founder + ceo

Tammie Jones brings her razor sharp mind and intrinsic passion for lifting up people to this work. Tammie graduated with a bachelors degree from University of Virginia and her MBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Tammie has deep experience with nonprofit organizations whose focus have spanned youth development, education, parents/caregiver engagement, and neighborhood leadership development. Her career has incorporated both direct service nonprofits and philanthropy, having held senior positions at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, The Skillman Foundation, Detroit Parent Network, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeast Virginia. 

Tammie is honored to serve as a board member at the BFDI Training Institute and is a certified trainer in Restorative Practices.

project consultants

John Ray is a skilled education leader who’s provided services to students and communities across the country with a focus on bringing equity to historically underserved areas. As a nonprofit leader he worked to bridge the STEM opportunity gap in partnership with institutions including University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Google, and General Motors. He specializes in program development, implementation, and assessment. John is an experienced facilitator trained in Design Thinking and applies DEI strategies through content, virtual/in-person sessions, learning opportunities, and coaching. John is a former classroom teacher and school leader in Detroit, MI, and Houston, TX. He holds his Master of Arts in Education from University of St. Thomas-Houston and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and Sociology from University of Michigan.

Carmen Thomas, principal of Capacity Solutions LLC, has more than 20 years of experience in community development, financial compliance and nonprofit management. Carmen’s specialties include organizational development and capacity building, project management, administering grants/contracts per federal rules and regulations and/or specific grant/contract language in collaboration with multiple partners. Over the last ten years, Ms. Thomas served as financial consultant for several major federal and state grants.

 Carla Wellborn is a dynamic youth development professional born and raised in Detroit, who is now pursuing her Ph.D. as a student in the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University. Previously, Carla served as the Director of Programs for Winning Futures, an organization committed to empowering students in and around the city of Detroit to succeed through workforce prep and mentoring programs. Carla led all program design, implementation, and evaluation. Before entering the non-profit realm, Carla taught English Literature and Reading Enrichment in Detroit and Chicago. Carla earned her bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Secondary Education from Wheaton College and received her M.Ed in Urban Pedagogy through a teacher-residency program in Chicago.

capacity building consultants

Monica Marie Jones is nationally-renowned for her facilitation, which supports adult learning in a myriad of styles and formats. Her work spans corporate, government and nonprofit sectors, where she helps to create transformational programs that reconnect leaders and teams to their careers with passion and purpose.

Jeannine Gant of Gigantic Concepts has a lived perspective on the unique challenges facing leaders of color. She possesses 32 years of nonprofit experience with deep knowledge in the areas of board governance and engagement, resource development, individual, corporate and foundation giving, strategic planning, operations, and program growth. 

Kaino Phillips is Pontiac born and raised. He is the son of the late Mayor and Michigan House of Representative Clarence Phillips and lifelong educator Lorene Phillips. Kaino has been in the field of corporate sales and management for close to 22 years. Currently, he serves in the position of President/CEO of the Clarence Phillips Ascend Foundation. 

n8 Mullen brings his artistic sensibilities to his work as a consultant and coach, helping to bring a strong human-centered design lens and a focus on somatic practice. Somatic practice helps leaders to recognize where they feel different emotions in their bodies and strengthening their leadership skills in response.

Tekiendria Batts is an experienced leader and connector with a demonstrated history of relationship-building, developing and exceeding team goals. She currently serves as the Executive Director, Health Education at Wayne State University, and has previously held leadership roles with Covenant Care and the Detroit Medical Center. A strong service professional, she is skilled at providing staff development in the areas of operations, customer service, business process improvement, and health administration. She is particularly skilled at helping organizations (1) develop and document their standard operating procedures, (2) align these to recruitment and training of staff, and (3) collect performance data and engage in continuous improvement.

youth enrichment consultants

Ephraim Clark is currently studying law at Wayne State University, having served in numerous nonprofit organizations to provide critical support to Detroit residents. Ephraim is an expert in Design Thinking, and helps to facilitate conversations to help ensure maximum impact in program design.

Kenya Sykes is an author, researcher, creative, and connector. She is the driving force behind KenShip L3C, a social enterprise built on the foundation of community that focuses on celebrating Black love, nurturing Black families, and preserving Black wealth. Kenya passionately advocates for her community, for the youth, and for social justice, fostering a space where Blackness is celebrated as an act of love and cultural affirmation.

Jamaal Williams is a native of Queens, Cornell University grad and City Year New York alumni, though he recently made Detroit his home. He has deep experience in youth development, using his tremendous skill in the areas of service-learning programming, group facilitation, and talent development. He currently serves as the Assistant Director of Training at Partnerships in Education and Resilience (PEAR), designing and facilitating adult learning around social emotional learning and development, STEM education, and transformative change for schools and youth-serving programs.