Introducing the Leadership Triangle Fall 2023 Transforming Leaders Goodmon Fellows
“The program is very intentional about establishing a safe space that allows for difficult conversations and growth. The faculty is committed to affirming different ethnicities, genders, races and lived experiences.I gained a wealth of information precisely because of the diversity of my cohort.”
Edith Nieves Lopez, 2023 Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow
Transforming Leaders is a 70+ hour masters level course in leadership development. Through personal reflection, 1:1 coaching, and cohort-based experiential learning, graduates of the program gain clarity on their values, practices, and leadership strengths.
Transforming Leaders is rigorous, immersive, and designed to allow each participant to shape their own leadership philosophy, style, and commitments. Please help us in congratulating our Fall 2023 Transforming Leaders Goodmon Fellows!
Alexandra Bartz is a 2016 graduate of the online UNC MPA program and returned to the program in 2022 as adjunct faculty. Since 2007, Bartz has devoted her career to work in nonprofits, focusing on program design, implementation, innovation, and evaluation. Currently, she serves as national director of program implementation at Summer Search, a national youth development nonprofit based in Oakland, California. In her role, Bartz oversees program implementation across the five-region network, drives continuous improvement for program operations and curriculum, and ensures staff have the structures, resources and support to run the program.
Angel Brown As a mother, facilitator, wife, educator, daughter, and storyteller, I value community, dignity, and love. I lead in a way in which my presence, curiosity, and practice can facilitate the power necessary to steward resources and tell stories that grow a future where our culture and economies are shaped by care for land, waters, and people to whom we belong.
Angela Milton serves as Membership Services Director at the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs. In her role, Angela is responsible for building member capacity, collecting and sharing best practices and membership engagement. She works closely with the President/CEO to plan, coordinate, and manage the creation of high-quality training activities for the members. Formerly an enlisted member of the U.S. Air Force, Angela has been an entrepreneur for more than 20 years, experienced in leadership, relationship-building, organizational development, project management, and implementation. She has numerous certifications and licenses and produced measurable results for her clients and in this role.
Ashley Kazouh is the Associate Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity at the Public School Forum of North Carolina. In this position, Ashley guides policy and research priorities related to racial equity, manages the Flood Center Fellowship program, and oversees the programmatic efforts of the Flood Center. Her current research has centered around strengthening the teacher pipeline, focusing on understanding the barriers within licensure policies and requirements that prevent candidates, especially those from diverse backgrounds, from entering the teaching workforce within North Carolina. Ashley is also a member of the Governor’s DRIVE Task Force, charged with creating a plan of action to increase racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity within North Carolina’s educator workforce.
Breyana Davis has over 9 years of experience as a public health practitioner. She is committed to work focusing on addressing health disparities and advancing equity through health policy, community engagement and development, and community-based policy, systems, and environmental approaches. Her professional experience includes leadership, program planning and implementation, evaluation, grant management, capacity building, and community engagement and development through various settings such as nonprofits, universities, community groups, and government organizations. Breyana currently serves as the Executive Director for the HBCU Health Equity Data Consortium (HEDC) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. In this role, she provides primary responsibility for the oversight and execution of operations, fiscal management, reporting, and continued strategic planning for the HEDC to address disparity gaps across historically marginalized populations in North Carolina. Breyana is a proud plant mom and an avid traveler who enjoys exploring new trails, trying new foods, and volunteering with her church.
Colin Tate is the Associate Director of Tutoring at Hill Learning Center. He has been helping students succeed for the past 17 years and loves working with dynamic and enthusiastic educators. As a product of Durham Public Schools (and a parent of DPS students), he is passionate about providing local area students with the best education possible. He is the incredibly lucky husband of his wife, Molly and father to Liam and Margot. In his free time, he loves spending time with his family and watching soccer, especially his beloved Liverpool.
Edith M Nieves Lòpez is the Founder of Developedia Consulting PLLC, a firm dedicated to neurodevelopmental evaluations for neurodivergent children and best practices for health equity. She is a bilingual pediatrician with 10+ years of experience. Her areas of expertise are focused on issues of social justice, health equity, neurodiversity, language justice, Latinx immigrant experience and mental health. She believes in targeted health literacy as a vehicle to empower communities to make informed decisions that will ultimately influence the wellbeing of the community. Her approach to health and wellness issues is done in a holistic manner through a culturally sensitive lens.
