Of Color, Inc. is a minority, female owned and incorporated 501c3 (not for profit) The agency is founded on the belief that people “Of All Colors” can grow economically and together while contributing to the larger society if they are exposed to the positive resources that their communities and that same larger society has to offer them. We work to assist at-risk families economically through sustainable employment and increasing their education status.
The organization has a bold and ambitious goal to impact 3,000 individuals in select communities by 2030, serving 350 annually. As a servant leader, the Executive Director holds strongly that we, as a society should not rely on other structures to begin the conversation around those who struggle economically but to change the narrative from an advocacy and innovative perspective. She believes that with a “different” mindset, we can assist all families in one united and holistic manner, not excluding any person that suffers from economic disadvantages.
“Those from the community must be empowered to take a stand to educate, seek out resources and implement programs which will enrich the lives for those in need”.
– Renita White
Of Color, Inc.’s model brings H.O.P.E. to the minds of all underserved, misrepresented, and forgotten people, helping each person realize his/ her dreams while working towards goals with the assistance of multiple positive outlets and resources. The agency’s target group is expansive and inclusive of workforce services and training and workshops, which impact three specific age groups: 18-20, 21-24, and 25-65. These age groups include youth in care, opportunity youth, returning citizens, homeless individuals, veterans, and dislocated workers.
Our Workforce Business Center’s primary focus is to teach, empower, and link our participants to employment with advancement opportunities and/or into a higher education level, such as high school and college. We offer a variety of services under this umbrella to achieve our strategic goals. We believe that the reduction of trauma and violence is equally as significant as sustainable employment, housing and education.
The introduction of soft skills and job readiness training is essential to any person in the workplace. We teach soft skills such as resume and cover letter development, customer service skills, coming to work on time, calling off appropriately, handling workplace conflict, minimizing traumatic experiences toward success, workplace diversity, engagement with other groups, and interviewing skills. We focus on soft skills because our research shows that more than 50 percent of our target population has lost employment due to these issues.
Our services focus on the whole individual and run the gamut. We work with employment agencies in Chicago and beyond and other partners to provide entry-level jobs and felon-friendly jobs. Our housing partners help veterans, and underserved residents have a place to call home. Our youth program is training the next generation of leaders. Our ultimate goal is to help all of these groups thrive.
Renita White is the Founding and Executive Director for Of Color, Inc. She was born and raised in the Gresham/Auburn community on the south-side of Chicago. Her family owned businesses in the Englewood community, so she has a vested interest in its residents and their neighboring resident’s success. Ms. White has 35+ years of experience as an administrator of programs working in large social service organizations throughout Chicago.
She brings more than 35 years of social services experience and holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Ms. White also holds a professional license in social work from the State of Illinois. She has developed, implemented, and provided oversight for contracts that delivered child welfare, older adult, youth development, counseling, community workforce development and housing programs ranging from $550k – 3.8 million dollars annually. Miss White is also a certified national peer reviewer through the Council on Accreditation and have served on the Boards of national and local organizations.
Miss Keisha Norris was raised in the Gresham/Auburn community and more than ten years of experience facilitating Community Youth Employment Programs, WIOA specific programs and employment services with adults in a variety of areas (homeless, veterans, dislocated worker, etc.)
Miss Norris also has a significant amount of experience working with housing programs with the Chicago Housing Authority throughout the city of Chicago and the Department of Children and family Services which focuses on youth in care. She holds a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from Spertus Institiute.
Ms. Ladon Brumfield has a wide range of experience facilitating training programs for youth and adults. She was Executive Director for Girls Rule; a youth empowerment program that helped young girls and boys to embrace and pursue their career dreams. She has fifteen plus years of experience facilitating youth and employment programs through contracts with Chicago Public Schools, the Department of Labor, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Mayor's One Summer Chicago Programs.
Miss Brumfield works with more than 100 employers in various industries throughout Chicago and its adjoining suburbs. She is currently pursuing an enhanced degree in Business Management at DePaul University.
Janay comes to the Of Color Inc team with more than 7 years of professional experience in Quality Improvement, Sales, and Program Management for both non-profit and for-profit organizations. She has managed over 12 non-profit programs in quality improvement which has earned her a 97% approval rating in the last 4 years of organizational performance evaluations. She enjoys partnering with other industry leaders and "dreamers" to create and accomplish impactful goals. Janay founded her own consulting agency, Plow & Grow in 2020. In being a systematic problem solver and strategic thinker, Janay believes in continuous improvement to serve disadvantaged, marginalized communities and visionary clients in excellence to advance economically.
