2024 Social Impact Women to Watch

Dr. Ann Barnes is President and CEO of Episcopal Health Foundation. She joined EHF in October of 2022. Throughout her career, Ann has led innovative care solutions that go beyond the doctor’s office to tackle social, economic, and environmental drivers of health. 

Most recently, Ann served as Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer at Harris Health, the largest safety-net health system in Greater Houston. Ann was responsible for developing the system’s health equity strategy and also led the system’s efforts to improve population health, prevent disease, and address chronic conditions by integrating community resources that impact underlying, non-medical conditions like food security, safe places to exercise, poverty, and more. 

Prior to Harris Health, she was Chief Medical Officer at Legacy Community Health, a large federally qualified health center system in Houston that serves more than 170,000 patients. Ann oversaw all clinic services and was instrumental in introducing the Health Leads model for patient health that focused on non-medical drivers of health. 

She also served as the principal investigator for a National Institute of Health project that established a first-of-its-kind registry to understand factors that lead to successful weight loss maintenance in African Americans. 

Ann is a proud native of Houston’s Fifth Ward and came back to work with Houston’s at-risk communities after graduating from Yale University and Harvard Medical School. She’s a board certified internist who completed her residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and also earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Casey Bartrem is an Environmental Scientist and TIFO’s Executive Director. Dr. Bartrem has a B.S. in Environmental Biology/Zoology from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from University of Idaho. Dr. Bartrem has worked on human health risk assessments in mining/recycling communities in Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and the United States. She is a visiting lecturer at the American University of Armenia’s School of Public Health where she teaches a course in Environmental Health Risk Assessment for the Master of Public Health Program. Dr. Bartrem assists Alta Science and Engineering with quality assurance/quality control and analyses of blood lead/soil lead data for the Bunker Hill Superfund Site, one of the largest contaminated sites in North America. From 2007-2009, Dr. Bartrem was a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in the Kingdom of Lesotho, working with communities on grassroots health and development projects. In November 2019, Dr. Bartrem was inducted into the Collegium Ramazzini, an independent, international academy comprised of experts in the fields of occupational and environmental health. 

Aisha Brown is the Chief Financial Officer at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. She oversees both operational and programmatic support of the organization and leads all aspects of the organization’s finances, including the development and management of budgets, preparation of financial statements and reporting to Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s board. Aisha brings with her nearly two decades of financial management experience in the private and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on developing policies and procedures to improve performance and productivity.

Before joining the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Aisha worked at the International Labor Rights Forum, a nonprofit that supports international labor rights, where she was the Director of Finance & Administration for nearly five years. As Director of Finance & Administration and member of the Executive Management Team, Aisha was responsible for all areas related to finance and accounting, human resources, administration, and information technology infrastructure. Aisha worked closely with the Board of Directors; she was also the lead staff member on audit and compliance issues.

Prior to ILRF, Aisha was a financial management advisor for several nonprofit organizations, including the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation and the Flavor and Extracts Manufacturers Association. As financial management advisor of NJAMF and FEMA, she defined their strategic directions, prepared new business plans, streamlined financial and procedural policies and created monitoring and accountability systems.

Aisha earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and studied Business Management and Finance at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Tiffany Brown, MBA, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, is a passionate leader in the profession of architecture. Tiffany has spearheaded raising awareness on how representation makes a significant social impact on firm practice, culture, education, and design thinking. A pioneer for diversity and inclusion, she is a sought-after expert frequently speaking at national events including South by Southwest and the AIA Conference on Architecture, and is also featured in ESSENCE Magazine, AIA+Architect Magazine and Architectural Record. 

Tiffany has been named among Architizer’s 100 Women to Watch in Architecture and has received recognitions and awards across the industry, most recently the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards for her outstanding leadership of NOMA through a period of growth and transformation and building relationships with other organizations shaping the profession. 

Tiffany holds a B.Arch, M.Arch and MBA from Lawrence Technological University. Prior to accepting the role as executive director of NOMA, Tiffany worked as a Project Manager in SmithGroup’s Detroit office.

