African American Board Leadership Institute Tribute Dinner

Sep 23, 2022

The African American Board Leadership Institute Honors Ayo Davis, Jeffery Wallace, and Naima Keith at the AABLI Tribute Dinner

(PRUnderground) September 23rd, 2022

On September 22, 2022, at the City Club Los Angeles, Jonathan Sandville, President and CEO of the African American Board Leadership Institute (AABLI) will be presenting Ayo Davis, President, Disney Branded Television; Naima Keith, Vice President, Education and Public Programs, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); and Jeffery Wallace, President and CEO, LeadersUp and Los Angeles County Commissioner with the AABLI Tribute Award.

The AABLI Tribute Dinner honors individuals who demonstrate qualities aligned with AABLI’s efforts to advance systemic equity and foster an inclusive society. AABLI’s mission is to strengthen nonprofit, public, and private organizations through recruiting, preparing, and assisting with the placement of African Americans on a broad range of governing boards. AABLI has trained more than 900 participants and placed hundreds of them on nonprofit boards, corporate boards, and commissions.

AABLI develops leaders with a critical consciousness which compels them to advocate for equitable power, resources, and conditions that create pathways out of poverty for communities throughout the nation. This year, AABLI Tribute Dinner sponsors include Disney Branded Television, Johnny Carson Foundation, MUFG UnionBank, Edison International, City National Bank, SoCal Gas, the Annenberg Foundation, and Karim Webb.

“Investing in our future leaders is important because they are going to help shape who we are in the future and this is exactly what the African American Board Leadership Institute is doing, and that is truly inspiring. I’m so grateful to be honored tonight by AABLI”, said Ayo Davis.

“The work of AABLI inspires me because they create a space for diverse voices of African American women and men. The tools provided by AABLI are truly what makes my work possible”, said Naima Keith.

AABLI Alumnus Jeffery Wallace said “AABLI’s work empowers Black leaders to build an inclusive economy and society”.

About African American Board Leadership Institute

Established in 2011, by Virgil Roberts and Yvette Chappell-Ingram, AABLI is the only leadership training and development organization in the United States that solely exists to advance systemic equity and foster an inclusive society. AABLI offers a solution to problems that stem from a lack of diversity at the board level by creating a pipeline of qualified African American candidates for positions on governing boards.

The post African American Board Leadership Institute Tribute Dinner first appeared on PRUnderground.

Press Contact

Name: Victoria Daniels Phone: (213) 346-3242 Email: Contact Us Website: https://aabli.org

Original Press Release.

More News

Sep 23, 2026

Eala faces Prozorova to begin Singapore Open campaign

Sep 23, 2026

LIVE UPDATES: Team Philippines at the 2026 Asian Games -- Sept. 23 | Carlos Yulo and PH gymnastics, Gilas Pilipinas 3x3, and other sports

Sep 23, 2026

Alas Pilipinas Women: We’ll be back!

MANILA, Philippines — Ninth place was never the original dream for Alas Pilipinas Women at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games, where they set out to contend for a medal. However, after early losses in group play ended their quarterfinal hopes, it became the highest possible finish—and one they claimed with authority. Head coach Taka Minowa challenged the team to reset their focus after dropping matches to powerhouse China (18-25, 22-25, 8-25) and Kazakhstan (29-27, 24-26, 25-23, 25-19). Shifted into the classification stage, the Filipinas were given a new objective: win out and secure ninth place. They executed the plan flawlessly, sweeping all three of their remaining matches. After decisive victories over Qatar (25-8, 25-2, 25-9) and Mongolia (25-13, 25-11, 25-20), Alas Pilipinas capped off their tournament with a straight-sets win against Hong Kong, 25-21, 25-9, 30-28, at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Tuesday night. Though missing out on the quarterfinals highlighted areas requiring growth—particularly consistency against elite opponents—the team views the experience as a crucial stepping stone. "Actually, we're happy. Although that wasn't our overall goal in the Asian Games, we're happy with all our wins… what we accomplished as a team and, of course, the learning experience," said outside hitter Angel Canino, who reflected positively on her first Asian Games appearance alongside her veteran teammates. "It's a huge achievement individually… such an amazing experience to be with my older teammates and to be part of the Philippine national team, because some of them are people I really look up to," she added. Bella Belen echoed the sentiment, noting that competing against the continent's top squads exposed the gap they need to bridge moving forward. "It's different. The level of play is really different. We learned so much, especially us younger players," Belen shared. "We know there's still room to improve. We need to elevate our level of play even more." While the ninth-place finish falls short of their initial podium ambitions, the sweep in the placement round provided both progress and momentum. With young core players like Canino and Belen already setting their sights on future international tournaments, Alas Pilipinas leaves Nagoya with valuable experience and a clearer path toward becoming a true contender in Asia. TMT