We are a collection of Southern organizations and scholars seeking an equitable and people-first response to economic recovery in a post-pandemic South.
POLICY ENTREPRENEURS PROGRAM
This program is hosted by Genny Castillo, SEAP’s Deputy Director, and Emily Roberts, SEAP’s Engagement Coordinator. With the selection of 30 participants or organizations for each session, the program is committed to strengthening their impact in policy creation and advocacy. Additionally, the program features guest speakers, specialized programming designed to further enhance participants’ roles in the sphere of policy-making, and a pinnacle project, ensuring they are well-equipped to contribute to more enlightened, effective, and empathetic governance and organizational policies.
Akeem Williams
Akeem Williams is a native of Albany, Georgia, and a proud graduate of Savannah State University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication. While at Savannah State, he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated through the Gamma Zeta Chapter and served as a Tiger Ambassador, representing the university with leadership and pride. He currently serves as the Communications Manager at SOWEGA Rising, where his storytelling and strategic approach to brand awareness help set the tone in the nonprofit space. Through visual communication and narrative-driven campaigns, he has collaborated with organizations such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Georgia Doula Collection, and City of South Fulton to advance community empowerment and health equity. Whether behind the camera or leading communications strategy, his mission remains to inspire, uplift, and bring powerful visions to life.
Alicia Fitch
Alicia Fitch is a narrative and creative strategist currently serving as the Senior Communications and Narrative Manager for The Georgia Resilience & Opportunity Fund (The GRO Fund). Alicia blends her expertise in design and brand building to amplify community voices and advance economic justice across the South.
Her career is a vibrant mix of creative entrepreneurship and community-led advocacy. A visual storyteller at heart, Alicia specializes in translating complex ideas into compelling stories that shift narrative power back to the communities most impacted. She is committed to exploring how storytelling can break down barriers and expand economic opportunities for all, emphasizing that every policy should be rooted in the lived experiences of the communities it aims to serve.
Amber Brafford
Amber Brafford is the Homeless Response Program Manager at the Western Piedmont Council of Governments, with over 15 years of experience in mental and behavioral health services for children and adults across public and private systems. She works to reduce barriers and improve access to critical supports for individuals experiencing homelessness. Amber collaborates with local governments, service providers, and community partners to strengthen regional responses to housing instability, helping clients access housing, behavioral health services, and other essential resources. She also serves as the Unsheltered Access Coordinator within North Carolina’s Balance of State Continuum of Care, leading efforts to identify individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness and connect them to housing and support across Region 3.
Bailey Shea
Bailey Shea is the Energy Policy and Outreach Associate at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC). Based in Atlanta, Bailey works primarily in Georgia and Alabama to advocate for a cleaner, more affordable energy future for the South. She coordinates with a broad network of partner organizations about what decisions are being made about our energy future in local and state-level regulatory and legislative venues, and about how to engage in those processes. Bailey is a lifelong Georgian and believes in the power of public policy to ensure a climate-resilient future for all. She is particularly skilled in project management and coalition work, and she prides herself on a commitment to the South’s unique political, cultural, and natural landscapes. In her personal time, Bailey serves on the executive committee of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter. Bailey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia (2017), where she also earned a Certificate in Sustainability, before starting her career at another clean energy nonprofit, Southface Institute. Bailey lives in Decatur, Georgia and loves sitting on her porch, watching her backyard birds.
Ben Washington
Ben is a rights advocate and career community servant with a decade-long history of serving the Little Rock community through a variety of nonprofit and government efforts. He is a graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he focused his academic work on the disparities experienced by vulnerable populations in central Arkansas. His recent work has included Campaign Coordination for the Arkansas Public Policy Panel where he successfully secured ARPA funding for a rural Black community. His work with Sankofa Community Strategists was essential in completing the 2025 Disparity study for the City of Little Rock. Ben uses his technical and research abilities to advocate for vulnerable communities in Arkansas and across the nation.
