Featured
Entertainer: B.O.B.
The featured performance for the evening will be
B.o.B. (Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr.), an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His debut single "Nothin' on You" reached number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
His second single "Airplanes" too peaked at number one in the United Kingdom and at number two in the US. His third single, "Magic", became B.o.B's third consecutive top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. B.o.B was named the ninth Hottest MC in the Game of 2010 by MTV. On April 27, 2010 his debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was released, reaching number one on the US charts.
Featured Awards
The Maynard Jackson Legacy Award honors an individual who has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the City of Atlanta and who embodies the leadership, spirit, dedication, tenacity and vision of the late Maynard Holbrook Jackson.
The Ladder Award honors an individual who demonstrates consistent commitment to learning by helping others climb the educational ladder to achieve success.
The Lamp Award honors a visionary leader within a company or organization who demonstrates a relentless devotion to illuminating a path to help improve the lives of employees, customers or the community at large.
The Lifeboat Award honors an individual who helps lift others from chaos and transports them to a place of safety and hope.
Highlights
AWARD RECIPIENTS
Shirley Franklin
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Purpose Built Communities
Shirley Franklin was selected as the recipient of the first Maynard H. Jackson Legacy Award because she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the City of Atlanta and embodies the leadership, spirit, dedication, tenacity and vision of the late Maynard Holbrook Jackson. A protégé of Jackson, whom Franklin called "A Lion of a Man", Franklin joined his administration in the spring of 1974 after volunteering for his campaign. She worked under Jackson's tutelage and served as the Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, and later as the Chief Officer of Operations during Jackson's third term as Mayor. Franklin herself went on to serve two terms as Mayor of Atlanta.
According to Franklin, Maynard's dedication and commitment to opening the doors of opportunity to all Atlantans inspires her work and life every day and in every way. Like Jackson, Franklin has made an indelible impact on Atlanta and the world that will benefit the lives of many for years to come. If Maynard Jackson was still alive, just like the city of Atlanta, he too would be proud of Shirley Franklin.
Charles Brewer
Founder & Managing Partner, Las Catalinas,
Charles Brewer was selected as the recipient of the first Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation Lamp Award because he is a visionary leader who demonstrates a relentless devotion to illuminating a path to help improve the lives of employees, customers, or the community at large. Brewer's vision to improve the world we live in has been the connecting thread through each of his varied enterprises. At MindSpring, there was a dedicated focus on values based on respect for the individual, with personal integrity and honesty taking center stage. Led by Brewer's example, MindSpring employees demonstrated to the world all that a values based organization could accomplish. His team and employees rally behind him because his actions are always consistent with the values and aspirations within each organization he leads. Brewer's leadership can be defined in a single word – Authenticity.
Rosa Arnold
Founder and CEO, Albert T. Mills Center,
Rosa Arnold was selected as the recipient of the first Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation Lifeboat Award because she helps lift others from chaos and transports them to a place of safety and hope. After suffering the devastating loss of her son Albert, Arnold has devoted her life to making profound changes – one child at a time. Her own grief has led her, against all odds, to making a difference in the very community that was the source of her pain. In her son's memory, she has spent the past 17 years building up children who have no place to go and no one to save them. Her grace, faith, spirit, and perseverance have led her to being the source of incalculable good in the world. The impact Arnold is making can be summed up in the words of one of her students, ""she changed my life."
Joey Reiman
Thinker, Founder & CEO, BrightHouse, LLC,
Joey Reiman was selected as the recipient of the first Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation Ladder Award because he has demonstrated a consistent commitment to learning by helping others climb the educational ladder to achieve success. Reiman believes the power of education is core to who he is.
Although he has worked with some of the world's largest brands, one of Reiman's greatest joys is giving back to the community and seeing his students flourish. He "teaches today's students to become tomorrow's leaders." His course on ideation has changed the way business leaders and students view the power of thinking to create commercial success through social good. Reiman inspires his students to choose paths in business that will not only create more profit but that will also create more good in the world.
