Ronald L. Moten—DC Activist
Fifth generation Washingtonian out of Roosevelt Senior High School and Park Community College in Danbury Connecticut. Making change while practicing the principles of non violence. Co founder of DON’T MUTE DC, where he and HU professor Natalie Hopkinson created the petition of over 80 thousand signatures to bring the music back to 7th and Florida AVE North West—a movement that’s changing gentrification everywhere! Thank you Ron Moten!
Denise McCain—Director of Prince George’s County Family Justice Center
Denise C. McCain is a foremost domestic violence expert, researcher, visionary leader, and trailblazer in the movement to break the cycle of violence.
She brings more than 25 years of experience to the field of domestic violence where she has worked on the front lines as a grassroots advocate, a domestic violence program director, and government administrator for federal Violence Against Women Act funded programs. She is the former Maryland State Coordinator of Victim Services for the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, where she served as a legislative liaison working to ensure compliance and implementation of statutory crime victim’s rights. As a researcher, Ms. McCain also conducted a multi-jurisdictional case study of four counties in Maryland, to include Prince George’s County, which examined the effectiveness of the coordinated community response to domestic violence.
In June 2016, Denise was appointed as the Director of the Prince George’s County Family Justice Center (PGCFJC), a multi-disciplinary “one stop shop” service delivery system that provides an array of comprehensive, co-located services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, elderly abuse and teen relationship violence.
Dean Bernard Richardson—Dean of Howard University Andrew Rankin Chapel
The Reverend Dr. Bernard L. Richardson is the fourth Dean of the historic Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. As the appointed officer for religious affairs at the University, he coordinates the wide array of ministries sought by students and their parents, faculty, staff, and the community at-large; directs and participates in religious services and public programs; and serves as the liaison between the University and religious organizations.He established and is the Director of the Howard University Spiritual and Ethical Dimensions of Leadership Initiative, which was awarded $2.5 million from the Lilly Endowment. The revitalization of creative religious programming under his leadership has garnered national attention. Most notably the reknown Howard University Alternative Spring Break and the Sunday Chapel Service, which is broadcast on WHUR-FM, reaches a vast audience and is rated first in its time slot among all radio broadcasts in the metropolitan area.
Dr. Richardson is a tenured Associate Professor at the Howard University School of Divinity, and has made scholarly contributions in the area of pastoral care and counseling. He has lectured and conducted courses/seminars at colleges and universities nationwide, including the Parks/King Lecture at Yale University.
Symendy Lloyd—Transformational Coach
Saymendy Lloyd grew up believing that there was no higher calling than to further the foundation of humanity in the world, a mindset instilled by her parents The Rev. Dr. J. Edwin Lloyd Sr. and Emma Lloyd. Their drive to improving the quality of life and community betterment blazed the trail for their daughter, Saymendy deep devotion to public service, social justice, and human rights activism. Rev. Dr. J. Edwin Lloyd Former President of the Liberian Red Cross, and past Chaplain General of the Arm Forces and his wife Emma led millions and housed hundreds of war tracking victims in exile, evidenced a strong ethic, human service, civic responsibility and that faithfulness is the training ground for greater service, this mindset would later characterize their Activist daughter. Her parents taught all of their children to serve God, community, and take initiative where ever they go. Her mother’s nurturing nature has been the catalyst in many of Saymendy initiatives.
Her significant role in the relief effort to aid victims in Louisiana after hurricane Katrina was yet another stride in her continuing efforts to assist those faced with displacement to the D.C. Metro area. President George Bush then recognized Saymendy. has continued to support almost all hurricane efforts. In 2002, Lloyd led the rescue of the Uganda 25 after being victimized and left homeless in the USA. She helped to organize what is now known as The Office of African Affairs in D.C., a government agency to serve Africans in the Diaspora.
She served as the chair of the Citizen Advisory Council for the Department of Corrections, while also preparing inmates for a successful entry into federal prisons and re-entry into the community. Upon his election as Mayor of the District of Columbia, Adrian Fenty requested Saymendy to serve as a member of the Transitional Team of the DC Department of Correction, alongside Paul Quander, former D.C. Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, she was instrumental in leading a very smooth transition.
