Herstory Is Redefining Women's Liberation Through Economic Freedom
Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, CEO of the Urban League of Broward County and Chair of Central County ... More Community Development Corporation, a Community Development Financial Institution.
In honor of Women's History Month, this column focuses on the CEO of an Urban League affiliate organization, Chair of a Community Development Corporation and member of the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, creating opportunities where women can thrive, lead and drive meaningful change.
Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, CEO of the Urban League of Broward County and Chair of the Central County Community Development Corporation (CCCDC), has dedicated over 20 years to advancing community and economic development. Since 2007, she has led the CCCDC with a mission to revitalize low-income communities, leading her to create lasting impacts by transforming social, economic, and physical infrastructures.
Dr. Baugh's journey into community development finance was inspired by her unwavering belief that 'economic freedom IS freedom.' This conviction motivated her to integrate community development finance into the Urban League's service portfolio, ultimately expanding the reach and impact to CCCDC which serves as a subsidiary of Urban League. In 2015, CCCDC expanded its solutions to include small business support and lending, which paved the way for the organization to be certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund by the U.S. Department of Treasury in 2020. This certification strengthened CCCDC's targeted focus on serving African Americans across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.
Among all the communities impacted by CCCDC's efforts, women remain at the heart of its mission. The team provides technical assistance through signature programs such as UBIZ, GovCon, and Small Business Bootcamp which has proven effective in providing access to critical resources, information, and strategies that empower women business owners to achieve financial independence and succeed in entrepreneurship.
In 2024 alone, 663 women participated in CCCDC's development services, representing 70% of the total served. Additionally, 44% of the organization's lending has directly supported women-owned businesses.
Karlene Scarlett, founder of Social Blessings, a digital marketing agency, has scaled her business to new heights thanks to financial assistance from CCCDC. After launching her business in January 2022, Karlene enrolled in the GovCon Track workshop to gain expertise in government contracting. As her business grew, she explored small business funding through the organization's loan fund. After initially pausing the process in 2023, Karlene later resumed and successfully secured the funding needed to expand her impact and drive her business forward.
Although Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S., they still average $24,000 in revenue compared to the $142,900 earned by all women-owned businesses. Dr. Baugh believes that new products and services will emerge from women who have experienced being on the outfields because overcoming barriers equips women to drive meaningful change and shape the future.
As a leader, Dr. Baugh's journey has been shaped by strength and resilience. Embracing the opportunities that came with her roles as CEO and Chair have opened doors for countless others and also deepened her commitment to empowering communities. From years of experience, she defines success as implementing effective governance structures and operational growth strategies that allow the organization to serve more people with greater impact.
As Dr. Baugh looks ahead, her legacy is clear—she hopes to pass the baton by creating spaces where other women can thrive. 'I want to be in the proverbial stands cheering other women onto their next level of accomplishments,' she said. Through her leadership, the CCCDC continues to create opportunities for women, ensuring that their contributions shape the future of economic equity and community empowerment.
