Board of Directors

Iconic recording artist and performer Usher Raymond IV has been delivering genre-defining music for over 15 years. The Tennessee native best known for his fluid voice and dynamic dance moves has also acted in a wide variety of film, television and stage productions including a Broadway run in 2006 as Billy Flynn in the Tony-winning musicalChicago.

Usher’s early musical years began when he started singing at the St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church choir in his hometown of Chatanooga, Tennessee. By the age of 12, Usher and his family had moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in the hopes of gaining more exposure and fulfilling his ambition of becoming a performing artist. It was here that the aspiring singer scored his first big break when a representative from LaFace Records spotted him on Star Search and arranged for an audition with the label’s co-founder L.A. Reid. Reid, who recognized the young singer’s undeniable talent, signed Usher to LaFace Records and put him to work on his debut album with producer Sean “Diddy” Combs. The album Usher(1994) was released and the first hit single, “Think of You,” reached gold status.

With My Way (1997), Usher’s breakthrough sophomore album, we were able to see a maturing young artist hone his craft and display a talent for song writing with the ability to turn a phrase by co-writing six of the nine songs like “Nice and Slow,”. This silky ballad, went on to quickly become Usher’s first number one single. Other hit tracks on the album included “You Make Me Wanna…” and “My Way” which solidified him as superstar with limitless potential.

After the 1999 release of Usher Live, the third studio album 8701 (2001) showcased his evolution from teen pop star to an exciting and seasoned singer and performer. Featuring monster number one hits “U Got It Bad” and “U Don’t Have to Call,” the album quickly reached multi-platinum status and went on to sell over four million copies. The world wide success and critical acclaim of 8701’s “U Remind Me” brought Usher his first Grammy win in 2001 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance; a category in which he repeated a win in 2002 for “U Don’t Have to Call.”

The evolution and growth of Usher as an artist was without a doubt made official with the release of Confessions(2004), which took the music world by storm and is Usher’s most successful album to date. The success of this album was made clearly apparent when on June 5, 2004, he became the first solo artist to have three songs (“Yeah,” “Confessions, Pt.2,” and “Burn”) simultaneously among the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With the release of “My Boo,” a duet with Alicia Keys, Usher went on to become the first artist to top the charts with four consecutive number one songs (“Yeah,” “Confessions, Pt. 2,” “Burn,” and “My Boo”). He also became the recipient of the coveted Recording Industry Association of America’s (RIAA) Diamond Award, three Grammys, four World Music Awards, and four American Music Awards among other accolades.

After a brief hiatus to focus on his film career, Usher returned to the music world with the release of his 2008 multi-platinum album Here I Stand, spawning the chart-topping hit “Love In This Club,” which moved nearly half a million units in its debut week and chronicles the journey of getting married.

Usher’s seventh album Raymond v. Raymond (2010) debuted at number one and is a collection of genre-fusing songs centered on exploring the different sides of Usher. Standout tracks include “OMG,” the chart-topping hit featuring will.i.am, “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home),” and “Little Freak” featuring Nicki Minaj. Smash single “There Goes My Baby” also notched Usher another Grammy for Best Male R&B vocal performance and contributed to Raymond v. Raymond’sGrammy win for Best Contemporary R&B album.

In what Usher describes as “the last chapter of Raymond v. Raymond,” his follow up EP Versusoffers eight new songs that explore the subjects of being newly single and a father. The first track off the album, up-tempo dance, club and radio favorite “DJ Got Us Fallin In Love” featuring Pitbull, has sold over three million tracks digitally. Without a doubt Usher is more than fulfilling his childhood dream after 88 million sold copies of his albums, seven Grammys, 23 Billboard Music Awards, four World Music Awards and six American Music Awards.

As impressive as his musical accomplishments are, Usher is much more than a recording artist and performer. He is a staunch advocate for youth empowerment and education and has proven to be a powerful force through his New Look Foundation (NLF) mentoring youth around the world.

In recognition of his success as a philanthropist, Usher has been honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Trumpet Foundation, Do Something, and the NAACP, among others. In July 2011, Usher held the second annual World Leadership Conference and Awards in Atlanta where 500 youth from around the world convened in a series of workshops to develop real-world solutions to global problems.

