March 31st

11:30AM to 1:30PM

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ABOUT THE
LUNCHEON

2023 Cheryl Magazine’s Women of Influence Award luncheon, recognizes women who have demonstrated excellence in leading, motivating, and developing others in their industry.

In partnership with Soul Reborn, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the inaugural theme “A Seat At the Table” signifies how important it is for women in leadership  to create opportunities so other women from all walks of life can join them at the table.

OUR WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

HONOREES

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert

DEPUTY City Manager of Dallas

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert serves as Deputy City Manager for the City of Dallas, the ninth-largest City in the U.S. with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget that exceeds $4 Billion.

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert serves as Deputy City Manager for the City of Dallas, the ninth-largest City in the U.S. with more than 13,000 employees and an annual budget that exceeds $4 Billion. Kimberly is second in command to Dallas’ City Manager and the first woman, first African American and first Native American in the Deputy City Manager role. Kimberly has spent more than three decades of her professional career as a public servant with the City of Dallas and the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA).

Kimberly provides direct oversight to City offices including Aviation; Dallas Water Utilities; Communications, Outreach and Marketing; Human Resources; Risk Management; Homeless
Solutions; and the Small Business Center. She executes strategies to achieve the mission and objectives of the organization and represents the City, building and retaining collaborative relationships and partnerships with business, community and special interest organizations across diverse constituencies.

Kimberly understands the importance of collective impact and has numerous achievements under her executive scope. During the uncertain years of the global Coronavirus pandemic, Kimberly led a multi-disciplinary team to develop the City’s COVID-19 Return to Work Plan. Under this plan, safety measures and clinical protocols were implemented for the benefit of all employees. She spearheaded the historic Dallas R.E.A.L. Time Rapid Rehousing Initiative which continues to exceed its unprecedented goal of successfully rehousing more than 2,700 individuals experiencing homelessness by the end of 2023. Kimberly also championed the creation of the city’s first-ever Small Business Center to provide dedicated resources and facilitate opportunities for entrepreneurs and new and small firms navigating Dallas’ many ecosystems, programs, services, and initiatives.

After Kimberly’s mother survived a battle with breast cancer, Kimberly vowed to be the best version of herself mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. God’s strength and a passion for self-care propelled Kimberly to launch Kween Bee’s Sugar Scrub in 2020. Since then, Kween Bee’s Sugar Scrub has burst onto the skincare scene as an organic product and become an essential element in maintaining smooth and luxurious skin for all generations and ethnicities. Kween Bee’s portfolio includes numerous hand-crafted sugar scrub fragrances and is now available in several prestigious spas across the country.

In addition to being a servant leader and entrepreneur, Kimberly serves as President of the Dallas Convention Hotel Development Corporation (Omni Dallas Hotel) and board member of the All Neighbors Coalition led by Housing Forward serving Dallas and Collin Counties. Among numerous other community and professional affiliations, she is an ICMA-credentialed manager and an alumna of the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service Senior Executive Institute and the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. She is also a member of the International Women’s Forum and Dallas Summit.

Kimberly holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Texas and is the proud mother of Joshua Kennedy Tolbert, a senior academic scholar and National Champion athlete who will graduate from Loyola University in New Orleans in May 2023.

Alexis Kerr

Vice President of Hallmark Mahogany

Alexis Kerr is vice president of Mahogany, the beloved Hallmark brand that has built a relationship of trust with the Black community by honoring, celebrating and supporting emotional connections among Black families, friends and loved ones for more than 30 years. In this role, Alexis elevates how consumers see and experience the brand and is expanding Mahogany into new spaces in the marketplace.

Alexis’ passion for creating meaningful connection for the Black community brought her to Mahogany, and since 2021, she has expanded the presence and conversation of the brand into new categories and across a variety of touchpoints. Some of her notable work includes the launch of an all-new Mahogany.com website, which features a writing community that centers on the voices of Black women who uplift and empower one another, and also serves as a marketplace where shoppers will easily find Mahogany products. In addition to managing experiential and social media for the brand, she is leading a partnership with Crown Media Family Networks that will bring Mahogany to life on television in 2022.

