#blackwomensparkchange
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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…
Audrey Williamson Brings a Social-Emotional Lens to Community Work
Audrey Williamson is the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition for KIPP Foundation, a nonprofit organization that recruits and trains outstanding educators for the network of free college-prep KIPP schools across the country. She also serves on the founding board of directors for Atlanta Unbound Academy, a K-8 public charter school dedicated to providing empowering, rigorous…
Dy Brown Encourages Young Adults to Own The Power of Their Voice
Dy Brown is Deputy Executive Director at Young Invincibles, a nonprofit focused on amplifying young adult voices in the political process, especially in the areas of healthcare, higher education, workforce development, and civic engagement. From an early age, Dy knew she had the power to make a difference in the world. Her mother was an…