Four leaders driving change across Greater Cincinnati – through business, public health, advocacy and development – will receive recognition at the Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s 2025 Leadership Center Celebration.
The annual event, set for Sept. 10 at Memorial Hall, brings together alumni, civic leaders and community partners to recognize individuals from the Chamber’s leadership programs who turn values into action and leave a lasting mark on the region.
Carl Satterwhite, president and owner of RCF Group, and Rick Greiwe, principal of Greiwe Development, will receive the Nelson Schwab, Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award – one of the Chamber’s highest honors. The award celebrates alumni whose vision, service and long-term leadership have helped shape the civic and economic future of the region.
The Chamber will also present its Civic Quotient (CQ) Award to two rising leaders: Emily Cashell, attorney at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, and Angelica M. Hardee, vice president of community impact at the American Heart Association. The Chamber described both as having emerged as dynamic local changemakers committed to equity, access and collaboration.
Biographies of honorees are below.
“The Leadership Center Celebration is one of our most meaningful moments of the year,” said Brendon Cull, President & CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “It allows us to recognize leaders – seasoned and emerging – who are putting values into action and helping us build a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs.”
About the honorees
Schwab Distinguished Alumni Award Honorees
The Chamber’s highest honor for alumni, the Nelson Schwab Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizes individuals who exemplify long-term civic leadership and lasting contributions to the region. Since its inception in 1985, the award has celebrated “Leaders Among Leaders” who build stronger communities through vision, service and business excellence.
This year’s recipients – Greiwe and Satterwhite – embody that spirit through decades of transformational work in Greater Cincinnati, the Chamber said in a statement.
Greiwe, a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class 8, has spent more than four decades shaping the region’s urban development and civic identity. As founder of Greiwe Development, he helped create vibrant neighborhood centers and reimagined public spaces that continue to define the city’s landscape.
In 1988, Greiwe led the Cincinnati Bicentennial Commission, which spearheaded major legacy projects like Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point, the Riverwalk and the groundwork for what would become the Cincinnati Museum Center. The Commission also launched the iconic Tall Stacks festival, a nationally recognized celebration of river culture that drew millions to the Ohio Riverfront. His current project, America’s River Roots, will debut this October as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
Greiwe also served as the first executive director of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., helped found Ohio River Way – securing National Water Trail status for 308 miles of the river – and co-led fundraising and planning for The Crown, a 34-mile urban trail loop.
“He brings people together across sectors and generations, moving leaders and forming teams that achieve the unthinkable,” the Chamber said of Greiwe. “His love for Cincinnati is infectious, and his ability to see possibility has made him a force of positive change in our community.”
Satterwhite has led with purpose in both business and civic life, per the Chamber. As president and owner of RCF Group, the Leadership Cincinnati Class 28 graduate has transformed the company into one of the region’s largest minority-owned businesses, with nearly $100 million in revenue and more than 100 employees. Under his leadership, RCF Group became the first company to join the Cincinnati Minority Business Accelerator following the city’s civil unrest – blazing a trail for others and setting a new standard for inclusive economic development.
Satterwhite’s civic reach is equally powerful. He co-founded Touchdown for HOPE, a fundraiser benefiting the Lindner Center of Hope that has raised over $2 million for mental health services. His leadership in supplier diversity and minority business development has been documented in a Harvard Business School case study, and he continues to mentor entrepreneurs as vice chair of the Cincinnati MBE Input Committee and president of the Cincinnati African American CEO Roundtable. He also holds a minority ownership stake in the Cincinnati Reds through the AACE Group, led by Ed Rigaud.
The Chamber praised his leadership style, which is rooted in a philosophy he calls “MORE,” or Making Others Realize Extra.
“Carl has created a legacy of economic growth, mentorship and community impact,” the Chamber wrote. “His vision, determination and generosity have touched lives across the region, making him a true force for positive change.”
Civic Quotient Award Honorees
Now in its second year, the CQ Award honors emerging leaders who blend civic awareness, community action and a deep understanding of the region’s culture, systems and history. The award highlights rising voices who build bridges and advocate for a more inclusive future.
The Chamber stressed its belief that this year’s recipients – Cashell and Hardee – are already reshaping Cincinnati through their work in law, health and public service.
Cashell, a Cincy Next Class 10 alum, is an attorney at Taft Stettinius & Hollister where her practice focuses on business immigration. She helps employers across Greater Cincinnati secure temporary and permanent visas to bring global talent – such as doctors, medical experts, engineers and tech professionals – into the region’s hospitals, companies and institutions.
Beyond her legal practice, Cashell advocates for immigrant and refugee youth through her role as a volunteer attorney and board member at the Immigrant & Refugee Law Center. She represents Special Immigrant Juveniles – youth who have experienced abuse or neglect – arguing their cases in Hamilton County Juvenile Court and before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. She also serves on the Young Professional Catalyst Board at the Cincinnati Art Museum, where she works to expand access and representation within the region’s cultural institutions.
A graduate of The Ohio State University for both her J.D. and undergraduate studies, Cashell previously practiced immigration law in Toronto.
Hardee is a C-Change Class 16 alumna. Today, she serves as vice president of community impact at the American Heart Association, where she leads initiatives focused on hypertension, tobacco use and healthy food access across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
A three-time graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Hardee is “deeply embedded in local and national public health efforts,” the Chamber wrote. Her work spans more than a dozen boards and advisory councils, including the Urban League Young Professionals, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council.
Nationally, Hardee serves as chair-elect of the Community Health Planning and Policy Development section of the American Public Health Association.
Previously, she led the region’s 25-county Community Health Needs Assessment and served as a key population health strategist for more than 60 hospitals and health departments. She teaches public health at the University of Cincinnati and Tulane University, focusing on policy development, planning and evaluation.
“Emily Cashell and Angelica Hardee have each emerged as respected changemakers,” said the Chamber. “Their work is a reminder of how emerging leaders are using their talents to collaborate, innovate, and build a better community for all.”
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