Congratulations to our 2026 Awardees!
Dawn Bailey
WCIA is proud to present a 2026 Impact Award to a Zone 15 outstanding educator, advocate and community leader, Dawn Bailey. As a 3rd generation educator, who followed in the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, Dawn has spent the past 33 years shaping young lives across five districts and nine schools in Southwest Ohio.
Throughout her career, Dawn served as a 3rd and 4th grade teacher and as a leader in a number of administrative roles. Dawn is celebrating the conclusion of her outstanding educational career as she celebrates her retirement as the longest-serving principal of Lincoln Heights Elementary school, where she served for 12 remarkable years.
During her time as principal at Lincoln Heights Elementary, Dawn committed herself to doing the hard work needed to strengthen the Lincoln Heights community through education. She built relationships and trust with parents and community partners, she grew enrollment and she supported her staff relentlessly. Through these efforts, Dawn and her team created a school culture where in her words, “Every child is accepted for who they are, where they are, and we will push them to the next level.”
That culture produced extraordinary results and recognition for Dawn and for her building. . Most recently, Lincoln Heights Elementary was named a 2025 OAESA Hall of Fame School, a rigorous distinction earned not through test scores alone, but through a lengthy application process, site visits, family and student interviews, and a deep evaluation of school culture. Dawn will tell you that the award wasn’t about her, it was about her building, her staff, and her kids.
Dawn’s impact extended far beyond the school’s walls. Dawn’s efforts to strengthen the relationship between Lincoln Heights Elementary and the broader community, earned her a seat at the table with city leadership and ultimately receiving the Key to the Village of Lincoln Heights, presented by the mayor and fifth-grade students who had spent their entire elementary journey under her care.
Now, as Dawn steps into retirement with new opportunities to explore, she does so having left a legacy in Lincoln Heights where every child feels valued, every family feels respected, and every staff member knows they are not alone. It is our honor to present Dawn Crook Bailey with the Wyoming Community In Action Impact Award in recognition of her lifelong commitment to the children and communities she has served.
Bennie Shepard
Bennie Shepard has been a resident of Wyoming since September of 1986, along with his wife and 2 kids. However, Bennie’s impact in Cincinnati started long before his move to Wyoming. Originally born in Greenville, South Carolina Bennie’s family moved to Cincinnati when he was just 5 years old.
He graduated from Central High school and then spent 2 years in the Army, from 1959-1961. After that Bennie started working for the city of Cincinnati in various capacities. Then in 1968 Bennie was hired on at the Cincinnati Fire Department, or CFD.
The Cincinnati Fire Department was established in 1853, and it was the first professional paid Fire Department in the US. However there were no Black firefighters until 1955 when Herbie Bane became the first Black firefighter. He would be joined by 2 others, Charles “Artie” Fowler and Oliver McGee in 1956 and 1962 respectively.
These men faced prejudice and isolation from their fellow white counterparts. Due to systemic factors the CFD didn’t recruit in Black neighborhoods and rejected Black applicants during their background checks.
However, as the fight for civil rights was unfolding in the 1960’s the Cincinnati City council launched an investigation into racial discrimination in the CFD. But it wasn’t until the explosive aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination that finally led the city to actively recruit Black firefighters to the CFD. Bennie Shepard was hired 4 months after King’s assassination, joining Charles “Artie” Fowler, and 1 other new recruit as the only 3 Black firefighters at CFD in 1968. As Bennie said, “We broke the ice and then they started recruiting more people.” Today the CFD employs over 200 Black firefighters, with 4 of the last 5 fire chiefs being Black. Additionally, if 2024 the CFD promoted the first Black female, and youngest female Fire captain ever.
Bennie was with the fire department for 26 years, including becoming a paramedic in 1986. He retired in 1993. When asked what his greatest legacy was at the fire department, Bennie stated that he always helped the new recruits train for positions to climb up in the ranks and achieve better pay. Additionally, many of the Black firefighters saw how Bennie spent his free time in real estate investments and he taught them how to invest in real estate as well.
When asked what Bennie would say to young people today who may feel discouraged about the current state of our country he said, “When I came into the fire department there were no Blacks, no women and they even had an age restriction… it’s not over things can change at any time. Keep what we’ve got and try not to let it go backwards. The fight is still on.”