Introducing the 2023 40 Over 40 award nominees

Our hardworking judges are in the process of selecting 40 from this impressive group of 122

We are thrilled to introduce you to a very special group of Charlotte residents — the nominees for the fourth-annual Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, presented by U.S. Bank.

These 122 people, all ages 40 and up, come from many different backgrounds, interests and corners of Charlotte, and are all working to make our city a better place in their own unique ways. They were nominated by friends or peers in a process that closed last month.

A panel of 13 wise under-40 judges has been toiling over the last several weeks to choose 40 of these impressive people as our fourth class of 40 Over 40 winners. It’s an independent panel judging the nominations on their merits, in a process designed to avoid the pay-to-play machinery and behind-the-scenes corporate influence that sometimes infect other awards programs.

Once the winners are selected, they will be recognized in a special edition of The Ledger, and we will honor them on April 27 at a fun 1980s-movie themed party, with food, drinks, music and some surprises. (If you attended last year’s celebration you know that this is no snoozy sit-down awards presentation.)

More on that soon, but a roster of first-class sponsors has stepped up to help us celebrate the winners: U.S. Bank, Catapult, Ducie Stark of Dickens Mitchener, and CLT Public Relations.

You can find out more about the 40 Over 40 awards at our dedicated website.

The contest is sponsored and run by The Charlotte Ledger, the locally owned e-newsletter that is becoming a must-read news publication for thousands across our region because of its responsible, original journalism and lively insights about Charlotte. If you need to sign up for The Ledger, which offers free and paid membership plans, you can do that here:

And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for — the 2023 nominees: 🥁

Vince and Judy Avalos, Volunteers, Cresswind Charlotte

Griselda (Gris) Bailey, President and CEO, Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte

Toya Bailey, Community Engagement Lead, Truliant Federal Credit Union

Rodrick Banks, Senior Vice President, Lead Community Relations Consultant, Wells Fargo

Kiesha Battles, Owner, I Am Yoga

Reginald Bean, Managing Director, White Label Management Group

Doug Benson, General Counsel & Senior Vice President, Foundation for the Carolinas

Tariq Bokhari, Executive Director, Carolina Fintech Hub and District 6 Representative, Charlotte City Council

Gale Bonnell , Vice President of Business Development, Adams Outdoor Advertising

Tonya Brandon, Senior Managing Director, Cushman & Wakefield

Tony Brantley, Business and CTE Teacher, Sugar Creek Charter School

Maren Brisson-Kuester, Chief Operating Officer, Corcoran HM Properties

Adam Brooks, Founder, FreeShoes.org and VP of Technology and Information Systems, XINNIX Inc.

Andy Bunn, Owner, Star Dog Charlotte

Greg Busch, President, Bespoke Sports & Entertainment

Michael Byrd, Regional Vice President & Division Manager, Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC

Ivanna Garibaldi Campbell, VP/Global HR Manager, Bank of America 

Carla Carlisle, Executive Director, The Compassionate Companion

Keven Casey, Podcast Host/Anchor/Reporter, iHeart Media

Alli Celebron-Brown, President + CEO, McColl Center

Chad Champion, Recruiting Manager, Wells Fargo

Bridget Cohen, Water Aerobics Instructor, Jewish Community Center

Sherri Commander, Senior Property Manager, Lincoln Harris

Shawn Cosner, CEO, Third Rock Events

Jose Costa, Chief Executive Officer, Magnolia Wash Holdings

Alyson Craig, Interim Planning Director, City of Charlotte

Steve Crump, Reporter, WBTV

Jennifer De La Jara, At-Large Representative, CMS Board of Education

Monique Douglas, Executive Director, Brooklyn Collective and Co-owner, Studio 229 on Brevard

Dana Draa, Chief Program Officer, Metrolina Association for the Blind, Inc.

Jason Dumas, Principal/Chief Creative, FLICK Studios

Louis Foreman, Founder and CEO, Enventys Partners

Meri Frazier, HR Manager, LIFESPAN Services

Heather Fuller, Attorney, Lincoln Derr

Teneika Funderburk, Owner, Loving In Home Care Services

Christian Gallardo, Owner, Carolina’s 1st Choice Agency

Nidiya Gaspar, Founder & President, Shakthi Corporation 

Lauren Gomez, Director of Demand Generation, Foro

Joan Goode, Real Estate Broker, Dickens Mitchener

Jessica Graham, President/Founder, Fionix Consulting

Kareena Gray, Director of Operations, Alair Homes Charlotte

Tameka Gunn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Link

Denny Hammack, Chairman of the Board, Patterson Pope Storage

Shannon Harris, Managing Director Real Estate Development, Panorama Holdings

Emily Harry, Co-founder, Baby Bundles

Kevin T. Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Segra

Shamaiye Haynes, Co-Director, QC Family Tree

Zenita Henderson, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, Segra

Ann Henegar, Executive Director, Project Life Movement

Renee Hode, Director, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, South Piedmont Community College

