Our Associates

 Takiyah J. Cunningham is fortunate to live her passion of helping others understand the importance of engaging one another using an equity lens. She believes that celebrating our similarities, while appreciating and utilizing our uniqueness, is key to any successful business.

Takiyah is a servant leader and Human Capital Practitioner who specializes in the areas of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Emotional Intelligence and Employee Engagement. Upon settling in Cincinnati in 2007, Takiyah has had the opportunity to share her gifts with both for profit and not for profit organizations. Most recently, Takiyah worked as Corporate HR Manager of Diversity Programs and Partnerships for Cintas Corporation where she was responsible for D&I strategy and process for 48,000 employee partners. This included responsibility for D&I leadership courses where she served as lead facilitator for more than 300 Cintas leaders and Executives. She was also responsible for the company’s military and disability programming, where under her leadership more than 500 people who identified as having disabilities were hired across the country. Takiyah was also employed with United Way of Greater Cincinnati where she worked as the organization’s Manager of Diversity and Inclusion. While in this role, she was responsible for creating the then 101-year-old organization’s first three-year strategy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which also received unanimous approval from the organization’s Board of Trustees. Takiyah has also worked with Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio where she served as Program Manager for their flagship Workforce Development Program (SOAR). She then transitioned within the organization to serve as Development Officer. In this role she was responsible for procuring organizational funds as a grant writer where she developed highly competitive grant proposals resulting in a $2.8 million increase in programming revenue. She also designed the organization’s first Employee Giving Campaign which raised $20K in two years.

She is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. She has also earned a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resource Development from Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH.

Takiyah resides in Cincinnati with her husband Adrian and their three daughters Dylan, Emery and Maison.

Rea N. Waldon, Ph.D. - Dr. Waldon has over 25 years of experience working with owners to help them grow their businesses. Her background includes working as a commercial lender for several major financial institutions and teaching business courses at the college level.

Dr. Waldon currently owns and operates a business consulting firm that provides strategic guidance and training for small and medium-sized businesses. She has serviced as a coach for the SBAs Emerging Leaders Program, Goldman Sachs 10KSB and is a Certified Business Advisor.