Breana Patterson
Breana Patterson is the Director of Programs & Partnerships for Together for Hope’s Delta Region. A lifelong Arkansawyer raised on a small family farm, Breana brings over fifteen years of experience in education and nonprofit organizations and holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management. She considers it an honor and a calling to walk alongside community organizations, bolster their capacity for place-based leadership, and uplift local strengths through collaborative partnerships across the Delta. Her work is guided by a deep love and respect for the folks who call rural places home, a passion for seeing them thrive and prosper, and the conviction that lasting change grows best when it is locally led.
Briana Brown
Briana is the Director of Finance and Operations at Fair and Just Prosecution (FJP), a justice-oriented reform nonprofit. She also consults with mission-driven organizations through The Brinx Collective, LLC, providing support in strategy, operations, and organizational development. With a background spanning science policy, research, and STEM education, Briana brings strengths in intrapreneurship, data analysis, advocacy, and trauma-informed leadership. She is particularly interested in policy entrepreneurship within criminal justice systems, examining how discretion, data use, and accountability practices shape legitimacy and public trust. Briana is motivated by closing the gap between policy intent and lived impact and is committed to translating research and community insight into practical tools that strengthen institutions from within while advancing equitable, durable systems change.
Brooke Williams
Brooke B. Williams is a strategist, storyteller, and community advocate based in Mississippi. She supports mission-driven organizations through her creative marketing studio, Creative Attitude, and founded Kinfolk, a nonprofit catering to community-centered initiatives by focusing on education, arts, civic engagement, and economic empowerment. Brooke also serves as the Mississippi State Advisor for Youth and College for the NAACP and is an alum of numerous leadership programs including Goldman Sachs Black Women in Business, Mississippi Women in the Lead, the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute, SPLC’s Advocacy Institute, and Creative Ladder’s Rising Leaders Academy.
Charity Bruce Sweet
Charity Bruce Sweet serves as the Director of MCJ’s Economic Justice campaign, overseeing the expungement and foreclosure prevention matters. She also assists pro se individuals involved in civil cases to understand and navigate the justice court system through the Justice Court Pilot Project. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Tougaloo College and her Juris Doctorate from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Charity is a proud recipient of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project Pro Bono Award and the Community Service Award from the Magnolia Bar Association. She currently serves as a member of the Magnolia Bar Association, the Change Collective, the Charles Clark Chapter of the American Inns of Court, and is a recent graduate of the MS Bar Leadership 2024 – 2025 cohort.
Dawna Ledbetter
Dawna is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), workshop development, and facilitation. She is a graduate of the Rural Economic Development Institute and the Lenoir-Rhyne University Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program. Her contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including the CoThinkk Community Leadership Award, McDowell Technical Community College Distinguished Alumni Award, Duke Energy Citizenship Award, MLK Spirit Award, and McDowell Health Coalition Volunteer of the Year.
Dawna currently serves on several prominent boards, including the Dogwood Health Trust Board of Directors, the City of Marion Planning Board, and the McDowell Transit Board. She is the Director of Equity at West Marion Inc., a Black-led nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating grassroots leadership and fostering multi-racial partnerships in McDowell County, North Carolina. She holds an Associate Degree in Office Systems from McDowell Technical Community College.
Desha Elliott, PhD
Dr. Desha Elliott, PhD is an award winning researcher, practitioner, and analyst focused on economic development, entrepreneurship, and access to capital. She earned her PhD in Leadership and Policy from Clark Atlanta University, where her research examined Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and structural barriers to small business financing. Her policy and research projects include work on guaranteed income initiatives in Georgia, strengthening business support ecosystems, and advancing agribusiness growth and scaling. Dr. Elliott has also studied wealth generation factors and the state of entrepreneurship across underserved communities throughout the United States.
Erinn Funches
Erinn Funches serves as a Community Organizer for the Health Justice Campaign. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Mississippi State University and a Post-Baccalaureate in Population Health Sciences from the University of Mississippi, where she studied Epidemiology, Research, and Health Disparities. Erinn is passionate about public health and policy and how they impact underserved communities.
