meet the team
Tricia
Tricia Farquharson is a recent transplant to the Atlanta area.
She currently serves as the Chief of Academic Programming at the Kindezi Charter Schools. Ms. Farquharson has been an educator for the past 19 years. Previously, she worked with the District of Columbia Public Schools as a Program Manager in the Office of Special Education. In addition to leadership within education, she served as Operations Director for an outpatient mental health clinic in Maryland where she built operational systems and procedures to improve service delivery for family and child therapy.
What’s your Girl Power: Empathy
Inspirational Quote: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive.” — Maya Angelou
Countries Visited: Italy, Spain, France, England, Mexico, 10 Caribbean Islands
Travel Bucket List: Egypt, Greece, Dubai
Kamelah
Kamelah Muhammad hails from the city of Chicago and is a proud alum of Florida A&M University, earning her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minor in Public Relations. She is currently pursuing her MBA at the University of Georgia.
Today, Kamelah serves as a marketing & communications professional at Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) in Atlanta where she manages efforts for various corporate partners. Prior to joining BGCA, Kamelah worked on account management teams at marketing and event agencies in New York.
While in New York, Kamelah began her own 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Sisterhood of the Traveling Heart, Incorporated (SOTTH) which focuses on promoting beauty and self-confidence among young girls and women. Since 2014, SOTTH has partnered with organizations domestically and internationally to host special events and projects. Her organization’s efforts have been featured in ABC News, Huffington Post, WGN News, Blavity and Because of them We Can, to name a few.
In 2017, Kamelah was named and recognized as a “Who’s Who in Black Atlanta.” She continues to serve her community by volunteering with various organizations including serving as the immediate past Director of Leaders of Tomorrow with the National Black MBA Association Inc. – Atlanta Chapter, current Marketing Chair for Friends of FAM, Inc. and current Lead Mentor and Content Creator for Power of Girls, Inc. She is member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and is an advocate for raising awareness about heart diseases and defects. Since 2011, Kamelah has helped to raise money and continues to participate in the American Heart Association’s Philadelphia Heart Walk with her nephew who was born with a rare heart defect.
What’s your Girl Power: Empathy; Compassion; Connecting Others
Inspirational Quote: “Only as high as I reach can I grow Only as far as I seek can I go Only as deep as I look can I see Only as much as I dream can I be” — Karen Ravn
Countries Visited: Haiti, Morocco, Casablanca, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico
Travel Bucket List: Anywhere in Africa
Shyah
Shyah Dickerson is an intuitive and empathic soul committed to personal and generational healing. She is a full-spectrum doula, writer, and Reiki Level II Practitioner. Shyah completed her birth work training with Mama Glow, a Brooklyn based organization dedicated to improving the experience of birth for women everywhere. She was inspired to pursue her calling as a birth and postpartum doula after she assisted a friend during childbirth. That memorable experience tapped into Shyah’s innate gifts to support, guide, and lift people up to their potential and higher self.
Shyah harnesses an unwavering commitment toward holding space to welcome new life transitions, both in physical and spiritual spaces– that may include new babies, ventures, businesses, dreams, and possibilities.
In addition to this work, Shyah has over 10 years of non-profit marketing experience and has held positions at organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity International, and All of Me Foundation founded by GRAMMY-Award Winning Songstress Estelle.
A lifelong mentor and activist for elevated consciousness Shyah has a philosophy that, “if we have a shot at a transformed society—justice, peace, and healing begins at the stage of infancy.”
Shyah was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and currently resides in Atlanta, GA. She is an alumnus of Howard University, where she studied Public Relations and Sociology. Shyah is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. You can keep up with Shyah through her writing at loveliftedme.blog.
What’s your Girl Power: My Girl Power is my unwavering commitment to myself; from a full cup I can pour into the people, places, and things that matter most to me.
Inspirational Quote: “People may forget what you said, people may forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou
Countries Visited: United Kingdom, Bahamas, Spain, Dominican Republic, Belize, Senegal, Benin, Thailand, Aruba, Jamaica, St. Barts, Mexico, Grenada, South Africa, Turkey, Nigeria
Travel Bucket List: Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Guatemala, Brazil
Candice
Candice has held a number of roles throughout her career in youth development, but by far the most rewarding for her has been the role of Auntie to young people across the country. By building positive, mentoring relationships, she is able to authentically share lessons and strategies to help young people become the best possible versions of themselves. After completing an internship at a youth health education center in North Carolina while pursing her Master of Public Health, her life was shifted and her purpose was made clear: to become the person she needed when she was younger. Through a holistic, social-emotional lens, she has led youth initiatives promoting physical fitness, leadership, girl empowerment, STEAM exploration. She has always held a special place for young people who under-resourced and often forgotten, and continuously looks for opportunities to invite those voices to have a seat at the tables they are typically excluded from. Candice received her B.S. in Biology/Pre-Med from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Master of Public Health from Walden University. When she’s not motivating and advocating for young people, you can find Candice hiking, biking, or nose-deep in a good book.
