His leadership transformed the lives of Black residents in the city of Cincinnati in the areas of racial justice, education, civics, community health and politics.
[4] Tillery and his classmates’ activism was instrumental in the foundation of UC's African American Studies department and recruitment of Black faculty members and trustees.
[4][5] Tillery and other members of the association pushed for creation of an African American Cultural and Resource Center, which would finally be established in 1990.
[25][26][27] Mayor Tillery also enabled the first-time appointments of minorities to the operating boards of the OHIO Gas & Electric Co. and the Cincinnati Bell Telephone Company.
[24] As a City Council member, Tillery founded Grassroots Academy, an organization which taught hundreds of people of “low to moderate income” leadership skills, strategic planning, understanding government and identifying resources, thus empowering residents to help their communities.
The Center quickly gained national acclaim as a model for addressing health disparities.
[2][32][33] The center works with more than 100 different organizations, including the City Council, the Cincinnati chapter of the National Action Network, the Baptist Ministers Conference, and the Black Nurses Association of Greater Cincinnati as well as a host of other universities, hospitals, government associations and businesses.
Campaign which works with individuals to adopt healthier lifestyle choices regarding diet and exercise, the Cincinnati Fresh Food Retail Financing Fund and the City of Cincinnati Food Access Task force, which works to address the issue of food deserts in the city,[34] and an Annual Health Expo attended by thousands[35] which provides free health screenings for early detection of more than 20 health issues.
[44] Member, Guiding Coalition, Urban League of Southwestern Ohio[45] Chair, Ad Hoc Committee on Community Engagement, W. Montague Cobb/National Medical Association (NMA) Health Institute 2015-2023[46] Trustee, Retirement Board of the City of Cincinnati *DATES*