Dr. Joyce B. Johnson is President and CEO of the Institute for Educational Research, Development and Training LLC, an organization that conducts and communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women and girls of color. She also currently serves as Durham Compact Program Manager and Consultant in the City of Durham’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Prior to serving in her current role, Dr. Johnson served as Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs at both liberal arts and larger research-designated universities. In this capacity, she provided oversight of over two-thirds of the institution and served in the President’s absence. During her tenure, she negotiated partnerships with institutions and agencies both domestically and internationally—the most notable being a partnership with the governments of Mozambique and Tanzania in which STEM faculty produced math and science textbooks for primary school children. This initiative was funded by a $13 million grant that Dr. Johnson received from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She also served as Vice President of Instruction and Student Development at Piedmont Community College. As the second highest ranking employee of the college, Dr. Johnson provided oversight of not only academic programs but also workforce and economic development programs. In this role, she was responsible for assessing both short- and long- term economic and workforce trends in Person and Caswell counties; recommending appropriate college programming based on the needs of the workforce community; establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships to address regional workforce needs including, but not limited to, secondary career-technical educational (CTE) programs, state commerce, labor and workforce personnel; preparing grant proposals and external funding requests to support workforce education; and assisting local industry leaders with the development of customized training for employees.

Dr. Johnson has both presented at national and international conferences and written articles and books on topics that focus on how the dual–isms that African-American women have historically faced often adversely impacted their lives. She has also written about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Dr. Johnson currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the North Carolina Community College Association’s North Carolina Student Success Center, Board of Directors of the Person County Partnership for Children, and Board of Directors of the HBCU General Education Alliance. Formerly, she served as President of the National Association of Chief Academic Officers (including membership from both the U.S. and Latin America).

Dr. Johnson is a graduate of North Carolina Central University where she earned both a B.A. and M.A. in History. She also earned a Ph.D. in Women’s History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a graduate of the William R. Harvey Executive Leadership Institute, American Association of Community Colleges’ Thomas J. Lakin Mentored Leadership Program for Select Community College Leaders, Leadership Person County, and Yale School of Management Women’s Executive Leadership Program.

Dr. Johnson chairs the Durham Compact Board of Advisors.

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 the 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, NC. 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, NC.

Dr. Washington recently completed the African American Board Leadership Institute. She is a graduate of the OURS Fellowship Program at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology where she earned a Post Doctorate Certificate in Academic Leadership. Dr. Washington offers significant experience in organizational development, academic leadership, women in leadership, and strategic planning. She is also an avid proponent for diversity in the workplace, and leadership and social competencies. Dr.Washington has published articles in the Oxford University Public Policy Journal and the International Journal of Business and Social Science. She presented this work at the Oxford University Roundtable in 2010 and the London’s Women’s Leadership Symposium in 2012 in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Washington is a graduate of Leadership Raleigh and Emerging Leaders both which are directed by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. She earned a Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Walden University in Minnesota, M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Georgia School of Professional Psychology, and a BA. In Psychology from the University of Arkansas. She holds membership in several professional organizations, including the Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology, American Psychological Association and the National Association of Scholars. She also serves on several community Boards. While serving in her many roles, Dr. Washington also has time to operate her business, which provides psychological and leadership development training for women and businesses.

Dr. Washington serves as Vice Chair of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and co-Chair of the
Education Committee.

Lisa Jackson is 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. Over her career, she has managed diverse loan portfolios that range from $95 M to $500MM.

Ms. Jackson began her career as a teller then quickly progressed to various management roles such as retail branch manager, dedicated lender sales coach, financial specialist leader, business banking, real estate financial services and domestic strategies. Prior to serving in her current position, she served as Senior Vice President and Business Banker at First Citizens Bank and Senior Vice President at Wachovia Bank. With her vast expertise and resources, Ms. Jackson works diligently to boost the financial productivity for area business owners and their employees. Her current client base consists of businesses with annual sales between $2MM to $20 MM.

Ms. Jackson also stays equally involved in her community helping numerous organizations such as the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). As their market champ, she was committed to organizing women conferences and promoting women small business owners. She is also past President of Triangle Commercial Real Estate Women (TCREW) and current member of the Executive Committee of the Carolina Theater of Durham and Durham County Economic Small Business Advisory Committee. In 2019, she was appointed to the NC Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Board and has held her CCIM designation for more than 15 years.

Ms. Jackson serves as Recorder for the Durham Compact Board of Advisors.

Dr. Laura Helms Reece is CEO of Rho, Inc., a biotech research organization that provides a full range of clinical research services across the drug development process. Dr. Reece oversees commercial operations and business development at Rho. Se also sets the strategic vision for the company that is consistent with Rho’s core values and lays the groundwork for a strong future.

Before becoming CEO of Rho, Inc., Dr. Reece worked at the company as a Senior Biostatistician, Associate Director of Biostatistics, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Vice President of Corporate Operations, and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. She also worked at AstraZeneca as a Senior Statistical Scientist and GlaxoSmithKline as a Statistical Consultant. Her work at these two companies prepared her to lead Rho, Inc., where she has guided the company into a period of growing revenues and expanding service offerings.

Dr. Reece is committed to giving back to the community and the public school system. She has participated in Habitat for Humanity’s Triangle’s CEO Build and the Triangle United Way CEO Sleep-Out and raises money for the March of Dimes and the Durham Center for Child and Family Health. She is also passionate about and active in local and state politics.

Dr. Reece earned a B.S. in Business Administration, MPH in Biostatistics and a DrPH in Biostatistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She recently graduated from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. She was also featured in Durham Magazine’s “Women of Achievement” issue and was recently recognized as a top businesswoman by theTriangle Business Journal.

Dr. Reece serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and Chair of its Corporate
Committee

Mr. Cason earned a B.A. in Music Education from North Carolina Central University and a M.M. in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D., from North Carolina State University, in Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis. His research interests are in early education, parent/family engagement, and educational barriers for homeless students.

Mr. Cason serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and co-Chair of its Education
Committee.

Mrs. McCullough has served for over 25 years in the non-profit industry, contributing to the economic development and community enhancement of the state. Her experiences include small business lending, grant writing, public relations, and training. Additional experiences for Mrs. McCullough include certification as an Economic Development Professional through the National Development Council. A graduate of Leadership Triangle, Ms. McCullough began her college studies as a Mathematics student at North Carolina Agriculture and Technical State University. She earned a B.S., in Mathematics, from Shaw University, and a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Education from North Carolina State University.

Mrs. McCullough serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and co-Chair of the Philanthropic/Financial Committee.

Before joining the team at Pacific Western Bank, Mr. Newman worked as a Government Guaranteed Lending Underwriter and Loan Closer with Community and Southern Bank, a SBA/SBL Portfolio Manager with Square 1 Bank, Credit Manager with RBC Bank, and Business Banking Risk Manager with RBC Bank. In these various roles, Newman’s responsibilities has ranged from increasing credit availability to local businesses to reviewing, analyzing and evaluating business and personal tax returns and FYE financial statements for loan approval for SBA (7), CDC /504 and USDA loans to managing loan portfolios for cross-border, high net worth clients.

Mr. Newman earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Old Dominion University. He also serves on the Board of the Women’s Center of Wake County, Inc. and Life Experiences, Inc.

Mr. Newman serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Directors and co-Chair of the Finance/Philanthropic Committee.

While in high school, Mr. Posada and his friends began an after-school program for Latinos after realizing there were no programs like that for their community. More than 80% of the Latino students in the high school participated in the after-school program.

When he went to college, Mr. Posada did the same thing. If he saw things that he did not like, he tried to do something about it. He attended Campbell University, a historically religious college founded by a Baptist minister. Mr. Posada started the first LGBTQ Student Union on campus, which took the fight all the way up to the Board of Trustees. He later said, “It took me two years, but I got the Student Government Association and the Campus Activities Board behind me and we got it done.” Today, Mr. Posada continues to advocate for minority, marginalized and oppressed groups.

Mr. Posada’s other focus at El Centro Hispano is creating programs that are sustainable and will continue to exist long after he has left the organization. On the policy side, he has worked to build relationships with elected officials, representatives’ staffers, and the media to promote the organization’s goals.

He earned a B.S. degree in Political Science from Campbell University.

Mr. Posada serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and co-Chair of the Community Strategic Engagement Committee.

Ms. Elder is a frequent participant on a variety of panels in Durham that focus on real estate, tax credits for investors, understanding the new mortgage rules, legal tax loopholes for real estate investors, and African-American entrepreneurs. For example, she has presented at the 2019 NC Boule Conference on the topic, “Young African-American Entrepreneurs Driving Change.” She also served as a panelist at Duke University’s Samuel DuBois Cook Center Conference for Social Equality. Ms. Elder has also published articles in local journals and magazines on some of these same topics.

Ms. Elder serves on several community boards and committees. For example, she serves, among others, as chair of The Collective, co-Chair of the Durham Business and Professional Chain, Executive Board Member of the Durham Equitable Economic Partnerships, and a City appointee on the Durham Historic Preservation Committee.

Ms. Elder earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and a MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ms. Elder serves as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and as co-Chair of the Community Strategic Engagement Committee.

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 chairs the City of Durham’s Built2Last Small Business Team.

Ms. Allen is not only a real estate entrepreneur but also a community advocate serving on several City of Durham committees for entrepreneurship leadership and community development. She believes that while education is important, training and development are necessary. As a dedicated real estate instructor, she promotes out-of-the-box curricula that challenge new and seasoned agents to not only sell real estate but establish their position of value in the industry so that they are built to last.

Ms. Allen’s clients range from first-time home buyers, real estate investors, to builders and non-profit organizations. Her clients not only see her as their buying and listing expert but as a relational strategist. She is also a tech ambassador to her real estate constituents. She helps agents implement technological systems in business that engage and streamline workflow processes with a higher rate of productivity.

Ms. Allen attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Ms. Allen will serve as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and Chair of its Small
Business Grassroots Engagement Committee.

While serving as Vice President of Alliances for Leadership in Education Equity, Mr. Guckian led fundraising, communications and external partnerships for $30 million non-partisan leadership development organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering a diverse set of teachers and former teachers to become civic leaders in elected office, policy, advocacy and organizing within their communities to ensure that every child received a high quality education. The organization had 40,000 members across multiple media platforms.

As the Senior Education Advisor in the NC Governor’s Office, Mr. Guckian provided strategic advisement and set P-20 education priorities in the service of 1.6 million public school students, over 800,000 community college students and over 220,000 students in the University of North Carolina System across the state and a total education budget of over $8 billion. He was awarded the Order of the Longleaf Pine—the highest civic award given to honor individuals with a proven record of service in the State of North Carolina.

Mr. Guckian believes that systemic change cannot happen without action and conversation. This is the mindset that he brings to the United Way of the Greater Triangle. In this role, he participated in various community initiatives and has taken a lead in Durham’s COVID-19 response. United Way was one of the
first organizations to ask for support to assist people who were struggling during COVID-19. As a consequence, more than 23 corporations stepped up as partners allowing United Way to distribute more than $750,000 to nonprofits in Durham, Wake, Orange and Johnston counties—funds that were used for food, rental assistance, and other critical resources.

Triangle United Way also recently joined with representatives from the Triangle Community Foundation, The Art of Giving, and NC Collaborative for Strong Latinx Communities for a conversation on adapting to a new way of working and pivoting to meet the communities’ needs both during the pandemic and after the pandemic ends.

He earned a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Colgate University and a M.ED. in Non- Profit/Public/Organizational Management from Harvard University.

Mr. Guckian is a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors and Chair of the Corporate Committee’s Corporate Social Responsibility Subcommittee.

Before her employment with RTI, Sara VanLear worked at the Hewlett Foundation as the Program Associate in the Effective Philanthropy Group. In this role, she collaborated with program staff to facilitate the capacity building priorities of their grantees and also provided a range of project management, strategic planning, and evaluation support to internal staff and external partners.

VanLear earned a B.A. in History at the College of William and Mary. She also earned a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Sara VanLear will serve as a member of the Durham Compact Board of Advisors as well as Chair of the Corporate Committee’s Supply Chain Management Subcommittee.

He serves on several local boards, committees and commissions including, but not limited to: Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Garner Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; North Carolina State University Institute for Emerging Issues; North Carolina Civic Health Index Business Advisory Council; Triangle Digital Inclusion Task Force; North Carolina Superintendent’s Graduation Task Force; Triangle MLK Jr. Committee Board Member; and National Philanthropy Day Community Selection Committee.

Mr. Doreauk is also responsible for advancing the legislation and regulatory agenda of AT&T. Moreover, he collaborates and contributes to the government relations team by meeting with state legislators and staff to discuss pending issues and to promote AT&T’s regulatory agenda during public hearings.

Ms. Maisonet-Morales’ strategy is to always lead with a business lens. She once stated, “I always have an enterprise mindset as I look at the demand and make decisions about what we need to accomplish in order to have the workforce ready to activate and achieve the strategic imperatives of the organization.” For example, she reconciles every project against three pillars: efficiency; alignment; and effectiveness.

In addition to using learning to equip Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina’s workforce of more than 5,000 internal employees and contractors to perform in a continuously changing environment. Ms. Maisonet-Morales and her team systematically reduced business costs by improving existing processes and systems and enabling workers to develop new and needed skills faster. She has made it a key strategy to use innovations in digital technology to meet learners where they are with what they need.

With a passion for paying it forward, Ms. Maisonet-Morales serves on the boards of the NC Business for Education, the Durham Chamber of Commerce, and actively supports a wide range of associations, charities and business development initiatives. She is an accomplished talent development executive and thought-leader and is most notably recognized as the 2016 Chief Learning Officer of the Year from Chief Learning Officer magazine.

Adri Maisonet-Morales holds a B.S. in Leadership Development and a M.S. in Organizational Performance from Bellevue University and a M.S. in International Human Resources from Pennsylvania State University.

A community activist and organizer, through her business initiative, Femme Collection, Ms. Smith mentors and develops entrepreneurs of color. Specifically, she and her team help black and brown women– owned businesses to scale up and prosper while providing equitable employment opportunities. Her organization’s staff also identifies and equips those that have been directly impaired by systemic racism and inequality with the knowledge and skills required to be effective organizers and leaders of their communities.

Ms. Smith’s goal in her community is to bring more concrete, community-rooted and led strategies and outcomes that are centered around how chronic illness and health care are linked inextricably to inequality, lack of resources and stress, all of which are rooted in historical and institutional inequality.

Prior to starting Intelligaia, Mr. Chauhan was a Managing Partner with 3BD Interactive, another firm committed to assisting firms by simplifying their problems with designs. He has also extensive experience in working as a part of global product development teams. Mr. Chauhan has spent the last 22 years in this field of work.

Mr. Chauhan earned a Bachelor of Commerce (B. Comm) degree in Business Administration and Management from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (Indore University) and a Master’s degree in Management from the same university.

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 No Longer Strangers, eds Rev. Eugene Cho and Dr. Samira Izadi Page. When not in the office, Adam spends his time with his wife, Sophia, his three kids, Deuce, Tatiyana and Sparrow, or he’s in the woods somewhere hunting.