Rev. Dr. ErNiko Brown
Rev. Dr. ErNiko Brown is a visionary leader, community advocate, and former Conservation District Commissioner dedicated to advancing environmental justice and rural revitalization. Raised by her grandmother on her family’s Willington land—stewarded for more than 200 years—she witnessed firsthand the effects of long-term divestment in Willington and across McCormick County, South Carolina. Those experiences inspired her work in policy and community development. For more than 15 years, she has led civic and grassroots initiatives connecting local communities to national and global movements. Her work includes a bold vision to revitalize historic Mims Elementary School #3 into a resiliency hub, —restoring opportunity in a community too often overlooked.
Eva VanHook
Eva VanHook holds a Master’s Degree in Holistic Child Development and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Lee University, an Associate of Applied Sciences in Medical Laboratory Technician from Cleveland State Community College, and an Affordable Housing professional certificate from The Winchester Institute at Auburn University.
She joined Family Promise of Bradley County in 2011 as a volunteer working with families struggling with housing insecurity. She began to fill roles as needs developed and eventually was named Executive Director in 2013. In 2025, the United Way of the Ocoee Region awarded Eva the Lt. Col. Jim Tucker Award, recognizing the work she has done in the community.
Eva married Rob VanHook in 1995, and they have two adult children, Peyton and Riley.
Gladys Mendez
A servant leader and public health professional with 20+ years’ experience in operations, process improvement and research, Gladys has worked to address homelessness, mental health, youth violence prevention, aging, housing, etc. Her experience spans regulatory compliance, policy, and program implementation across the health, academic and nonprofit sectors.
Gladys has lived in places big in small, in the U.S and abroad, and enjoys connecting with individuals of all backgrounds. She is committed to working with others to address the social drivers of health (SDoH) and drive systems-level change while ensuring community voices are prioritized.
Her educational background includes degrees in health policy and administration, a law of patient care certificate and certifications in change management, emotional intelligence, and youth mental health first aid.
JaMelle Hill
JaMelle R. Hill, MPH is a public health professional, program strategist, and civic engagement leader with extensive experience designing initiatives that strengthen communities and expand opportunity. She currently serves as Program Manager for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and Community Investments at United Way of Central Georgia, where she oversees grant-funded initiatives that support financial stability and access to services for working families. JaMelle has led programs across workforce development, public health education, and civic participation, collaborating with government agencies, nonprofits, and community coalitions. She is also the CEO of LIFE League, Inc and co-founder of LIFE League, LLC., both focused on youth leadership and global partnerships. JaMelle holds a Master of Public Health from Mercer University and is deeply committed to advancing equitable systems that empower individuals and communities to thrive.
Jenifer Contreras
Jenifer is a first generation immigrant from Mexico that is committed to helping her community in South Georgia. She has over five years of experience working with several nonprofits in Georgia and collegiate organizations. She advocates for education access, language equity and economic prosperity for migrants across Georgia.
Jennifer Baker
Jennifer Baker is the Director of Alliance Development for HousingLOUISIANA, where she works to strengthen housing alliances and advance collaborative solutions that expand access to affordable housing across Louisiana. She began her tenure with the organization as a Program Coordinator and Fellow and has since played a key role in building statewide partnerships and advocacy efforts.
Jennifer has contributed to major policy and advocacy initiatives, including insurance reform efforts, organizing opposition to anti-camping and homelessness bans, and coordinating statewide advocacy during the “No on All Four” constitutional amendments campaign.
With a background in psychology and social services, Jennifer is dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve independence and stability. She serves on the Board of Directors for O’Brien House and is deeply committed to community engagement and the arts.
Joanna Jackson
Joanna Jackson is a community organizer and advocate from Southwest Georgia who works on social justice issues impacting families and underserved communities. She is the founder of Connect The Dots, a family engagement initiative that connects fathers, parents, and caregivers to resources, education, and support. Joanna is a graduate of the Morehouse School of Medicine Maternal Health Equity Program as a Patient Perinatal Navigator and the Community Health Worker Program. She also serves as a Community Based Doula and Maternal Mental Health Advocate, working to improve outcomes for mothers, babies, and families. Joanna uses her lived experience to advocate for policies that strengthen families, advance health equity, and uplift community voices. Through organizing, leadership, and partnerships, she works to ensure families are represented in decision-making spaces and systems change efforts across Georgia.
