Yasheaka Oakley Owens, MA

In December 2015, Yasheaka Oakley Owens, MA, CEO of YO & Associates, LLC, was awarded the Anthony Fulginiti Award for Commitment to Education from the Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in recognition of the YOakleyPR™ Virtual Internship Program and its work to educate and challenge undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Since launching the YOakleyPR™ Virtual Internship Program in 2013, Owens has served more than 165 young professionals and the program has become a recognized internship provider at more than 200 higher education institutions throughout the United States. Owens is one of the youngest recipients of the Anthony Fulginiti Award for Commitment to Education since the award's inception in 1988.

Building on the success of the award-winning virtual internship program, Owens has developed a new solution to help BIPOC job seekers improve social and professional skills to advance their long-term career goals.

Through our series of customizable training sessions and tools from leading subject matter experts, job seekers ready to enter the workforce or navigate career transitions gain next-level techniques to uncover and capitalize on their value and jumpstart their careers to attain viable, goal-aligned, and well-compensated employment. The next cohort of the YO Career Accelerator will launch in January 2023.