COLUMBUS, Ohio — Across the country, just more than 1% of executives are Black women. That’s according to McKinsey & Company’s latest Women in the Workplace report.

While that number has risen over the years, Black women remain significantly underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership.

What You Need To Know

• Rhea Cunningham is the first Black woman to lead the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, and she’s using her platform to inspire the next generation
• Her leadership is shaped by personal tragedy, driving her commitment to creating safe, supportive spaces for young people
• Black women remain significantly underrepresented in executive roles nationwide, highlighting the importance of mentorship and representation

In Central Ohio, one woman is working to change that, and the impact is already being felt by the young people she serves.

After school at one of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio’s 11 regional locations, the sound of kids jumping off vans, playing air hockey and greeting staff fills the space. It’s a place centered around connection, mentorship and belonging. And now, it’s led by the first Black woman to ever hold the organization’s top job.

“I just couldn’t say no. I had to be a part of this,” said Rhea Cunningham, the new CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio.

Cunningham stepped into the role with a deeply personal reason driving her. At 17 years old, she lost her younger brother to gun violence.

“It just heightened my sensitivity to the support our young folks need navigating bullying, peer pressure, finding themselves, finding their voice, feeling safe,” she said.

Now, the kids she interacts with every day are seeing something different and powerful in their CEO.

“She like keeps us happy. She has good energy,” said Tia, a club member.

Another member, Cylen, shared his first impression: “Oh, my first impression of Rhea was very, very theatrical, very funny, very, very cool. I like to see people my color working at this program.”

That representation, experts say, is part of a bigger need.

“There’s some barriers that Black women face as they climb the executive ladder,” said Alisia Clark of the Central Ohio chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. “Some of those barriers include lack of mentorship, unconscious bias or implicit bias.”

Clark added that progress has been made, but challenges persist.

“When you look at the boardrooms, they still look very traditional. There’s still very limited numbers of women and even shorter numbers of African-American Black women. Some of the things that we need to do to change that is to provide that mentorship for women,” she said.

For Cunningham, showing up matters for herself and especially for the kids.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t see too many people that looked like me. And having a young person see someone who looks like them in a position that they maybe never had seen before, helps them see bigger, more boldly about what’s possible,” she said.