Macon Magazine

52 maconmagazine.com | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 catalyst for community transformation through education, leadership development, economic empowerment and civic engagement. "We are committed to supporting efficient 501(c)(3) organizations that enhance the quality of life for citizens in the Macon-Bibb community," said Benji Griffith, grant director for the Griffith Family Foundation. "Urban CEO's signature programs create effective and compassionate leaders in Macon and Middle Georgia, and empower and celebrate the people who live here." Toward that end, Johnson seeks to help people lead lives of influence, no longer casualties of where they've come from or their previous choices. Passionately committed to helping the average person build extraordinary communities using who they are and what they have, Johnson is driven by his love for people and deep desire to see communities thrive. "I am relentlessly focused on creating champions," Johnson said. "I enjoy helping them discover their true identity, achieve personal wholeness and live a life of influence." URBAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY One of the ways The Urban CEO works to achieve these lofty goals is through the Urban Leadership Academy (ULA), an eight-month interactive development program for nonprofit and small business leaders and entrepreneurs. Through consulting and training sessions, the academy focuses on strategy development, business acumen and the leadership skills needed for effective community engagement, and is designed to equip graduates to make lasting social impact, according to Johnson. "We have provided nearly 100 Urban CEOs with an expandable toolset to accompany their skillset and mindset to have a transformative impact as an entrepreneur, nonprofit organizer or civic official, and practice the fundamentals of fiscal fitness to build a legacy of wealth," he said. The ULA provides practical, MBA-level content and training from leading small business owners and C-level executives, according to Smith. Each session is carefully designed to provide principle-centered learning, interactive and engaging examples and ongoing access to supporting templates, tools and relevant coursework. To further anchor the training, the ULA includes a group capstone activity, a recommended reading list, virtual follow-up sessions and more. According to Macheita Adams, a ULA graduate, the academy has transformed the urban community. "Those who complete the academy leave with a passion and hope for the community," she said. "We have a heart to make a dollar and a difference." Many academy attendees become community leaders or entrepreneurs who have small businesses, Adams said. "The academy teaches that to be an effective leader in any community, you must have a clear understanding of cultural diversity and sensitivity. We learned that we are called to businesses and employers like Royal Crown Candy, Keebler, Brown & Williams, etc.," said Smith. "There was blight, unimproved roads, poor graduation rates, shadow banking, predatory lending and a number of unfortunate conditions that had come to bear particularly upon black, indigenous, people of color." By fall 2008, Johnson and Smith, together with several friends and volunteers, organized and hosted a very successful community Back-to-School Bonanza, an event which would become the basis for their first signature program known today as RaiderFest, a nod to the Northeast High School zone in which the event takes place. The pair went on to utilize the Rosa Jackson Community Center as the hub of activities to stay engaged with the East Macon community. Initially, the group was called the Macon Community Enrichment Organization (MCEO), whose goal was to determine the root causes of the decline in East Macon, then address those issues while empowering residents to help implement solutions. "Events like RaiderFest helped the organization create relationships and build trust within our community so that we could hear from them how we could help them," said Smith, founding member and now COO of The Urban CEO. "We knew that we needed to serve the people and build trust so that they can be equipped to become empowered." Now called The Urban CEO, the organization lives up to the high standards of its moniker and serves to be a Left: Dominique Johnson. Right: ULA graduates celebrate at a graduation gathering.

• Cover