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Apr 18, 2018

Black Girls RUN! Announces the Appointment of New CEO & Owner

(Richmond, Virginia) April 18, 2018 — Today, Black Girls RUN!, a national running organization, announced the acquisition and appointment of Jay Ell Alexander as the new CEO and Owner,  effective as of April 12, 2018. Black Girls RUN! operations will now be headquartered in Richmond, Virginia with operations also out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Founders of Black Girls RUN!, Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks-Rocha, stated “For 9 years we’ve been vessels of this movement, and today we are excited to announce a new chapter of the organization. Jay Ell Alexander will be the new owner of Black Girls RUN!. For many years Jay Ell has stood beside us building and growing this community. With Jay Ell’s leadership, we know that the legacy of Black Girls RUN! will continue on and that it will thrive in ways that we could never have imagined. Without a doubt in our minds, she’s the perfect person to carry on the legacy of Black Girls RUN!”

Alexander served as the national manager of Black Girls RUN! for six years as the organizations Public Relations and Communications lead. She has extensive experience in communications, leadership and brand development. Alexander is the Founder and CEO of The Vaughn Strategy, a public relations strategy consulting firm and owner of #thesocialpopup, an interactive lounge that creatively designs a social media atmosphere for special events.

 “This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am excited about leading the next chapter of Black Girls RUN!,” said Alexander. “I am thankful to the cofounders Toni and Ashley for entrusting in me to continue their legacy of what they have built over the last nine years. As the new owner, it is important for me to uphold the mission and vision to keep all women, especially African American women, healthy and active. It is also my vision to explore new opportunities to expand our reach growing this organization from a grassroots movement to an organization that fosters economic and workforce development in fitness and the African American community.”

A Virtual Town Hall Meeting will be held on the Black Girls RUN! main Facebook and Instagram sites on April 25th at 8:30 PM EST to welcome Alexander as the new CEO and discuss important announcements for the Black Girls RUN! to include

  • Black Girls RUN! Sweat With Your Sole National Tour will kick off in Raleigh, NC on June 2 with additional stops lined up throughout the country including Jacksonville, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, and more.
  • New Black Girls RUN! merchandise for purchase on blackgirlsrun.com
  • Black Girls RUN! establishment of a non-profit beginning in 2019 to support community efforts across the nation

“I look forward to the next chapter of this organization and I am proud to be a part of Black Girls RUN!,” said Alexander. Alexander holds a Master’s of Science in Public Relations from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Communications, Journalism, and Spanish from George Mason University.

To read the full note from BGR! Cofounders, Toni + Ashley, click here.