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Mell Monroe
President &
Commercial Development Liaison
monroe@thebarcc.org
Mell Monroe is SVP-Practice Leader for Technology Markets with Coffou Partners, a national executive search firm. In addition to search consulting, Mell has over 25 years of combined corporate, entrepreneurial and community organizing experience. He is also a board member for the Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission, and possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Rider University
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Dr. Keith McCoy
Vice President of Strategy
Safety / Security & Clean and Green
keith@thebarcc.org
Keith is a dynamic and charismatic educator. Keith presently teaches college
mathematics for Wilbur Wright College, one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago
(CCC). He has taught for CCC for over 15 years, is currently the Co-chair of the
Mathematics Department, and chaired CCC's re-design of its developmental
mathematics curriculum. He was recently elected as the President of CCC's
district-wide Faculty Council.
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Pamela Dempsey
Treasurer & Fundraising Director
(312) 560-8498 | pam@bronzevilleproperties.com
Pam Dempsey is a real estate broker and the owner of Bronzeville Properties LLC, and a member of the Chicago Association of Realtors, the Illinois Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Realtors. Her real estate brokerage firm specializes in residential real estate on the south side of the city, from the South Loop through South Shore, and east of the Dan Ryan, with particular focus on Bronzeville.
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Angela Higginbotham Monroe
Records Chair & Condominium Liaison Director
angie@thebarcc.org
Angela Higginbotham Monroe is a Manager in the Office of Specialized Services of the Chicago Public Schools. Her responsibilities include grant management, ensuring 2000 early childhood students receive specialized services and appropriate program placement for students with disabilities. Angela has been with the Chicago Public Schools since 1984 and assumed her current responsibilities in 2007.
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Jonese Burnett
Director of Activities & Marketing
jonese@thebarcc.org
Jonese L. Burnett received her MBA in May of 2003 from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Soon after she joined Cintas Corporation on the Distribution-Production Planning management team and shortly after she was promoted to a Global Accounts Hospitality Program Manager, where she managed a multi-million dollar portfolio.
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Phaedra Leslie
Board Member
phaedra@thebarcc.org
Phaedra M. Leslie is the Sr. Vice President, responsible for new business development, managing high profile clients and complex, multi-faceted projects, creating innovative diversity strategies in procurement for corporate, government and institutional clients for Target Group, Inc. (an economic development consulting firm in Chicago).
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Marie Smith
Director of Safety and Security
marie@thebarcc.org
Marie is one of the founding members of BARCC and has served on its Board of Directors since its inception. She was the first social committee director and led the effort in Bronzeville’s first progressive dinners and the revival of the Historical Bronzeville Home Tours. She is currently active on the Safety and Security committee as her passion is assisting Bronzeville in becoming a more family friendly community.
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Iva Funderberg
Director of Condominium Development
iva@thebarcc.org
Iva Funderburg is a Consultant of Cheiron Capital Services, LLC and co-founder and Managing Director of Cheiron Equity Investors, LLC. She conducts industry and sector analysis as well as evaluates due diligence targets. Prior to forming Cheiron, Ms. Funderburg was a Vice President of the private equity firm Oracle Capital Partners, LLC. Before joining Oracle, Ms. Funderburg was an Assistant Portfolio Manager for Alpha Capital Management Inc.
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Akari Muhansi
Director of Commercial Development
akari@thebarcc.org
Akari is a Pre-Sales Systems Engineer with Cisco Systems on the Illinois SLED (State, Local Government, & Education) team. Akari’s account base is local school districts and government entities. He primarily supports two Account Managers that have a combined total of 800 accounts in Chicago’s Southern and Western suburbs. Akari’s role is to help his customers set their technology vision, advise them on technical decisions around their network, give product updates, and to become a trusted technical advisor.
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Teshera Henderson
Co-Director of Commercial Development
teshera@thebarcc.org
Teshera is the co-chair of the Commercial Development Task Force at BARCC, as well as a Market Development Manager with Johnson & Johnson with responsibilities that include developing business strategy and platforms based on her strengths in market research and analytics. Teshera brings over ten years of experience as a marketing professional in consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals and surgical devices.
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Tyrone Forte
Political Liaison
tforte@thebarcc.org
Tyrone René Forté, IT/Telecom Procurement Manager for the State of Illinois ’ Central Management Services has more than 30 years of combined corporate management, Federal and State government, and technology experience. A native of Chicago, Tyrone is recognized as a community and church leader with participation in several Chicago-area community organizations, including past leadership roles in the Gap Community organization.
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Marvell Turnage
Condominium Coalition Development Board Member
marvell@thebarcc.org
Marvell L. Turnage currently serves as Manager of Human Resources for the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable. As an HR business partner within the Chicago Ad Sales market, Marvell collaborates with all levels of management to help drive the business toward establishing and maintaining a culture of growth and excellence. In this role, Marvell oversees twelve locations throughout Illinois, as well as Merrillville, Indiana.
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Clarence Carson
Assistant Director of Commercial Development
clarence@thebarcc.org
Clarence A. Carson is a progressive, yet charming, Project Manager for The Rise Group, an international program management, technical services and strategy consulting company. As an example of its reach, The Rise Group currently operates within many of Chicago’s infrastructural programs – the Public Building Commission of Chicago, Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Department of Water Management, Art Institute of Chicago – of which Clarence performs project management through the Public Building Commission.
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Mechele Elias
Director of Communications
mechele@thebarcc.org
Mechele A. Elias has lived within the Bronzeville area a little over 5 years now. A former employee of Aon Corporation she worked as a Sr. Treasury Analyst. Prior to that, Mechele worked a number of years at JP Morgan Chase as a Treasury Officer and held a number of Treasury positions.
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Michelle Brown
Director of Membership Development
michelle@thebarcc.org
A graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Michelle began her professional career in investment real estate in 1987. Having lived in various neighborhoods on both the North and South sides of Chicago, Michelle was excited about her then transition to Development Brokerage in 1991.
Working in development real estate gives Michelle the full spectrum of real estate: investment analysis, financial planning, marketing, presentation, sales and the satisfaction of seeing more people realize home ownership.
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