Through The RISE Tour, she transformed personal resilience into a growing national platform for recognition, access and opportunity. Women of Momentum 2026 Honoree | By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine Between February 3 and October 10, 2026, Dr. Shavonna Herron-Johnson led eight completed editions of The RISE Tour across the United States. The...
Across the World Bank, Carlyle and RockCreek, Afsaneh Beschloss has spent decades turning investment leadership into institutional capacity. Her work has expanded where capital can go, whom it can reach and what it can help build. In 2026, RockCreek’s strategic partnership with Brown Advisory opened the next chapter of that legacy. WOMEN OF MOMENTUM 2026...
Nela Richardson, Ph.D., has built a career turning economic data into institutional intelligence for businesses, policymakers and workers navigating an increasingly uncertain labor market. WOMEN OF MOMENTUM 2026 | LEGACY RECOGNITIONINDEPENDENT EDITORIAL SELECTION BY INCITY MAGAZINE By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine At a moment when artificial intelligence, demographic change and economic uncertainty...
How a Charlotte council member brought resident concerns back into one of the region’s most consequential transportation decisions and remained accountable as the political stakes changed Women of Momentum 2026 Honoree | By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine On May 11, 2026, Reneé Perkins Johnson made a motion that changed the course of...
Through Connections, Ebony Flake transformed a technical planning process into an accessible civic conversation about mobility, dignity, opportunity and belonging. Women of Momentum 2026 Honoree | By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine Transportation plans are often communicated through maps, corridors, reports and projections. Ebony Flake began with people. She listened to residents whose...
How the founder of Soft Boss Society transformed lessons shaped by entrepreneurship, motherhood and a cancer journey into a structured platform for women pursuing success without abandoning themselves Women of Momentum 2026 Honoree | By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine Some leadership stories begin with expansion. Demi Howell’s begins with a refusal. She...
By aligning healthcare employers, colleges, public agencies and $2.42 million in workforce investment, Gallardo helped build a more comprehensive approach to strengthening rural healthcare capacity across Texas. Women of Momentum 2026 Honoree | By Christopher D. Thomas | Publisher, inCity Magazine The larger strategy began with one hospital. During an early conversation with Ward Memorial...
The partnership with Ford Motor Company and Stivers Ford offers a broader workforce lesson: stronger talent pipelines emerge when educators and employers share responsibility before the hiring stage. By Christopher D. Thomas | inCity Magazine MONTGOMERY, Ala. Trenholm State Community College marked a significant expansion of its automotive workforce training Tuesday, Aug. 18, with a...
Part 3 of the Trust & Leadership series. Part 1 examined what happens when public leadership breaks trust. Part 2 explored why trust rebuilds differently than most leaders assume. This installment considers why voters sometimes revisit earlier judgments, and what changed conditions, evidence, and alternatives reveal about how people reassess leadership. There is wins. Another...
There is a challenge many successful organizations encounter that is easy to misdiagnose. From the outside, it may appear to be a communication problem. The organization needs a clearer message.A stronger story.A better explanation of what it does. But often, the issue is deeper. The organization is not difficult to understand because it lacks value....