Gwendolyn D. Reese earned the Key to the City of St. Petersburg by former Mayor Rick Kriseman in 2021.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL, December 12, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Gwendolyn D. Reese has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having accrued several decades of experience in her chosen field, Ms. Reese has earned distinction as the president of the African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg, FL, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to preserve the rich history and genealogical heritage of the Black community in St. Petersburg, Florida, through a combination of renewal, conservation, celebration and learning. Outside her work in this capacity, she also serves as a member of the Voice Heard Voices Matter Bloomberg Harvard Equity Group, which bears a particular focus on creating an inclusive and equitable process for economic development in St. Petersburg and redeveloping Tropicana Field, a multi-purpose stadium. Furthermore, Ms. Reese maintains her affiliation with several other groups, such as the Commission to Study Structural Racism in the City of St. Petersburg, the Sankofa Project Advisory Council, and the Community Benefits Agreement Policy Council.
Prior to her current endeavors, Ms. Reese functioned as a co-chair of Pinellas Remembers, a program undertaken by the Community Remembrance Project Coalition that strives to educate citizens regarding the legacy of racial terror throughout the history of the United States. Long dedicated to civic advocacy, she has contributed as a commissioner of the St. Petersburg Community Planning and Preservation Commission, the chair of the City Hall Mural Committee and a charter member of the St. Petersburg Midtown chapter of Rotary International. She also served as the first social justice coordinator for the Alabama Institute of Social Justice, a facilitator for Agenda 2010, a political action project which sought to improve Black voter participation, among many other roles to her credit.
Outside of her service in community organizing, Ms. Reese has found success in professional development and consultation as the president and chief executive officer of Peaten Reese Peaten Consulting Inc., which provides its services on behalf of both individual and larger scale clients throughout the state of Florida. Previously, she had worked as a consultant at the Federal Healthy Start Project, a community-based federal program that seeks to eliminate national disparities in infant mortality and improve women's health.
Ms. Reese studied liberal arts at St. Petersburg Junior College, from which she earned an Associate of Arts. She was also a graduate of Leadership St. Pete, an interactive six-month educational experience hosted by the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, in 1991.
Well-regarded for her myriad achievements in civic advocacy, Ms. Reese has received numerous accolades throughout the course of her career. To wit, she earned the MLK Leadership Award via the National Council of Negro Women in 2015, and received an official recognition from U.S. Representative Kathy Castor for more than 40 years of community activism and leadership. She was also named as a Champion of Justice by the Pinellas County Urban League in 2016, and obtained a Peggy Peterman Award from the Legacy Group, which honored her dedication to preserving the heritage of the Black community in St. Petersburg, and earned the Key to the City of St. Petersburg by former Mayor Rick Kriseman in 2021.
Among her most cherished accomplishments, Ms. Reese is most proud to have spearheaded the creation of the African American Heritage Trail, a walking tour that comprehensively documents Black history in St. Petersburg. In accounting for her success, she largely credits the genuine passion she brings to bear as a civic advocate, which has long served as a guiding light and inspiration for others. Looking toward the future, Ms. Reese aspires to continue serving on behalf of her fellow citizens and maintain the legacy of her community.
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Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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