Tania White is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief HR Strategist for Canary HR Consulting. Tania is a native of Chicago and received her Bachelor’s degree in Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising with a minor in marketing. She also holds a dual Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and Business Administration. Tania leads a team of skilled consultants providing a vast amount of diverse services including but not limited to: Strategic Development, Employee Relations, Performance Management, Training & Development, Organizational Development, Policy and Procedure Development, Succession Planning, Climate Assessment and Operations Audit, Labor relations, Compensation Analysis as well as ensuring consistency in the administration of HR.
Tania has 20-plus years of experience in various areas of human resources management and as an HR executive leader and consultant, she has concentrated on organizational change management, talent acquisition and retention, employee development, performance management, compliance, policy implementation and corporate culture initiatives. Tania has created fundamental human resource policies, developed training programs in Diversity, Ethics, Leadership and Workforce Management and brought stability and structure to organizations. She has worked in both the private and public sectors inclusive of such industries as retail, brokerage insurance, food service, senior living and non-profit. Additionally, she has experience working with union, non-union and service contract (SCA) employees.
Lexi Wulf is the Founder and CEO of Wolf Design & Creative, a full-service marketing agency based in Chicago, IL. After the pandemic, Lexi noticed a direct need for new marketing strategies that create new space for change and evolving trends. So in 2021, she decided to create an agency based on filling in the marketing holes that many business leaders have today - specifically focused on the pillars of community, scaling and innovation
Melina Higbee, currently serves as the Strategic Programs Administrator for UCC Church Building & Loan Fund. Melina has a key role in overseeing and implementing strategic programs that focus on the transformation of neighborhood, community and region, working with churches and faith organizations, local community development corporations, philanthropists, investors, government officials, planners, developers, civic groups and neighborhood leaders. She has worked for the United Church of Christ National Setting for 14 years and began her service with Wider Church Ministries where she led the successful launch of WCM’s Haystack Society – an endowment to support mission practices in global settings.
In 2014, Ms. Higbee began working in the department of Office of Philanthropy and Stewardship (OPS) as the Coordinator for Donor Relations. In this position, she helped to coordinate various components of the UCC’s fundraising strategies, launched a centralized acknowledgment process to help the United Church of Christ be more responsive to donors, and has developed thoughtful strategies for donor engagement. Melina Higbee was promoted to Associate Director, Campaigns, Appeals and Special in the Office of OPS in 2016. In this position her responsibilities included overseeing the coordination and implementation of the annual fund. As the associate director, Melina planned the first bi-annual Stepping Into Stewardship Conference and recently coordinated the making of the new OCWM video.
Karen Swinger, MBA is a business consultant, operations strategist, speaker, author, and owner of Midwest Management Services, LLC. Midwest is a leader in business support solutions, offering professional and technical assistance to For Profit, Nonprofit, and Faith-Based companies in areas such as management, marketing, finance and strategic planning.
Karen has over 25 years' experience working for or with companies in the real estate, religious, health services, beauty, government, logistics, and television industries to name a few. Additionally, she has personally managed operating and construction budgets ranging from$500,000 to over $23 million, positioning Karen to help small business owners create jobs, and generate income and investments in their communities.
Brenda Duncan is a seasoned Human Resources executive whose career has been focused in healthcare and nonprofit associations. Duncan is currently the director of Human Resources for a hospital in the south suburbs of Chicago where she has oversight for Human Resources, Education and Security and Safety.
Previously, Duncan served as the Vice President of Human Resources and Facilities for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a global, cause‐based, not‐for‐profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). In this role, Duncan oversaw all Human Resources and Facilities functions including talent management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, facilities management and office services. Duncan played a role in HIMSS growth through a variety of acquisitions and the addition of international offices.
Prior to joining HIMSS, Duncan held increasingly responsible Human Resources positions including serving as the director of Administrative Services for the Regional Transportation Authority (the funding arm for mass transit in the Chicagoland area).
Duncan was selected for Crain’s Chicago Business 2020 Notable Leaders in HR. Duncan holds a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources management from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Bradley University. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the HRCI Certification Institute and holds a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SPHR‐SCP) designation.
