Meet UaB Founder & President - Shelanda

Shelanda was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Paducah, Kentucky. She attended the University of Louisville (UofL) of Louisville, Kentucky via a full academic scholarship as a Woodford R. Porter Scholar. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in December of 2004.

Shelanda has maintained a stellar career in Finance since 2004. She spent 12 years at Fifth Third Bank, consisting of roles in Middle Market Lending and Retail Deposits in Louisville, and later held roles in Commercial Real Estate Lending and Commercial Compliance after moving back to Cincinnati in 2008. The majority of her experience was in Commercial Real Estate Lending as a Portfolio Manager, responsible for commercial credit underwriting and risk analysis. During her time in this role she received Fifth Third Bank’s Horizon Award for top performance, service, and demonstration of the company’s core values.

Shelanda spent 3 years as Assistant Vice President of Commercial Credit for Cooperative Business Services (CBS), a company that provides financing for commercial real estate investors and business owners. It was also during this time that she received her Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio) in December of 2016.
 

In 2019, Shelanda joined The Kroger Co. and currently works as a Finance Manager for the Kroger Personal Finance (KPF) division.  She has been recognized by the Division President, CFO, and Senior Director of Diversity for her hard work. In 2021, Shelanda was a particpant of the Future Leaders eXperience and earned her FMI Food Retail Leader certificate. In 2021, she was awarded the Excellence Award based on job performance and collaboration. In 2022, she was nominated by the Division President for Power Squad, a leadership program for women of color in collaboration w/ the Cincinnati Chamber.

Shelanda’s commitment to community service is shown in both her professional and personal life. While at CBS she implemented and served as Chair of the Corporate Events Committee, responsible for community service projects and employee engagement events. While at Fifth Third Bank, she served as Team Lead for their Young Bankers Club (YBC) program. From 2014 – 2016 she served as an Outreach Committee Member for the Cincinnati Chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) and from 2017 – 2019 she served as Chair of New Prospect Baptist Church’s Stage 3 Adult Ministry.

At Kroger, Shelanda has served on the Our Promise team as a Communications Committee Member and she also serves on the Leadership Board for the Kroger African American Associate Resource Group (KAAARG). She was a co-instructor for a 6-week financial wellness workshop held at New Prospect Baptist Church and she served as a mentor for students at Winton Woods High School.  Shelanda is an alumna of the Urban Leadership Institute Class 26 and she is also a member of the distinguished service organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

When asked why she started UNapologetically BLACK, she states:
“As a first-generation college student, I didn’t know much about HBCUs until I was already at UofL…and even after finding out they existed I didn’t have the support nor means to transfer so I stayed where I was. I've always admired and respected HBCUs and I understand their value to the Black community. Starting UaB is a way I can do my part to help ensure Black high school graduates are aware of their college options and also help alleviate the burden of rising tuition costs. In a divided country today, it’s especially important these Black leaders of tomorrow are given the nurture, resources, and empowerment they need to be game-changers. These HBCU institutions belong to us and we have to support and cherish them and our youth. We were left a legacy, so let's leave a legacy.”