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Our People
Felicia Slaton-Young
Felicia Slaton-Young is a founding member and Executive Director of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce. She holds a MBA from Webster University and a BA in Management from Savannah State University.
Felicia is a financial advisor with Edward Jones with more than 20 years in the financial services industry. Born and raised in Chicago, Felicia's family has lived in Englewood since 1983 and she is an active member and resident of the community, with 10 years of experience in fundraising, programming and relationship development.
Felicia is currently a board member of Dream On Education, Board President of Christina's Place Condo Association, member of R.A.G.E and past Director of Membership & Outreach for the Younger Women's Task Force, Chicago Chapter.
Relationships are key and Felicia believes building and developing strong relationships between businesses and community are vital. She hopes that the work of the Greater Englewood Chamber will be a strong advocate for pro-business policies that promote local job creation, improves the prosperity of our community, and serves as a unifying voice of Englewood business owners.
Donnell P. Layne is a board member and Treasurer of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Layne did his undergraduate work at Cornell University and his engineering work, graduating summa cum laude, at Northwestern University. He has held senior level positions at the global corporation - Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions and the Urban Prep Charter School network. He currently serves with the Noble Network of Charter Schools directing all IT operations and infrastructure to meet customer requirements. As a co-founder of Bridging The Gap, Inc. he started the Nature, Technology and Tomorrow initiative dedicated to providing educational opportunities and experiences for underrepresented minorities in technology. He has been working in the computer and telecommunications field for over a decade.
Mr. Layne has successfully managed major IT projects that has spanned 9-12 months simultaneously across the globe. His work ethic, creativity, great team spirit, and business acumen make him a “go-to” guy on any initiative of which he is a part. He is dedicated to utilizing his skills to close the digital divide in disadvantaged communities across the United States. His vision is that the work of the Greater Englewood Chamber will champion technological innovation within the Englewood business community, generating increased revenue and job creation.
Donnell P. Layne
Rachael Nicole Turner
Rachael Nicole Turner is the Director of Digital Platforms for the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Turner is an innovative and forward-thinking Digital Media Strategist and Artist. She is the Founder and Creative Director of both Rosemint Media (www.rosemintmedia.com) and Radiant Thorns (www.radiantthorns.com). She is a business and creative leader with seven years of experience in the finance industry including a role as a Registered Principal at a multi-billion dollar brokerage company and five years of entrepreneurial experience.
Her entrepreneurial journey began with Rosemint Events, an event planning service specializing in wedding planning. In just 3 years, Rachael led on planning, day-of coordination, or partial planning for over 25 weddings with the help of friends and family. After creating her business website and growing the Rosemint Events following to over 10,000, Rachael became intrigued by learning more on graphic design and marketing. Rosemint Media was formed and has serviced over 100 businesses with website creation, business planning, and digital media strategy.
In 2015, Rachael received the 40 Under 40 Young Women Professionals League Award and served as the Outreach Committee Chair. In 2017, she received the inaugural Member of the Year Award for the League and also become VP of Programming. Additionally, Rachael lends her digital media skills to a few non-profits and community organizations. Rachael enjoys painting, reading, traveling, creating, and helping others to curate their vision.
Favorite Quote: "Sometimes you just have to jump out the window and grow wings on the way down." Ray Bradbury
Jodie Lawton
An accomplished social impact strategist, relationship builder, and community enthusiast, Jodie is dedicated to creating a more equitable society and joining her voice with others who have historically not had one. As All* Above All’s Managing Director, she oversees internal operations, including finance, administration, and compliance as well as staff recruitment, retention, and development
Jodie’s career has included positions in program development, project management, fundraising, community engagement, and strategic partnerships. She is also very active in her community. In addition to serving as a Board Member for the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce, Jodie is also a Grantmaking Committee member for the Asian Giving Circle, Gold Award Scholarship Committee member for the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago & Northwest Indiana, and is a member of Chicago Women in Philanthropy (CWIP), Step Up Women's Network, and the Professional Women’s Club of Chicago (PWCC).
Jodie holds a bachelor's degree in human development and social relations from Kalamazoo College and a master's degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis.
Dr. Gregory Thomas
Dr. Gregory Thomas served as Vice President of Student Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights from 2012-2018. In that role, he led the development of planning processes that resulted in two college strategic plans, created the Office of Planning, Effectiveness and Accreditation, played a key role in developing a college-wide Continuous Quality Improvement Model, led the development of the college’s First Year Experience program, and created a Male Success Initiative to enhance access, persistence, retention, and graduation of male students of color, among other efforts.
Prior to that, Dr. Thomas was Associate Provost of Des Moines Area Community College, Vice President of Student Affairs at Weatherford College (TX), Dean of Student Affairs at Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, FL), Executive Director of Enrollment Management and Deputy Vice President of Student Affairs at CUNY, Medgar Evers College, and Assistant Academic Dean at Trinity University (DC). He has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Community College Leadership from Iowa State University, an M.A. in Teaching from Trinity University (DC), a B.A. in Communications from Howard University, and an associate degree from Kingsborough Community College (NYC).
Currently, Dr. Thomas is the President of Kennedy-King College located in Englewood, Chicago.
Damola Kale
Having grown up in Bronzeville as a child and then moving to the North Shore suburbs for high school Damola recognized, at a young age, the disparity in resources and commerce that existed on the different sides of Chicago. Since that recognition, Damola has always been interested in helping raise the south side of Chicago and other underserved communities to the level in which he experienced while living in various north side neighborhoods.