The Woman Behind the Work

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I’m from fried fish on Friday nights, salmon croquettes and biscuits on Saturday mornings, and blue crabs just because. I’m from roast already simmering on Saturday night for Sunday dinner after church, hand-churned vanilla ice cream, and Sock-It-To-Me cake on the table. I’m from family trips to Busch Gardens, games at the Gator Bowl, and shopping at Gateway Mall.

Being from Jacksonville, Florida, I didn’t fully appreciate it then, but I do now. Where I’m from shaped more than I realized. It gave me rhythm, grit, humor, faith, family, and a deep respect for people who know how to keep showing up. I also went to undergrad at South Carolina State University, GO BULLDOGS!!! And those roots, both Southern and sacred, still show up in how I lead, serve, love, and move through the world.

Professionally, I serve as the Senior Director of Alumni Engagement at Winston-Salem State University, where I engage alumni, build meaningful connections, strengthen institutional pride, and help create spaces where Rams remember not only where they came from, but what they carry forward.

This work allows me to bring together strategy, storytelling, leadership, legacy, and community in a way that feels deeply aligned with who I am and what I believe leadership should be.

Ministerially, I am an ordained Itinerant Elder in the AME Church and have been preaching for more than 20 years. My ministry is rooted in faith, shaped by justice, and called to speak where silence has done too much damage.

I have served in many areas of church leadership, but my most sacred work centers on domestic violence awareness, survivor advocacy, and helping create spaces where people are seen, heard, protected, supported, and believed.

Beyond my professional and ministerial work, I serve through board leadership, advocacy, and community engagement centered on children, mental health, faith, justice, and survivor support. I currently serve as Board Chair for the Interfaith Children’s Movement and have also been connected to organizations such as NAMI DeKalb, Tapestri, Inc., and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Academically, my road has been full, intentional, and anything but ordinary. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Project Management, graduate certificates in Entrepreneurship and Leadership and Ethics, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry.

And because sitting down has apparently never been my ministry, I am preparing to move forward with a Ph.D. in the near future.

With all of that said, my greatest accomplishment is being the proud mother of my daughter, Joi.

Before any title, degree, pulpit, boardroom, or platform, that is the role that has stretched me, grounded me, humbled me, and blessed me the most.