Meet jade
MerritT

Anike, although born in Santa Barbara, California, and a true West Coaster at heart grew up in Baltimore, Maryland with her parents and two younger brothers. She is proud to come from a family of educators, avid sports fans, and competitive Monopoly players. After graduating from The Bryn Mawr School for Girls, Anike received a bachelor of arts in Government and Foreign Affairs from The University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor from Columbia University.

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Anike’s professional experience includes over 22 years in the non-profit sector, working in fund development, event planning, marketing, and communications. Her areas of focus have included child & youth development, education, housing, and equal opportunities for women and girls. Prior to joining Associated Black Charities as Director of Development & Strategic Partnerships, Anike served as Director of Advancement at Huckleberry Youth Programs, Vice President of Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, the Foundation and Corporate Relations Manager at Housing Opportunities Women, and the Director of Development at The HistoryMakers, located in Chicago, Illinois. Anike is a 2014 Next Generation Leaders of Color Fellow and former member of the Leadership Committee of the San Francisco-based Alliance for Girls. Anike currently serves on the Board of Directors for Mikey’s Miracle Foundation and regularly attends workshops and conferences addressing the current state of philanthropy and best practices in the field. Anike believes that non-profits are responsible for initiating and guiding the change we want to see in this world, and she is dedicated to playing an important role in the transformative work of non-profit and philanthropic organizations.

As a young professional, Kayenecha has been steadily making her mark on the arts and entertainment industry behind the scenes. Her passion has catapulted her to become an advocate and super supporter of the arts, most notably through her first company Gypsy Soul Ent, her significant work with The Grammy’s throughout the Mid-Atlantic, and now via the nonprofit she founded, Creative Nomads.

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Her personal goal is to provide more educational resources to both arts professionals and youth in ways that are fun, build community, and foster personal growth for all involved. She believes completely that emerging arts professionals without professional development and access to successful peers are less likely to fully realize their potential. She is also acutely aware that youth that have little to no access to arts, music, and wellness tools are deprived of discovering their vast capabilities to imagine and manifest their dreams or thrive in today's society. Art is too important to not support on a professional or youth level. Her commitment to creatives has empowered her to build several platforms that uplift art and artists in unique ways. Through this entity, she advocates for access - access for artists to other established peers for guidance and connection and access for youth and their families to art, music, and culture in ways that are engaging and sometimes uncommon. She has designed innovative parent engagement programs like Drumming With Dad and Mindfulness With Mom.

Amazingly in such a short time, she has worked to impact over to 2500 students and 400 parents with a unique approach to arts education experiences. She was recently named to the Kennedy Centers’ Culture Caucus for a 2-year term and was a 2019 Baltimore Homecoming Hero semi-finalist

Joseph L. Tucker Edmonds is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies and Religious Studies at Indiana University’s School of Liberal Arts (IUPUI). He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Brown University, his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Duke University.

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His research interests are black and womanist theologies, alternative Christianities in the black Atlantic, the role of scripture in African and African American religious traditions, and the relationship between Africana religious identity, citizenship, and globalization. While Joseph has an active research agenda and has published articles in scholarly journals and collected volumes, he considers himself a scholar-teacher who loves the challenges and the excitement of the classroom. In 2016, Joseph was awarded the 2016 IUPUI Trustees’ Teaching Award for excellence in classroom teaching. Additionally, Joseph has received grants and fellowships from Indiana University, The Woodrow Wilson Foundation, The Fund for Theological Education, and The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to support his teaching and research efforts.

In addition to teaching and research, Joseph is actively involved in the Indianapolis community and serves on a variety of boards. He is a member of the Greater Indianapolis chapter of the NAACP and has led a series of community forums on education, social justice, and community reform. He is a board member of the Herron-Morton (an Indianapolis historic neighborhood) Foundation Board and is a long-serving volunteer and is currently a board member for a global non-profit Christian micro-finance organization, PEER (Partnering for Economic Empowerment and Renewal) Servants. Joseph is committed to helping non-profit organizations build capacity and use their missions to educate and transform local and global communities. Joseph resides in Indianapolis with his wife and daughter.

Recognized as one of Baltimore’s Top 40 under 40, Dr. Tammira Lucas is a thought leader who has quickly emerged as a trailblazer among young professionals and a powerful voice for communities locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Lucas is the founder of The Cube, Co-Founder of Moms As Entrepreneurs, Author, Speaker, Philanthropist, and Professor. Dr. Lucas has dedicated her life to focus on building stronger and equitable communities through leadership, education, social innovation, and entrepreneurship. Her biggest prides are her daughter, Ryann, and her husband, Robert.

Jania Massey is a social change advocate, providing building blocks for nonprofits one community at a time. Raised in Charlotte, NC, she obtained a Bachelor’s in Biology (minor in Chemistry and Psychology) as well as a Master’s in Healthcare Administration.

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As an Organizational Strategist passionate about service, she founded JSM Consulting Now, LLC, a professional non-profit consulting firm, with a focus on helping organizations implement strategic partnerships, community awareness, and sustainable development. Our client list includes organizations specializing in financial education, community engagement, and US/international development.

Jania also founded Stiletto Boss University, teaching women and youth how to start and sustain their own businesses. She is known as an authentic and transparent leader who strives to empower people to become a better version of themselves and realize their full potential.

In 2015, Jania was honored as a 40 under 40 honoree at WSSU, and in 2016, named one of the Seven to Watch in 2017 by the Charlotte Observer, 2019 Trailblazer Award from her alma mater West Charlotte High School, and 2019 Candace Award for Economic Empowerment from 100 Black Women- Charlotte Chapter. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

A Baltimore native, Krystle is the Principal Attorney at Myers Law Group, a boutique law firm with a primary focus on meeting the legal needs of small and midsize businesses. With more than a decade of extensive law experience in key practice areas such as business law, intellectual property, non-profit law employment and labor law, and entertainment law, her portfolio is growing steadily and includes fearless entrepreneurs, mighty small businesses, nonprofits, bloggers, podcast personalities, a host of other creatives.

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Krystle got her start working for a boutique corporate and entertainment law firm. This is where she gained traction and harnessed her craft, learning the ins and outs of contract drafting and negotiation, and business formation. As a master corporate matchmaker, she swiftly learned how to connect angel investors with corporations seeking financiers, business planning and strategies, 501(c)(3) formation, copyright and trademark registration, negotiations, and other transactional matters.

Krystle also has experience in the public sector where she is hailed as an expert in federal labor and employee relations, and her responsibilities include handling various administrative law and policy matters. Additionally, as a certified mediator, she is well versed in business conflict resolution and has broad experience in arbitration.

In her spare time, Krystle consistently mentors young women in business, sits on the board of two nonprofit organizations - Mikey's Miracle Foundation and Stiletto Boss University, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta.

Krystle prides herself on living her life according to Luke 12:48 “To whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.”