Since 2003, Lloyd has maintained her weekly trips to the jail, where she services all populations and is well known for her unique gift of transformation through Life Coaching and; impacting men and women, at the same time, aiding families and children of those incarcerated. Moreover, Saymendy is known to calm units of uncontrolled men, preparing inmates for sentencing and is highly respected by judges and lawyers alike. In a society where people will not likely open their doors to ex-offenders due to fear, Saymendy provides a welcoming relief in a home without a grant to house returning citizens upon their release from jail or prison who has no place to go, but, have shown to be ready for a change and in need of the necessities of life.
She also started Tiding and Joy, a Christmas party for children of incarcerated parents who are victims of conditions beyond their control at the result of their parent/parents incarceration; while also working with family members to aid in the reduction of crime and the recidivism rate. With just 56 kids, the party was organized years ago, today over 600 are served each year.
Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad—Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Inside Out in the Department of Sociology and Criminogly Coach
Bahiyyah M. Muhammad is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Inside Out in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. Her research interests are criminal justice pedagogy, juvenile justice and familial imprisonment, focusing specifically on children of incarcerated parents. Her research has been published in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Law Review, Journal of Gender, Social Policy & The Law, and the American University Business Law Review. She is currently the principle investigator for the “Far From The Tree: Success Stories Among Children of Prisoners” project and evaluator for the “Credible Messengers Project: Mentoring At-Risk Youth in the District of Columbia”. Her global ethnographic research with children of incarcerated parents is ongoing in Africa, Asia, Europe, Dubai and the Caribbean. Dr. Muhammad serves as a 2017-2018 Franklin Fellow at the U.S. Department of State. In this position, she reviews the U.S. policy on human rights for children and helps to design new approaches to assist the U.S. government in addressing the issue. Dr. Muhammad serves within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor in the Office of Multilateral and Global Affairs. Bahiyyah Muhammad completed her M.S. in Corrections Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She has also taught at the New School-Eugene Lang College, Rutgers University-Newark Campus and West Chester University.
Jessica Brown—Founder of The College Gurl Foundation
Jessica Brown is a nationally recognized financial aid expert. As Founder of College Gurl, President of The College Gurl Foundation, and Author of How to Pay for College When You’re Broke, Jessica educates students and families on how to make the best-informed decisions
around financing a college education. Named the Financial Aid Fairy Godmother, her mission is to ensure students have access to an affordable and quality education. Additionally, she mentors and exposes Washington Metropolitan area high school students to college through her nonprofit, The College Gurl Foundation.
Jessica speaks all over the U.S. at a host of schools, universities, organizations, and news networks. Additionally, Diversity Inc., Strayer University, and The Steve & Marjorie Harvey Foundation have sponsored her efforts. She has recently been featured on BET News, FOX
Business Network, and several other news outlets. Also, she is a graduate of Howard University, Strayer University, and is currently seeking her PhD in Higher Education Administration.
Moreover, Jessica’s philanthropic efforts have awarded her the 2019 Outstanding Community Service Award of Excellence from Odyssey International, 2018 Dreamer Award from Dream4It Foundation, and 2018 Power of She Award from Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Kelvin Washington—Director of the Howard Univ. “Show Time” Marching Band
Kelvin W. Washington is a native of Scotlandville, Louisiana where at Southern University he earned the Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Instrumental Music Education. He began his teaching career at Livonia High School in Louisiana and 1987 moved to Detroit, Michigan where he was appointed Director of Bands at Nolan Middle School and McKenzie High School. Before coming to Howard University, he held collegiate appointments as Chief Arranger and Assistant Director of Bands at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and Director of Bands at University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
He is currently in his twenty-fifth year as Conductor of the Howard University Wind Symphony and Director of the Howard University “Show Time” Marching Band. He shares a role as Director of the 369th Experience in addition to being an active Past-President of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities – National Band Directors Consortium. Mr. Washington is a Conn- Selmer Educational Clinician; he serves as an advisory to the Dr. William P. Foster Project for the National Band Association. He is a Past Governor of the Eastern Division of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary National Band Fraternity, a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfornia, the National Band Association and College Band Directors National Association. He is adjudicator, clinician, arranger, conductor, and touring musician. In his role as a touring musician, he has engaged in performances across the United States; in Canada; Poland; England; and Scotland.
