NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
An executive visionary and talented strategic and servant leader; Caroline Mbi-Njifor offers a distinct 2+ decade-long career in entrepreneurial and formal sector leadership. Beginning her career as a Social Worker in Child Care and National Programmes Manager in Health Education; Caroline has served in significantly increasing roles including: Senior Advisor / Programmes Director for Futures Group SA | Country Director for EngenderHealth SA and IPAS SA | Head of Finance & Operations for Palladium Group SA. With further service as an Independent Director for: Accounting for Entrepreneurs | Future Packaging & Machinery | Activate Telecoms | and HISP SA. In conjunction with the above formal sector experience, in 2014, Caroline Founded her own venture - EndlessLife Group SA [Serving as CEO and presently Board Chair] - a pioneering company offering comprehensive and integrated medical home health and social services across the South African, and now Nigerian, landscapes.
Caroline’s mission is “My life’s purpose is to transform the lives of individuals and organizational leaders, driving high performance in the workplace and in personal life. Applying multi-faceted techniques to inspire and build high-performing individuals and teams - through coaching and empowerment. Equipping men and women with the true spirit of transformational leadership required to lead in all roles – both corporate and private.”
April McKenzie- Griswold is certified mindset coach and non-profit leader with over 20 years of experience working for some of NYC's top non-profits in the areas of fundraising, special events and board development. Her passion and commitment to helping others especially those in underserved communities has fueled her drive to make an impact and help change lives. In 2020 she founded Next Level Coaching and Consulting out of a desire to support women of color by helping to unlock their greatness and become the best versions of themselves.
April is a life-long learning who loves the process of growth and transformation. She is a self-described news junkie and in her spare time enjoys reading, cycling, drawing, travel, spontaneous adventures, brunching, music, and spending time with friends and family. April attended Lincoln University with a major in Communications. She is joyfully married and lives in Jersey City, NJ.
Ronnie Owens is a marketing professional with a proven track record of driving revenue growth, enhancing customer engagement, and achieving competitive differentiation. He has extensive experience in developing and delivering marketing strategies and is a trusted leader in the field of marketing. Ronnie is also an accomplished pastor with a focus on leadership development and community empowerment. His unwavering commitment to serving the community and improving the lives of individuals across the country has earned him a reputation as a respected and influential voice of power.
Ronnie earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro and an MBA from Strayer University. His educational background, combined with his extensive professional experience, has equipped him with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in any business or academic setting. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Ronnie is happily married to Tameka and is the proud father of two exceptional children, Aiden and Adah.
Alan D. Pennington is a partner in the Matrix Consulting Group, a management consultant firm that conducts organizational and staffing assessments for public sector entities. Prior to joining the Matrix Consulting Group in 2005, Alan served in several local government positions in Peoria, Illinois for 13 years. Alan has extensive prior experience serving his community including serving for 5 years as the Board Chair of Got Your Six Support Dogs – a non-profit that trains and places service dogs for veterans and first responders suffering PTSD at no cost to the recipient. Alan also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Metro East Humane Society.
Alan received his BA in Public Management and Master of Public Administration from the University of Maine. While a proud Maine native, he has lived in various Illinois communities since 1992. He currently resides in Edwardsville, Illinois with his wife, Stephanie, and two rescue dogs – Huck and Perry.
For 16 years, Derek D. Ross has been a trusted and reliable brand & creative strategist + publicist leading the branding, marketing, and communications behind the biggest HBCU brands and events in the country working to relieve the stress and pressure of his clients by unpacking their ideas and breaking through their creative roadblocks to design strategies to amplify their voice, visibility and impact. In 2017, Derek was recognized as a Black Enterprise (BE) Modern Man of Distinction and served as a panelist at the 2018 Black Enterprise Entrepreneur Summit. In 2019, he was a recipient of the 2019 Excellence in Leadership Award for Entrepreneurship presented by the UNC Charlotte Black Alumni Chapter, and served as a panelist at the 2019 Build Your Own Brand Conference. His motivation is creating opportunities for the next generation not readily accessible to BIPOC students, as well as using his story and experiences as a source of inspiration, education and empowerment for others. Derek received his Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UNC-Charlotte and a MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel-Hill.
Volker Schulmeyer is an IT Executive with broad experience across all aspects of a CIO’s organization. Delivered large transformation programs and rapid continuous improvement programs. Managed large implementation or support teams with multimillion-dollar budgets as well as small, highly-skilled, impacting architecture/strategic teams. Adaptable, customer service oriented from over a decade of consulting. Strong organizational development and design skills from 10-year transformation journey at PepsiCo and as Chief Architect at Caterpillar Inc. Broad and deep process expertise across all functions of an organization. Extensive SAP expertise, exposure to other ERPs and Best of Breed solutions. Leadership responsibly in every aspect of Architecture – Process, Applications, Data and Technology. Volker now plans on spending his time in three equal portions to (1) consult for income, (2) devote time to good causes, and (3) pursue hobbies.