Joseph-Emery Kouaho
Dr. Joseph-Emery Kouaho currently serves as a Senior Policy Analyst with Kindred Futures – an organization dedicated to investing in wealth-building solutions for Black households in the American South. As a methodologically fluid researcher, Joseph-Emery’s expertise, and passion for his work centers on advocating for policies that ameliorate the educational, social, and economic lives of Black people, and other politically marginalized people. Born in Abidjan Cote D’Ivoire, Joseph-Emery earned his Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Georgia’s Mary Frances Early College of Education, his Master of Public Policy from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, and his bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Joseph-Emery enjoys spending time with his family and friends, reading, and writing in his spare time.
Julio Sanclemente
Julio Sanclemente is a Community Advocacy Manager and first‑generation immigrant dedicated to sharing his story to elevate community voices and strengthen connections between organizations and the people they serve.
Kayla Altland
Kayla Altland is the Executive Director of South Fork Conservancy in Atlanta. Her work centers on strengthening a sense of place through watershed protection, trail access, and community stewardship along the South Fork of Peachtree Creek. With more than a decade of experience in parks, history, and nonprofit leadership, Kayla focuses on how systems shape how communities experience nature and public space. Previously, she directed a $3+ million community grantmaking program at Park Pride supporting park improvements across Atlanta and served as a park ranger with the National Park Service. The connecting thread across her work is to connect people more deeply to the places where they live, work, and play.
Kayla Mims
Kayla Mims is the Director of Operations and Organizational Culture at Invest in Louisiana, where she leads organizational operations, financial management, human resources, and strategic event planning, including the organization’s annual policy conference. Through her work, she helps support policy research and advocacy aimed at expanding economic opportunity and improving fiscal policy for Louisiana families.
Before joining Invest in Louisiana, Kayla worked as a news producer for WVLA and WAFB, where she helped shape coverage for morning news programming. Originally from Fordoche, Louisiana, she earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from Louisiana State University and holds a Master of Public Administration from Southern University. Outside of her professional work, Kayla enjoys spending time with her daughter, Hillary.
Lawren M. Long
Dr. Lawren M. Long is a Jackson, Mississippi native, public servant, and scholar committed to advancing equity through public policy, community engagement, and institutional transformation. A skilled coalition builder, policy strategist, and educator, her work addresses labor rights, food justice, economic development, and public health disparities across the Deep South. Dr. Long has designed and led several interdisciplinary fellowship and leadership development programs that prepare emerging scholars, worker leaders, and students to engage in policy advocacy, community research, and systems change. Her research and advocacy integrate workforce development, food systems policy, and democratic participation. Dr. Long holds degrees in business administration, public administration, and public policy and administration, and remains deeply committed to leadership development and community empowerment.
Nia Hawkins
Nia Michelle Hawkins is a Writer, Singer, Urban Event Curator, and Rural Health Equity leader from Leesburg, Georgia. In 2020, Nia founded VIBEZ GA Entertainment Company, LLC, where she began curating urban music events designed to create culturally rich experiences for underserved communities. Under her leadership, VIBEZ GA evolved beyond entertainment into a platform for impact-driven programming, including music fundraisers in partnership with nonprofit organizations.
Nia currently serves as a Rural Health Equity & Food Security Organizer for Sowega Rising, where she is committed to advancing holistic and alternative healthcare access across Southwest Georgia. Her work centers on equity, education, and empowerment bridging art, advocacy, and wellness to cultivate healthier more connected communities.
As an author, Nia has published 21 Lessons Before 21, a guide designed to equip youth with practical life tools as they transition into adulthood, and I Am Black. I Am Blessed., an affirmation journal centered on identity and empowerment. In recognition of her leadership and impact, Nia was named to the 2022 “40 Under 40” class by Rural Leaders Magazine and the 2025 “40 under 40” class by Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. Guided by creativity, empathy, and authenticity, Nia Michelle Hawkins remains dedicated to cultivating a healthier, more equitable Southwest Georgia using innovation, artistry, and advocacy to inspire lasting change.
