Leadership Team

Ava D. Youngblood

President and CEO

Ava D. Youngblood, Chief Executive Officer of Youngblood Executive Search, Inc., possesses over 25 years of corporate and recruiting experience.  In 2002 Youngblood founded Youngblood Executive Search, Inc. (YES), a retained executive search firm which helps clients identify, recruit, develop, and retain wisdom-driven, high-impact executive leadership talent.  YES conducts searches for senior executives and board members, and differentiates itself by presenting to clients a highly qualified, inclusive, and diverse slate of candidates with demonstrated leadership skills. YES is a Heidrick & Struggles Inclusion Network member firm.

 

Youngblood also founded Youngblood Executive Services to assist clients with executive development and retention. The firm provides clients access to certified executive coaches, image consultants, executive wardrobe services, communications coaches, and fitness coaches.

Prior to her executive search career, Youngblood spent nineteen years in the global energy/petrochemical industry with BP (Amoco) in various roles with increasing levels of responsibility ranging from research and development, operations planning & logistics, quality management, sales and marketing, executive development, strategic planning and competitive intelligence.

In addition to an active professional career, Youngblood is involved in the community. She is currently a member of the advisory council for Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering, the advisory council for Northwestern's Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and a member of Northwestern's Council of One Hundred. She was formerly a Northwestern University trustee, president of the Northwestern Alumni Association, and president of Northwestern's Women's Board.  For her many years of distinguished service to Northwestern, Youngblood was awarded Northwestern's Alumni Service Award in 2009.

Youngblood also serves on the boards of Herzing Educational System, Herzing Educational Foundation, Communities in Schools of Chicago (CISC), Communities in Schools' national board, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and the Booth School of Business' Black Alumni Association at the University of Chicago.  Her professional organizational memberships include The Marathon Club, The Economic Club of Chicago, and The Fortnightly of Chicago.  In addition to being a frequent guest speaker, Youngblood has been featured in the book Mothers Lead Best, and in numerous magazines including Business Week, Forbes, Working Woman and Information Technology.

Youngblood earned a BS in Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University, and an MBA at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. She and her husband, Haj Gueye of HAJ Designs, live in Chicago. They have five children.

Peggy A. Jackson-Turner

Executive Vice President

Peggy A. Jackson-Turner, Executive Vice President of Youngblood Executive Search, Inc. (YES), joined the firm in 2007 after a career that encompassed over 30 years of experience in corporate human resources and executive search. Prior to joining YES, Jackson-Turner spent over 13 years in executive search with two retained executive search firms, most notably over 11 years with Carrington & Carrington, Ltd. (CCL) which focuses on high-quality client service and emphasizes strategic diverse staffing with Fortune 500 clients. As a result, Jackson-Turner has an extensive network of diverse clients in a variety of occupations and industries, including finance, accounting, engineering, marketing and sales, operations management, systems technology, human resources and health care. Her career at CCL developed Jackson-Turner's executive search expertise in research, search execution, and business development.

 

Jackson-Turner is a seasoned human resources professional with corporate experience in four industries: financial services, information and entertainment, professional services and healthcare. She held senior management positions that developed her expertise in staffing, organizational effectiveness, training, professional and executive talent acquisition, and corporate management. Jackson-Turner has provided consultative services to high-level managers on leadership development, talent management, retention, employee and labor relations, and human resources best practices.

Jackson-Turner is a Chicago native and a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University. She is a member of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR), 100 Black Women, the Chicago Association of Minority Recruiters (CAMR), the National Sales Network (NSN), and both the Chicago and south suburban chapters of Top Ladies of Distinction (TLOD).