Caleb Holloway, Associate General Counsel, Atrium Health

Monica Carney Holmes, Executive Manager, Corridors of Opportunity, City of Charlotte

Darlene Ifill-Taylor, MD, Founder and Medical Director, Three Strand Wellness

Alvin C. Jacobs, Jr., CEO and Lead Photographer, ACJ Holdings LLC

Josh Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer, Next Stage

Helms Jarrell, Co-Director, QC Family Tree

Sarah Jernigan, Pediatric Neurosurgeon, Carolina NeuroSurgery & Spine Associates

Amy Johnson, Principal, Strata Project Management Group

Bryan Johnson, Executive Managing Director and Market Leader, Colliers

Tamara Johnson, Director of Engaged Scholarship, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Victoria O. Johnson, Special Assistant to City Manager, City of Charlotte

Robert A. Johnson, III, DHA, LMHC-S, Senior Care Advocate/Program Manager, UnitedHealth Group

Josh Jones, Owner, JH Custom Homes

Brian Kahn, Charlotte Office Managing Partner, McGuireWoods and Co-Producer of Charlotte Squawks

Nikki Keith, Vice President of Partnerships and Development, Road to Hire

Krystyna Kielbon, Founder, KK Interior Design Group

Helen Hope Kimbrough, Senior Director of Community Voice, Next Stage

Bo King, Chief, Fourth Circuit Capital Habeas Unit, Federal Public Defender’s Office

Linda Kirby, Executive Vice President, Boingo Graphics

Sarah Kromer, Executive Director, In Christ Supporting Ministries

Alyson R. Kuroski-Mazzei, DO, MRO, DFAPA, FASAM, Founding CEO and Chief Medical Officer, HopeWay

David La Franque II, CEO, Cruzan Sports Unlimited, LLC and Former FBI-Safe Streets Federal Task Force Officer

Hilary Greenberg Larsen, President, Greenberg Development Services and Chair, SouthPark Association of Neighborhoods (SPAN)

Heather Leavitt, Co-founder, Baby Bundles

Jeremy Letterman, Photographer, WSOC-TV

Brian Li, Financial Education Coordinator and middle school math teacher, Providence Day School

Cat Long, Co-founder, Baby Bundles

DC Lucchesi, Owner, Well-Run Media + Marketing

Keith Luedeman, Founder, goodmortgage.com

Amy Macari, Director of Strategy and Teaming, The Pelora Group

Doug Madar, Co-founder, Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps

Brent Matthews, Chair, Department of Surgery, Atrium Health

Susan McDonough, Principal, Strategic Advisory Services

Shannon McKnight, Founder and CEO, Next Level NonProfits, LLC

Emily Meeker, CEO, WorkWell Consulting Group LLC

Rajan Merchant, Director, Grant Thornton

Tchernavia Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer, Care Ring

Tim Montz, Chief Financial Officer, Segra

Joe Mynatt, Program Manager, Common Wealth Charlotte

Michael Norman, Owner, International Electrical Solutions INC

ShaVodka Nowacki, LCSW, Operations Director, Thompson Child And Family Focus

Mike O'Sullivan, Chairperson, OneMECK Affordable Housing Committee

Rashaan Peek, Chief of Staff, Charlotte Center City Partners

David Pettine, Rezoning Program Manager, City of Charlotte

Glenn Proctor, Founder, Reddjobb

Cheryl Richards, President & CEO, Catapult

Jenny Robeson, Chief Sales Officer, HIFU Prostate Services

Jack Santaniello, Partner, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP

Ana Silva Rey, Executive Director, Latin Americans Working for Achievement

Mike Stolp, Investigative Producer, WSOC-TV

Gloria Styles, VP of HR & Talent Development, AvidXchange

Jennifer Szakaly, Founder & CEO, Caregiving Corner

Shane Tenny, Partner, Spaugh Dameron Tenny

Brent Torstrick, Partner, Robinson Bradshaw

Kim Trouten , Realtor, Allen Tate 

Lina Varela-Gonzalez, Director of Nursing Operations, Novant Health

David E. Verrill,  Lecturer and Exercise Physiology Laboratory Director, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Jay Ward, Charlotte’s Poet Laureate

Chris Warren, Principal, Beauxwright

Dan Watts, Chief Operating Officer, Segra

Christopher White, Chief Operations Officer, LIFESPAN Services

Shelley White, President and CEO, Children & Family Services Center, Inc.

April Whitlock, Head of Corporate Citizenship, Lending Tree

Marcie Williams, CEO, RKW Residential

Dr. Jerome Williams, Jr., SVP Consumer Engagement and Strategic Growth, Novant Health

Greg Willingham, Owner/Operator, JazzNSoul Productions

Stephanie Wilson, Owner/Director, Embody Dance Co.

Rev. Msgr. Patrick Winslow, Vicar General, Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Mike Wirth, Associate Professor of Art, Queens University of Charlotte

Amanda Wise, Director of Nonprofit Partnerships, SHARE Charlotte

Rob Zabel, Research Lead, IBM Institute for Business Value

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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project