Rosie Cross
Rosie Cross is a Regional Housing Facilitator (RHF) within the Creating Homes Initiative (CHI) program. She works “hands-on” in collaboration with grassroots community coalitions in the 16 East Tennessee counties that comprise CHI’s Region 2 and frequently with colleagues in other regions. RHFs support the creation and development of safe, affordable, quality housing with supportive services where people diagnosed with mental illness or co-occurring disorders can live for as long as they need to. Rosie believes: Affordable housing is the foundation of healthy, safe, and thriving communities. When we invest in getting our neighbors into homes and keeping them there, we decrease the need for people to live on the streets or in encampments and everyone wins.
Santee Ezell
Santee Ezell is a Mississippi native with more than 15 years of service-driven experience by strengthening programs, building meaningful community partnerships, and turning vision into measurable impact.
Santee’s work sits at the intersection of youth development, community engagement, public health, and health equity. She serves as a in different capacitoes to support local and statewide organizations in designing people-centered initiatives, telling powerful community stories through data, and advancing strategies that improve well-being across systems. Whether working with colleges, nonprofits, public health organizations, or grassroots groups, Santee is passionate about helping communities not just grow but thrive.
Santee has BA in Sociology and a MS in Community Development. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Human Development and Family Science at Mississippi State University.
Sylvia Brown
Curious. Resourceful. Social Impact Advocate. Civic Engagement Enthusiast. Sylvia C. Brown is a multi-faceted professional with over 20 years of experience implementing and supporting local, state, and federal government electoral and issue campaigns and grassroots community engagement.
Sylvia founded and chairs Visibility Outreach Touch Engage South Arkansas (VOTE SoAR). Dedicated to amplifying the voice, frequency, and impact of grassroots efforts in rural South Arkansas our mission is to foster community led solutions to modern challenges, with a focus on environmental justice, civic engagement, and equitable resource distribution.
Brown enjoys the outdoors, actively exercising in nature and exploring cultural venues in the region and neighboring states.
Takyra Moore
Takyra Moore is the Project Associate over Fellowships at Springboard to Opportunities, where she works alongside mothers and community members to build leadership, strengthen advocacy skills, and advance policy and systems change efforts that impact families across Mississippi. Through her work, she helps create spaces where residents can share their lived experiences and engage directly in shaping policies that affect their communities.
Originally from the Mississippi Delta, Takyra is a first-generation college graduate who earned her degree in Sociology from Georgetown University. Her personal experiences navigating higher education and working closely with families in her community inform her deep commitment to equity and community-driven change. Takyra is passionate about amplifying the voices of mothers and ensuring that those most impacted by policy decisions have a seat at the table.
Tracy Beard
Tracy P. Beard is a housing justice policy researcher and community-engaged cultural practitioner based in Nashville, Tennessee. She serves as Coalition Coordinator for Housing For All Tennessee, supporting a statewide cross-sector coalition working to secure permanently affordable and dignified housing for all. Tracy is a Ph.D. Candidate (ABD) in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where her research uses participatory and arts-based methods to examine housing instability and Black women’s resistance in North Nashville. With over 20 years of experience in community-based research, organizational leadership, and cultural organizing, she designs projects that weave together storytelling, strategy, and policy to advance housing justice in the South.
Tycoma Miller
Tycoma N. Miller serves as the Director of Outreach for the West Anniston Foundation. She is a passionate visionary and social innovator dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable populations and underserved communities recovering from environmental injustice.
Tycoma believes that a person’s zip code should not determine their life outcomes. Guided by this belief, she works to empower communities to achieve S.E.E. change—Social, Economic, and Environmental progress. Her approach integrates principles from both social work and public health to create sustainable solutions that support healing, resilience, and opportunity.
Tycoma earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Alabama A&M University and a Master of Public Health from Purdue Global University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Yolanda M. Gordon
Yolanda M. Gordon is the Senior Manager of the RESULTS Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship. She leads national efforts to train and support advocates who work to end poverty in the United States and around the world. Through the Fellowship, Yolanda equips emerging leaders with practical skills in grassroots organizing, media engagement, and policy advocacy. Her work centers on empowering people to use their voices and lived experiences to influence decision makers and advance policies that expand opportunity.
With a background in health care as an occupational therapy practitioner, Yolanda brings a deep commitment to equity and community well-being. She is passionate about developing the next generation of advocates and helping everyday people turn civic engagement into lasting social impact.