Kenyatta Hazlewood—Trauma Program Director for Howard Univ. Hospital
Kenyatta M. Hazlewood BSN MPH RN works at Howard Unviersity Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, where I serves as the Trauma Program Manager. As the Trauma Program Manager, Ms. Hazlewood is responsible for developing, organizing, implementing, coordinating and evaluating functions of the interdisciplinary Trauma Service. I held previous positions as the Injury Prevention and Outreach Coordinator and Trauma Educator at George Washington Unviersity Hospital (Level 1) and Prince George’s Hospital Center (Level 2). In those positions I identified national trends as they applied to targeted populations. Her other duties included organizing, presenting and evaluating injury prevention programs in the community and providing trauma education to nurses and physicians. Kenyatta implements programs and education surrounding Trauma injuries, especially in violence and falls prevention and motor vehicle safety. I also is a founding member of the District of Columbia Trauma Coordinators Collaborative (DC-TIPCC).
Kenyatta is the past chair and co-chair of the Society of Trauma Nurses Injury Prevention Committee and an author and faculty of the American Trauma Society’s, Injury Prevention Course. I is a member of the faculty team that teaches the course nationally. Prior to being a nurse Kenyatta worked on various projects within the District of Columbia Department of Health including the initiation of OraQuick HIV testing and working to expand the District’s Immunization Registry.
I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Management and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Howard University, and her Masters of Public Health from The George Washington University both in Washington, DC. I enjoys time with her daughter, husband and dog.
Yanick Rice Lamb—Chair of the Dept. of Media, Journalism, and Film at Howard University
YANICK RICE LAMB loves sharing her expertise with students at Howard University, where she is a professor and former chair of the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. She teaches everything from Multimedia Storytelling to Media Entrepreneurship, where she helps students make their business dreams come true.
Practicing what she preaches, she has helped to launch 101Magazine.net and TruthBeTold.news, the first collegiate fact-checking site. The award-winning journalist and author is co-founder of the health website FierceforBlackWomen.com and was founding editor-in-chief of BET Weekend magazine. She was also editor-in-chief of Heart & Soul magazine and has been an editor at The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Essence and Child magazine. When she isn’t teaching, she’s taking classes toward a doctorate in medical sociology at Howard.
Professor Lamb enjoys reading with her 7-year-old grandson and researching their family history. She’s also co-authored a few books, such as Born to Win: The Authorized Biography of Althea Gibson, The Spirt of African Design and Rise & Fly: Tall Tales and Mostly True Rules of Bid Whist. Next up is Nursing Wounds, a novel about family secrets and a mysterious death.
Don Hayes—Pastor & Assistant Police Chief with Alexandria, VA Police Dept.
Don Hayes was installed as Pastor of the Oakland Baptist Church on April 2, 2006. A native of Washington, DC, he is the 9th pastor in the 120 year history of the Oakland Baptist Church. He and his wife, Gloria, have two adult children –Kianna (Michael) and Quentin (Kashira), and one granddaughter, Harper.Pastor Hayes has shown himself to be a capable teacher; nonetheless, he continues to be teachable and is a strong advocate for education and training. Most recently, he has received his MD from Liberty University and he holds a Master’sDegree in Management and Leadership from Johns HopkinsUniversity. Pastor Hayes is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and serves as Chaplain for the FBI. He sits on several Boards, including Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), County Corrections Gospel Mission, and Assist Pregnancy.A resident of Alexandria, Virginia, Pastor Hayes has been employed with the Alexandria Police Department since 1981 and is currently the Assistant Chief of Police. He also serves as theChaplain for the Department. During his tenure, he received numerous awards –including Officer of the Year.He is passionate about proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, making the Word of God relevant in the lives of believers, and building the Kingdom of God in the congregation and community.
