Cheryl D. Parks Ajamu – Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Cheryl D. Parks Ajamu, a native of Memphis, Tennessee, received her Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Memphis. While in Memphis, she began her career as the New England Customer Service Manager for Swift Transportation (formerly M.S. Carriers), a national transportation company. She received numerous awards for her outstanding management style, client service and regional on-time delivery performance. In 1996, Cheryl relocated to Michigan, and worked for a time at an advertising agency as a Project Manager. She was responsible for coordinating advertising programs and increasing dealer participation for Chrysler’s marketing programs.
Cheryl decided to pursue her interest in advertising sales, and was hired by Black Entertainment Television Publishing Group as the Detroit Advertising Sales Manager. The company was later sold to Vanguarde Media, Inc., former publishers of Savoy, Heart & Soul, Honey and Savoy Professional magazines. Her responsibilities included not only securing advertising sales in four (4) magazines, but also brand management, sponsorship acquisitions, promotions, community relations and budget management for Michigan. Her meticulous work ethic and exceptional client service raised the bar in relationships between diversity publications and the automotive advertising industry. In 3 years, she had increase automotive revenues by over 50% for Vanguarde Media, Inc. Cheryl was named Savoy magazine Salesperson of the Year in 2003.
When Vanguarde Media, Inc. folded in October 2003, Cheryl launched THE AJAMU GROUP, an Advertising Media Sales and Event Management Firm in May 2004. The Ajamu Group has partnered with Baptist Memorial Healthcare Corporation (Memphis, Tennessee), American Legacy magazine, Heart & Soul magazine, Uptown magazine, VIBE magazine, Latina magazine, Google, Fifth Third Bank, First Independence Bank and Meta Platforms. The Ajamu Group received the Best of Southfield Award by the U.S. Local Business Association in 2008 and 2014.
Cheryl is the Creator and Executive Producer a diversity themed luncheon, the Multicultural Media Luncheon, held during the North American International Auto show in Detroit, Michigan (NAIAS), from 2011 to 2023, the Multicultural Media Luncheon was an Academy awards style event honoring ethnic groups for their achievements in the automotive industry; a celebrity with expertise in marketing and branding is selected as the keynote speaker. She is the first African American female to produce an event during NAIAS press week in Detroit. Cheryl is also the owner and Executive Producer of the HBCU (Historical Black Colleges and Universities) Football Event, the Detroit Football Classic Weekend held at Ford Field. She is the first African American female to own a HBCU Classic in the United States.
Cheryl received the 2024 Legacy Award from the Adcraft Club of Detroit for her achievements during her 24-year career in the advertising/media sales industry and a former Board Member of Orchards Children’s Services, a foster care agency in Southfield, Michigan. She also mentors several young women in Michigan, Memphis, Chicago and Atlanta. Cheryl Parks Ajamu is one of the recipients of the 2019 University of Memphis Top Tigers Award for Outstanding Alumni, the 2020 General Motors Entrepreneurial Spirit Award and the 2021 Detroit Pistons G League Community Award for The Ajamu Group’s BlackGirl Food Critic brand that promotes restaurants, package goods and brands owned by Small Businesses via social media.
Keith Clinkscales, CEO of REVOLT Media & TV talks about Cheryl Parks Ajamu’s impact in the automotive industry