In addition to our core group of faculty and coaches, we work with motivational speakers who bring a wealth of industry experience in working with our youth. We draw on their wisdom and talent to inspire and energize the room by sharing their life stories, providing advice, and helping young adults see the world from a different perspective.
Recognized as Forbes 30 under 30 for achievements on and off the field, Amobi Okugo is a first generation Nigerian American, professional soccer player, founder of Frugal Athlete, philanthropist launching the Ok U Go Foundation, content creator on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Apple Podcasts. Consulting athletes, brands, and companies to leverage their opportunities, increase their network, and upscale their marketing skills, Amobi’s passion for excellence, self-growth, and entrepreneurship have made him a linchpin for business development ideas. He loves cultivating strategic partnerships bringing success and value to all his clients.
Shae Harris is the Mid-Atlantic Region Director for Corporate Responsibility at JP Morgan Chase. In this role she leads strategic engagement among consumer, business and nonprofit leaders while promoting community centered solutions to address persistent drivers of economic inequality in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Strategy and Project Manager for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ).
While there, Ms. Harris played an integral role in standing up the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE). Her leadership and energy were instrumental to the success of several key projects, including the launch of the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Conference inside the DC Jail, and the establishment of The READY Center, which serves as a one-stop shop for returning citizens. Her ability to bring stakeholders to the table did not go unnoticed: in 2019 she became the recipient of the 19th Annual Cafritz Awards Program for Distinguished DC Government employees.
A native Washingtonian and longtime community activist – Rahim Jenkins, continues to make his mark on both the local and national levels, through a long and illustrious career as a Youth Advocate and Re-Entry Facilitator. Recognized as a pioneer in the field—one that demonstrates through innovative programming and a front-line presence, his long-standing commitment to educating, rehabilitating, and uplifting disadvantaged minority youth. His personal and professional philosophy is focused on the constructive empowerment of youth who are disproportionately impacted by the violence and destruction that plagues many of our inner-city communities.
Kena Cofield-Jones has over 30 years of progressive Human Resources experience that includes management, talent acquisition, business process reengineering, and training. Kena has served in various senior management positions within the public sector as a key HR advisor and strategic business partner. She was also the adjunct professor at Trinity University – Washington, D.C., where she taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in business and human resources. Kena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Virginia State University, a Master’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from the University of the District of Columbia and has a Master’s Degree of Philosophy from Walden University. Additionally, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership and Organizational Change at Walden University.
Dan Newby is a champion for Emotional Literacy, and works with leaders, educators, and coaches worldwide. His passion is helping emotional literacy become common sense and emotions a tool for daily use.
He has authored four books on emotional literacy and its application to coaching and has worked with leaders in the U.S., Germany, Italy, El Salvador, Mexico, Slovakia, UK, Singapore and Canada. His coaching clients come from manufacturing, educational organizations, and NGOs.
He often combines individual and group work and is the originator of Emotions-Centered Coaching.
Darryl “D.Rey” Reynolds is most known for his contribution during Villanova’s 2016 National Title run but has spent the last few years pursuing the Arts. After a career halting injury in 2018, he was forced into what seemed to be an early retirement. He immediately started coaching at his Alma Mater as the Director of Player Development while building a presence in the media with his show “Stay Tuned with D.Rey”. Once the show landed guest spots on FS1 and NBC Sports Philadelphia, he decided to pursue a full time career in entertainment after leaving Villanova in October of 2019. Over the next 2 years he built up a presence on the East Coast through his company Stay Tuned Network. After being a part of the making of the Netflix film ‘Hustle’, he ultimately decided to move to Los Angeles in pursuit of a filmmaking career. Now, an actor, TedX Speaker and self published artist, D. Rey uses his athletic background to fuel his Art driven future.
Strong is one distinctive word to use when describing Khadija Jones. As a foster care youth, Khadija rose above statistics, labels, and stereotypes. Khadija uses her voice to empower women to share their stories, dismiss stigmas, and focus on healing. By day, you can find her managing rental properties in the nation’s Capital while simultaneously educating, encouraging, and inspiring women to speak up and tell their stories. Khadija received her B.A. from Morgan State University and is an activist and advocate for young mothers experiencing barriers. She is a former foster care youth, a doula/lactation consultant, and Certified Property Manager.
Herbert R. Tillery is the Founder and retired Executive Director of the College Success Foundation – District of Columbia, a non-profit that provides low-income, underserved students the academic, social, emotional, and financial support they need to graduate from high school on-time, complete college and thrive in life. Herb served his country with distinction for over 26 years and retired with the rank of Colonel, U.S. Army. He has held various senior executive leadership positions, most notable, Deputy Mayor for Operations, Government of the District of Columbia; A 2017 winner of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement Gelman Rosenberg and Freedman, Excellence in Chief Executive Leadership (EXCEL) Award, Mr. Tillery’s past community service included Board of Directors, Greater Washington Urban League; the Board of Directors, Washington DC Police Foundation; member, Leadership Greater Washington and, an inductee to the North Carolina A&T State University ROTC Hall of Fame. He is also a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Portia Obeng is a social media strategist with over 10 years of experience in social media strategy and content management. She started before Snaps were chatted, Instagram had stories, and Tiks were toked; and her current specialties are Instagram and LinkedIn. She works to help people and organizations understand how they can use social media, not let social media use them. She encourages them to step away from continuous mindless scrolling and figure out how to use social media to enhance their work, lives, and personal brands. She loves letting people know that they don’t have to be on every platform and they don’t have to dance on TikTok to gain brand awareness and generate leads!
Precious L. Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion who has also successfully appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” CNN, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Black Enterprise Magazine. She has even slayed 2 TEDx Talks!
Precious, through her pitching skills and talents, has also watched her clients win millions of dollars in pitch competition money, secure lucrative speaking and corporate training contracts, and launch their next beautiful NOW!
Zenobia Bryant, Ph.D. is the CEO and Founder of Black Health Black Wealth, LLC, a black woman-owned small business, is an innovator in offering customized and expert consulting to nonprofit and for-profit organizations. It specializes in helping our clients with literature reviews, survey development, and data analysis.
Dr. Bryant has a Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology. She also has almost seven years of specific experience as a dedicated public health professional and epidemiologist, with expertise in the following topics: mental health; health equity; and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She brings significant experience conducting literature reviews, quantitative research, statistical analysis, convening multiple stakeholders, and preparing brief reports. Her extensive experience has resulted in a number of publications. She has also been featured on podcasts and asked to speak at various conferences.
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