Melinda Carter, Columbus, has dedicated her career to serving the marginalized and underserved. A civil rights advocate, Carter became the director of the Office of Equal Business Opportunity for the City of Columbus in 1997. During her nine-year tenure, the city’s utilization of minority- and women-owned firms quadrupled. After serving the City of Columbus, she had her own business and then she was named the equal employment opportunity coordinator for the State of Ohio and deputy director of the Equal Opportunity Division of the Ohio Department of Administrative Services in 2009.

Robert Decatur, Columbus. An educator for more than 26 years, Decatur has assisted with tutoring youth to help them excel in their coursework and obtain scholarships. He has taken many students under his wing. He currently serves as director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Scholars Program at The Ohio State University.

Doni Miller, Toledo, has more than 25 years of experience in health care, spending the majority of her time as a senior administrator at what is now the University of Toledo Medical Center and community health centers. She currently serves as chief executive officer of Neighborhood Health Association in Toledo, the largest community health center in northwest Ohio. Outside of work, Miller is a supporter of women’s shelters and minority inclusion.