Black Women Designing the Future

They faced and often overcame significant hurdles to achieve their goals. Meet the women who will inspire future generations of women.

Feminine Touch - We all watched as Alicia became a style star in '07. Most notable, were her hair choices which finally didn’t include cornrows. Her wild wavy hairstyle went perfectly with her new sound, while her neat straight style was a reminder that Alicia is a more polished woman these days.

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Alicia Keys - Long known for her piano skills and her soulful vocals, Keys has begun expanding her reach into the entertainment industry’s upper echelon. Not only has she appeared on screen as an actress, Keys has established her own film production company. A humanitarian, Keys has also come out in support of AIDS-plagued populations.

Beyonce - She's got a lot of firsts (this last Grammy Awards show, she broke the record for most Grammys by a female artist with 6 wins in one night) , but in 2007, Bey became the first female artist ever to win the International Artist Award at the AMAs.

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Beyonce - From her earliest days in R&B when she sang with Destiny’s Child, Beyonce has proven herself to be an exceptionally determined performer. Known for not only her voice, but for her style, sex appeal and versatile marketability, the singer has succeeded as a soloist, supporting movie actress and leading lady in such films as the musical, "Dreamgirls."

Crystal L. Windham - A lead designer of the award-winning Chevrolet Malibu, Windham is the Director of General Motors’ North American Passenger Car Design. Windham is the first Black female to hold the position.

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Crystal L. Windham - A lead designer of the award-winning Chevrolet Malibu, Windham is the Director of General Motors’ North American Passenger Car Design. Windham is the first Black female to hold the position.

Edith Cooper - The head of North American Hedge Fund Distribution, Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities, at Goldman Sachs, Cooper immediately made her presence felt when she arrived at the company. She was promoted to Managing Director in 1998, after only two years at Goldman Sachs, and made partner in 2000.

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Edith Cooper - The head of North American Hedge Fund Distribution, Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities, at Goldman Sachs, Cooper immediately made her presence felt when she arrived at the company. She was promoted to Managing Director in 1998, after only two years at Goldman Sachs, and made partner in 2000.

Gwendolyn Smith Iloani - She is Chairwoman, President, and CEO of Smith Whiley & Co., the fourth-largest Black-owned private equity firm, with $222 million under management. She directs the firm’s investment advisory and asset management business, and the investment and portfolio management activities.

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Gwendolyn Smith Iloani - She is Chairwoman, President, and CEO of Smith Whiley & Co., the fourth-largest Black-owned private equity firm, with $222 million under management. She directs the firm’s investment advisory and asset management business, and the investment and portfolio management activities.

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Janice Bryant Howroyd & Family Net worth: $250 - No. 12, Janice Howroyd, started a staffing firm in 1978 with just $1,500. Today, her employment services agency makes almost $1 billion in revenues each year.

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Janice Bryant Howroyd - With just $1,500 and perseverance, Janice Bryant Howroyd expanded her small, one-phone-line office into a multimillion dollar business. She began ACT-1 Personnel Services in 1978. Now, Howroyd heads a firm that provides staffing and human resources solutions to Fortune 500 firms worldwide. It's now an industry giant pulling in about $750 million a year.

Mellody Hobson - Hobson heads Ariel Capital Management L.L.C., the nation’s largest Black-owned money management firm. Based in Chicago, Hobson manages $21.43 billion in assets and oversees business operations, client services, and investment planning. She is also a regular commentator on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

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Mellody Hobson - Hobson heads Ariel Capital Management L.L.C., the nation’s largest Black-owned money management firm. Based in Chicago, Hobson manages $21.43 billion in assets and oversees business operations, client services, and investment planning. She is also a regular commentator on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Oprah Gives Staff $10,000, iPad - In commemoration of O Magazine’s 10-year anniversary, the talk show diva surprised her magazine staff with an Apple iPad and a check for $10,000. The gifts were “a thank you for their hard work and dedication,” according to a magazine spokeswoman.

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Oprah Winfrey - The entertainment mogul is Chairman of Harpo, Inc., Harpo Productions, Inc., Harpo Studios, Inc., Harpo Films, Inc., Harpo Print, LLC and Harpo Video, Inc. As the only Black female billionaire, Winfrey is the wealthiest African American. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is the highest-rated TV talk show in history, and is seen in 110 countries.

Paulianda Jones - A Guyana-born scientist, Jones has been noted for her neuro-pharmacological research, focusing on the discovery of possible treatments for Parkinson’s Disease and anxiety disorders. A post-doctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, she is regarded as a brilliant chemist, who received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. At age 28, she is a highly respected medical professional.

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Paulianda Jones - A Guyana-born scientist, Jones has been noted for her neuro-pharmacological research, focusing on the discovery of possible treatments for Parkinson’s Disease and anxiety disorders. A post-doctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt School of Medicine, she is regarded as a brilliant chemist, who received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. At age 28, she is a highly respected medical professional.

Raven Symone

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Raven-Symone’ - From her days as Olivia on “The Cosby Show,” Raven-Symone’ has expanded her territory. Her Disney Channel series, “That’s So Raven” became the longest-running and highest-rated show. The actress began serving as executive producer of her various projects, amassing wealth and power in Hollywood.

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Shonda Rhimes: January 13 - The Grey's Anatomy creator celebrates her 42nd birthday.

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Shonda Rhimes - A successful Hollywood TV writer, Rhimes has become most known for the show she created and executive produces, “Grey’s Anatomy.” In an industry that seldom accepts Black talent and vision in the form of mainstream, crossover series and dramatic concepts, Rhimes has served as a trailblazer, establishing one of the most popular medical shows on television. The fourth season began in September 2007.

Susan Chapman - As Global Head of Operations of Citigroup Realty Services, Chapman manages the day-to-day operations in 96 countries. She holds the No. 2 spot in the business unit, and is responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions, retail branch development, real estate administration, strategic projects and global business relationship management.

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Susan Chapman - As Global Head of Operations of Citigroup Realty Services, Chapman manages the day-to-day operations in 96 countries. She holds the No. 2 spot in the business unit, and is responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions, retail branch development, real estate administration, strategic projects and global business relationship management.

Ursula Burns - The current President of Xerox, Burns joined the company as a summer intern in 1980, and worked her way up through the corporate ranks. In 2007, Xerox grew by 20 percent under her leadership.

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Ursula Burns - The current President of Xerox, Burns joined the company as a summer intern in 1980, and worked her way up through the corporate ranks. In 2007, Xerox grew by 20 percent under her leadership.

Window Snyder - Snyder is co- author of "Threat Modeling," a standard manual on application security. Her tongue-in-cheek title at Mozilla Corp., the folks who brought you the Firefox Web browser, is “chief security something-or-other.” She has served as a senior security strategist for Microsoft in the Security Engineering and Communications organization. Snyder worked as a principal and founder at Matasano Security LLC before joining Mozilla in September ’06.

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Window Snyder - Snyder is co- author of "Threat Modeling," a standard manual on application security. Her tongue-in-cheek title at Mozilla Corp., the folks who brought you the Firefox Web browser, is “chief security something-or-other.” She has served as a senior security strategist for Microsoft in the Security Engineering and Communications organization. Snyder worked as a principal and founder at Matasano Security LLC before joining Mozilla in September ’06.