A nationally recognized, highly accomplished leader, business innovator, author, and strategic advocate for value creation in health and education, Dr. Ruth C. Browne is the President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY). Her expertise and innovative approach, developed during her nearly 20 years as a CEO in the nonprofit healthcare sector, inform her perspective in shaping organizational vision, to create competitively superior programs and services across stakeholders.

Dr. Browne brings progressively responsible Board and C-Suite level experience in governance, digital transformation, DEI, talent acquisition, change management and revenue generation. With her comprehensive board experience, she is able to leverage her knowledge of fiduciary oversight, audits, compliance, and strategic enhancements to values and engagement.

In her role as President and CEO, Ruth promotes the mission of Ronald McDonald House New York, which is to provide support and services to families battling pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses. In addition, the organization works to ensure health equity for these families through financial assistance, temporary housing and critical social services. Under Browne’s leadership, Ronald McDonald House New York raised $1.8 million at its 30th annual gala. As a member of the Manhattan chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, she promotes leadership opportunities for African American women. Browne is a board member of Public Health Solutions and a member of her company’s global strategic planning committee.

Chanté Coleman serves as the Senior Vice President of Equity and Justice where she leads the effort to fully operationalize equitable policies and practices and supports the organization to actively challenge systemic racism. She drives culture change by reframing how the organization thinks about power, while also encouraging others to develop their own expertise on equity and justice in their work.

Chanté is an expert in large-scale ecosystem restoration and coalition-building and was previously the Director of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, a 230-member advocacy organization focused on protecting the Chesapeake Bay watershed. At the Coalition, she led regional scale strategies to evolve an intentional focus on equity and justice for the Coalition and its member organizations. Chanté is a member of the Green Leadership Trust, was named a “rising star” by Green 2.0, is a 2017 Environmental Leadership Program Fellow and a 2020 Better Selves Fellow. She frequently appears as a speaker, trainer and facilitator at conferences across the country.

Coleman is a graduate of Princeton University and California Western School of Law. She currently resides in San Diego, California, and is a firm believer in self-care, regularly practicing yoga and meditation.

Mrs. Kimberly Corbin is the Chief Administrative & Financial Officer for the Greater Washington Urban League. She formerly served as the Chair of Maryland Nonprofits. Prior to joining the League in 2014, Mrs. Corbin served as the Director of Finance for Montrose Ministries. She began her nonprofit executive career as the President and CEO of the National Black MBA Association. Mrs. Corbin brings to the nonprofit sector an impressive record of accomplishment in Corporate America where she spent 20 years engaged in financing corporate operations, leverage buyouts and private equity investments. Over this time, she served in various leadership positions at American Capital, GE Capital, Fieldstone Private Capital Group, and Bankers Trust Company.

Mrs. Corbin holds an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Florida A&M University. Mrs. Corbin is a proud mother to two teenage daughters, Aset Nia and Imani Isis.

Tanis serves the mission of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to end hunger with a commitment to equity, collaboration and community. Joining the Food Bank in 2021, Tanis previously served as a leader in the YWCA movement for almost twenty years, most recently as CEO of a combined YWCA Silicon Valley, and YWCA San Francisco & Marin since immigrating to the US in 2014. During her tenure leading YWCAs, she centered on the mission of eliminating racism and empowering women to grow impact, launch innovative programs, and grow operations by 400%. 

Tanis has served on the Silicon Valley Council of Non-Profits Leadership Council, the National Association of YWCA Executives Board of Directors, and as Co-Chair of the Santa Clara County Blue Ribbon Task Force on Intimate Partner Violence. She has been recognized as a Silicon Valley Business Journal Woman of Influence, the YWCA of Canada’s President’s Award, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for service, and in recognition of housing advocacy and policy change the Elizabeth Fry Society’s Housing Hero Award. 

Tanis enjoys cooking, gardening, and any opportunity to explore the outdoors of our beautiful Bay Area with her family and dogs. 

Lisa David is the President and CEO of Public Health Solutions. She leads the organization to support underserved families in achieving optimal health and building pathways to reach their potential. Under Lisa’s guidance, PHS improves health outcomes among low-income families and communities by providing direct services such as food assistance, health insurance enrollment, maternal and child health support and sexual and reproductive health services; delivering robust fiscal and administrative grant support for over 200 community-based organizations across the city; and developing coordinated and accountable networks that bridge health and human services that make a sustainable impact on community health. 

