The 2021 Chicago Defender Men of Excellence were honored at an induction ceremony Friday evening. Held at Haven, owned by previous Men of Excellence honoree, Norman Bouldin, the event highlighted the achievements and accomplishments of 45 of Chicago’s leaders in business, music, education, entrepreneurship and more.
Now in its 14th year, the Men of Excellence acknowledges exemplary Black me in the community who inspire others through excellence, vision, leadership and a commitment to empowerment. Honorees were nominated by colleagues, friends and family. With the COVID 19 pandemic, the ceremony was a scaled down version of previous events with reduced capacity and safety protocols in place. The in-person event was hosted by WVON’s Samantha Thomas with veteran journalist, Darryl Dennard as the keynote speaker.
This year’s honorees included:
| Gregg Arnold | Chef Manager | Pier 31 Restaurant |
| Stephen W. Beard, Esq. | Chief Operating Officer | Adtalem |
| Jeffery Beckham Jr. | Chief Executive Officer | Chicago Scholars |
| Kevin Betton | Fire Chief | Phoenix Fire Department |
| Jerry Brown, Esq. | Attorney | Siegel & Callahan, P.C |
| Darren Bryant | Mayor | City of Robbins |
| Vaughn Bryant | Executive Director | Metropolitan Family Services |
| William Andre Buchanan | CEO/Founder | Will Buchanan Investments |
| Honorable Kam Buckner | State Representative | Illinois 26th Legislative District |
| Kenneth Coles | Executive Director/CEO | DuPage Housing Authority |
| Derrick Curtis | Alderman, 18th Ward | City of Chicago |
| Mitchell R. Davis III | Chief of Police | Village of Hazel Crest |
| Rev. Dr. Patrick Daymond | Senior Pastor | Covenant United Church of Christ |
| Al Debonnett | Chief Operating Officer | CyberBanque |
| Thomas Henderson | CEO/President. | Thomas B. Henderson Insurance Agency Inc. |
| Sean Howard | CEO | STHMEDIA LTD |
| Darryl Hughes | CEO/Co-Founder | Hughes Who Technologies Studio-NFP |
| Terry Hunter | CEO | T’s Box/Chosen Few DJ’s |
| Gavin Jackson | Co-Owner | Jackson Nuckolls Group |
| Rael Jackson | President | Real Men Cook |
| Emmanuel Jackson | President | Evanston Technology Partners |
| Luther Lampkin | Director of Technology & Innovation | RG Construction |
| Frank Latin | Founder & Executive Director | Westside Media Project/Storyline Studios |
| Julious Lawson, Ph.D. | Chief of Schools | Chicago Public Schools |
| Alex Levesque | CEO/Founder | Automotive Mentoring Group |
| Marcus Manning | Dean of Students | LEARN Romano Butler |
| Cortez McCoy, Ph.D. | Principal | Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts |
| Jonathan McGee | Deputy Director | lL Department of Commerce & Economic Opp. |
| Rodric Miller | Owner & President | M5 Logistics Group Inc. |
| Sharone Mitchell Jr. Esq | Public Defender | Cook County |
| Rick Nesbitt | Founder & Winemaker | Vintrendi Wine Company |
| Pha’tal Perkins | Founder/CEO | Think Outside Da Block |
| Dwayne Pickett | Director of Regulatory Solutions | ComEd |
| Marc A. Pullins | Executive Director | Jordyne Cares NFP |
| Shaka Rawls | Principal | Leo High School |
| Hosea Sanders | Anchor/Reporter | ABC7 Chicago |
| Anthony Simpkins, Esq | President & Chief Executive Officer | Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago |
| Honorable Elgie R. Sims Jr. | Senator | Illinois Senate |
| Thurman Smith | Senior Vice President/Market Manager | PNC Bank |
| William Townsell | Assistant Director | Chicago Police Department |
| Damien Trimuel | Senior Manager-Financial Planning | Northwestern University |
| Mark Walker | Owner | Oooh Wee It Is |
| Terry Wells | Village President | Village of Phoenix |
| Michael Wilder, Esq. | Shareholder/Board of Directors Member | Littler Mendelson, P.C. |
| Keith Wyche | VP-Community Engagement & Support | Walmart, Inc. |
For more on the 2021 Chicago Defender Men of Excellence click here.
Danielle Sanders is a journalist and writer living in Chicago. Find her on social media @DanieSanders20 or @DanieSandersOfficial.
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