A WOMAN YOU SHOULD KNOW: CEO AVA D. YOUNGBLOOD

I first saw Chicago area businesswoman, Ava D. Youngblood on the pages of Town and Country Magazine and of course I had to learn more about her. Not only is she a beautiful woman, but behind all that beauty is an highly accomplished and talented woman. Read on and be inspired.




Bio: Ava D. Youngblood, is the President and CEO of Youngblood Executive Search, Inc., and possessing over 25 years of corporate and recruiting experience founded Youngblood Executive Search, Inc. in 2002. Youngblood Executive Search, Inc. recruits high impact executive leadership talent for its clients who trust their broad experience and ability to recruit diverse talent.

Before establishing Youngblood Executive Search, Ms. Youngblood was Senior Vice President with the executive search firm of Deborah Snow Walsh, Inc. (DSW, Inc.). She was responsible for business development and maintaining client relationships. Ms. Youngblood successfully expanded the firms client relationships into the energy, pharmaceutical, technology, telecommunications and insurance industries.

Ava is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business where she earned her MBA. To learn more about this fascinating businesswoman click here.

I Am Legend: Fashion Maven Audrey Smaltz

"It's all about hustle, and those who relax are destined to be replaced." ~ Audrey Smaltz, CEO of The Ground Crew


There are only a few people in the fashion industry that I want to meet today who are on my "to do list" before I leave this earth and I most definitely want to meet Audrey Smaltz because this woman, along with Andre Leon Talley are walking encyclopedias of the fashion industry.
 
For years the glamorous Audrey Smaltz, was a commentator for the EBONY FASHION FAIR traveling fashion show. There she sat high on her stool on that stage and began and ended the show with a flourish. You'd have to be there to listen to her commentary to witness it. I had my first experience listening to her diction as she discribe the couture worn during my first show while living in Texas and left there feeling that I had left an YSL showing or some other exclusive fashion showing. I was hooked and tried to attend as many FF Shows regardless of where I was living.
 
Historically, Mrs. Johnson brought couture to us in a way like no other. Now in the age of technology we can view live shows on our computers, yet Mrs. Johnson had already done that and all we had to do was buy a ticket. Audrey and Mrs. Johnson were also part of the front-row fixtures at many couture showings as Mrs. Johnson picked out the best designs to bring to us the best from Paris, Milan, New York and London.
 
Audrey worked as a model in her earlier years and was the first black woman allowed to participate in the Miss New York contest, that eventually became the Miss America pageant. Audrey was Mrs. Johnson's right-hand when it came to reviewing collections because of her discerning eye for style. Audrey has shown that there is life after the runway because she now helms The Ground Crew, which is a NYC based company that provides behind-the-scenes support services to fashion shows, ranging from seamstresses, to assistants who unpack and steam clothing, to dressers who change the models during fashion shows.


I Salute you Audrey Smaltz for Being an inspiration.