In addition to his philanthropic endeavors, other business ventures include his best-selling men’s fragrance lines (Usher He and She) and US Records (home to pop superstar Justin Bieber).

Usher currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his two sons Usher V and Naviyd.

Bio coming soon.

Shawn H. Wilson currently serves as the President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit (BGCGD). As the first African American CEO in the organization’s nearly 100-year history, Wilson has “reimagined” BGCSM’s mission to focus on economic mobility.

His leadership has not only increased the number of youths served annually from 7,000 to 15,000 but also has raised the annual operating budget from $3 million to $20 million. In 2020, Wilson orchestrated a merger with Ponyride, a small business incubator and accelerator program for minority founders.

Recently, his efforts resulted in BGCSM receiving the largest state appropriation of any Boys & Girls Club nationally, securing $10 million for BGCSM and an additional $5 million for Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Michigan. Before joining BGCSM, Wilson spent five years with Ford Motor Company Fund where he developed the impact model for the Ford Resource and Engagement Centers (FRECS), a $15 million place-based strategy.

Under Wilson’s guidance, the FRECS distributed 2.5 million pounds of food, served 30,000 youth, and provided workforce and entrepreneurship training to 8,000 adults. Wilson also served as the community engagement lead for the rollout of Ford’s $1 billion Michigan Central real estate development project.

Prior to his tenure at Ford, Wilson served as the inaugural President & CEO of Usher’s New Look, founded by eight-time Grammy winner Usher Raymond IV. Wilson played a key role in establishing the organization’s mission, leading the recruitment of the Board of Directors, and designing a three-tier program service model.

Cammie Rice is a senior level executive in the technology and financial services industries. Ms. Rice held the position of Senior Vice President within the Finance Technology group at Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. She also led the strategy team for the Global Corporate Staff Technology Group. From 1998 to 2006, Rice was the Senior Director of the Americas Strategic Partners at Hyperion Solutions Corporation. Prior to her tenure there, she was president and founder of Digital Connectivity Inc. a digital imaging systems integration company. Cammie has always enjoyed public speaking engagements on various topics for KODAK, National Education Association, Duke University, Photo Marketing Association International and IBM “Crossing the Chasm” with Geoffery Moore. She is currently a board member of Partnership Against Domestic Violence and is chair of the business development committee. She is also on the national committee for The Rowell Foster Children fund and is chairing the Vanderbilt University Parent’s Leadership group.

Bio coming soon.

Aunt Sue aka “Auntie” is a successful entrepreneur and investor from Atlanta.

Aunt Sue currently is the co-founder of the Atlanta Music Fund (AMF) the first music incubator in America. AMF is an ecosystem for artists to develop their talent. AMF aims to invest in the Atlanta music industry through key investments in talent and support infrastructure. As CEO, Sue is responsible for raising capital to fund investments and build a team to execute the vision of AMF which is to create a trusted sustainable music ecosystem in Atlanta. Additionally, Aunt Sue has put together an ALL women music management team to support and grow Atlanta based talent.

Sue sold her consulting company Signum Group, an enterprise consulting company in 2017. Since its founding in 1994, she led the company to spectacular growth that landed Signum on the INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list three times.

Sue is a member and Private Angel Investor of ALL Women – nCourage, a group that provides funding to female led or female founded early-stage companies. nCourage invests in female companies that are innovative start-ups addressing a significant market opportunity where our investments and connections can make a difference. Throughout the 10 years we have invested in over 15 companies.

Sue is a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and Committee member of Women of EO. Sue presently serves on the Board of Councilors for the Carter Center and Girls Make Beats Board. She has also served as a Committee Board member of Usher’s NewLook. She is an investor and Board member of the Gaming Company Axis Replay and power company Uncharted Power. In her spare time, she serves as a mentor to many artists on the Business of Music.

Sue has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Computer Science and Russian from State University of New York, Albany and a Masters in Statistics from State University of New York, Albany.

Bio coming soon.

