By Chicago Defender

Following the sudden death of its chairman, Greg Hinton, the Board of Directors of the Black United Fund of Illinois (BUFI) elected publishing and marketing expert, Carl West, as Chairman of the Board of BUFI.

“I first want to thank the entire Board of Directors at Black United Fund of Illinois (BUFI) for having the confidence to recently elect me as the new Chairman of the Board. My participation as a board member over the last three years has been nothing short of rewarding and gratifying. It was a dream of mine to serve on BUFI’s active and progressive board ever since I met BUFI’s founder, Mr. Henry English, over ten years ago. He demonstrated a strong leadership skill which is what I look for in anyone that I meet during my journey,” expressed West, CEO and founding managing editor of TBTNews.

West not only follows in the illustrious and industrious footsteps of English, but of former chairman Hinton, who died suddenly this past August.  “I’m super committed to leading the current board as we also recruit new board members to complete the work that our most recent board chair, Mr. Greg Hinton, constructed to ensure that BUFI retains its status as an organization ‘Helping People Help Themselves!’ Greg was the ultimate leader, and his tutelage while at the helm has been invaluable for me and the entire board as well as the staff that actively do the work needed to stay afloat,” expressed West.

“Carl West’s election to the chairmanship of the Black United Fund of Illinois represents intergenerational continuity.  Inasmuch, Mr. West—in many years in his development—sought counsel from the late Henry English, founding president & CEO, and founding board members Professor Robert Starks and Dr. Conrad Worrill,” shared Carolyn Day, executive director of BUFI.

Day believes that West is “intimately prepared for this leadership role because of his long-standing relationship with BUFI and his current role as a board member.”

A distinguished and self-taught journalist and successful entrepreneur, West’s unique voice was enlisted by Citizen Newspaper publisher, Bill Garth, to contribute articles on hip-hop culture and climate—with a goal of introducing the weekly publication to a younger audience. Within five years, his feature stories helped the newspaper increase market share and circulation by more than 20 percent, expanding its audience and advertising base.

Currently, West is founder & CEO of MG Media, a global marketing and publishing firm he founded in 1998.  MG Media is the parent company of The TRUTH magazine and producer of “The Truth Awards”—both created in 2000 to identify, profile and showcase the innovative and prolific trailblazers in Chicago’s entertainment and business communities.

After publishing The TRUTH magazine for nearly ten years, in 2010, West entered the online media space, developing a digital footprint and platform with TRUTH B Told News Service that was launched to engage the next generation of leaders. The online media venture has received overwhelming support and accolades. Presently, the news service has over 65,000 subscribers and is steadily increasing its presence.

For more than 15 years, West has been recognized by numerous organizations for his committed work in the hip hop culture. Through voter registration and entrepreneurship, he is educating aspiring artists to the relevance of becoming community advocates. Developing a rigorous curriculum, West taught ‘The Business of Hip-Hop Culture’ at Olive Harvey and Malcolm X Colleges and continues his mission to harvest the next generation of thinkers by teaching leadership classes at Chicago State University.

In his new responsibilities as Chairman of the Board, West’s mastery for innovation and relationship-building will be foundational.

“I have some very big shoes to fill. And while doing so, I’ll also imprint new footsteps in the sand to leave for the next generation of leaders looking to serve their community at a super-high level. I look forward to being an active and engaged Board Chair, who’ll help move BUFI’s mission by continuing to build meaningful and productive relationships with the community, corporations, funders and other recognizable community partners.”

He added, “To be associated with the agency that Henry built, along with some amazing people over the last 40 years, gives me tremendous pride. The legacy of BUFI is strong, and its future is equally as bright.”

For more information on the Black United Fund of Illinois, visit www.bufi.org or call 773-324-0494.

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Defender.

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