Ernest Davenport, Ph.D. , Faculty, University of Minnesota; Ernest C Davenport Award for Psychological Research
Paula M. Dawning, Ph.D, MBA, M. Ed., B.A. Retired Superintendent Benton Harbor Area Schools
Zelda Matthews, MBA, Owner, Nationwide Insurance Agency
Anita Lewis, Assistant Director, Metropolitan Tenants Organization
Elizabeth Markham, Ph.D. , RN, BSN, MSN, Nursing Program Director
Serethea Reid, MA, MBA
Serethea Matthews Reid has over 15 years of real estate development and management experience. She has used a variety of approaches to acquiring properties, including foreclosures and real estate tax certificates. She has developed and managed single family homes, condo units, two flats and apartment buildings. These properties have been located in diverse neighborhoods of the city and suburban communities, ranging from low to middle income.
Her real estate experience is supplemented by the completion of the Community Investment Corporation course on multifamily property management. She also completed the Turner Construction Company course on Construction Management.
Currently she is the President, and one of the founders, of the Central Austin Neighborhood Association, CANA. CANA’s mission is to revitalize neighborhoods 16 blocks at a time. Her work in this organization has received recognition from the State’s Attorney’s Community Outreach Office, the Better Government Association, and Chicago Community Trust.
For more than 3 years, she served as the Chairman of the Board of Community Economic Redevelopment Corporation (CERC). CERC is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to reclaim and revitalize communities through implementation of a comprehensive, holistic approach to development. On an advisory basis, she led CERC through the completion of projects in Indiana, California and Illinois. Projects completed included redevelopment of affordable housing complexes with 200 units in Indiana and research projects for various communities in California.
Serethea has more than 20 years of experience in Investment, Financial, and Credit Analyses; Strategic Planning; Project Management; and Business Development at Fortune 500 companies and major financial institutions. In addition she has served as adjunct faculty at two local colleges.
Serethea has been a guest speaker and presenter on several topics, including financial empowerment, real estate investing and community activism. Her audiences have included a local television show, local radio programs, a PUSH national convention, and women employees of FEMSA
Mrs. Reid holds several licenses: Insurance; Securities Series 7, 63 and 65. She has a MBA from the Wharton School of Finance in Philadelphia and a MA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ronald Reid, principal, RM Reid & Associates
Ron Reid has over 20 years of Information Technology experience assisting a diverse set of clients with the achievement of goals related to cost reduction, profitability, flexibility and quality . His areas of expertise include: business process design, software development, and project management systems. He has developed, managed and supported small to large Information Technology (IT) projects in the Financial Services, Automotive, Legal and Manufacturing industries.
Ron has the ability to synthesize large, complex sets of information and integrate into meaningful reports, recommendations and presentations. His working knowledge of IT systems includes: Lotus Notes to Microsoft Exchange migration; Microsoft Sharepoint Development architecture and proposals; Knowledge Management (KM); Customer Relationship Management (CRM); Tracking using Oracle, C, SQL Server, Lotus Notes & Domino and other web technologies.
Ron has developed and used his highly refined sales, leadership and negotiation skills extensively as a successful business owner. For the last 18 years he has served as the Principal of the IT consulting firm, R.M.Reid and Associates, which he founded. R.M.Reid and Associates (RMR) specializes in turn key product and application development for business solutions using web technologies, Lotus Notes & Domino, Relational Databases, and other tools Past and present clients include Kemper Insurance, Bosch Corporation, TL Systems Inc., Northern Trust Bank, Aon, Transcendia and Brunswick Corporation. Additionally his client list includes not-for-profit organizations, Daniel J. Nellum and Habilitative Systems.
He has served as an adjunct faculty member at the College of DuPage. As a consultant, he has provided computer training to the staff of clients. He has also provided computer training services as a volunteer to not-for-profit corporations.
Ron serves as Secretary of the Central Austin Neighborhood Association, a not-for-profit organization, of which he is one of the founders. The Central Austin Neighborhood Association’s mission is to revitalize neighborhoods 16 blocks at a time. His work as a volunteer in this organization has received recognition from the Fox News, WBEZ and the Better Government Association.
Ron has provided IT related services to Austin Coming Together, a community not-for-profit corporation, as a volunteer. He assisted in the development of the website and provided training for website support.
Ron’s education includes a B.S.E.E. (Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering) from Duke University. He completed graduate work in computer science at Clemson University. Ron has supplemented his formal education with the following certificates:
- DePaul University, Chicago, IL -J2EE Certificate Program
- DePaul University, Chicago, IL -Web Developer Program
- University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) -Certificate in Business Administration Program Graduate