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Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit: Planning Committee Bios
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ERINNE BROWN, Outreach Committee, , is a graduate of New York University with B.A. in Psychology and Politics. She currently works in Human Resources for HBO, and previously worked in HR for Sony Music Entertainment. Although she grew up in Maryland, she loves her home of New York City and spends much of her free time volunteering in that community, including service activities as a member of the New York Urban League Young Professionals, recent work for the Landon Dais for City Council campaign in her Harlem neighborhood, and work with the Organizing for Harlem initiative to mobilize young professionals to serve the underprivileged in Harlem. Erinne is especially passionate about supporting youth of color to reach their fullest potential and achieve their goals.
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KIERSTEN CHRESFIELD, Student Ambassador, is a senior at Millenium High School in Manhattan and will be attending Vanderbilt University in the fall as a Posse scholar. As a sophomore at Millennium, she co-founded the Maafa Club, an organization for students of the African Diaspora that meet weekly to celebrate, educate, and raise awareness about the Diaspora and its impact on our lives today. Through Maafa, Kiersten created the school’s first student-led service trip, and she looks forward to traveling to Ghana this February. This will be Kiersten’s 3rd year attending the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit, and her 1st year on the planning committee.
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MEKAELIA DAVIS, Fundraising Committee, is a Program Coordinator with the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Career Program. The SEO Career Program is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve diversity efforts in challenging and highly coveted industries. In this role, Mekaelia works as both a project and relationship manager, requiring her to supervise alumni volunteer initiatives, budget and manage recruitment efforts at dozens of colleges/universities, design and implement virtual pipeline projects, assist in the assessment of thousands of candidates, and coordinate career and professional development programming for hundreds of summer interns. Mekaelia works diligently to increase opportunities for minority college students in corporate America.
During the fall of 2008 Mekaelia was selected as a Junior Fellow with the United Way Nonprofit Leadership Development Institute (NLDI). Through NLDI, Mekaelia completed several seminars with the Baruch School of Public Affairs, while simultaneously completing the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Protégé program for emerging leaders in public administration. Both programs culminated in a research project analyzing high school graduation rates and structuring a strategic plan for using career high schools to improve retention and success rates. Prior to joining SEO, Mekaelia served as Benefit Coordinator with GHI, providing resolution for claim conflicts and coordinating Medicare secondary payer regulations.
Mekaelia also serves on the Board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of NYC working to build partnerships and collaborations with organizations and associations to support the success of the professionals in the New York City nonprofit community. As the External Affairs Chair, Mekaelia conceived and instituted the YNPN-NYC Professional Development Fair; providing a platform for nonprofit professionals to explore opportunities for professional advancement outside of full-time academic enrollment while maintaining full-time employment.
Outside of work, Mekaelia continues her commitment to youth and community development by mentoring high school students to earn admission and transition into top colleges and universities. Mekaelia attended Hunter College of the City University of New York where she received a BA in Political Science and a Minor in African and Puerto Rican Latino Studies.
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TAMARA J. DEWS, Entertainment Chair, is a Manager in the Business & Legal Affairs area of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. In this role, Tamara manages all aspects of contract administration for her clients, including negotiating, drafting, and editing both licensing and manufacturing agreements and issuing advance payments to third party record labels. In addition, Tamara conducts legal research and writing for synchronization licenses. Tamara holds an Intellectual Property Law certification from New York University School of Professional & Continuing Studies and a Bachelors of Arts degree in History and Politics from Mount Holyoke College. This is Tamara’s 3rd year serving as the Entertainment Chair for the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit.
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TWENDY DEL ORBE, Logistics Committee. Biography coming soon!
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ANDREA DEY, Outreach Committee, is passionate about the betterment of her community. She is dedicated to helping others see their unique purpose and ability to provide their community with service. She is the Founder and Co-Chair of T.R.E.D. group, a nonprofit organization for single-parent households which focuses on the head of household. T.R.E.D. provides career mentors, educational workshops, one-on-one coaching and is currently establishing the latch-key kid program. For the past 5 years, Andrea has also been the CEO of A Dey Plan, LLC (formerly Andrea Dey Event Planning) a Corporate Planning/Consulting Firm specializing in the Private Bank, Real Estate and Fine Art Capital area, advising and planning retreats that educate and motivate partners and other executive management on better ROIs. She has a Bachelors degree in General Psychology and a Masters in Clinical Psychology, specializing in the Geriatric arena. Websites: www.tredgroup.org and www.adeyplan.com.
