The Metroplex Civic & Business Association (MCBA) is proud to announce a major milestone: its fifth anniversary. To mark this occasion, the organization will unveil a refreshed brand that reflects its evolving mission, broader vision, and ongoing commitment to strengthening civic and business leadership across the Metroplex. 

The brand launch will be officially introduced at a celebratory luncheon on Monday, Aug. 5, with networking beginning at 11:30 a.m. and lunch starting at noon. The event will bring together MCBA members, community leaders, business professionals and elected officials for a special panel discussion and remarks from featured speakers.  

In developing this next chapter, MCBA partnered with Dallas-based Augustine Agency to reimagine its brand identity and better reflect the organization’s dynamic role in the community. The collaboration focused on creating a visual and messaging platform that is modern, inspiring and rooted in civic engagement. 

“This brand launch marks a pivotal moment for MCBA, symbolizing our unwavering commitment to shaping a more dynamic future for the entire Metroplex,” said Onyinye Akujuo, president and CEO of MCBA. “What the Augustine Agency has accomplished is more than just a new look; it’s a bold declaration of our expanded vision to drive economic vitality and foster civic excellence. We are ready to lead the charge in fostering greater business connections and driving the critical initiatives that will propel the Metroplex into its next era of prosperity.” 

“The past five years have been transformative for both MCBA and the communities we serve,” added Julie Strum, MBA, chief operating officer of MCBA. “This new brand is a fresh look and signal of our bold vision for the future and the next chapter of impact.” 

In addition to launching the new brand, MCBA will use the luncheon to announce an upcoming community event on Aug. 28, which will serve as a signature activation of the new brand. The event will highlight MCBA’s commitment to civic engagement and business innovation and will set the tone for future programming.  

Since its founding in 2020, MCBA has become a leading platform for civic collaboration and economic empowerment in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The organization remains dedicated to providing inclusive, forward-thinking programming that uplifts both emerging leaders and established voices in the Metroplex area.   

ABOUT MCBA
The Metroplex Civic & Business Association (MCBA) is a nonpartisan, non-profit business league made of DFW’s most influential and action-minded CEOs. The organization goes beyond networking by providing a unique civic engagement program that aims to build a healthy, thriving business community. MCBA has some of the brightest minds in business bringing ideas to the table and are the go-to experts for innovating civic empowerment. MCBA is deep in the roots, connecting member companies to their communities through voting in local, nonpartisan elections and volunteering with impactful charities. To learn more, visit MCBADFW.org.  

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The Metroplex Civic & Business Association is proud to welcome our new President and CEO, Onyinye Akujuo to the team. Her expertise is vast, encompassing everything from operations, non-profit management, strategic planning and compliance to grant development, transportation planning, economic and community development. She has successfully led policy development, complex infrastructure projects, and multibillion-dollar emergency relief efforts, always prioritizing strategy, business and community impact.

Onyinye is a dynamic leader who has shaped the landscape of economic and regional development, transportation and urban security initiatives. She brings nearly 20 years of distinguished experience, having held key leadership roles recently as the Chief Operating Officer at the Houston Galveston Area Council where she oversaw Texas’s largest Economic Development Corporation, the nation’s largest Cooperative H-GACBUY and the H-GAC Energy Cooperative. She has also served in leadership roles at the New York City Department of Transportation, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Onyinye’s academic achievements include an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson School of Business where she served as the EMBA Chair of the Emerging Markets Institute, a master’s in corporate communications, and a Bachelor of Science. Recognized for her leadership, she was recently awarded Woman of the Year for the Woman of Transportation Seminar in 2024, an inaugural fellow of the NYU Transportation Emerging Fellowship, and has been named to 2018’s Georgia Trend, Mass Transit Magazine’s and Atlanta Young Government Leaders’ 40 Under 40 lists, and the Fort Worth Inc. 400 Most Influential People list.

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As voters, we have the right to ballot secrecy. But emergency measures by the Texas secretary of state may discourage counties from publicizing information crucial to get-out-the-vote efforts.

Excessive limitations could potentially disenfranchise those relying on get-out-the-vote (GOTV) reminders. Turnout for Dallas-Fort Worth municipal elections was incredibly low in May, about 6%. [The publicly available cast vote records and voter registration data for each county reveal that out of 4.1 M registered voters across the 5 counties of Dallas-Fort Worth, only 263,000 votes were cast in the municipal elections.]

Innovative GOTV efforts use reminders and accountability to increase that number. Evidence shows that when voters put a voting day on their calendar, get email reminders and a nudge if they have yet to vote, turnout increases.

Organizations like the Metroplex Civic and Business Association, where I am chief operating officer, use publicly available county voting information to make those systems work. Characterizing all who request county voting data as having nefarious intentions is incorrect.

Turnout is increasing in our local, nonpartisan elections because real-time reminders powered by cast vote records give information about whether (not how) someone has voted.

Read the rest at Dallas Morning News.

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