Lisa has over 30 years of experience in the public health and healthcare sectors. Prior to joining PHS, she held positions as the Interim CEO of Medicines360, the EVP and COO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Vice Chair for Administration of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Columbia School of Physicians and Surgeons. Lisa currently serves on the Health and Mental Hygiene Advisory Council and the Health and Mental Health Advisory Committee for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Policy Committee of the United Hospital Fund, the Priority and Strategy Council of the Human Services Council, and the New York City Mayor’s Public Health Advisory Council. She also serves on the board of directors of Medicines360, the board of trustees of the Women’s Health Activist Movement Global (WHAMglobal), the board of National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), and the board of The Human Services Council (HSC). 

With over two decades of leadership experience, Bior Guigni embodies visionary leadership and strategic excellence by demonstrating an unwavering commitment to team building, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and advocating for underserved populations. Bior’s passion for fostering cultural changes is evident in her hands-on approach, leading by example, and nurturing individual growth within the team. Her empathetic and compassionate leadership style ensures that the human element is at the forefront of every decision.

As a seasoned executive and consultant, Bior specializes in crafting sustainable strategies and solutions for organizations, focusing on making larger and longer-term impacts. Community building, ownership, and going above and beyond are ingrained in her leadership philosophy, as is the belief in making education and involvement accessible to funders. Bior’s unique ability to view situations from multiple perspectives enables her to develop long-term, sustainable approaches that prioritize stakeholder impact. She thrives in creating achievable goals and timelines while streamlining processes to ensure the utmost effectiveness and success in all endeavors.

Debra “Deb” Kelsey wasn’t born into a fishing family but became part of one in 2009. In her own words, “Because I come from a fishing family, I have faced the same challenges and inequities confronted by others in the New Bedford fishing community. This helps me in my role as a Navigator because I understand and can take action to help others in ways I would want to be helped if I were in their shoes. The outreach we do on the waterfront is my favorite part of the job and every day I am making new Fishing Partnership memories.” 

Rita recognized early in her career that when it comes to healthcare, a one-size approach does not fit all. She undertook the challenge of transforming United Hebrew from its modest beginnings to a one-of-a-kind campus of senior services: United Hebrew Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, Willow Towers Assisted Living, Soundview and Meadow Lane Senior Apartments, a Certified Home Health Agency, and Willow Gardens Memory Care, Westchester’s first assisted living residence dedicated to caring for those with memory impairment.

Rita has made it her mission to inspire her staff to bring out the best in themselves and others. As a result, United Hebrew has one of the lowest staff turnover rates in New York State and is able to provide a consistency of care that is unparalleled. Creating a compassionate environment where people want to work in turn creates a nurturing environment where people want to live. She has made United Hebrew a valuable community resource for information and services on eldercare and aging.

Rita joined United Hebrew in 1976. She was named Chief Executive Officer in 1994, and in 2007, assumed the position of President & Chief Executive Officer. She has received numerous awards for her work:

In 2023, Rita was named a 2023 McKnight’s Pinnacle Award recipient, among a class of top industry veterans who have set new standards, driven change and inspired others in senior care, and was selected as a Healthcare Champion by the Westchester County Association, the region’s leading business advocacy organization. In 2022, Rita was named a Crain’s New York Notable Leader in Healthcare. She was recognized as a Westchester Magazine Healthcare Hero and Westchester County Business Journal C-Suite Executive Award winner in 2021. She was named a McKnight’s Woman of Distinction and received the Iona College Women of Achievement Award in 2020.

Previous honors include being selected for a Leadership Award of the American Jewish Congress; Distinguished Leadership Award from the American College of Healthcare Administrators; The Brother Arthur A. Loftus Award for Outstanding Achievement from Iona College; and the Westchester County Golden Harvest Jim Curran Leadership Award, which recognizes service and leadership in enhancing the quality of life for the elderly. 