Geoffrey T. Witherspoon, II, is an Associate Attorney with McMillan Metro Faerber, P.C., in the firm’s Family Law and Litigation practice groups. Throughout his 10 years of practice, he has realized that dealing with legal issues can be a stressful and often overwhelming experience, so he strives to create a supportive environment wherever he goes – prioritizing client needs and addressing concerns with tremendous care and understanding. Geoffrey’s continued dedication to social justice drives him to fight tirelessly for civil rights and against injustices, both locally and abroad. Since graduating, Geoffrey has worked for the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance, he has been a Law Fellow for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and he has clerked for several judges at the District of Columbia Superior Court. Throughout his career, Geoffrey has also been recognized for his many accomplishments, including receiving the 2023 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 Award by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, and receiving the Washington Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division 2018-2019 Donald A. Thigpen, Jr. Rising Star Award. Through his experiences, Geoffrey has found his own pathway to social equality. Geoffrey’s lifelong goal is to ensure that impoverished communities have access to representation, access to resources that promote generational wealth, and access to justice as they understand it. Geoffrey received his Bachelors in Legal Communications from Howard University in 2011 and his Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law in 2014.
NATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
Jenn Maness is an award-winning development and communications professional unafraid of uncharted waters. She currently serves as the Manager of Philanthropic Giving in the Prisma Health Office of Philanthropy, where she has cultivated, solicited, and stewarded new and existing donors to close $11.7 million in Health Sciences Center support since 2016. Jenn received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, and is a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute of Furman University. She is also a performing member of Alchemy Comedy Theater.
Ben Shamberger is a financial advisor & money coach for Dixon & Company Wealth Management in Winston Salem, North Carolina. With his 8 years of financial experience, including working for several major investment firms, he passionately works to encourage individuals, couples, and business owners to create and maintain lives of wholeness and freedom through a platform of financial planning and money coaching. Ben’s “More Than Money” approach assesses the financial stage of every client, identifies their needs, and diligently journeys with them to meet their financial goals. In 2019, Ben used his experience in business, coaching, and finance to build a business networking organization, RISE, to create a supportive community to aspiring and veteran African American business owners across the Triad of NC. Technologically interfaced weekly business owner calls, social media marketing, synergy, and networking connections encourage RISE members to utilize their resources to gain clarity & focus on professional branding & business growth. Ben is a native of Greensboro, NC and proud alum of Appalachian State University. He has his BS in Business Marketing from ASU and is an alumni of the Appalachian State University Men’s soccer program and the Appalachian State University Ambassadors. With his love for soccer and penchant for coaching, in 2011 Ben started 705 Soccer, a soccer training company that has successfully followed graduating high school students into established collegiate soccer programs. Ben and his wife, Joy have three young children. He enjoys spending time with his family, along with his other favorite hobbies, travel, music and soccer.
Marlin Payne currently enjoys helping to build capacity for a small portfolio of the nation’s most progressive nonprofit organizations. Prior to his current work, Marlin served as Associate Director of Gift and Constituent Data at the Georgetown University Law Center where he managed the data integrity and quality control functions of the development department to improve the donor experience and maximize the law center’s donor relationship. He also served as on the Venture Philanthropy Partners team where he helped the organization raise and deploy growth capital and provide strategic assistance to build and strengthen high-potential nonprofit organizations, networks and systems serving young people and low-income families throughout Greater Washington.
Before that he helped build organizational capacity for over 500 medical schools, teaching hospitals and health systems as part of the Member Services team at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and crisscrossed the country making sure that healthcare workers could secure their place in America’s middle class as an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. Marlin is a member of Progressive Maryland and was part of the first cohort of fellows in the Maryland People’s Leadership Institute program in 2020. He serves as a member of the organization’s Justice Task Force and the Environmental Justice Task Force. He graduated from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2009 and splits his time between Washington, D.C., New York, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Wayne Woodbury is the Founder & Chief Clothier at NaturalFit Style, LLC, a clothing brand created to help individuals discover their personal style. It was founded in 2009 on the premise that every individual is the sum of their unique composition and experiences and aimed at pinpointing and accentuating that individuality.
In addition to his responsibilities at NaturalFit, Mr. Woodbury is also a licensed pharmacist with CVS/Caremark. He has nearly 20 years of service in the fields of community and long-term care pharmacy. He is a certified immunizer with experience in pharmacy management, staff supervision, legal and regulatory requirements, drug compounding, medication therapy management, and patient care. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University in Boston, Massachusetts. He resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and son.