Emily Wade, co-founder of Empower All, Inc., believes in the liberatory potential of education, the life-giving power of community, and the reality that every person possesses an inner genius. She is doing her best to disrupt systems and remove barriers that prevent those around her from being fully human. After teaching Spanish for the past 10 years, she returned to school in a master’s program in ESL. She is married to a fútbol enthusiast and is a mother to two remarkable daughters.
Erin Yates As a community-based, person-centered case manager and executive director, I know that healthy communities create environments for people to reach their full potential. My career in homeless services, allowed me opportunities to identify best practices and community solutions aimed at providing stability to address the needs of the homeless population in both urban and rural settings. My work with youth in foster care has further expanded my knowledge on the impact of trauma to the family dynamic and how specific trauma-informed interventions are needed in all aspects of the process to support the children and families to create healthy long-term solutions that can change the history of a family. I have spent my career working to ensure that our neighbors have the supports they need and I am excited to return to my Permanent Supportive Housing roots.
Jeannine Brown is an experienced educator and nonprofit professional who views the world through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. She takes pride in bringing compassion and empathy to building and sustaining relationships. Jeannine’s skills include workshop facilitation, donor stewardship, engagement, and volunteer management. She enjoys working with nonprofit organizations to create sustainable transformations to shift their organizational cultures and develop a climate of inclusion for ALL. Jeannine serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals of the Triangle, holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Management through Drexel University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of N.C. at Greensboro.
Karinda Roebuck is a community organizing midwife by practice and a racial equity consultant by trade. Her career began as an anthropology student studying cross-cultural birth practices in Cape Coast, Ghana. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Davidson College, her BSN from UNC-Chapel Hill, and her MSN from Frontier School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her research since has encompassed postpartum depression among migrant, Latiné women, racial disparities in maternal health, and the historical impact of the criminalization of Black Granny Midwives and the subsequent loss to Black communities.
Kori Hennessey (they/them) As the first nonbinary Executive Director of the LGBT Center of Raleigh and one of the very few transgender leaders within Triangle area nonprofits, Kori has been dedicated to creating equitable and affirming opportunities for all. In their role, Kori works alongside a diverse and passionate team to implement programs that include youth and young adult leadership skill building, education and understanding on LGBTQ+ identities, transgender community and resource connections, health equity and access, and so much more. They also enjoy opportunities to be creative, cuddle with their dogs, listen to funny podcasts or spend time with their partner and friends.
Sarah Cowles-Zambon is a non-profit manager, volunteer, wife, mom, and life-long learner. A native of Rochester, NY, she graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 with bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and criminal justice. She went on to earn a Masters in International Studies from North Carolina State University in 2010. While in graduate school, she served at El Centro Hispano through the AmeriCorps ACCESS program, managing the free legal and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs. After graduating she worked for both NC State and UNC, supporting international student programs and public health projects. She also earned a certificate in the instruction of English as a Second Language (ESL) and worked as an instructor for Wake and Durham Technical Community Colleges as well as the McDonald’s Corporation. She is currently the Boutique and Career Center Manager for Dress for Success Triangle NC and volunteers for the Wake County Democratic Party and Lillian’s List.
Taylor Price is the Senior Manager, Global Sustainability for AptarGroup, Inc., a global leader in drug delivery, consumer product dispensing and active material science solutions. Taylor drives sustainability efforts in all segments of the business and communicates results with both internal and external stakeholders.
TJ Lewis is a seasoned Property Manager with over 12 years’ experience in the residential and commercial real estate industry. He has aided in property operations in North Carolina, Illinois, and California. He holds a NC real estate brokers license and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from North Carolina State University. He is married to his wife Lauren and has two boys, Parker & Reid.
Will Acosta is an artist, writer, creator, public speaker, community organizer and social entrepreneur. Will is the founder of SWIM aka Source Water In Motion, a lifestyle movement of wellness on a mission to educate and hydrate our local communities.