Rita also served as the first woman president of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and was named by the group as both a Woman of Excellence and Corporate Professional of the Year. Rita is a member and fellow of the American College of Health Care Administrators and a Licensed New York State Nursing Home Administrator. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Iona College.

Ying McGuire is the first Asian American CEO & president of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), America’s most influential and successful minority business development organization connecting over 17,000 minority business enterprises (MBEs) with more than 1,700 corporate members. Multicultural and multilingual McGuire has over 15 years of executive leadership experience and is a leading advocate for expanding business diversity throughout both the private and public sectors. 

During her time with NMSDC, McGuire has led organizational transformation and technology modernization efforts aimed at positioning the organization to achieve the ambitious goal of increasing annual revenue for NMSDC-certified MBEs to $1 trillion. 

Prior to joining NMSDC, McGuire served as the global vice president of the Technology Integration Group (TIG), an NMSDC-certified minority owned technology company with 25 offices in the US, China, Canada, and a global partner network covering four continents. Prior to TIG, as a corporate leader at Dell Technologies, McGuire built and sustained high impact global initiatives across many functions and mentored numerous entrepreneurs and CEOs (Chief Executive Officer). 

McGuire also holds a variety of community leadership roles. In 2016, she was appointed by the United States Secretary of Commerce to the United States Investment Advisory Council. She served as the first woman chair of an advisory board of the International Trade Center (ITC), a joint agency of the United Nations and WTO based in Switzerland. In 2021, McGuire was appointed to the Council of Underserved Communities (CUC) which provides advice, ideas, and opinions on SBA programs and services and issues of interest to small businesses in underserved communities. She is also a founding board member of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC) and a board advisor of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. 

During her career, McGuire has been repeatedly acknowledged for her work as an advocate for supplier diversity: named “Twenty-Five Influential Women in Business” by MEA Magazine; “America’s Top Diversity Advocate” by DiversityBusiness.com; and “Best of the Decade” by Minority Business USA. McGuire regularly speaks on supplier and business diversity and economic development and has been featured at many regional, national, and international conferences including the World Export Forum. 

Born and raised in China, McGuire immigrated to the U.S. with just one suitcase and $1,000 to pursue her American dream. After receiving a master’s degree in business administration of international management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, she embarked on the professional and personal journey that led to her true calling – helping others like her achieve their American dreams. 

As Upstream’s Chief of Organizational Effectiveness and Culture (OEC), Nicole reports directly into the CEO and oversees three essential departments: Human Resources (People Team), Equity-Diversity-Inclusion Business Unit and the hub Office of OEC which is the vertical’s operational and strategic connector. OEC is charged with strengthening Upstream’s organizational effectiveness, culture and talent capabilities through a renewed commitment to effective communication, talent strategy, and a rewarding people experience that is rooted in our core values of Mission, Trust, EDI and Joy as a foundational anchor to our success and performance. As Chief of OEC, Nicole champions this objective, serving as a strategic partner and thought leader with administrative, operational and fiscal oversight for these teams, extending an array of advisory and tactical supports across the organization in service of our mission to scale with impact.

Nicole previously served as Upstream’s 1st Chief of Staff overseeing the launch of our Office of CEO which was dissolved and redesigned as stated above. Nicole also formerly led Upstream’s state-wide effort in North Carolina as the Executive Director, partnering with healthcare providers in a shared commitment to help women conveniently access the most effective and full range of contraceptive methods through sustainable and outcome-based training and technical assistance. Nicole’s clinical and executive career path has been infused with over twenty years of diverse experience providing fiscal, strategic and operational leadership in dynamic and fast paced business landscapes yielding proven outcomes and return on investment.

Morgan Monaco is President of Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Administrator, a dual appointment by Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks, and is responsible for setting the vision and overall strategy for Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s flagship park. 

As President of the Alliance, the nonprofit organization that manages the park in partnership with the City of New York, Monaco leads a workforce of more than 200 Alliance and NYC Parks staff, who work side-by-side in the day-to-day operations of the park, and oversees fundraising and revenue-generating activities that provide $14 million in general operating support each year. Monaco, whose public sector career spans both government and nonprofit organizations, brings extensive knowledge of park equity and community development to the position, as well as strong leadership in driving sustainable impact for civic organizations. Monaco is the first Black leader of the Alliance, further diversifying executive leadership within the open space sector, and continues the legacy of female leadership at the Alliance over the course of its 35-year history. 

