UrbanGeekz 50 2025: Fintech
December 17, 2025
UrbanGeekz 50 2025: Software
December 17, 2025
Ashley Allison: Watering Hole/The Root
Ashley Allison has acquired The Root, making it Black-owned for the first time in years—a milestone move that strengthens independent Black media at a moment when cultural storytelling and political clarity matter more than ever. A nationally recognized strategist, creator, and political thought leader, Allison brings more than 15 years of experience shaping campaigns, culture, and policy at the highest levels. She is the founder and CEO of Watering Hole Media, a social impact media company driving cultural conversations and developing video-first content for diverse audiences. She also serves as a political commentator for CNN, where she brings context and insight to the nation’s most urgent political issues.
Allison previously served as a senior advisor in the Obama–Biden White House, working on civil rights, policing reform, and community engagement initiatives. During the Biden–Harris 2020 presidential campaign, she made history as National Coalition Director, leading nearly 500 staff members to build and mobilize one of the most robust voter coalitions in modern U.S. politics.
Her advocacy work continued as Executive Vice President of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where she led national efforts on voting rights, criminal justice reform, and census access. Her leadership helped protect millions of Americans’ right to vote and successfully removed the citizenship question from the 2020 Census.
Allison began her career as a special education teacher in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn—an experience that grounded her lifelong commitment to equity and community. She holds a master’s degree in education, a JD specializing in public interest law from Brooklyn Law School, and a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.
Penda Howell: New Jersey Urban News
Penda Howell is a strategic media leader and entrepreneur driving innovation and growth at New Jersey Urban News. With extensive experience across both print and digital media, Howell has built a reputation for delivering consistent, year-over-year revenue growth while transforming advertising strategies from concept to execution. Her work reflects a deep understanding of how media organizations can remain financially strong while staying rooted in community engagement.
Throughout her career, Howell has successfully developed and implemented integrated print and digital advertising campaigns, optimized circulation strategies, and advised organizations on sustainable revenue growth. She is recognized for her entrepreneurial mindset and people-first leadership style, blending strong business acumen with a nuanced understanding of audience needs and market realities.
Howell is known for her results-driven approach, prioritizing measurable outcomes over appearances. Each initiative she leads is grounded in accountability, operational excellence, and long-term impact. Her leadership style emphasizes innovation paired with disciplined execution, ensuring media organizations are positioned to grow without compromising editorial integrity or community trust.
Beyond revenue and metrics, Howell is deeply committed to empowering teams and fostering collaboration. She focuses on building resilient, forward-thinking organizations that can adapt to an evolving media landscape. At the intersection of media, business, and community, Penda Howell continues to shape the future of urban journalism.
Lauren Williams – Capital B
Lauren Williams is a journalist, editor, and media entrepreneur whose career has helped redefine how news is produced for and about Black audiences. She is the co-founder and CEO of Capital B, a nonprofit news organization launched in January 2022 with $9.4 million in funding. Capital B operates as a hybrid local–national newsroom, delivering investigative journalism and community-centered reporting that reflects the lived experiences of Black Americans.
Williams began her career at The Root in 2010 as an associate editor and quickly rose to deputy editor. She later worked as a story editor at Mother Jones before joining Vox in 2014, shortly after the outlet launched. At Vox, Williams advanced rapidly, becoming managing editor, then executive editor, and ultimately editor-in-chief and senior vice president. In that role, she oversaw editorial, business, video, podcast, and television operations, helping Vox grow into one of the most influential digital news platforms of its era.
In 2021, Williams left Vox to build Capital B alongside co-founder Akoto Ofori-Atta. Under her leadership, Capital B has established local newsrooms, including one in Atlanta, while maintaining a strong national reporting presence. Williams’ work reflects a deep commitment to equity in journalism, proving that news organizations can be both sustainable and accountable to the communities they serve.
Morgan Elise Johnson: The Triibe
Morgan Elise Johnson is a filmmaker, storyteller, and co-founder of The TRiiBE, a Chicago-based digital media platform reshaping how Black Chicago is represented and understood. Raised in the South before relocating to Chicago, Johnson was drawn to the city’s complexity, creativity, and contradictions—stories she felt were often overlooked or mishandled by mainstream media.
Before launching The TRiiBE in 2017, Johnson worked in documentary filmmaking, developing a people-first approach to storytelling that remains central to her work today. As co-founder, she oversees creative direction, blending journalism, visual storytelling, and cultural reporting into a distinctive voice that feels both intimate and grounded. Her cinematic sensibility is evident across the platform’s features, videos, and long-form narratives.
Under Johnson’s leadership, The TRiiBE has earned national recognition for its fresh, community-centered approach to journalism. She and co-founder Tiffany Walden were named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in Media, reflecting the publication’s rapid rise as a trusted source for nuanced coverage of Black life in Chicago.
Whether producing films, shaping editorial strategy, or mentoring emerging creatives, Johnson remains focused on honoring community voices and preserving cultural memory. Her work continues to push boundaries while staying rooted in care, intention, and truth.
Angelica Nwandu: The Shade Room
Angelica Nwandu is a media entrepreneur, filmmaker, and cultural innovator best known as the founder of The Shade Room (TSR), an Instagram-based media company that transformed celebrity news for the digital era. Founded in 2014, TSR quickly became one of the most influential platforms online, amassing millions of followers and reshaping how audiences engage with pop culture and breaking news. Time named TSR one of the 30 most influential accounts on the internet, while Refinery29 dubbed Nwandu “the Oprah of her generation.”
Born in Los Angeles to Nigerian parents, Nwandu experienced significant adversity early in life, including time in foster care after losing her mother. She later earned her degree from Loyola Marymount University, channeling resilience into creative ambition. Her lived experience deeply informs her work, blending cultural insight with instinctive storytelling.
Beyond digital media, Nwandu is also an accomplished filmmaker. She is a Sundance and HBO fellow and was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. Her feature film Night Comes On premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, winning the NEXT Innovator Award before being acquired for theatrical and video-on-demand release.
Over the past decade, Nwandu has become a defining force at the intersection of media, culture, and technology. Through The Shade Room and her creative projects, she continues to influence how stories are told, shared, and experienced in the digital age.
Main Image: Ashley Allison, CEO of The Watering Holeand The Root