Iman Kialeuka
Graduate, MJYF Leadership Academy;
Freshman, Howard University
Iman Kialeuka is a recent graduate of the Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation and will be attending Howard University this fall. She is the first American born of her Democratic Republic of Congo native family and has pushed herself to be an exceptional individual for herself and her family. While a student at Grady High School, Iman was involved in many activities and organizations including in the 21st Century Leaders, Musical Theater, Drama, and she served as the business editor for the school's award-winning yearbook. She was also very involved with sports such as Track, Cross Country, and Swimming. While at Howard University, Iman will be studying Biology with a double minor in Chemistry and International Relations. She hopes to participate in an accelerated Graduate School Program to receive her master's degree in Public Health within a year of completing her undergraduate studies. After completing her education (which also includes getting medical and law degrees), Iman would like to have a career in Global Health Policy. She has hopes to turn healthcare policies around in her native country Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as well as other developing countries, and here in the United States.
Tyson Shepherd
Graduate, MJYF Leadership Academy; Senior, College of the Holy Cross
Tyson Shepherd was recruited for the Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation Leadership Academy in the fall of 2007. Since completing the program in 2008 as a part of the Dynasty Fellows, Tyson went on to graduate Valedictorian of Therrell High School. He now attends one of the top universities in the country – College of the Holy Cross. Some of the campus leadership roles he fulfills at Holy Cross include CASA (Caribbean African Student Assemblage), MPE (Multicultural Peer Educators), and AVID - which offers tutoring services to students in urban communities in need of preparation for work beyond high school. Tyson recently returned from an academic year abroad in Cork, Ireland – an opportunity that he credits the Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation for allowing him to be able to take advantage of by providing support for his trip. Upon graduation next year, Tyson hopes to attend Stanford Business School in order to attain his MBA. Some of his future aspirations include becoming a fashion designer and being able to open his own business. After attaining and adequate level of success Tyson plans to return to Atlanta to give back to the very same community which has supported him in his life thus far.
Keitra Thompson
Graduate, MJYF Leadership Academy; Senior, Emory University
Keitra Thompson graduated valedictorian from Maynard H. Jackson High School (formerly Southside) in May 2009. Now a senior at Emory University, Keitra is majoring in Anthropology while completing a double minor in Global Health, Culture, and Society and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is very involved in the Emory community as a member of the Emory Scholar's Program, the President and volunteer coordinator for the Atlanta Asylum Network (a non-profit organization out of the Emory Institute of Human Rights), a regular volunteer at the Emory Autism Center, Hughes Program mentor, Peer Health Partner, and much more. Keitra is currently completing an Honors Thesis in the Anthropology department, focusing on African-American dietary patterns throughout history and how they relate to the prevalence of metabolic disease in the African-American community through an anthropological lens. After graduating, Keitra plans to enter a dual masters program in nursing and public health. Combining her passion for health, service, and research, she aspires to become a family nurse practitioner-midwife with a research focus on marginalized groups, specifically maternal and child health of underserved populations nationally and internationally. Ultimately, she would like to conduct research and teach on the collegiate level after completing a Ph.D in Public Health or Medical Anthropology.
Asanni York
Scholar, MJYF Leadership Academy; Senior, Langston Hughes High School
Asanni York is a senior at Langston Hughes High School and a member of the 2012 Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation (MJYF) Leadership Academy. At school, Asanni is involved in various activities including Distributive Education Centers of America (DECA) and the Langston Hughes High School Chorus where he has been member for three years. As a result of his educational merit, he has been inducted into the Talented and Gifted program, National Honor Society, and the National Beta Club. Upon graduation next year, Asanni plans on attending Yale University to study Economics. He then plans on staying at Yale to get his M.B.A. His career plan is to ultimately become the president of a Fortune 500 company. Asanni credits the Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation for introducing him to people and places he may not have been able to meet or see otherwise. Before he became a member of the Leadership Academy, he had never been out the state of Georgia. Within his first year of being involved with MJYF, Asanni has visited North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC during the annual MJYF College Tour/Washington, DC trip. He looks forward to seeing even more of the country and the world.