Before joining Hallmark, Alexis spent 9 years with General Motors in a variety of roles. In her last role as Head of Multicultural Marketing at Cadillac, she led the brand’s efforts to increase opinion, consideration, and market share by 40% amongst diverse consumers. She also managed Corporate Social Responsibility and Music efforts, which were directly aligned to the brand’s global marketing strategy, and served as strategic lead for internal and external efforts around the Diversity Equity and Inclusion for the brand. A career highlight includes working closely with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee to oversee the creative execution of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade reveal short film, which was largest reveal in Cadillac’s history.

Prior to that, the New York native served as the luxury brand’s Head of Operations of “BOOK by Cadillac,” the first-ever mobility start-up in the industry’s subscription service space. Alexis also spent time in the UAE, where she created and led the Customer Experience team in General Motors Middle East Operations, managing Dubai’s expansion of culture throughout the entire organization. This experience led to her to training the dealer body of eight Middle Eastern countries.

Before joining General Motors, Alexis managed a Business Development portfolio at Delphi exceeding $750 million. Kerr holds an undergraduate degree in both Engineering and Computer Science from Kent State University. She also holds an MBA in Marketing from Central Michigan University.

In her personal time, Alexis indulges in a variety of activities from jewelry making to blogging. She is also an avid traveler, having visited more than 60 countries. Service is a central theme in her life – she has mentored young girls, served as Deacon at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and sits on several boards, including the Knight Foundation in Detroit, “EarlyStart” (formally United Inner City Services), and the Greater Kansas City Chamber’s Executive Women’s Leaderships Council. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Erika Salter

CEO, and Founder of Erika Salter Law Firm

As a young child, Erika saw her grandfather, Freddie Lee West earnestly teach his craft, brick masonry to unemployed men in his neighborhood. Once they completed their free apprenticeship under his leadership, he would offer them full-time employment. Due to his forward and disruptive thinking, these once struggling, under-resourced families became landowners and eventually built their own homes, which completely changed the trajectory of generations to come. This was a major game changer in his predominantly African American community in Tampa, Florida. Gleaning from her grandfather’s generous spirit and love for his community, Erika espouses to do the same for all those she encounters-empower, teach, model, and improve the overall life of others to have a greater impact on society. Mr. West’s style of leadership and empowerment is the impetus of Erika’s hands-on style of managing her offices and team of nearly forty employees.

Erika Nicole Salter is revered as one of the most knowledgeable and reliable immigration attorneys in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, earning her the esteemed 2023 Super Lawyer Award. As an immigration and criminal attorney, she is passionate about developing, mentoring, and motivating attorneys entering the field of immigration and criminal law. The old adage, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle” serves as her guiding light. She has a keen understanding that along her path of learning, others shared their knowledge, positioning her to have one of the most successful law practices in the area. Therefore, she is committed to hiring, training, leading, and motivating new attorneys to become knowledgeable in one of the most challenging areas of law, immigration. In addition to working with new attorneys, she has encouraged and supported young women of color in becoming business owners in the areas of marketing and social media.

Erika, realizing the need to give as much as she receives, is known or her philanthropic donations to many foundations, non-profit organizations, and scholarship recipients. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, The Girl Friends, The National Smart Set, The Ft Worth/Dallas Metroplex Chapter of Chums, The Moles, and The Links Incorporated, and Leadership Dallas 2020. In addition, she sits on several Board of Directors: Dallas Regional Chamber, Parkland Hospital Foundation, St. Philip School and Community Center, The Women’s .Center-Tarrant County and Anthem Strong Families. Realizing the importance of her time, talent and financial support, all affiliations are organizations designed to improve the overall benefit of all humankind, which resonates with her continuous desire to help others.

