The annual Person of the Year award winners were announced in early January 2025. This competition compares portfolio submissions from leaders in every field globally and chooses the best of the best changemakers and innovators as honorees. Dr. Calynn Lawrence, a female African American humanitarian from Chicago who is CEO of the Calynn Communications & Creative corporation, took home the 2024 Healthcare Advocate of the Year award! This was bestowed for her national and international work in medical marketing & storytelling, as well as her commitment to advancing the field through donating to an abundance of nonprofit healthcare organizations, her ongoing digital activism, and her soon-to-launch virtual resource center, The Holistic Healing Source for Marginalized Society. Having won two Person of the Year awards for 2023 (Entrepreneur of the Year and Media Member of the Year), she is now the youngest to ever hold three of these at age 29.
This is not her first time making history. She also was the youngest to take home 3 Chicago Oscars/RCCI Academy Awards in 2018 at 22 years old (Best Public Relations, Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Best Creative Community Service), and her nonprofit initiative that she started in high school, The Fresh Faces Project, was noted as one of the largest pro bono marketing agencies in the world in 2021 when she was 25. Her pioneering contributions to the PR & journalism space, especially for small businesses and aspiring talents, have been powerful to say the least, having reached over 1,000 brands, individuals and causes! Some of the many inspiring people and companies that she’s worked with include the Ms. International World pageant, the Miss Black America pageant, the Miss America Nation & Kids Multicultural World Foundation, Chick-fil-A, the New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Chicago, Black and Latino Fashion Weeks, and comedian OhJay Lamont.
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In 2025, she is shifting the focus of her work to community engagement, education and programming. After completing her Master of Science in Management & Leadership in 2023, her doctorate degree in pastoral counseling with multiple trauma specialist board certifications in 2024, and becoming a credentialed neurocriminology and neuropsychotherapy professional in January 2025, she is ready to leverage her gifts and expertise to improve the lives of under served populations. As such, The Holistic Healing Source for Marginalized Society will offer a plethora of free online community resources, learning opportunities and trauma-informed spiritual support groups led by Dr. Lawrence. It will also offer accredited, science-backed board certifications for professionals looking to deepen their holistic care knowledge and expand their influence in their careers. Her beloved mother, Dawn, who holds a Masters in Psychology and is a board certified Holistic Mental Health Specialist with several years experience working in human services, will also be contributing to the research and programming. She, alongside the numerous other accomplished human services workers that Dr. Lawrence has relationships with, will amplify the impact of The Holistic Healing Source.
The critically acclaimed work that Dr. Lawrence has already done in her passionate dedication to shattering barriers that disenfranchise her fellow marginalized counterparts is to be commended. However, we are immensely thrilled to witness the execution of even greater things to come from her and her team.
Visit www.calynnmlawrence.com to learn more.