Prior to the Alliance, Monaco served as Executive Director of the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a youth and community development nonprofit impacting the 6,500 residents of the Red Hook Houses, Brooklyn’s largest public housing development. Monaco was instrumental in leading RHI through the pandemic and helped to bring in funding relationships and new staff to help stabilize and grow RHI’s impact. Prior to that, Monaco led a team within the New York City Mayor’s Office of Operations, where she helped to ensure that City government remained accountable to its residents by increasing operational efficiency, and by managing broad-reaching equity initiatives. She also helped to create OneNYC, which combines sustainability, equity and resiliency policy into one plan for NYC’s future. 

Morgan is currently a member of the New York City Environmental Justice Advisory Board, serves on the board of Nonprofit NY, and is co-chair of the Parks and Open Space Partners leadership committee. She is serving on the 2024 Brooklyn Community Foundation Spark Prize committee, and is the recipient of the Robin Hood Power Fund grant in 2021. 

A born and raised New Yorker, Monaco recognizes the value parks hold for city dwellers and has cherished urban parks since her childhood, which she spent growing up just outside of Central Park. Earlier in her career, Monaco served two tenures at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, first as Director of the MillionTreesNYC Initiative and later as Director of Stewardship for Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources. Morgan has a master’s degree in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management from NYU Wagner, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Vassar College. She lives in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, with her husband, a fellow public servant, and their son and two cats, Raymour and Flannigan. Her family is an avid user of Prospect Park.

Donna Murray-Brown is the inaugural Vice President of Strategy and Development of the National Council of Nonprofits. In her new role, Donna will lead the growth of NCN’s core resources through practical and impactful strategic initiatives that integrate the knowledge, policy and advocacy competencies and support the network in advancing those strategic initiatives. 

Donna can trace her introduction to the nonprofit sector back 25 years while serving on the United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s advisory board. After transitioning from a 20+ year banking career serving in various senior management roles, including the Vice President and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Director for Charter One Bank, she officially began her career in the nonprofit sector in 2009. Initially, she led the work of the Metro Detroit Partnership Office for Michigan Nonprofit Association (MNA), a statewide membership organization serving nonprofits by providing a range of services, including advocacy, training, technology services and civic engagement initiatives. 

In 2013, Donna was named President and CEO of the MNA. During her tenure at MNA, she is credited for being a bold and inclusive leader who created space for groundbreaking nonprofit initiatives, including a Census 2020 Michigan complete count initiative, COVID-19 mitigation programs and strategies for nonprofits, and promoting strategies to support nonprofit leaders of color.

Twice honored as a NonProfit Times Power and Influence Top 50 leader in the nonprofit sector, Murray-Brown was recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business in 2021 as one of the Most Influential Women in Michigan. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Candid and Detroit Public TV, a PBS member station, and as part of the Leadership Council for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University.

She is a first-generation college graduate earning a master’s degree in Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Central State University. She also holds certifications in corporate community affairs from Boston College and strategic perspectives in nonprofit management from Harvard Business School.

Donna is a mother to three adult children and loves to travel and be with family and friends.  She resides joyfully with her life partner, Stan, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Lysa Ratliff is the CEO of KABOOM!, the national nonprofit that works to end playspace inequity for good. Throughout her career, Ratliff has been a champion for kids and the protection of childhood, leading efforts to connect diverse partners to unite and make change for communities and kids across the country, and around the world.

Since becoming CEO of KABOOM!, Lysa has emerged as a leading national advocate for equitable access to playspaces. Lysa has been invited to represent KABOOM! at several White House events and continues to engage with members of the administration, congressional leaders, and mayors to ensure that creating more opportunities for kids to play remains a priority across the nation.

Prior to becoming CEO, she was the Vice President of Partnership Development at KABOOM!, has held senior leadership roles at Habitat for Humanity International, Save the Children, and has led both public and private fundraising teams, cause marketing, international marketing, and communications campaigns with large global corporations. When not spending time with her own kids and husband, Lysa enjoys all things home, with most of her playtime being spent in the garden growing organic fruits and vegetables.