Erika N. Salter is a native of Tampa, Florida. She has a BA in English Education from Tuskegee University and a Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. She is a member of State of Texas Supreme Court, United States District Court, Northern District, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), State Bar

La Toya Haynes

Director, Racial Equity of Intuit

An inspirational diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, La Toya Haynes is the first leader at the global Silicon Valley tech company, Intuit, to hold the position of Director of Racial Equity. She is pioneering development of Intuit’s racial equity strategy, roadmap, program, and initiatives for customers, community, and the entire 16,000-employee ecosystem. In her current role, she is leading several teams including Racial Equity Advancement Leadership Team (an all black employee team), End-to-End Employee Experience Data Team, and the sub teams that are responsible for the 14 global Employee Resource Groups as well as delivery of all diversity, equity, and inclusion training. She was recently featured in Fast Company’s Podcast – The Work in Progress, where she showcased the racial equality strategies being implemented enterprise wide. La Toya joined Intuit in 2016 as an HR Business Partner with the ProConnect Group and was promoted to Ecosystem Business Partner where she designed strategic HR solutions with a road map for addressing the organization’s most pressing issues through people-centered solutions. Championing diversity and inclusion with a focus on equity, La Toya served as Global Co-Chair of Intuit’s Global African Ancestry Network for two years. Renowned for cultivating racial equity acumen, she helped provide >400 people leaders and members of Intuit’s Accelerating Organizational Functions Racial Equity training to build their knowledge and support efforts to create a more inclusive work environment. Renowned as a passionate and dedicated coach for executives, leaders and employees, in 2021, La Toya was awarded Intuit’s coveted Bill Campbell Coaching Award bestowed by the current CEO, Susan Goodarzi. The award was originally established by Intuit’s late founder, Bill Campbell, known as “The Coach.” The award was received for her efforts in championing diversity, inclusion and a respectful environment, energizing and retaining talent, and strengthening communities. She coached more than 100 Intuit employees and supported the career development and issue-resolution efforts between managers and team members. An executive and HR professional with more than 20 years’ experience, La Toya formerly worked for Fortune 500 organizations and mid-size corporations including General Motors, Tyco International, Proctor & Gamble, Ericsson, and Tupperware Brands where she gained valuable insights into diverse industries including automotive, healthcare, consumer packaged goods and tech. As a strategic business partner throughout her career, she has led transformational change management, organizational redesign, and merger, acquisition and divestiture initiatives. In her senior leadership roles, she has led all aspects of human resources. La Toya has served as a Board member, secretary and donor at Elevate New Orleans, a youth development organization centered around academic tutoring and social development. She’s a passionate and avid supporter of elevating youth, women, and marginalized groups. She is an ENTJ and sees the world as a place that is filled with opportunity and favors those that are willing to do the hard work. La Toya holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Development & Executive Coaching from the University of Texas, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Southern University A&M College and a Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for HR from Cornell University. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation and earned a graduate certificate in Executive and Professional Coaching from the University of Texas. Additionally, La Toya has earned certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace and Ethical Leadership from the University of South Florida. She also completed a certification in Women in Leadership from Elvtr which was conducted by Lilah Jones, Google’s Head of Corporate Sales. La Toya hails from Louisiana migrated to Texas with her husband and two children and is thriving in the Silicon Valley tech industry. She believes that playing small does not serve the world and thrives on continuous career progress. She loves learning and is continuously involved in educational and personal development programs.

Michelynn Woodard

PHILANTHROPIST

Miki Woodard served as President and CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation. She has 25 years plus experience as a philanthropist and social impact entrepreneur who has dedicated her career to championing equity, cultural diversity and social justice.

As leader of one of the largest women’s funds in the world, she is spearheading efforts to raise funds for research, advocacy and grantmaking on behalf of Texas women and girls. The Foundation’s assets of over $40 million are invested in its innovative 100% mission-aligned gendered portfolio.

Miki has previously held executive positions at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Be the Change, Inc., The Artemis Agency and was Vice President, Philanthropy at JCPenney, managing a $30 million global corporate giving portfolio. She was President and CEO of charitable foundations for Dr. Phil, Senior Advisor of the Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams Family Foundation and Head of Social Impact, Diversity and Inclusion for Bad Robot Productions, Inc.

