Business

Meet Tiffany Alexander, 27, co-founder of a pediatrics urgent care facility in Birmingham

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — For Alexander, Pediatrics PM, an after-hours pediatrics clinic, is a dream come true.

Published

5 years ago

February 16, 2019

By Ameera Steward

Spending long periods of time in a hospital with her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, gave Tiffany Alexander a love for health care and helping others.

“We always had a great medical staff [at Russell Medical Center in Alexander City, Ala.], so it’s just kind of where I spent my time,” said Alexander, 27. “Their care and their love for [my mother] definitely made me fall in love with the profession.”

Alexander’s mom passed away in 2002, but her love for helping others remains in her role as a co-founder of Pediatrics PM, an urgent-care facility on Birmingham’s Southside. She also is founder of the Tiffany Alexander Group, which provides strategic planning, public relations, marketing, and special-events services.

For Alexander, Pediatrics PM, an after-hours pediatrics clinic, is a dream come true because healthcare is where her heart is. In fact, she has fond childhood memories of her pediatrician and dentist.

“They become a part of your family,” she said. “So, being able to give back, being able to keep that legacy going, being able to impact kids’ lives [and having] them remember you when they graduate from high school or college [is wonderful].

Alexander and her co-founder had worked on a grant together at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and came up with the idea for the clinic, which they agreed would provide after-hours pediatric care.

“I knew I wanted to leave a legacy [after retirement],” Alexander said. “In my mind, it was something that could live on forever. It wasn’t conventional health care, it was something different, something out of the box, something we could one day franchise, that could have multiple locations and reach the entire state.

“Public health is more than just your body and your health. It’s community engagement, it’s socioeconomic status, it’s your transportation, it’s how you eat, what you eat. All those things go into public health and that, in turn, affects health and the overall human body.”

Blended Family

Alexander was born in Alexander City. She and another child were adopted by her parents. When she was 10, her mother passed away. Then her father remarried, giving her another brother.

“We have a beautiful blended family,” she said. “I definitely love to tell people that in our family we don’t use the word ‘step.’”

Alexander moved to Birmingham to study health care management at UAB.

“I got a student assistant job at UAB that actually wasn’t in direct patient care at all; it was actually in administration,” she said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, I can [have an] impact [on] health care without having direct patient contact,’ and that’s when I decided to go into health care management.”

While at UAB, Alexander was also in the military reserve.

“I come from a military family, third generation,” she said. “I [was a reservist] through college, medical services, and thought I wanted a career in the military. But other opportunities presented themselves [more] obviously at UAB, so I ended up not [pursuing] a career in military like most of my family members.”

Alexander was an administrator at UAB for five years and decided to stay in Birmingham after falling in love with the city. Working at UAB was a learning experience that prepared her for business.

“My career started off in the clinic [setting], being at the dean’s office, and … working with direct health care. Then [I went] into research, trying to make those worlds mesh, getting people to work together, getting [to know] different sides of people … definitely prepared me for the world outside of UAB.”

Business Strategies

In addition to working with Pediatrics PM, Alexander also runs the Tiffany Alexander Group, which allows her to create and inspire.

“I never thought I would be a businesswoman. I never saw myself that way,” she said. “Growing up, I always saw myself as a nurse, I always saw myself in scrubs, but … starting at UAB in the dean’s office and seeing that administrative side definitely cultivated my skills in the business world.”

Alexander said she enjoys the flexibility of working on her own: “It seemed like … nothing I did fit into one little box. Some of it was event planning, some of it was websites, some of it was logo creation, some of it was just logistics.”

Community Engagement

Alexander said she adheres to Biblical verse Luke 12:48—“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”—so she is involved with several groups and agencies. She’s a director and member of Civitan International, a group that does research for children with developmental disorders; public relations chair of the Birmingham Urban League Young Professionals; and a member of the United Negro College Fund’s Young Professionals Advisory Council and the UAB Minority Health and Research Center board.

“I’ve been fortunate and very blessed, so I’ve always wanted to give back,” said Alexander. “All the things I do go back into community engagement, … go back into giving people the opportunities I’ve been given.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

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Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”