To learn more about the CCCDC, visit www.cccdcorp.org.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Howard University makes historic promotion
Howard University has announced a historic leadership move: Kery Davis has been promoted from Athletics Director to Vice President of Athletics, effective immediately. This marks the first time the university has created such a role-highlighting Davis's visionary leadership and his unwavering dedication to student-athletes' academic and athletic success. A Transformational Leader with Deep Experience Kery Davis brings over 25 years of experience in collegiate athletics, television, and entertainment. Since joining Howard in 2015, Davis has been instrumental in enhancing the school's athletic reputation on a national scale. Championship Success Across Multiple Sports Under Davis's leadership, Howard teams have captured 33 national, conference, and regular season titles. Key accomplishments include: The university's first NCAA win in women's basketball (2022)Six consecutive MEAC volleyball championships and NCAA appearances (2015–2022)Back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for men's basketball (2023, 2024)MEAC football championships in 2022 and 2023Historic performances by the only HBCU swimming and diving teamsLaunch of the university's first-ever Division I golf programs (men's and women's), enabled by a 2020 donation from NBA All-Star Steph Curry Elevating Student-Athletes Holistically "Kery has been a phenomenal leader of our athletics department," said Cynthia Evers, Senior Vice President of Student Affairs. "His impact extends beyond the scoreboard. He's built a culture that supports student-athletes academically, personally, and professionally." Davis's efforts have helped more than 300 student-athletes earn spots on Conference All-Academic teams, with the Athletics Department achieving a 3.34 GPA overall. He has also branded Howard as a destination for students who excel in both academics and athletics. Major Partnerships and National Recognition Davis has led partnerships with brands like AT&T, Nissan, Rocket Mortgage, Nuna, and Mielle. In 2021, he secured a landmark 20-year deal with Jordan Brand, making Howard the only HBCU and non-Power 5 school sponsored for both football and basketball. He also helped launch high-profile events, including the NBA/HBCU All-Star Game and the Truth and Service Classic at Audi Field. Awards and Honors In 2024, Davis was named FCS Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He has also been featured in: Sports Illustrated's Most Powerful Minorities in SportsBlack Enterprise's Most Powerful African Americans in Sports A Vision for the Future "Howard University has an amazing legacy of alumni, faculty, and students," Davis said. "I look forward to continuing to build a championship culture and securing top-notch facilities to help our athletes exceed their goals." From HBO Sports to the Hilltop Before joining Howard, Davis spent 17 years at HBO Sports as Senior Vice President. There, he managed strategy for Emmy Award-winning shows and major sports deals. His career highlights include: Licensing "Inside the NFL" to the NFLProducing the award-winning "Hard Knocks" seriesNegotiating multiyear contracts with stars like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, Roy Jones Jr., and Oscar De La HoyaCo-leading the groundbreaking Tyson vs. Lewis dual-network PPV event His experience spanned departments including marketing, finance, legal, and public relations. Academic and Professional Credentials B.A. from Dartmouth College (varsity basketball)J.D. from Cornell University Law SchoolMember of the New York State BarServes on the NCAA Men's Basketball Oversight CommitteeMember of the MEAC Men's Basketball Competition Committee Final Thoughts Kery Davis's promotion to Vice President of Athletics is more than a title change-it's a recognition of his profound impact on Howard University. With a proven record of success and a forward-thinking vision, Davis is set to lead Bison Athletics into a bold new era. The post Howard University makes historic promotion appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
TechnoMile and Carahsoft Partner to Bring Market Intelligence Solutions to Federal Contractors
TechnoMile's GovSearchAI and GovSearch NoticesIQ solutions now available to the Public Sector TYSONS, Va. and RESTON, Va., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TechnoMile, a leading provider of transformative, AI-enabled cloud solutions that empower companies to find, pursue, win and retain more business with the Government from go-to-market through contract closeout, and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as TechnoMile's value-added reseller, making the company's AI-powered solutions for Federal opportunity and market intelligence and streamlined management of task order notices available to Carahsoft customers in the GovCon and aerospace and defense sectors. "We are thrilled to partner with Carahsoft to make TechnoMile's GovSearchAI and GovSearch NoticesIQ solutions available to Carahsoft's network of Government IT solution providers," said Billy Biggs, Chief Revenue Officer and President at TechnoMile. "With efficiency improvements and technology modernization top of mind in today's Federal marketplace, Government contractors are actively seeking innovative tools, including TechnoMile's solutions, that will enhance their organizations' ability to operate efficiently and deliver maximum value to their agency customers." GovSearchAI is TechnoMile's AI-enabled opportunity and market intelligence platform that consolidates and enriches data from top Federal sources and identifies best-fit opportunities for Federal vendors. This enables contractors to efficiently fill their pipelines and analyze customers, competitors, and partners to sharpen win strategies. GovSearch NoticesIQ is TechnoMile's solution for management of task order opportunities that unifies contractors' task order notices into a single workstream and uses agentic AI to help teams rapidly qualify incoming new notices and maximize the revenue potential of their contract vehicles. "Our partnership with TechnoMile enhances Carahsoft's robust portfolio of Government solutions, allowing us to offer specialized AI-powered tools designed specifically for the Government contracting process," said Edward Walinsky, Sales Director and GovCon Vertical Lead. "By making TechnoMile's GovSearchAI and GovSearch NoticesIQ available through our reseller network, we're enabling Government contractors to identify and pursue Federal opportunities more efficiently, ultimately supporting agencies in fulfilling their missions with innovative, cost-effective solutions." For more information, contact the TechnoMile Team at Carahsoft at (888) 662-2724 or sales@ or visit About TechnoMile From go-to-market to contract closeout, TechnoMile provides transformative, AI-enabled cloud solutions that empower companies to find, pursue, win, and retain more business with the government. Using TechnoMile's best-in-class cloud platform, companies optimize BD and capture processes, source market and contact intelligence, automate and de-risk the contract lifecycle, foster stronger relationships with partners/suppliers, and gain an information advantage that elevates enterprise performance. TechnoMile serves more than 250 clients ranging from growing small businesses, to mid-market organizations, to Fortune 500 companies, including over half of the top 10 federal defense contractors and 70 percent of the top 10 IT government contractors. For more information about TechnoMile, visit or follow us at TechnoMile Media ContactShayne Forsyth, VP of (832) 215-5692 About Carahsoft Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator® for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for GovCon, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Artificial Intelligence, Customer Experience and Engagement, Open Source and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles. Visit us at Carahsoft Media ContactMary Langepr@ 230-7434 View original content: SOURCE TechnoMile
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Ex-GOP Lawmaker Regrets Being ‘Divisive Political Asshole,' Is Joining Democratic Party
Former Republican Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh announced Tuesday he is formally joining the Democratic Party because 'the stakes are simply too high to NOT become a Democrat.' 'Let's start with the obvious—a tyrant sits in the White House,' Walsh wrote in his Substack, 'The Social Contract.' 'The very thing our Founders feared most is here,' he said. 'Throw in the fact that one of our two major political parties is a real and direct threat to democracy and the rule of law.' Walsh, a former supporter of President Donald Trump who later ran against him, amassed a large following through his controversial statements online and on his radio show. In 2012, he declared American Muslims an imminent threat to national security and lashed out at Rev. Jesse Jackson, accusing him of trying to 'keep African Americans down on some plantation.' The former Republican has spent much of his recent past trying to distance himself from the bigotry he promoted in earlier years. Acknowledging his past public remarks on Tuesday, he said, 'that's no longer who I am.' 'I went to Congress on a mission to get our debt under control and to shake up the political establishment,' Walsh wrote. 'I was passionate about my cause—so passionate that I said and did things I regret, so passionate that I became, way more than I'm proud of, a divisive political asshole.' Walsh added that he has since 'gained a greater understanding of and appreciation for LGBTQ issues, structural racism, the need for empathetic immigration reform, the dangers of climate change, and the role the government must play to help care for the neediest and most vulnerable among us.' 'I'm still a conservative, but I'm not a conservative jerk,' he wrote. 'For the past seven years, I've been on a mission to help heal the divide in this country—the divide I helped to create.' Walsh's announcement comes as the Democratic Party's approval rating sinks to an all-time low. An NBC poll published earlier this year found that just 27% of registered voters say they have positive views of the party. A CNN/SRS poll found that Democrats' messaging on the economy performed worse than Republicans' over the past four months, with the GOP holding an eight-point lead on the issue. Walsh was already a vocal critic of the president. He said he made the switch to the Democratic Party because 'These are unprecedented, dangerous times in America.' 'Of course we've always fought about and debated policy—how best to pay for healthcare, whether taxes should be raised or cut, and how best to deal with immigration,' Walsh wrote. 'But we've never before fought about actually remaining a democracy or abiding by the Constitution and the rule of law.' He highlighted 'decency, tolerance, understanding, empathy' as traits he believes are 'vital' to politics, claiming the Democratic Party is the only party 'these days' that 'values and practices these traits.' 'Donald Trump is the worst of us, and, sadly, the rest of the Republican Party emulates his cruelty, dishonesty, and authoritarianism,' Walsh wrote. 'We're better than what we've seen every day these past four months. America is better than this. As a former Republican, I know that cruelty sells.' The Extremely Dumb Excuse That Republicans Are Using To Justify Trump's Corruption Republicans Big Mad At Elon Musk For Telling The Truth About 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Elon Musk Unloads On Republicans' 'Disgusting Abomination' Big Beautiful Bill
