24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast
Monday, January 19, 2026
7:30 - 9:00 AM
Golf Club at Yankee Trace, 10,000 Yankee Street, Centerville.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was the keynote speaker for the 24th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast hosted by the Centerville Washington Diversity Council. Her topic on January 19, 2026, was “Why foreign policy matters for all Americans.”
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as the U.S. Representative in the UN Security Council from 2021-2025. During her tenure as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield was a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, and sat on the National Security Council. Prior to this, she headed the State Department’s transition team for the Biden Administration.
As a career diplomat, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield has had a wide range of assignments. From 2013 to 2017, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where she led U.S. policy development for sub-Saharan Africa. She previously served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, overseeing the State Department’s workforce. Her notable Foreign Service roles include Ambassador to Liberia (2008-2012) and postings in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica. In Washington, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs and as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
After retiring in 2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group and was a Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, where she also pursued doctoral studies. Her honors include a Presidential Rank Award, Secretary Distinguished Service Award plus numerous other awards. She has honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Liberia.
The annual breakfast was made possible by generous community sponsors, including:
Presenting
VS & Co
Platinum
Premier Health
Gold
Bob Ross Auto Group
St. Leonard/CHI Communities
Silver
City of Centerville
Jerry & Julia Eddy
Heart of Centerville-Washington Township
Montgomery County Commissioners
Mosaic Church
Washington Township
Wright Patt Credit Union
Bronze
Campanella Law Office LLC
Centerville Rotary Club
Centerville-Washington History
City of Kettering
Dayton Area Board of Realtors
Dr. Percy Frasier
Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz
Graceworks Lutheran Services
Harmony Creek Church
Irongate Realtors
Judge Deidre Logan
National Council of Negro Women - Dayton
Noon Optimist Club of Centerville
Pediatric Associates of Dayton
Jason & Lisa Riley
Springboro Juneteenth Jubilee
Yvette Kelly Fields & Associates
Donor
Bob & Berneta Daley
John & Carol Kennard
Sivaji & Elvessa Subramaniam
Linda White
Terra Fox Williams
For questions, please contact Linda White, MLK Committee Chair, at lindawhite@hotmail.com or Council Chair, Jason Riley at cwdcchair@gmail.com.
Please share this poster to help spread the word!
Monday, January 20, 2025
PROGRAM CHANGE
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Ms. JoAnne Bland will not be able to join us. While we will certainly miss her, we are excited to announce that her sister, Lynda Blackmon Lowery, will be stepping in as our keynote speaker. We look forward to hearing her inspiring message!
Lynda Blackmon Lowery has been a key figure in the civil rights movement since the early 1960s. A member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), she marched in pivotal events like "Bloody Sunday" and "Turn Around Tuesday" and was the youngest marcher in the historic Selma to Montgomery March. Beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge during Bloody Sunday, she required 35 stitches. Her early activism against Jim Crow laid the foundation for her lifelong work in civil and human rights. She is also the author of Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March.
For more information about Ms Lowery, please see these links:
Although it may be chilly outside Monday morning, but Yankee Trace will be warm with fellowship, understanding, and acceptance. We look forward to welcoming you for this engaging and inspiring presentation!
The annual breakfast, made possible by generous community sponsors, will take place at 7:30
AM at the Golf Club at Yankee Trace. Tickets are $25 and although we are sold out, we have been able to add a couple more tickets. They will go FAST! Use the link below today!
The mission of the Centerville-Washington Diversity Council is to celebrate and promote an
inclusive, diverse, and welcoming community for people who live, work, and worship in
Centerville and Washington Township.
Information about the council is available at www.cwtdiversity.org and on Facebook and
Instagram or by contacting Jason Riley, Council Chair, at cwdcchair@gmail.com.
Thanks to our 2025 Sponsors!
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