Camilla Johnson is an accomplished professional with more than ten years of professional experience in human services and eight in public administration. Camilla possesses strong leadership skills and a commitment to improving the health of the population. She is proficient in developing and managing million-dollar projects & programs, securing & managing government/private funding, including the grant-making process.
Sandra A. Moss is a Process Analyst based in Chicago. She has an extensive background in the manufacturing and insurance account receivables industries. Her areas of focus are improving the customer's accounting experience while reducing the company's exposure to uncollectable debt. In addition, she enjoys analyzing data and helping implement training for new and existing team members on the department's processes and procedures. She states, "I get excited to see team members improve their skills during one of my training sessions."
Mrs. Moss has been married over 25 years to her husband, Bryant. She has two adult daughters. She is currently obtaining a bachelor's degree from National Paralegal College in Business Administration
Tiffany Perkins is a Supply Chain Director, with 20-year Technology and Supply Chain experience. She holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Western Illinois University and a Master of Business from Bradley University. Tiffany previously held a certification in project management and currently holds certifications in IT and Business Relationship Management.
She is a Chicago native who recently moved back to the area after spending more than 20 years in Central Illinois. Her time in Central Illinois was truly life changing, as this is where she found her stride both professionally and personally; and was bit by the volunteerism bug. Fun fact, Tiffany previously competed in bodybuilding competitions and plans to resume competing in the near future. In her spare-time you can find her at the gym or spending time with her young daughter and partner.
Matt left the venture capital world to pursue his passion for solving social problems. Matt discovered this passion from volunteering where he was asked to mentor a handful of young people. While trying to connect his mentees to jobs and resources, Matt ultimately met with over 1,000 public and private sector leaders across his favorite city, Chicago. He hit a moment of volunteer and activism fatigue when he realized he couldn't mentor more Chicagoans. That's when he went on to create RiseKit.
RiseKit provides all job seekers access to a career path, regardless of the zip code in which they live. RiseKit’s software connects entry to mid-level job candidates to jobs, training programs, and supportive services to rise above all the barriers to employment. In return, we help nonprofits, employers, Government systems and community foundations save time in finding job candidates and measuring outcomes.
Recently, Matt was awarded Crain's Chicago 20 in their 20s. In Matt's free time, you will catch him with his family and friends, or watching/playing soccer.
Angela Whiteside Smith is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Allscripts Healthcare, LLC, a healthcare IT company. Angela has been a legal executive at Allscripts for over a decade in increasingly more senior roles. Her current responsibilities are broad and varied: she serves as primary legal counsel for two of Allscripts business units and in those roles she provides balanced legal and commercial counsel to senior company executives in support of complex and strategic commercial initiatives.
In Angela’s role as Assistant Corporate Secretary she is responsible for the preparation and review of SEC filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and leads preparation of the annual proxy statement. She coordinates and manages preparation for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and related matters.
Additionally, Angela is the inaugural Executive Sponsor of the Allscripts Black Alliance, an Allscripts ERG formed in 2021.
Prior to joining Allscripts, Angela was a lawyer for Accenture and at Schiff Hardin LLP. Before attending law school, Angela held increasingly responsible positions in the banking industry, including operations and project management roles. Angela is a former Vice President of the Chicago Black Women Lawyers' Association and has co-chaired its Young Lawyers Committee. A former Public Interest Law Initiative Fellow, Angela also volunteered for several years with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services as a Guardian ad Litem in juvenile guardianship cases. She also served as a youth mentor with Link Unlimited for a number of years, sponsoring four students through each of their respective high school careers. She earned her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.S. from Northwestern University.
Wendy joined Duff & Phelps Investment Management Company beginning her career in the investment industry in 2013. She is responsible for the companies HR activities including recruiting, hiring/onboarding, performance and compensation management, training and supporting senior leadership development.
Throughout her career, Wendy has held several human resources, office management and event planning roles at companies, such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Showtime Networks, Bally’s/Paris Hotel, Caesars Entertainment, and NetVU. She also recently served as the lead event planner for Casa of Cook County..
Wendy holds an A.A. degree in Paralegal Studies from Merritt College. In her spare time, she enjoys tennis, travelling and planning social events.
Keshia Phillips specializes in clean, simple, modern professional web design and development helping organizations establish a web presence, design, develop, and support web application, data analysis and online reports. Keshia enjoys helping people discover ways to use technology to accomplish a professional goal, solve a problem or save time and money. She brings social media and marketing opportunities to the agency as a whole.
