The , Tajinae Turner, and Rosalyn C. “Roz” Reese, director of multicultural initiatives for the , are among the six who have been named Living Portraits of African-American Women for 2014.
They were honored at a reception hosted by the and held at .
Turner, one of two recipients of the Youth Leadership Award, attends Smoky Hill School, where she maintains a 4.0 grade- point average and participates in the Drama Club, Junior National Honor Society and the Sisterhood program. For the past several summers she has attended the New York Performing Arts Academy, where she was recognized as the “most talented and outgoing” member of the newscasting class.
Reese was given the Community Award in recognition of the work she has done to develop and implement culturally appropriate programs to increase awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and former outreach worker for the , Reese is married to Deacon Earnest Reese Jr.
Carolyn Love, recipient of the Business Award, is the principal at , a leadership and organizational development company that she founded in 2004 after serving as executive director of the , the and the . Love has a master’s degree in nonprofit management from and earned her Ph.D. from .
Helena Haynes-Carter, also honored for her business acumen, is a corporate strategist and development expert known for her ability to help Fortune-ranked companies and nonprofit organizations build national brands, expand their organizational systems and leverage untapped potential. A Denver resident since 1979, Haynes-Carter has degrees from the and and currently serves as director of the .
Valorie DeJoil Yarbrough, recipient of the Government Award, is an analyst with the , where she has been instrumental in helping over 1,000 small businesses gain the certification necessary for them to land contracting opportunities with the City and County of Denver. She holds a master compliance administrator certification from and a bachelor of science degree in business management from the . Her volunteer activities include work on behalf of the American Association of University Women, Colorado Black Women for Political Action and the Democratic Party.
A second Youth Leadership Award went to Ruth Tsige. A senior at Gateway High School, where she is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program, Ruth has a 3.8 grade point average and will graduate in the top five percent of her class. She is vice president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Sign Language Club and the Science Club and was Colorado’s 2013 Trig-Star. As such, she represented both her high school and the state at the national level for the annual trigonometry competition.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, jdavidson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joannedavidson
Award recipients announced
The recipients of awards to be presented at the Invisible Disabilities Association Gala, “It’s Not a Laughing Matter,” were announced at a cocktail reception held at the Scott Lynes home in Cherry Hills Village. Joanne Davidson reveals who they are, and has information about the Oct. 24 gala, in the Mile High Style blog: blogs.denverpost.com/style