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ALI DOWNES, Logistics Committee, is a recent graduate of the National Urban Fellows Program. As a National Urban Fellow, Ali obtained her Master’s of Public Administration through the Baruch College School of Public Affairs while simultaneously completing a 9 month mentorship at Bellevue Hospital Center.
Prior to her acceptance into the National Urban Fellows, Ali worked at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer (MSKCC), one of the world’s leading cancer centers. While at MSKCC Ali was the Physician Office Assistant to the Acting Chief of the Leukemia Service in the Department of Medicine.
Before working at MSKCC, Ali was a Program Manager for the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity Career Program (SEO). SEO is a nonprofit organization that recruits undergraduate students of color and offers educational summer internships with a Fortune 500 company.
Ali is also a graduate of Mount Holyoke College. During her time at Mount Holyoke she earned her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in African American Studies. She is an advocate for social justice, as well as access to equal education for underserved communities. Ali wants to continue her work with organizations that focus on improving the lives of people in low income communities. With her master’s, Ali plans to further develop and flourish as an effective leader and go on to help reshape the urban landscape.
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SALLOMÉ HRALIMA, Outreach Committee, is a Social Engineer for PlanIt Brooklyn, and is dedicated to creating and implementing paradigm-shifting strategies in urban communities, public education, and media, and is one of the most recognized and sought after guerrillas in New York City.
Sallomé has a liberal arts degree from Wesleyan University, has studied at Cape Coast University in Ghana, West Africa and Bank Street College of Education, has training from Landmark Education, and certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Companies that have benefited from her expertise include: Marc Ecko Enterprises, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Hip Hop Summit Action Network, WBAI – Pacifica Radio, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA), and Driving School for Life.
A pioneer in the movement for "Dream Managers" in public schools, Sallomé has served as a life-changing influence in the lives of youth and people of color for over 20 years.
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DANITA KING, PR & Marketing Chair, has a solid background in conceptualizing and executing out-of-the box, progressive and results-driven campaigns for an array of fashion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle brands. Highly driven, self-motivated and armed with an innate talent for PR, Danita began her career as an apprentice at a contemporary sportswear fashion showroom in London, followed by in-house positions for fashion and luxury brands Joseph Abboud and Coach in New York. Prior to launching her own venture, Danita held the position of Account Director at a boutique agency, where she was the primary strategic planner and media relations director for such notable brands as Bill Blass, Fabrikant Diamonds, Simmons Jewelry Company (Russell Simmons) and Disney, among other noteworthy fashion, beauty, luxury timepiece and fine jewelry brands.
In 2007, with years of industry experience and equipped with a vision to fill the void for innovative, brand-centric PR, Danita launched PR Noir, a boutique PR firm with a solid client roster in the fashion, beauty, luxury goods and lifestyle categories. Employing new, integrated media tactics, coupled with established industry and media relationships, PR Noir has quickly become one of the forerunning boutique agencies in New York, and—in fact— the agency of choice for some of the leading brands in fashion and beauty. Since its inception, the company— outside of its core client roster— has produced a number of special events, trunk shows, store openings, fashion shows and media events during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, trade shows, celebrity gifting suites, and other industry-related events.
PR Noir’s inventive media relations campaigns have laid the foundation for fostering strong relationships with key fashion editors, writers, reporters, television producers, celebrity stylists and industry executives. The company boasts an impressive portfolio and strong track-record of product placement press coverage, feature articles, celebrity-driven features, magazine covers and national television features in an array of top-tier media outlets across platforms.
Danita King holds a B.S. in English, Spanish and African Diaspora Studies from Tulane University and an M.S. in Corporate Public Relations from Boston University. Website: www.PRNoir.com.
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AUTUMN MARIE, PR & Marketing Committee. Biography coming soon!
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MARION NTIRU, Food Committee, is a national of Uganda. Marion was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya before moving to New York City in 1992. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 2002 with a double major in mathematics and economics, she worked as a consultant for Mercer HR Consulting (Retirement Practice) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (Risk and Compliance) in New York. In 2008, Marion earned her MBA in international business from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She is currently a management associate with Citi Cards in the New York office. Having lived in both developed and developing nations, she hopes one day to use her background in business to alleviate poverty in Africa. Marion loves to travel and is on a quest to visit all seven continents of the world; she also enjoys dance and music.
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AKUA SOADWA, Director of the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit, is the founder of the Gye Nyame (pronounced jean-yuh me) Empowerment Project (GNEP). Since her undergraduate years at Mount Holyoke College, Akua has always had a desire to marry her two passions - event planning and empowering people of Pan-African descent. Upon graduating from MHC, Akua returned to her hometown of Cleveland to pursue a Masters in Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University. While there, she re-instated and served as the President of the Black Graduate Student Association, and co-founded Health, Wellness and Happiness, a bi-monthly African-American newsletter, with the Glenville Health Foundation. These two mediums enabled Akua to empower members of her community through the sharing of untapped resources and vital information. This concept of sharing information and resources with the community rather than having them go through the daunting task of “figuring it out alone” would eventually serve as the underlying premise for GNEP.
