#blackwomensparkchange
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Trinice McNally is a Transformative Leader Who Promotes Healing and Inspires Change
Trinice McNally is a nationally-recognized activist, creative and educator who wears many hats. She is a founding director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion & Multicultural Affairs at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and founding director of the Envisioning Safety On Our Campuses Now Project (ESOC NOW). She is also an Ifá…
Jamese Beauford Unapologetically Advocates for Black Women and Girls
Jamese Carey Beauford is the 1st Vice-President of Programs, and former President, of the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., a nonprofit organization advocating for Black women and girls in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. “When I was younger I didn’t know that this is the…
Karina Nelson on Advocacy and Knowing Who You Are
Karina Nelson is the Volunteer Manager at the Invest in Girls program of CEE, a nonprofit working to build financial literacy and confidence in high school girls. This program offers online and in-person workshops to help girls become financially confident and even pursue a career in finance. “I love what I do because I know…
Tiara Nicole Riley Lives Life Intentionally
Tiara Nicole Riley is a life coach, motivational speaker, author and HR manager. She also serves as a board member for Stillborn And Infant Loss Support (SAILS), a nonprofit dedicated to helping people who have been affected by the loss of a baby. She began working as a life coach, motivational speaker, and published author…
Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil Uses Authentic Leadership to Transform Education Systems
Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil is the Superintendent of Schools at the Uniondale Union Free School District in Long Island, NY. Dr. Akil was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and realized early on that she wanted to dedicate her life to fighting for equity in education. “My life, in some ways, was shaped by de facto…
Sharon Washington Brings a Trauma-Informed Approach to Anti-Racism Consulting
Sharon Washington is the founder and CEO of Sharon Washington Consulting, which provides sustainable strategies for institutions to promote equity, inclusion and belonging by cultivating racial literacy and anti-racism. The pathway to this work started when Sharon was just four years old and her family moved from Oakland, California to rural Oregon where Sharon’s family…
Samra Ghermay Believes in the Power of Inclusive Philanthropy
Samra Ghermay is the Director of Development and Communications for the Sadie Nash Leadership Project, a nonprofit at the intersection of love and rigor that empowers young women and gender-expansive youth of color as agents for change in their lives and in the world. Growing up in Eritrea, East Africa, Samra watched her mother and…
Eshé Collins Advocates for Equity in Education
Eshé Collins is the Senior Director of Programs at Jumpstart, a national early education organization dedicated to providing high-quality education access for all children. She also serves as Chair of the Atlanta Board of Education. From a young age, Eshé noticed the economic and educational disparities in her hometown. “You often hear about a tale…
Mia Dunlap: The Audacity to Design a Life She Loves
Mia Dunlap a leadership and development director and coach at a remote nonprofit organization. She also works as a workshop facilitator and keynote speaker with her own company, Adversity Yields Audacity (AYA), an organization she founded in 2012 to empower young adults to use their adversity as a bridge to design the life of their…
Christina Carter-Grant Thinks Outside The Box in Her Community Development Work
Christina Carter-Grant is the Associate Director of the National Land Bank Network at the Center for Community Progress, the only national organization dedicated to the revitalization of vacant properties. “I grew up in a neighborhood that suffered from heavy disinvestment and deterioration,” Christina says. “I never knew what it was like to really feel safe…