Keshia Phillips specializes in clean, simple, modern professional web design and development helping organizations establish a web presence, design, develop, and support web application, data analysis and online reports. Keshia enjoys helping people discover ways to use technology to accomplish a professional goal, solve a problem or save time and money. She brings social media and marketing opportunities to the agency as a whole.
Camilla Johnson is an accomplished professional with more than ten years of professional experience in human services and eight in public administration. Camilla possesses strong leadership skills and a commitment to improving the health of the population. She is proficient in developing and managing million-dollar projects & programs, securing & managing government/private funding, including the grant-making process.
Melina Higbee, currently serves as the Strategic Programs Administrator for UCC Church Building & Loan Fund. Melina has a key role in overseeing and implementing strategic programs that focus on the transformation of neighborhood, community and region, working with churches and faith organizations, local community development corporations, philanthropists, investors, government officials, planners, developers, civic groups and neighborhood leaders. She has worked for the United Church of Christ National Setting for 14 years and began her service with Wider Church Ministries where she led the successful launch of WCM’s Haystack Society – an endowment to support mission practices in global settings.
In 2014, Ms. Higbee began working in the department of Office of Philanthropy and Stewardship (OPS) as the Coordinator for Donor Relations. In this position, she helped to coordinate various components of the UCC’s fundraising strategies, launched a centralized acknowledgment process to help the United Church of Christ be more responsive to donors, and has developed thoughtful strategies for donor engagement. Melina Higbee was promoted to Associate Director, Campaigns, Appeals and Special in the Office of OPS in 2016. In this position her responsibilities included overseeing the coordination and implementation of the annual fund. As the associate director, Melina planned the first bi-annual Stepping Into Stewardship Conference and recently coordinated the making of the new OCWM video.
Miss Keisha Norris was raised in the Gresham/Auburn community and more than ten years of experience facilitating Community Youth Employment Programs, WIOA specific programs and employment services with adults in a variety of areas (homeless, veterans, dislocated worker, etc.).
Miss Norris also has a significant amount of experience working with housing programs with the Chicago Housing Authority throughout the city of Chicago and the Department of Children and family Services which focuses on youth in care. She holds a Master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from Spertus Institiute.
Eugene Grandberry graduated from Illinois State University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Master’s Degree in both Social work and Psychology. He has a wealth of Clinical experience and is a Qualified Mental Health Professional. He is a life-long IDCFS Senior and Executive Staffer. He began his career in Law Enforcement with 30+ years at the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS). Eugene’s experience with youth and youth services is impeccable. He has served as Chief of Staff for past DCFS Director McEwen. Mr. Grandberry is currently the Statewide Monitor for the Community Base Family Advocacy Centers in the State of Illinois and is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Brenda Duncan is a seasoned Human Resources executive whose career has been focused in healthcare and nonprofit associations. Duncan is currently the director of Human Resources for a hospital in the south suburbs of Chicago where she has oversight for Human Resources, Education and Security and Safety.
Previously, Duncan served as the Vice President of Human Resources and Facilities for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a global, cause‐based, not‐for‐profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). In this role, Duncan oversaw all Human Resources and Facilities functions including talent management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, facilities management and office services. Duncan played a role in HIMSS growth through a variety of acquisitions and the addition of international offices.
Prior to joining HIMSS, Duncan held increasingly responsible Human Resources positions including serving as the director of Administrative Services for the Regional Transportation Authority (the funding arm for mass transit in the Chicagoland area).
Duncan was selected for Crain’s Chicago Business 2020 Notable Leaders in HR. Duncan holds a Masters of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Human Resources management from Keller Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Bradley University. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the HRCI Certification Institute and holds a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SPHR‐SCP) designation.
Matt left the venture capital world to pursue his passion for solving social problems. Matt discovered this passion from volunteering where he was asked to mentor a handful of young people. While trying to connect his mentees to jobs and resources, Matt ultimately met with over 1,000 public and private sector leaders across his favorite city, Chicago. He hit a moment of volunteer and activism fatigue when he realized he couldn't mentor more Chicagoans. That's when he went on to create RiseKit (a SOLVE network).
RiseKit provides all job seekers access to a career path, regardless of the zip code in which they live. RiseKit’s software connects entry to mid-level job candidates to jobs, training programs, and supportive services to rise above all the barriers to employment. In return, we help nonprofits, employers, Government systems and community foundations save time in finding job candidates and measuring outcomes.