Marcia M. Mayoue has an undergraduate degree with majors in both finance and accounting from Miami University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She has 31 years of experience in the financial industry. She has earned CPA, CFP®, and CFA® designations through her work in accounting, financial planning, and investment management. Presently, Marcia works as a Personal Wealth Advisor with BIP Wealth, an independent boutique wealth management firm with locations in Buckhead and Alpharetta.

Marcia has two grown children, Meagan and Ben, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Wendy McSweeney is chief inclusion & diversity officer for Truist Financial Corporation, one of the nation’s largest financial services companies. In this role, she oversees the strategic direction, development and execution of the company’s inclusion and diversity policies and programs to enhance corporate culture, advance the business, enrich communities and contribute to Truist’s overall performance.

Through her thought leadership, counsel and focus on inspiring and building better lives and communities, Wendy helps foster a more purpose-, mission- and values-based working environment at Truist. She leads the Inclusion & Diversity Office; oversees eight company-wide business resource groups; serves on the Operating Council; develops community partnerships; and represents the company’s commitment to inclusion and diversity with internal and external stakeholders.

A 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, Wendy joined Truist (formerly SunTrust) in 2013. Previously, she worked for Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA) for 11 years. Prior to WFA, Wendy served as a conversion manager for SunTrust’s Retirement Group, where she led the onboarding of new business in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Additionally, Wendy sits on the advisory board of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and is a board member of Usher’s New Look. She received the Profiles in Diversity Journal 2018 Diversity Leader Award, and Black Enterprise Magazine named her one of the “Top Executives for Diversity & Inclusion” for four consecutive years.
In 2014, the National Diversity Council also named Wendy one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Women” in Georgia.

McSweeney earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from Virginia Union University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix – Richmond, VA campus. She is a graduate of the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellow’s Leadership Program, as well as a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated for more than 25 years.

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

Ryan Wilson is the Co-Founder and CEO of TGS Holdings, a consumer lifestyle and hospitality company based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company’s holdings consist of The Gathering Spot, a private membership club and A3C a music, tech, and film conference and festival.

At the age of 24, Ryan and his business partner raised private capital from investors to open their first Gathering Spot location. The club in Atlanta has established itself as a home for Atlanta’s creative class, business professionals, and entrepreneurs and regularly hosts some of Atlanta’s most notable and culturally impactful events. Responsible for the company’s overall management and strategic vision across all holdings, Ryan is also leading the club’s physical expansion to Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and forthcoming markets.

Ryan has been recognized as the Small Business Person of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, has been named as one of the country’s most influential African-Americans in The Root 100 and the Ebony Power 100, named one of “Atlanta’s 500 most powerful leaders” by Atlanta Magazine, received the award for Atlanta’s Best Influencer by WXIA-TV, and was the recipient of the John Lewis Emerging Leader Award by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. Ryan has also been featured in notable national publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, Inc, Black Enterprise, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Huffington Post, and USA Today. He has given keynote presentations at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities including Georgetown University Law Center, the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, and The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

A native to Atlanta, Ryan is currently an active participant in several Atlanta civic and community organizations. He most proudly serves on the board for Hands on Atlanta, The Atlanta Business League, and Peace Preparatory Academy. Ryan graduated from Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center.

Orlando Hampton is Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions at Invisible Technologies, where he works with global enterprises to deploy AI-powered solutions that improve customer experience and operational performance.

Previously, Orlando was a founding-era leader at Afiniti, serving as Chief Customer Officer for the AI technology company. During his tenure, he led global customer relationships and played a key role in the planning, sale, deployment, and operation of enterprise-scale artificial intelligence solutions. He also spearheaded Afiniti University and helped launch the company’s Women in Leadership initiative.

Prior to Afiniti, Orlando led large-scale contact center operations for JPMorgan Chase and Providian Financial, managing up to 20,000 outsourced and in-house employees.

Deeply committed to youth advocacy and equity, Orlando focuses on expanding access to opportunity, mentorship, and practical career pathways for underserved communities. He authors Robin of the Hood, a thought-leadership newsletter aimed at demystifying business, technology, and success for those without traditional access. Orlando serves on the board of IGNITE Worldwide and has previously served on the boards of The WICT Network and the National Kidney Foundation. He lives in the Atlanta area with his family.