Herstory Is Redefining Women's Liberation Through Economic Freedom
In honor of Women's History Month, this column focuses on the CEO of an Urban League affiliate organization, Chair of a Community Development Corporation and member of the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, creating opportunities where women can thrive, lead and drive meaningful change.
Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, CEO of the Urban League of Broward County and Chair of the Central County Community Development Corporation (CCCDC), has dedicated over 20 years to advancing community and economic development. Since 2007, she has led the CCCDC with a mission to revitalize low-income communities, leading her to create lasting impacts by transforming social, economic, and physical infrastructures.
Dr. Baugh's journey into community development finance was inspired by her unwavering belief that 'economic freedom IS freedom.' This conviction motivated her to integrate community development finance into the Urban League's service portfolio, ultimately expanding the reach and impact to CCCDC which serves as a subsidiary of Urban League. In 2015, CCCDC expanded its solutions to include small business support and lending, which paved the way for the organization to be certified as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund by the U.S. Department of Treasury in 2020. This certification strengthened CCCDC's targeted focus on serving African Americans across Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.
Among all the communities impacted by CCCDC's efforts, women remain at the heart of its mission. The team provides technical assistance through signature programs such as UBIZ, GovCon, and Small Business Bootcamp which has proven effective in providing access to critical resources, information, and strategies that empower women business owners to achieve financial independence and succeed in entrepreneurship.
In 2024 alone, 663 women participated in CCCDC's development services, representing 70% of the total served. Additionally, 44% of the organization's lending has directly supported women-owned businesses.
Karlene Scarlett, founder of Social Blessings, a digital marketing agency, has scaled her business to new heights thanks to financial assistance from CCCDC. After launching her business in January 2022, Karlene enrolled in the GovCon Track workshop to gain expertise in government contracting. As her business grew, she explored small business funding through the organization's loan fund. After initially pausing the process in 2023, Karlene later resumed and successfully secured the funding needed to expand her impact and drive her business forward.
Although Black women are the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the U.S., they still average $24,000 in revenue compared to the $142,900 earned by all women-owned businesses. Dr. Baugh believes that new products and services will emerge from women who have experienced being on the outfields because overcoming barriers equips women to drive meaningful change and shape the future.
As a leader, Dr. Baugh's journey has been shaped by strength and resilience. Embracing the opportunities that came with her roles as CEO and Chair have opened doors for countless others and also deepened her commitment to empowering communities. From years of experience, she defines success as implementing effective governance structures and operational growth strategies that allow the organization to serve more people with greater impact.
As Dr. Baugh looks ahead, her legacy is clear—she hopes to pass the baton by creating spaces where other women can thrive. 'I want to be in the proverbial stands cheering other women onto their next level of accomplishments,' she said. Through her leadership, the CCCDC continues to create opportunities for women, ensuring that their contributions shape the future of economic equity and community empowerment.
To learn more about the CCCDC, visit www.cccdcorp.org.
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