Recently, Matt was awarded Crain's Chicago 20 in their 20s. In Matt's free time, you will catch him with his family and friends, or watching/playing soccer.
Jonathan has served many boards and has exemplary board development skills, leading boards of directors across multiple social service agencies to success. He also served as Board Secretary for the Legacy Project; a small philanthropic organization on the North side of Chicago that assists the LGBTQ community. Jonathan has almost 15 years of experience working in executive leadership in social services and a vision to help youth and families of all differences succeed.
Shiela is pastor of her church, Union Congregational UCC which is in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is a graduate of the CHSSM leadership program (Nollau) and invested in the lives of youth and families to become sustainable. Shiela serves on the program committee for the board for CHSSM, a national membership organization for the UCC. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority incorporated; an international membership service organization.
Tania White is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief HR Strategist for Canary HR Consulting. Tania is a native of Chicago and received her Bachelor’s degree in Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising with a minor in marketing. She also holds a dual Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and Business Administration. Tania leads a team of skilled consultants providing a vast amount of diverse services including but not limited to: Strategic Development, Employee Relations, Performance Management, Training & Development, Organizational Development, Policy and Procedure Development, Succession Planning, Climate Assessment and Operations Audit, Labor relations, Compensation Analysis as well as ensuring consistency in the administration of HR.
Tania has 20-plus years of experience in various areas of human resources management and as an HR executive leader and consultant, she has concentrated on organizational change management, talent acquisition and retention, employee development, performance management, compliance, policy implementation and corporate culture initiatives. Tania has created fundamental human resource policies, developed training programs in Diversity, Ethics, Leadership and Workforce Management and brought stability and structure to organizations. She has worked in both the private and public sectors inclusive of such industries as retail, brokerage insurance, food service, senior living and non-profit. Additionally, she has experience working with union, non-union and service contract (SCA) employees.
Ms. Ladon Brumfield has a wide range of experience facilitating training programs for youth and adults. She was Executive Director for Girls Rule; a youth empowerment program that helped young girls and boys to embrace and pursue their career dreams. She has fifteen plus years of experience facilitating youth and employment programs through contracts with Chicago Public Schools, the Department of Labor, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Mayor's One Summer Chicago Programs.
Miss Brumfield works with more than 100 employers in various industries throughout Chicago and its adjoining suburbs. She is currently pursuing an enhanced degree in Business Management at DePaul University.
Sandra A. Moss is a Process Analyst based in Chicago. She has an extensive background in the manufacturing and insurance account receivables industries. Her areas of focus are improving the customer's accounting experience while reducing the company's exposure to uncollectable debt. In addition, she enjoys analyzing data and helping implement training for new and existing team members on the department's processes and procedures. She states, "I get excited to see team members improve their skills during one of my training sessions."
Mrs. Moss has been married over 25 years to her husband, Bryant. She has two adult daughters. She is currently obtaining a bachelor's degree from National Paralegal College in Business Administration
TyNisha chose to follow one of her passions by becoming a REALTOR® for Chicago and its surrounding areas. She has a love for helping others and providing resources that can help the community become more productive. With a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, TyNisha strives to be an asset within her community by many ways, whether it is helping adolescents and young adults become more financially literate, volunteering her time to help feed the homeless, or using her voice to bring awareness about different crisis her neighborhood deems as challenging. TyNisha was one of the thought leaders that advocated for the Obama Foundation to be housed on Chicago’s southside. TyNisha enjoys spending her free time with her beautiful children. She loves to travel and enjoys fashion; once a published hair and clothing model. TyNisha’s drive, leadership, tenacious spirit, professionalism, honesty, and reliability are all qualities that one can guarantee to experience as she conducts the agency’s governance and mission’s work.
Wendy joined Duff & Phelps Investment Management Company beginning her career in the investment industry in 2013. She is responsible for the companies HR activities including recruiting, hiring/onboarding, performance and compensation management, training and supporting senior leadership development.
Throughout her career, Wendy has held several human resources, office management and event planning roles at companies, such as 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Showtime Networks, Bally’s/Paris Hotel, Caesars Entertainment, and NetVU. She also recently served as the lead event planner for Casa of Cook County.
Wendy holds an A.A. degree in Paralegal Studies from Merritt College. In her spare time, she enjoys tennis, travelling and planning social events.
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