West Hartford resident Zillah Matare Fluker, Ph.D., Founder of activate|elevate, LLC powered by Martin Loyd, Inc., was elected as a new member of the Board of theUrban League of Greater Hartford at its 2026 Annual meeting in June. The local affiliate of the National Urban League is beginning its 62nd year of continuous service providing education, employment, housing, and health programs while fighting for social justice.
The Officers of the Urban League of Greater Hartford for the 2026-2027 fiscal year are: Chair: Wes Alexander, J.D. of West Hartford, Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Travelers; Vice Chair: Angelo Adams, Owner/Operator, Grip Hands; Treasurer: Cathy Velez, Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region; Secretary: Teshia Levy-Grant, Senior Managing Director, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Webster Bank; and President: David J. Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer, Urban League of Greater Hartford.
In addition to Dr. Fluker, the Urban League’s new At-large Board Members are: Barry Camara – Area Director of Operations, Starbucks Coffee Company; Princeton Jennings – Talent Acquisition Partner, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast; Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad – Chief Operating Officer, My People Community and Clinical Services; Bishop Maurice S. Porter – Pastor and Founder, IMPACT CHURCH in Hartford; Alex A. Toribio, J.D. – Head of Global Litigation and Government Investigations, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.; and Cathy Velez – Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region.
The new Directors join the existing roster of dedicated At-Large Members who are: Brenda Dinnald, Senior Project Manager, Aetna/CVS; Erika Goldstein, VP Field Operations, Asia Pacific, Otis Elevator Co.; Jeffrey F. Hines, M.D., Vice President of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Connecticut and UConn Health; Pamela Hippolyte, Assistant Vice President, Affordable Mortgage Loan Officer, Dime Bank; Nicole Hughey, senior director of the Office of Colleague Opportunity & Engagement, Hartford HealthCare; Patrice Y. Wood, retired SVP, Senior Audit Director, Bank of America Corp. Global; and Luz Holmes-Padgett as the President of the Urban League of Greater Hartford Young Professionals (YPs) Auxiliary.
►West Hartford resident Zillah M. Fluker, Ph.D. is a higher education executive, corporate leadership strategist, entrepreneur, and community advocate whose career spans both higher education and corporate America. She is the founder of activate|elevate, LLC powered by Martin Loyd, Inc., where she leads Higher Education, Leadership and Philanthropy Strategy, and focuses on technology solutions for leadership strategy, institutional visibility, executive positioning, and organizational impact.
Dr. Fluker has spent half of her career advancing institutional growth, fundraising, executive leadership, and stakeholder engagement in higher education, and the other half leading work in talent, leadership development, diversity, equity, and inclusion across major corporations including RTX, Collins Aerospace, United Technologies Corporation, Carrier, Honeywell, and Motorola. A three-time Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Dr. Fluker has served at Central State University, Alabama State University, and Miles College. She also led executive leadership initiatives for UNCF (United Negro College Fund). She is a two-time Telly Award winner for creating HBCU Voices at UNCF and CSU Talks at Central State University, both storytelling platforms designed to elevate leadership lessons, community impact, and philanthropic engagement.
She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.’s Hartford Alumnae Chapter, and chairs the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast for Greater Hartford for 2026 and 2027. From 2007 to 2009, Dr. Fluker served as president of the Urban League Young Professionals (YPs), where she helped lead the Hartford chapter to receive Chapter of the Year honors. She was named to Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty in 2009 and previously served on the Greater Hartford Boys & Girls Club board.
The native of Zimbabwe grew up in London, England, and Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Fluker holds a Ph.D. from Alabama State University, two master’s degrees from Purdue University, and a bachelor’s degree from Alabama State University. She lives in West Hartford with her husband, Kwame, and their two sons.
“We are excited to welcome the expertise and vision of our officers and our new Board members as our organization enters a new year of empowerment,” reflects David Hopkins, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Hartford. “I am excited to work with all of them and our dedicated staff as we conclude another decade of the agency’s legacy of impact.”
Urban League Board Chair Wes Alexander will lead the group of 18 in planning for the annual Board Retreat in August where they will conduct orientation for the new members, set the governing agenda for the year, and finalize the 2027 budget.
Proceeds from the support of corporations, foundations, and individual donors help fund Urban League programs and operations. Donations are welcome and can be made at: www.ulgh.org/donate. Institutional Partners include Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, M&T Bank, Webster Bank, United Way, Comcast, Verizon, Beacon Bank, Lincoln Financial, Liberty Bank, OTIS Elevator, Robinson & Cole, LISC, Coca Cola, Stanley Black & Decker, Bank of America, Eversource, UCONN Heath, Hartford HealthCare, Barnes Group, Inc., Hartford Steam Boiler, Dalio, Audacy, and National Urban League.
The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League’s 66th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice, impacting more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. For more information about the Urban League of Greater Hartford, visit www.ulgh.org or https://linktr.ee/ulgh64or call 860-527-0147. Follow us on social media @ulgh64.
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