Lauren directs Kidsave’s Family Visit Programs and is our Master Trainer. She is the energy behind Summer Miracles, built Weekend Miracles Los Angeles into a successful program and she is responsible for program expansion. Lauren has been an excellent advocate and is passionate about finding permanency for older foster youth and was recognized in September 2018 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute with the Angels of Adoption award. A tenacious advocate for children, she raised three children while finding families for thousands. 

Lauren oversees Weekend Miracles Houston as well as all Summer Miracles Programs and directly manages Weekend Miracles Los Angeles. 

Alicia, the visionary force behind Limitless Ambition, is a trailblazer in women’s leadership development, dedicating her career to crafting impactful initiatives that resonate across K-12 and Higher Education spaces. As the founder and driving force of Limitless Ambition, Alicia has empowered over 6,000 young women through transformative teen enrichment programs.

Limitless Ambition stands as a beacon of empowerment under Alicia’s leadership, making an indelible mark on communities. The organization’s commitment to empowering women is evident through teen enrichment programs, donating care packages to girls in foster care, and hosting inspirational women’s empowerment events within the community.

​Alicia’s passion for fostering positive change extends beyond Limitless Ambition and is further exemplified by her role as the Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships at Summit Education Initiative (SEI). In this capacity, she orchestrates collaborative efforts for systems change in education across the cradle-to-career continuum. As a backbone organization, SEI works to make education attainable for individuals at every stage of life, and Alicia’s leadership plays a pivotal role in driving impactful policies, programs or processes. She holds a master’s degree in human development and Family Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising from Kent State University.

Recognized for her outstanding contributions, Alicia has received numerous accolades, including the 2020 Kent State University College of Education Recent Alumni Award, the 2020 Athena Young Professional Award, the 2019 Akron Women’s Network Emerging Leader Award, the 2019 Crain’s Cleveland Notable Women in Entrepreneurship Award, and the 2017 Greater Akron Chamber 30 for the Future Award. In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious Delta Sigma Theta Emerging Leader Award. Moreover, Limitless Ambition, under Alicia’s leadership, earned the 2021 National Association of Social Workers Agency of the Year Award.

Alicia’s journey, with Limitless Ambition at its core, stands as a testament to her unwavering dedication to empowering women and effecting lasting positive change within communities. Through her transformative work and visionary leadership, Alicia continues to shape a brighter, more inclusive future for generations to come.

Carol Spahn was sworn into office as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps on December 21, 2022. She brings more than 25 years of public and private sector experience and has worked in countries around the world on issues ranging from small business development and infectious disease prevention to women’s empowerment.

She most recently served as the Peace Corps’ Chief Executive Officer and, prior to that, as acting Director. Previously, Director Spahn was also the Peace Corps’ Chief of Operations in the Africa Region and the Country Director of Peace Corps/Malawi. Director Spahn’s Peace Corps roots extend back to when she was a volunteer from 1994 to 1996 in Romania, where she served as a small business advisor.

Before returning to the Peace Corps as country director, Director Spahn was Senior Vice President of Operations at Women for Women International, an organization serving marginalized and socially excluded women in conflict affected countries. Prior to that, Director Spahn served as Executive Director of Accordia Global Health Foundation, a nonprofit focused on creating sustainable centers of excellence in health in Africa. She served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, a nonprofit private equity fund manager that invests in small- and medium-sized companies in developing countries. She has also held positions at leading private sector institutions, including GE Capital and KPMG Peat Marwick.

Director Spahn holds a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in international development from the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.

Erika is President and Co-Founder of the Growing Love Community Garden.  GLCG was established in 2017 and officially opened in 2018. Erika has a Masters of Social Work from Adelphi and Certificate in Organic Gardening from Cornell Cooperative.  She has lived in Port Washington for 24 years with her husband, Richard, five kids and two golden retrievers. 

