Everyday Dope

Shaniqua Garcia is a trailblazer in the beauty industry with over 18 years of experience. She is a Master Cosmetologist, Certified Trichologist, Educator, and Entrepreneur. Shaniqua has built her career empowering women of all walks of life to embrace their beauty both inside and out. For 11 years she has owned and operated Inner Beauty Salon, and for 7 year she has been growing Pearl Salon Suites with locations in the West End, Decatur, Greenbriar, Riverdale area and 4 franchise owned locations. Shaniqua’s haircare skills include natural hair, relaxers, cuts, color, extensions and hair restoration. She does hair for models, actors, and performers for live events, videos, and photo shoots. Her work is trusted by major hair product companies including Pattern, Design Essentials, Dr. Miracles, Aunt Jackie’s Curls and Coils, Texture My Way, Africa’s Best. Her work can also be seen in online publications and magazines.

Whitney A. Jackson, MSW joined Warrick Dunn Charities in July of 2018 as Executive Director. