Meet the Bull City Durham Collaborative Board of Advisors
Dr. Christa Washington
Board , Chair, Strategic Leader, Research Partner Success, EAB
Dr. Christa Washington is CEO/President of C2EW Consulting. She is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Angela Wilson
Board , Vice-Chair
Attorney Wilson is Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property, at The Hershey Company. She has been recognized twice, by the World Trademark Review, as one of the Top 300 World’s Leading Corporate Trademark Professionals…
Dr. Paul Baker
Secretary & Creative Artists Liaison
Dr. Paul K. Baker is currently Executive Director of the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in Raleigh, NC. CAM is a museum that prides itself on developing the careers of emerging arts and exposing nationally known artists to the region through exhibitions and programming…
Precious Allen, Owner, Precious Estates
Small Business Engagement Liaison
President and CEO of Precious Estates and a Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
Raychelle Baptist, Durham Public Schools
Communication& Outreach Liaison
Adam Clark, Executive Director, World Relief Durham
Global Engagement Liaison
Humanitarian/immigration professional; interested in public theology and helping the Church fulfill its mission to love and serve its neighbors…
Dr. Linda Hubbard Curtis, CEO, HC Educational Services
Childcare & Encore Entrepreneurs Liaison
Dr. Linda Hubbard Curtis is founder of the H&C Independent Educational Consultant, LLC Company,..
Dr. Gabby McCutcheon, Provost, Wake Tech
Educational Liaison
Assistant Vice President for Academics and Guided Career Pathways at Durham Technical Community College
Lisa Long Jackson, Senior Vice President, Pinnacle Bank
Financial Education Liaison
Long Jackson is a Financial Advisor at Pinnacle Financial Partners.
Daliya Rizvi, Founder, Astudia
Youth Entrepreneurial & Talent Development Liaison
Daliya Rizvi is an activist, researcher, and student. She is the founder and president of Astudia, a nonprofit organization that provides free educational programs and resources to students around the world.
Sandeep Chauhan, CEO, Intelligaia
Chief Information & IT Liaison
Co-Founder and CEO of Intelligaia-UX Design and Consulting firm based in Research Triangle Park.
Tiffany Elder
Community Engagement Liaison
Owner and CEO of Coral Construction and Design and Managing Broker at Paradigm Properties
Tanisa Little
Board Member
Currently serves as the Manager of Budgets and Cost Allocations, a division of Duke Finance at Duke University
Adri Maisonet-Morales
Board Member
Vice President of the award-winning Enterprise Learning and Development and corporate Blue University of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
Camryn Smith, CEO, Communities-in-Partnership
Community Engagement Liaison
Ms. Smith is one of the founding members of Communities In Partnership (CIP), a community-rooted organizing and education group based in Old East Durham and serves as the Founding Executive Director
Dr. Joyce Blackwell
Chair
Dr. Joyce Blackwell is owner of the Institute for Educational Research, Development and Training LLC,..
Dr. Christa Washington
Vice Chair and Co-Chair, Education Committee
Dr. Christa Washington is CEO/President of C2EW Consulting. She is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Paul Baker
Secretary and Co-Chair, Public Relations Committee
Dr. Paul Baker is Director of University Galleries at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Tiffany Elder
Chair, Community Engagement Committee
Owner and CEO of Coral Construction and Design and Managing Broker at Paradigm Properties
Camryn Smith
Board Member
Ms. Smith is one of the founding members of Communities In Partnership (CIP), a community-rooted organizing and education group based in Old East Durham and serves as the Founding Executive Director
Gabby McCutchen
Board Member
Lisa Long Jackson
Board Member
Long Jackson is a Financial Advisor at Pinnacle Financial Partners.
Precious Allen
Chair, Small Business Grassroots Engagement Committee
President and CEO of Precious Estates and a Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams Realty, Inc.
Raychelle Baptist
Co-Chair, Education Committee
Raychelle Baptist has been a teacher for 24 years.
rbaptist@built2lastinnovationslab.org
Sandeep Chauhan
Interim Chair, Corporate Committee
Co-Founder and CEO of Intelligaia-UX Design and Consulting firm based in Research Triangle Park.
Tanisa Little
Board Member
Currently serves as the Manager of Budgets and Cost Allocations, a division of Duke Finance at Duke University
Adri Maisonet-Morales
Board Member
Vice President of the award-winning Enterprise Learning and Development and corporate Blue University of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
amaisonet-morales@built2lastinnovationslab.org
Sara VanLear
Board Member
Lead analyst at RTI with 10 years of experience in economic development research
svanlear@built2lastinnovationslab.org
Dr. Linda Hubbard Curtis
Board Member
Dr. Linda Hubbard Curtis is founder of the H&C Independent Educational Consultant, LLC Company,..
411 West Chapel Hill Street
Suite 10
P. O. Box 12886
Durham, NC 27701
Office: (919) 998-9747
Info@Built2LastInnovationsLab.org
Our Overall Mission
Built2Last works to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial and business ecosystem in Durham, with an emphasis on women and underrepresented minorities, and assist individuals in marginalized communities to gain the skills and experience needed to fully participate in economic prosperity.
Durham Built2Last Innovations Lab, Inc. values equity, diversity, and inclusion in all its dimensions. As part of our mission, we welcome all voices to add their perspectives on how we can ensure that our community remains diverse. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion strengthens our voice as a community while elevating our ability to eliminate economic disparities.
Dr. Christa Washington is CEO/President of C2EW Consulting. She is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Previously, Dr. Washington was Director of STEM Continuing Education at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California. Before joining Fielding, she was the Assistant Director of Leadership Development and Scholar-in-Residence at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Her foundation for leadership in higher education was from her seven years as Chair of the Department of Psychology and Chair of the Institutional Research Board Committee at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C.
Dr. Paul K. Baker is currently Executive Director of the Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) in Raleigh, NC. CAM is a museum that prides itself on developing the careers of emerging arts and exposing nationally known artists to the region through exhibitions and programming. Artists that have shown at CAM include Kennedi Carter, Clarence Heyward, Alena Mehic and Adam Narcross among others. Baker has launched a new initiative, Art in Educational Spaces, that will place short term art exhibitions in schools and libraries in underserved communities. Previously he served as the Director of the University Galleries North Carolina A & T State University where he still serves as a tenured Professor of History in the Department of History and Political Science. With over 25 years of experience in higher education, Dr, Baker has served in administrative and faculty roles at North Carolina Central University, Saint Augustine’s University, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Fayetteville State University.
Precious Allen is President and CEO of Precious Estates and a Real Estate Broker with Keller Williams Realty, Inc. She previously served as a New Homes Sales Consultant/Realtor with D.R. Horton. Ms. Allen is also a Real Estate Instructor. Furthermore, she currently leads the City of Durham’s Built2Last Small Business Team.
Raychelle Baptist has been a teacher for 24 years. During her tenure, she has taught middle school and community college math courses. Ms. Baptist holds a B.A. in Middle School Mathematics, an M.A. in Instructional Technology, and a certification in Academically and Intellectually Gifted Education from North Carolina Central University. If given the proper nurturing environment, all students are academically gifted and have unique talents that can benefit society. Baptist has committed her life to inspiring others to overcome their fear of math and pursue a career in the STEM field. She currently teaches 9th grade students Math at 1 at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina.
Adam Clark has worked with refugees and immigrants since 2007. He worked in direct services for years at Kentucky Refugee Ministries, was the Refugee Data Analyst for the Kentucky Office for Refugees, and currently leads World Relief Durham’s services to immigrants as its Executive Director as he has since 2015. Adam graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College double majoring in Philosophy and Theology in 2006. He also graduated with a Master of Divinity as valedictorian from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2010. He is the winner of 5 theological awards, is certified in non-profit management from Duke University, and was the project manager for the recent book 
Dr. Linda Hubbard Curtis, the co-author of Rising with the Son-Day by Day, is a native of Durham, North Carolina. During the mid-1960s, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, she was accepted at Spelman College. After one year at Spelman College, she transferred to North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, where she received her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Dr. Hubbard Curtis earned her Ph.D. degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois.
Gabby McCutchen is Assistant Vice President for Academics and Guided Career Pathways at Durham Technical Community College in Durham, North Carolina. In her 18 years of service at Durham Tech, she has served as full-time faculty, coordinator, chair, assistant dean, dean, and director for the Teaching-Learning Center. Gabby is especially interested in and passionate about first-year students, faculty, and closing higher education equity gaps for students of color.
Long Jackson is a Financial Advisor at Pinnacle Financial Partners. She formerly served as Vice President and Business Banking Relationship Manager with Fifth Third Bank. She has more than 30 years of successful financial industry experience in the commercial, business banking, and retail segments. During her career, Jackson has managed a diverse loan portfolio that ranges from $95MM to $500MM.
Sandeep Chauhan is co-Founder and CEO of Intelligaia-UX Design and Consulting firm based out of the Research Triangle Park. The firm also has locations in India and San Jose, California.
Tiffany Elder is Owner and CEO of Coral Construction and Design and Managing Broker at Paradigm Properties. Prior to starting her own business, Ms. Elder worked as a Software Engineer with American Express. She is considered as one of North Carolina’s premier brokers.
Tanisa Ann Little graduated from Spelman College with a B.A. in Economics in 2002. Upon graduation, she began working at Duke University and currently serves as the Manager of Budgets and Cost Allocations, a division of Duke Finance. Through her various roles at Duke, she has had the opportunity to work with and learn from top senior leadership in the fields of financial reporting and higher education management. She was accepted as one of the youngest members to the Duke Fuqua School of Business Cross-Continent Executive MBA Program, where she earned the degree in 2008.
Adri Maisonet-Morales is Vice President of the award-winning Enterprise Learning and Development and corporate Blue University of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She joined Blue Cross as a leader in Commercial and Government Operations in 1997 and continued to take increasingly complex roles and assignments throughout the organization before leading Blue University in 2008. In her current role, Ms. Maisonet-Morales is responsible for the organization’s learning strategy, leads the training shared services, and champions the Company’s learning culture.
Camryn Smith is a proud resident of Old East Durham and a community activist and organizer. She has been serving in place-based development work for over 23 years both stateside and abroad.
Dr. Joyce Blackwell is CEO/President of the Institute for Educational Research, Development and Training LLC, an agency that works with non-profit, government and private sector partners to conduct research, develop and guide strategy, and build capacity to promote evidence-based policies, programs and practices for women and girls of color. For the past 18 months, she has served as consultant/manager of the Durham Compact, which was created by the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) to secure strategic partners for Built2Last-related initiatives.
Sara VanLear is a lead analyst at RTI with 10 years of experience in economic development research. She collaborates with domestic and international clients to evaluate economic development initiatives and to determine equitable and actionable recommendations for regional and national strategies. Ms. VanLear develops inclusive growth metrics, assesses the exchange between public and private institutions, determines critical industry and workforce trends, and identifies key areas of need for shared progress.