By Regina Carswell Russo
RRight Now Communications
The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio’s Board of Trustees has appointed Christie Kuhns, an accomplished and experienced executive leader and strong community advocate, as its new President and CEO. Kuhns was named interim president and CEO in January.
After a thorough and rigorous national search, ULGSO announced Christie Kuhns as its permanent President & CEO with an unanimous vote at a full board meeting June 23.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am excited to welcome Christie Kuhns as the new President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio,” says Board Chair J. Phillip Holloman. “We found a leader who is a visionary and skilled in community development, business and public policy. Christie has the breadth and depth of relationships and network across the spectrum of stakeholders in the region. We are fortunate that she was born and raised in greater Cincinnati, and has already been leading our organization providing excellent leadership and positive progress for the past six months. We are confident that the African American and Greater Southwestern Ohio community as a whole will greatly benefit from Christie’s focused and passionate leadership.’’
Kuhns most recently was the vice president of operations and community relations and chief of staff for the COO at UC Health. She has also been deeply committed to an equitable and inclusive public policy landscape in the region, formally serving as an Ohio state representative. In May, Kuhns helped launch an initiative designed to double the number of MBEs (Minority Business Enterprises) with two or more employees in Cincinnati over the next five years.
“I’m proud of the $2.5 million City of Cincinnati Lincoln and Gilbert Initiative that’s in full swing, in collaboration with key Black leaders and organizations dedicated to the success of minority owned businesses,” Kuhns says. “I am equally honored to continue the legacy of this organization, lead it through a new strategic vision, and ensure impactful programming that is responsive to the needs of the community for years to come.”
Kuhns, a Walnut Hills High School graduate, holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law to earn her Juris Doctorate.
Kuhns’ notable accomplishments include:
● Developing a federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC) a collaboration of UC Health and the Cincinnati Health Department that offers world-class primary, prenatal, and mental health care and treatment and which delivered an instrumental COVID-19 pandemic response in Avondale that was previously a primary care desert.
● Introduced Ohio’s first paid family leave plan, passed a House Resolution to reinstate congressional funding to help residents prevent foreclosure and co-sponsored and passed an Ohio House Bill that expanded domestic violence protection.
● Named to the Business Journals” 100 Rising Stars in the Nation”
● Named among Cincinnati Enquirer’s “20 Professional Women to Watch”
● Named among Cincinnati Business Courier’s “Forty Under 40”
● Graduate of Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Leadership Cincinnati Class 43.
● She has served as President of the Board for the African American Chamber of Commerce.
Notable memberships include: Inaugural member of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Cincinnati Reds Diversity Advisory Board,
● The Ohio Poverty Law Center Board of Directors
● the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation
● The Library Foundation of Cincinnati and Hamilton County
● The YWCA Board of Directors, Advocacy Chair
● The Board of Bethesda, Inc.
Kuhns succeeds former President/CEO Eddie Koen who resigned from UGLSO in December 20.
The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio is a Civil Rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio (ULGSO) was formed when The Dayton Urban League and the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati were combined in 2013. The Urban League’s mission is to transform generations by promoting personal empowerment and economic self-sufficiency. The Urban League’s investment in programs, partnerships and collaborations helps prepare our youth to succeed in life, lifts people out of poverty, bolsters the middle class and stimulates the growth of small business. Each of these outcomes serves to propel many in our community into upward economic and social mobility. UGLSO serves people in Cincinnati, Dayton, and the following Ohio and Kentucky counties: Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Montgomery, Green, Preble, Miami and Darke in Ohio; Boone, Kenton and Campbell in Kentucky.
To learn more about ULGSO, please visit http://www.ulgso.org.