What’s your Girl Power: My introversion. Because I prefer small groups of people, I am able to get to know people better and build strong connections.
Inspirational Quote: “I”m deliberate and afraid of nothing!” — Audre Lorde
Countries Visited: I took my first international trip to UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) last year! Now I’m excited to get more stamps on my passport!
Travel Bucket List: Countries with rich culture and well-seasoned food! I’d love to go to Greece, Cuba, and India top my list.
Samaria Janae Witherspoon
Samaria Janae Witherspoon, also known as Ms. Sam, is originally from South Carolina, but currently based in Atlanta, Georgia. Sam is a LPC, which is a fancy word for Licensed Professional Counselor. Within the Atlanta metropolitan area, she provides individual, group and family counseling to those that are struggling with trauma, depression, aggression, grief, substance abuse, and behavioral and emotional issues. Sam is a two-time Howard University Alumna. She received both her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master of Education in School Psychology and Counseling Services from Howard University in Washington, DC. Sam is also a self-published author of Uncovering Toxic Journey’s. Uncovering Toxic Journey’s normalizes one’s toxic behaviors within their childhood, relationships, friendships and overall livelihood. Sam has an extensive experience of 8 years assessing, planning, implementing, and providing support services to children and families with behavioral and emotional issues. In her free time, Sam enjoys spending time with family, traveling, brunching with her friends, shopping, and binge-watching Netflix.
What’s your Girl Power: My ability to be flexible and meet people where they are are!
Inspirational Quote: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Countries Visited: Spain, Ghana, Mexico, Italy, Dominican Republic
Travel Bucket List: Maldives & Bali
Danielle Lewis
Danielle hails from Virginia where she is a graduate of Hampton University earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and received her MBA from Troy University. She began her career working for Norfolk Southern Railroad 16 years ago where she has held various leadership positions in Accounting, Customer Operations, Logistics and most recently Human Resources. While Danielle’s interests in business and entrepreneurship keep her busy, her true passions are met with travel, mentorship, fitness, and spending time her husband and their two children.
What’s your Girl Power: Compassion for others. Seeing something great in everyone!
Inspirational Quote: “Everything happens for a reason. Trust the process.”
Countries Visited: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica
Travel Bucket List: Africa, Dubai, Greece
Eboney Carol
Eboney is a nonprofit professional that specializes in social services & grants. She currently works at Horizon Housing Foundation to provide safe, affordable housing for families and seniors and support them through programs that promote economic self-sufficiency and improve their quality of life. Before moving to Atlanta from Los Angeles, Eboney worked to enhance educational opportunities for children who are experiencing homelessness. She was also a family advocate for domestic abuse survivors and ran a long-term at a domestic violence shelter. As a first-generation Jamaican-American, Eboney takes pride in her culture and history. She has a minor in African American studies and studied in South Africa for 6 months.
What’s your Girl Power: Creativity
Inspirational Quote: “I am what I am because of who we all are.”
Countries Visited: Jamaica, Mexico, Bahamas, Peru, Belize, Canada, South Africa, Mozambique, London, Croatia, Italy, Spain
Travel Bucket List: Ghana, Tanzania, Japan, Thailand
Dr. Tam Chambers
Tamika currently works for NWEA as Vice President of Partner Accounts supporting International and National Accounts. She previously worked in education as a principal, educator, Director of Curriculum and Assessment and supported teams to open charters schools across the country. She has an independent consulting firm that acts as a Strategic Advisor to the Catalyst for Educational Change organization. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., The Links Inc., and Jack and Jill of America where she gets to share her talents to support her community in various ways.
What’s your Girl Power: Being a problem solver, analyst, and solutions guru
Inspirational Quote: “God gave you 2 arms to align like fortitude. One arm to reach for the stars to make your dreams come true, and the other to reach back to bring others along.”
Countries Visited: Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize, Cuba, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad, China, Maldives, Antigua, Curacao, France, United Kingdom, Zambia, Ghana, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates
Travel Bucket List: Italy, Morocco, Iceland, Tanzania, Kenya, Switzerland, India, Australia, Seychelles, Bermuda
Lisa Dotson
Lisa is a Project Manager for a Wine & Spirits Company and previously worked in several charter schools as a Director of Special Projects. Lisa graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.
What’s your Girl Power: Leadership
Inspirational Quote: “Nobody built like you, you design yourself!” – Jay Z
Countries Visited: Italy, Dubai, France, England, Mexico, Caribbean Islands, Netherlands
Travel Bucket List: Greece, Bali, Spain, Japan, Egypt
Nicole Fields
Nicole developed a passion for charitable work as a youth while volunteering with various organizations in her community. She serves as a Director of Account Relationships for a youth-serving organization managing the day-to-day deliverables for corporate partnerships and acting as a liaison between partners and local Clubs. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from St. Augustine’s University.
What’s your Girl Power: My Girl Power is being true to myself!
Inspirational Quote: “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.” ~ Michelle Obama
Countries Visited: Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico
Travel Bucket List: Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, South Africa, and Thailand