturally specific mental health interventions at the Association of Black Psychologists Convention in 2019 and 2022.

Dr, Damon Taylor, L.I.C.D.C

The President of the Greater Akron Canton Association of Black Social Workers and the founder and CEO of Here For You Enterprise, a community mental health agency that provides substance abuse treatment in Akron, Boardman, and Canton, Ohio. His expertise is recognized in the industry through him serving as a business consultant for various mental health and substance abuse agencies in both Arizona and Ohio.

Dr. Taylor has complemented his personal calling in the substance abuse area with a strong educational foundation. He completed his undergraduate studies in Business Management at Malone University. He added to his professional credentials, completing his Master of Science in Addiction Counseling at Grand Canyon University and his Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Saybrook University. Dr. Taylor has a compelling drive to stabilize change in individuals, families, and the community at large through the art of caring and respect.

Dr. David Nelson

Founder & Executive Director, Progressive Alliance Community Development Corporation, is a non-profit organization that focuses on Economic Development in West Akron since 2018. Dr. Nelson has been active in the Akron community for over 15 years. He is a former Real Estate Project & Operations Manager. He is currently, the Founding & Executive Director of Progressive Alliance Community Development Corporation. He has received numerous community proclamations, and awards from the State of Ohio, Summit County, and City of Akron. Dr. Nelson is a graduate of St. Joseph's University (B.S), Lincoln University (M.Ed) & Ashland Theological Seminary (M.Div), and United Theological Seminary (D.Min.) focusing on Transformational Leadership. Dr. Nelson also serves since 2007 as the Senior Pastor of New Hope Baptist Church located in Akron, Ohio. He is active in the community, through several other organizations and initiatives. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated for over 25 years.