Message from Stephanie Hightower, President & Chief Executive Officer
Dear Friends and Partners,
Unstoppable. Relentless. Successful. Those words describe many of the women and men who we celebrate during Black History Month and throughout the year. They were people who changed the world. And they call to us to do the same.
Their words, their legacies, serve as your Columbus Urban League’s North Star in 2025. We continue reinventing and enhancing our services, determined to help create a more robust economy where everyone can achieve their full potential.
There are many, many reasons to ensure that everyone has access to real opportunities. Three of the most significant outcomes are collectively building wealth, scaling up businesses and filling the high-wage jobs of the future. In fact, we count $42 billion reasons to evolve – as that is what Central Ohio’s GDP stands to gain over the next decade if we open doors for more people.
We’re digging deep this year to ensure that our team leads with disciplined focus, innovative thinking, effective coaching, and the smartest technology tools to get the job done.
Your investment will:
- Ensure hardworking parents can upskill and take great jobs, shrinking the workforce deficit that confounds many of our best companies and inhibits greater prosperity.
- Grow and strengthen disadvantaged small businesses owned by Black entrepreneurs and people of color, women, rural Ohioans, and veterans.
- Spark greater financial literacy that accelerates our economy as people raise their credit scores, buy more homes, save and invest.
Please join us.