She is now an active board member for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Community Coalition, and The Challenger Foundation. She is a founding board member of The Papa John’s Foundation and sits on the Trust for Public Land (TPL) Black History and Culture Advisory Board. In addition, she is a member of the Global Speakers Bureau, Forbes Nonprofit Council, International Women’s Forum and Chief. Miki is a fourth-generation graduate of Hampton University.

Dr. Monica Williams

Vice President of University Advancement of UNT Dallas

UNT Dallas Vice President for University Advancement, Dr. Monica G. Williams has more than 25 years administrative and leadership experience in non-profit and educational sectors. She also serves as President & CEO of the UNT Dallas Foundation. Dr. Williams is responsible for leading the university’s efforts in fundraising, alumni affairs, external relations,

marketing/communications and sponsored research. An accomplished fundraiser and passionate advocate for the underrepresented, Dr. Williams has devoted the majority of her career to social services and the advancement of underserved communities by raising money to support an array of worthy causes. Since arriving at UNT Dallas in July 2016, Dr. Williams has raised more than $10 million in private philanthropy and has lead the team that increased the research grant portfolio by $35+ million. In the last two years, she has taken on the responsibility of increasing retention of first-generation students who need more resources and growing the Caruth Police Institute from a local to statewide platform attracting significant resources toward eventually improving best practices in policing nationwide.

Before joining UNT Dallas, Dr. Williams was Founding Managing Director of Community Partnerships for the United States Fund for UNICEF where she led the organization’s efforts to create awareness around the plight of children living in impoverished nations. It was at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF that she worked to build organizational capacity and develop strategies for significant partnerships with diaspora groups in the United States. Her fundraising efforts have generated more than $150 million in support for multiple institutions of higher education and other well—respected not-for-profit organizations. She began her professional career as a high school English teacher and later held leadership positions at Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., the Brown Schools, Neighborhood Centers Inc., Texas Southern University, Prairie View A&M University, Rice University and HoustonWorks USA.

Among her most celebrated accomplishments are serving her church as a lifetime board member and being one of the co-founders of the Women’s Leadership Summit, started by The Hon. Helen Giddings and an esteemed network of African-American women.

A native Houstonian who was born in Dallas, Dr. Williams holds a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications from Texas Southern University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A & M University. She is a proud mother and grandmother.

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ABOUT THE CEO & FOUNDER

DR. CHERYL POLOTE WILLIAMSON

Dr. Cheryl P Williamson is an influential leader, an HBO Max award-winning filmmaker, the executive producer of Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the author of multiple best-selling books including ‘Affirmed,’ the editor-in-chief of Cheryl Magazine, an influential businesswoman and highly sought-after transformational speaker and coach. Cheryl has dedicated her career to helping women shift their mindset to walk boldly in pursuit of a life of power and purpose.

She is the recipient of such awards as the Maura Service Award in Dallas, the Presidential Service Award from President Joseph R. Biden, and the Topaz Award from the Women in Film and Television (WIFTA). She has spoken on panels with former first lady Michelle Obama, she has worked with major brands such as Hallmark, Target, New York Life and AARP. She is a wife, mother, and friend to many and champions the importance of diversity and inclusion so women can be seen and heard at any age.

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ABOUT THE VENUIE

Gleneagles
Country Club

PLANO, Texas

Gleneagles is a gorgeous country club venue located in the prestigious community of west Plano. What sets it apart from other venues? The breathtaking views! The floor to ceiling windows in our ballrooms over look the stunning golf course, lakes and fountains. We have indoor and outdoor ceremony space and reception capacity for 350 seated guests.

ABOUT THE MAGAZINE

CHERYL MAGAZINE

Cheryl Magazine is a quarterly publication with a focus on highlighting the amazing work of powerful women and their impact on the communities they serve. Each issue of Cheryl Magazine brings you the grace, class, style, and power of this country’s far-most leading yet unsung women. Some of them you know, some you will come to know, but all of them are gifts to their perspective fields of endeavor.

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