Cincinnati, OH –Terrance Ashanta-Barker and James M. Zimmerman have been selected for C-Change, the leadership development program for young professionals developed by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

Ashanta-Barker is an associate in the Business and Finance Department. He received his undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University and law degree from the Florida State University College of Law, where he was a Virgil Hawkins Fellow and CLEO Fellow.

Ashanta-Barker focuses his practice on corporate, transactional, and intellectual property matters. More specifically, he concentrates on general corporate matters, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance (including venture capital matters), securities market regulation, intellectual property (with an emphasis on copyright matters) and entertainment law matters. Prior to joining Taft, Ashanta-Barker served as chief operations officer and general counsel for Small and Carter Investments Company (S&CI). Prior to S&CI, he worked with law firms in Florida and worked as a process engineer with Chevron U.S.A. Products Company, PepsiCo, Inc., and the Procter and Gamble Company. He is a board member of the Cincinnati Business Incubator, the Cincinnati Scholarship Foundation, and FreedomYP. Ashanta-Barker is also a graduate of the United States Presidential Classroom and the Grass Roots Leadership Academy, where he was awarded the Best-In-Class Award. He is a volunteer for the Special Olympics and various other community service initiatives. Ashanta-Barker is licensed to practice law in the states of Georgia, Florida, and Ohio.

Zimmerman also is an associate in the Business and Finance Department. He received his undergraduate degree, cum laude, with honors, from Vanderbilt University and law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as Senior Notes Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and received Order of the Coif honors.

Zimmerman focuses his practice on corporate and transactional matters. He has significant experience in the areas of corporate finance (including venture capital), mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and securities markets regulation. He has also represented numerous start-up and emerging businesses on a broad range of matters. Zimmerman is a member of the Advisory Board of Give Back Cincinnati, a nonprofit organization that organizes charitable events and other community activities for young professionals in Cincinnati. He is licensed to practice law in the state of Ohio and is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association, and the Ohio State Bar Association. Zimmerman was selected by Cincinnati Magazine as a 2005 and 2006 Super Lawyers Rising Star.

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton and Northern Kentucky. The firm provides a broad range of legal services to businesses and individuals, including litigation, corporate and business law, securities and municipal financing, tax and estate planning, labor and employment law, real estate and environmental, health care, intellectual property and unfair competition and antitrust law.