Women of Achievement

Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Corrine Burger has been a leader at JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its predecessor firm, Bank One, for over 30 years. She manages a global team as the firm’s Chief Control Manager and serves as the lead executive overseeing the firm’s Columbus Strategic Hub.

Corrine is a committed community advocate who ensures equitable access to services, education, and opportunity. She is a trustee on the boards of Columbus State Community College, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, One Columbus, and is a member of the executive committee of the Columbus Partnership. Corrine is also a Dean’s Advisory Council member at the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, her alma mater.

Executive Director & CEO; Attorney
Demetries Neely currently serves as Executive Director and CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Performing & Cultural Arts Complex (The King Arts Complex), where she leads one of Columbus’ most admired cultural and arts institutions. Under Demetries’ leadership, The King Arts Complex established its first endowment, increased its brand equity, and gained national prominence for its financial sustainability.

Demetries is very active in her community and believes in paying back as well as paying it forward. She is president of the Burlie Neely Scholarship Fund, vice president of the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium, member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra Project 2025 Committee, and treasurer of the Ohio Bar Liability Insurance Company.

Professor, Non-Profit Founder, & Performance Activist
Dr. Elaine Richardson, a distinguished professor of literacy studies at The Ohio State University, has dedicated her career to eliminating racism and empowering women through education and community engagement.

Known as “Dr. E”, she founded the Education Foundation for Freedom, a non-profit that hosts the Columbus Women and Girls’ Fest, and curated Ohio State’s influential HipHop Literacies Conference, which seeks to challenge stereotypes and promote women’s empowerment within the genre. Dr. E utilizes her lived experiences to support and mentor girls and women facing hardships while advocating for literacy, empowerment, and social justice.

External Affairs, AEP Ohio
Renée Shumate, External Affairs at AEP Ohio, showcases an unwavering dedication to dignity through community engagement. Her leadership spans numerous boards, including pivotal roles on the Community Shelter Board and Columbus Metropolitan Library, as well as Governing Board Chair for YWCA Columbus. Additionally, Renée is a founding member of the Matriots, a nonpartisan political action committee focused on electing more women to public office.

Renée and her husband, Alex, founded The Shumate Council, a leadership group supported by a generous endowment they fund. Members of the Council serve as ambassadors who further the broader mission of the Wexner Center for the Arts by collaborating with the Center on opportunities to engage Black audiences and contemporary art. Renée’s passion for community engagement and empowerment solidifies her legacy as a catalyst for positive change.

Chief Human Resources Officer, Cardinal Health
Ola Snow, Chief Human Resources Officer at Cardinal Health, has dedicated her career to creating communities where all feel welcome, safe, seen, and heard. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Ola serves as co-executive sponsor for the company’s DE&I Council and as an advisor for the Black and African American Racial Equity Cabinet—two internal groups that challenge the status quo and advance DE&I within the organization.

Ola’s commitment to women’s advancement is evident through her leadership on the Columbus Women’s Commission, advocacy for pay equity studies at Cardinal Health, and co-chairing the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Her proactive measures to support working women and advance women’s health underscore her dedication to gender equality.

Executive Director, Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Erin Upchurch is an integrative social work practitioner, nonprofit leader, and community lecturer in the OSU College of Social Work. She currently serves as the executive director of Kaleidoscope Youth Center (KYC), which serves and supports LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults. Erin is a sought-after speaker and facilitator in the areas of leadership and organizational development, trauma recovery, and Transformative Justice as a framework for community and organizational practice.

Her collective work creates, builds, and sustains programs and spaces that support traditionally ignored or silenced voices. As a practitioner, Erin is committed to cultivating experiences of belonging in service of a kinder, safer, and more affirming world.

Public Policy Director, Equality Ohio
Maria Bruno, Esq., has been a community advocate for more than a decade, working on a variety of public policy and civic engagement initiatives related to civil rights, economic justice, criminal justice, housing access, and voting. Maria joined Equality Ohio in August 2021 and directs Equality Ohio’s legislative strategy and engagement for state, local, and federal public policy. Her team works each day to change hearts and minds to create a state that is inclusive, accepting, and loving for all.

Executive Director, Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce, Freedom Equity Inc.

With a 15-year career focused on supporting small, Black, and minority-owned businesses, J. Averi Frost currently leads the Central Ohio African American Chamber of Commerce, where she empowers the Black business community through education and capacity building. And, as executive director of Freedom Equity Inc., a groundbreaking community development financial institution, Frost has facilitated over $1M in loans, contributing to the economic upliftment of the community. In both roles, she is dedicated to building bridges, empowering communities, and ensuring no one is left behind.

Higher Education Attorney, Bricker Graydon LLP
Rebecca Joseph, Esq. is a higher education attorney at Bricker Graydon LLP, passionate about expanding access to higher education and fostering inclusive campus environments. Rebecca works primarily on Title IX matters, helping guide institutions through the complexities of sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking cases. Rebecca also uses her decade of experience as an equity and inclusion practitioner to help clients grapple with the impacts of the Supreme Court’s recent case law on affirmative action. She spends time volunteering with the Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio’s Adult Shelter Assistance Project and with the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, representing Afghan refugees seeking asylum in the United States.

Director of Pharmacy Services, PrimaryOne Health
As a Specialist in HIV from the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), Olivia G. Nathan, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVP, is deeply committed to addressing systemic racism, stigma, and health disparities affecting marginalized populations. As the director of pharmacy at PrimaryOne Health, Olivia leads initiatives that bridge gaps in healthcare access and advance health equity. Under her guidance, the pharmacy program at PrimaryOne Health has flourished, with expanded HIV services and innovative programs aimed at improving health outcomes for all patients. Her involvement on the Academy Council for Racial Equity (ACRE) also underscores her dedication to eradicating barriers to healthcare access.

Chief Brand Officer, Sky Nile Consulting, LLC
Jennifer Walton is the chief brand officer of Sky Nile Consulting, LLC, where she leads highly engaged teams and assists organizations to build both their brands as well as their cultures. She also co-founded GRND, a membership-based co-working lounge and social club in historic Olde Towne East. Jennifer currently serves as the board chair for Zora’s House, a leadership incubator and coworking space for women of color, and the board for the Neighborhood Design Center Columbus.