Terry Stigdon has a career that has spanned nursing to government work and is now the Chief Executive Officer of the Indiana Region of the American Red Cross. She is a true servant leader. In 2018 Terry had been appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to lead the Department of Child Services (DCS) where she transformed how the agency functioned and worked with families and children in need. Terry knows firsthand the importance of working with a community. During her time at DCS Indiana saw the number of children in foster care decrease by 50% while federal safety measures improved. Before her appointment to DCS Terry had been a nurse for more than 20 years. She was a nurse leader at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health for almost 20 years. While at Riley Hospital Terry was a manager in the Intensive Care Unit. She then served as a manager for the emergency department and lastly as Director for the Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center, Trauma Program, Car Passenger Safety Program and Inpatient Behavioral Health. 

Terry received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Indianapolis and her MSN in Nursing Leadership and Management from Western Governors’ University. She has been married to her husband Jay for almost 30 years and they have three adult children and one grandchild.

DeLisha Tapscott, EdD, is a writer and social change agent with a background in English Literature and a master’s degree in organizational management specializing in Leadership and Media Management. She has utilized her knowledge within the #SayHerName movement to help others become a catalyst for change by using their platforms to speak up against injustices impacting the Black community. At MADRE, she is the Senior Director of People & Culture. She seeks to center organizational change using a people-centered approach to coaching, equity and inclusion, people operations, and culture building by acting as a champion of organizational development.

With a focal point on Black women, she believes that “Black women and their stories are ignored and often become whispers in the background, like ghosts in the night.” As a facilitator, she has utilized her talents to speak at Harvard University, Texas A&M University and the University of Maryland on the topics of social justice, the experiences of Black women within society, and intersectionality. DeLisha recently finished her doctoral degree at The University of Dayton in their School of Education and Health Sciences EdD program, focused on Organizational Leadership. Her research examines the intersectional experiences of identity negotiation and Black women within white-dominant spaces.

Attorney Vangela M. Wade has a long-standing connection to Mississippi Center for Justice, having joined the Board of Directors in 2016 and served as Secretary/Treasurer, Chair of the Audit Committee, and Chair of the Board of Directors. She currently serves as MCJ’s president and CEO. Vangela began The Wade Law Firm, PLLC, after building a diverse and distinguished résumé as a lawyer. Her background also includes working as a law clerk with the Mississippi Court of Appeals, a special prosecutor with the Madison/Rankin County District Attorney’s Office, and as a corporate defense attorney with local and national employment law firms. She has also served as an adjunct law professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law. In addition to her legal experience, she advised public and private employers and organizations as a consultant in matters involving diversity and fair employment practices.

Vangela currently serves on the board of Mississippi Today. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum – Mississippi Forum and of the Land Title Association of Mississippi. Previously, she served on the board of trustees of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School for eight years. She earned a Bachlor of Arts from Mississippi State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

With over 23 years of experience in Mississippi Law, Vangela is dedicated to the fight against Mississippi’s culture of injustice by seeking systemic solutions to ensure equity in the lives of all Mississippians.

Selena Wilson has a unique background that combines deep knowledge and experience in youth development, adult learning and performance, culture and engagement, and organizational change.

A native of Oakland, California, Selena obtained her bachelor’s degree in human services from Holy Names University. She went on to spend several years leading elementary school enrichment programming with the City of Piedmont before transitioning to Northwestern University, where she earned a Master of Science in Learning and Organizational Change. After completing her graduate studies, Selena served as a management consultant for the Organization Transformation and Talent division of Deloitte Consulting where she worked with private and government sector clients, including Fortune 200 companies and state-wide government agencies, to deliver large-scale change initiatives. In addition to client work, Selena contributed to and led several internal projects as an active member of the firm’s Black Employee Network (BEN) and Women’s Initiative (WIN).

Selena currently serves as the CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) where she attended programming as a youth. In this role, Selena has leveraged her multifaceted skill set to streamline operations across the organization and enhance program effectiveness through evidenced-based practices, with a focus on trauma-informed, healing-centered care for Black and Brown youth.

In addition to her work with EOYDC, Selena serves as the Learning & Transformation Specialist at Decolonize Design, a global community development consulting firm that partners with individuals and organizations to think and act in ways that drive transformative change. In her spare time, she also creates written and video content through her multi-channel platform, Selena’s Musings.