30 leaders of the future; with excellence as a guide, achievers at age 30 and under show leadership and commitment

Ebony, Nov, 1989

30 LEADERS OF THE FUTURE

FOR an elite group of young achievers, it is not enough to work a nine-to-five job and retire into a private world. Going against the grain of the "me generation," they emphasize private and public excellence. Not only have they excelled in their professional and business pursuits by age 30, but they have also become involved in the business of giving back to their communities endless hours as advisors, mentors and volunteers.

The 30 young people featured here are leaders and role models. Some sit on the national boards of the NAACP and National Black MBA Association. Their involvement includes board memberships on arts councils and affiliates of the National Urban League, and other service agencies.

These are hands-on people. One young person in Hartford, Conn., offers advice as an American Red Cross board member and helps out when disasters occur. Others take responsibility for planning national conventions for their professional groups, and serve as volunteers for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Hearts of America Bone Marrow Registry and shelters for the homeless and battered women. Some assist budding entrepreneurs and engineers, and try to steer youths away from drugs by serving as mentors. Many of them work with young people in other ways, tutoring them in computer science or English, or working in prisons. They are problem solvers as well, taking on the legal dilemmas of the elderly, repairing houses of the poor, and finding ways to use computers to solve the health problems of Third World nations.

Their leadership is built on a foundation of solid preparation. They have degrees from institutions such as Howard University, George Washington University and Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta University). Along the way, they won prestigious scholarships and awards, and have accomplished feats such as becoming a Harvard International Fellow.

As professionals, they continue to garner praise for their accomplishments and contributions. Recommended to EBONY by established leaders, office-holders and our readers from across the country, they represent the best their communities have to offer. They are the hope of a nation grappling with the problems of drugs, violence, poverty and illiteracy.

Joselli Audain, 28, Brooklyn, N.Y.: dancer, Dance Theatre of Harlem and member of its administrative dance committee; board member and artistic advisor, Theatre Choucoune; minister of dance, Our Lady of Charity Catholic Church; instructor, Elim Church Dance Ministry; dance coordinator, 1989 Pastoral Congress of the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese.

Jacqueline Battle, 27 Columbus, Ga.: president, Money Express mortgage company; works with young people as a leader with Youth Pathfinders Organization; member, Board of Realtors of Columbus and its attendance committee, American Business Women, Criminal Justice Club, Columbus Chamber of Commerce, "Harmonious Vision singers.

Valerie Ballard, 24, Dallas, Texas: publisher, the Dallas Community Leader newspaper; 1989 Young Entrepreneur Award, Black Women Entrepreneurs Inc. of Dallas; 1989 Most Community Involvement Award, Texas Publishers Association; first vice president, Black Women Entrepreneurs Inc. of Dallas; secretary-treasurer, Texas Publishers Association; board member-treasurer, Friends of the Dallas Opportunities Industrialization Center.

Louise Y. Boyd, 30, Titusville, Fla.: aerospace technologist, NASA Ground Systems Engineering, Kennedy Space Center; 1989 NASA Sustained Superior Performance Award; president, National Technical Association, Space Coast Chapter; treasurer, Society of Women Engineers; tutor, NASA Unique Resident Tutoring for Up-and-coming Replacement Engineers (NURTURE) program; exhibitor, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry's 100 Black Science Achievers exhibit.

Byron Brown, 30, Buffalo, N.Y.: director, Erie County Equal Opportunity Office; chairman, Winterfest executive committee; board member, St. Augustine's Center-Afrikan Child and Family Institute advisory board, Children's Hospital Sickle Cell Center Advisory Board, Meals on Wheels, Buffalo Zoo; member, Concerned African-Americans for Progress, United Way government relations committee, Buffalo Common Council Drug Task Force.

Payne D. Brown, 26, Fort Wayne, Ind.: attorney, contract administrator, ITT Aerospace-Optical Division commissioner, Fort Wayne Housing Authority; board member, Arts United cultural foundation, Urban League of Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Art Museum, founder and chairperson, Concerned Citizens of the Innercity; educational consultant, Junior Achievement.

Robert Clayton Cooper, 27, Washington, D.C.: attorney with Jackson & Campbell law firm; vice-president, George Washington University Black Law Alumni; board member, GWU Law alumni; legal volunteer, Washington, D.C. Council on Aging; member, D.C. Downtown Jaycees; National Bar Association Young Lawyers Division representative to the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Board.