SUNRISE, Fla. -- In celebration of Black History Month, the Florida Panthers will be commemorating the second annual 'Celebration of Black Excellence' series recognizing South Florida community members making a difference.
From Black executives and educators to those in the culinary field, healthcare workers, media members, and more, the Panthers 'Celebration of Black Excellence' program will recognize individuals nominated by their peers, colleagues and families for the positive impact they are making in South Florida and beyond.
Honorees' stories and achievements will be highlighted throughout Black History Month at FloridaPanthers.com and via Panthers social media platforms @FlaPanthers and @FlaPanthersCARE.
In this week of "Celebration of Black Excellence," the Panthers are proud to highlight six standouts in news, sports and entertainment.
Black Excellence: Standouts in News, Sports & Entertainment
Calvin Hughes
Evening Anchor / Reporter, WPLG-TV "Local 10 News"
Calvin Hughes talks into a camera each weekday and night. Cameras are emotionless. He hopes, however, that his presence on the news and in the community radiates humanity, hope, positivity, and possibilities. Calvin has covered a wide spectrum of stories in the South Florida community but his name seems inextricably tethered to his reporting in Haiti. He is proud of and passionate about the body of work that he and the Local 10 News team has compiled over the years in Haiti, the world's first Black Republic. Calvin loves giving back to the South Florida Community. Mentorship is very important to him as he serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami. He also recently began serving as a president of the National Association of Black Journalists South Florida Chapter (NABJ-SF), a role that he plans to place a heavy emphasis on teaching and guiding the next generation of journalists. Under his leadership, NABJ-SF Chapter members will host high school students from some of Miami-Dade's roughest neighborhoods for at least one Saturday per month. Whether it is making sure hundreds of kids receive backpacks full of supplies in Miami's underserved communities, being a big brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami program, hosting countless events for non-profits including the YMCA of South Florida or MCCJ, and just being a dad to his three children, serving is a joy. One of life's greatest privileges is being a father, a role that defines Calvin.
Edson Crevecoeur
Senior Vice President of Strategy & Data Analytics, Miami Heat
Edson Crevecoeur has a dual role at the Miami HEAT. He is the Senior Vice President, Strategy and Data Analytics, as well as the Chief Operating Officer of 601 Analytics - a proprietary data platform built in-house during his nine-year tenure. He has helped empower and transform the HEAT and Miami-Dade Arena into businesses that make highly informed, data-driven decisions. Crevecoeur has led the franchise's transition to cloud-based technologies, integrating information across lines of business into a single source of truth, accessible by the right audience, via the right channels at the right time. 601 Analytics, of which he is the architect, now offers its turnkey solution to other teams, leagues and businesses in the sports and live entertainment industry. 601's clients include the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA, and Ilitch Sports (Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings). Because of Edson's work, the HEAT has been recognized as a leader in the technology space by industry giant Microsoft. Edson is an active supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami, Dedication to Community, and is a member of Durham Success Summit's Advisory Council. He and his wife Gladys have four children and reside in Davie.
Jason Taylor
Pro Football Hall of Fame Member & Defensive Analyst, University of Miami
Jason Taylor was a third-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 1997 and spent 13 of his 15 seasons with the team, retiring after the 2011 season. He also played for Washington Redskins in 2008 and the New York Jets in 2010. Prior to announcing his retirement from professional football, Jason built a resume of seemingly endless athletic accomplishments, including AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 and the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2007. In his first year of eligibility, Jason was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Upon retirement, Jason held broadcasting positions as an NFL analyst with ESPN, Westwood One Radio, and the Dolphins Radio Network. He then spent several seasons coaching for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. Jason is currently the Defensive Analyst for the University of Miami football team. Jason has worked with numerous charitable organizations including the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, United Way, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, First Book, Habitat for Humanity and the Urban League. In 2004, he established the Jason Taylor Foundation (JTF) in an effort to build a better future for the children of South Florida. In 2007, the Jason Taylor Reading Room, a comprehensive after-school program designed to address academic challenges among inner-city youth, particularly in the areas of literacy, was proudly launched in Miramar. The Reading Room also features a Spoken Work Poetry component that incubated a full-blown network, now featuring nearly 60 schools across the state. The bluapple Poetry Network is rapidly expanding with the launch of the Louder than a Bomb Florida, which brings school-based poetry teams together to showcase this art form through a friendly competition, while providing teens from diverse backgrounds a common vehicle for written and performance-based self-expression. Most recently, the Foundation launched the Jason Taylor Cares in Sports Network, intended to provide equitable access to resources and best practices in the sports industry, preparing students for future educational and career opportunities within the business of sport. Since opening its doors, the JTF has contributed more than $10,000,000 in programs and services to benefit youth.
Monica Kirkland
Director of Creative Services, CBS Miami
Monica Kirkland is an Emmy Award-winning Director of Creative Services for CBS Miami. She's committed to promoting news that matters, while supporting primetime and syndicated programming, digital, sales production and community initiatives. Monica is always seeking ways to make a difference. Currently, she volunteers her time mentoring creative writers and producers just starting out in the media business with the National Association of Black Journalists. For over 20 years, she's helped young women secure funds and supplies needed for college through The Women of Tomorrow Mentoring and Scholarship Program. She feels the contribution of time, whether on a professional level or in the community, can make the biggest difference in the lives of others. As a proud HBCU graduate, Monica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts/Minor in Fine Arts from Clark Atlanta University and her MBA from Barry University. She is a member of Leadership Broward and the Greater Broward County (FL) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.
Sandy Dorsainvil
Principal Cultural Curator, Maximillian Consultants
Sandy Dorsainvil is the former manager of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. She facilitated fine art cultural activities for over 10 years at the Complex and developed it into an internationally known cultural institution. She is the Principal Consultant for Maximillian Consultants, which has a vision of preserving the native culture of all who settle in the United States while embracing their contributions to the American fabric. What makes Sandy stand out is her consistent dedication to authentic Haitian culture. Despite gentrification, limited resources, social justice upheavals, and community immigration issues, Sandy has created a space in Little Haiti that celebrates Haitian culture and people daily.
Wilkine Brutus
Co-Host of the South Florida Roundup & Palm Beach County Reporter for WLRN
Wilkine Brutus is co-host of the South Florida Roundup show and Palm Beach County Reporter for WLRN, South Florida's NPR station. The award-winning, Haitian-American journalist produces stories on topics surrounding local news, culture, art, politics and current affairs. Before joining WLRN, the South Florida native was the former Digital Reporter for the Palm Beach Post, producing print and video-based profiles of artists and entrepreneurs in the community. Prior to that, he was an English educator and freelance journalist who had amassed millions of views on his YouTube channel during his four years in South Korea. Brutus is mostly known for producing universal stories that examine the intricacies of human connection and cross-cultural experiences - how people from different backgrounds evolve in the shared spaces they call home. For WLRN, Brutus has captured the joy in the local arts and culture scene, held the powerful to account for poor communities, exposed government issues, placed a spotlight on the new wave of opioid deaths, covered social unrest, and the impact COVID-19 has had on students. Brutus is a guest faculty member and mentor at the Poynter Institute and he earned his bachelor's degree in multimedia studies from Florida Atlantic University.