Upon receiving her Masters degree in 2005, Akua moved to New York to work for the New York State Banking Department as a Public Management Intern. After a year of relentless, yet unanswered requests to volunteer her time and skills to organizations that catered to people of Pan-African descent, Akua decided to take a leap of faith and start her own organization, and GNEP was officially incorporated in February 2007. GNEP currently has the following programs: Get Lifted Mentorship Program; Real African Women (a partnership with Obaasema Magazine, and a forum for African women to discuss a variety of real issues pertinent to our experiences); Meeting of the Minds (a forum for men and women to discuss various topics impacting people of Pan-African descent); Sista-2-Sista Chat Sessions (workshops at partnering high schools); and the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit.
Akua is also the Director of the Community Affairs Unit at the New York State Banking Department; the owner of A Touch of Soadwa, a decorative pillow company that incorporates a host of vibrant African fabrics in its designs; the Assistant Director of the Lil’ Raggamuffin Summer Camp; and the Young Alumnae Representative for the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College.
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RAEVEN WESTERN, PR & Marketing Committee, is a mixture of Puerto Rican and Dominican decent, born, raised and schooled in NYC and she started modeling when she was in college – a late start in the fashion world, but right on time for her. "It was something I always dreamed of doing, but is was important that I at least finished high-school to make it a reality. Graduating HS, she visited ever agency in the city and was turned down. Continuing her education, she attended collage but still held the dream inside. Spotted at a fashion gig that her friend got her, an agent sorted her out to sign with an elite NYC agency. "I remember when I told my Mom I wanted to stop attending college to pursue modeling full time, I’ll never forget what she said, “If you have to get a part time job to pursue this, your going back to school”! So I pursued and it’s been 10 years thus far". Always a dreamer, she began to realize how few people she grew up with went after their dreams and lived the life they imagined. Taking life in a different direction, she moved forward with a title many are unaware of, The Dream Pusher. Communicating with people online and offline Raeven is helping bring back the meaning of what it is to Dream, Believe and Achieve the wishes people continue to make and do nothing about. Website: www.RaevenWestern.com.
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ZEBI WILLIAMS, Workshop Chair, is the co-founder and designer of the eco-friendly lifestyle brand BORN AS A RAGGAMUFFIN, LLC, a fashion company founded with the hopes of creating sustainable employment for women in the Caribbean. Zebi believes that women are the foundation of society and that from an early age girls must be taught their importance and given every opportunity to realize their potential. After working for such organizations as Women for Women Intl, and the Fresh Air Fund, Zebi took her passion for female empowerment and youth development to Kingston, Jamaica where she founded the Lil Raggamuffin Summer Camp, a charitable summer camp for children. Zebi also partnered with the YWCA of Ulster County to develop a documentary film workshop for high school girls interested in pursuing non-traditional careers and telling stories that are unique to the female experience. As a result, Zebi produced the 2005 puberty documentary titled THE RED SPOT. In January 2009, Zebi became a community organizer for the Good Old Lower East Side and The Retail, Wholesale/Department Store Union. As a community organizer she leads the Economic Justice Campaign for marginalized residents and small businesses in the Lower East Side and she helps to organize retail workers throughout NYC to fight for their rights and develop collective bargaining power. Zebi has a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology with a specialization in Caribbean Studies and Sustainable Development. This is the 3rd year that Zebi is working on the Sista-2-Sista Youth Summit and she looks forward to making our endeavor an ongoing success.
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T.I. WILLIAMS, Health & Wellness Workshop Committee. is an activist and educator who brings culinary arts and food justice to life through innovative workshops, cooking classes, and writings. Williams specializes in multi-sensory education and engaging demonstrations. A baker and raw foods chef and instructor, Williams uses foods in their whole state to teach audiences about slow and whole foods. Williams’ innovative Three Seasons cooking style empowers youth and adults to prepare healthy and sensational meals with ease.
Williams began preparing foods for others at the age of 9. Her lifelong culinary experiences have shaped a remarkable teaching style that is accessible, interactive, and memorable. Over the last decade, Williams has facilitated powerful dialogues on art, society, and culture with thousands of audience members as an educator. In 2008, Williams founded livesip, a natural food company, to bring the vibrant world of whole food to communities and corporate entities alike.
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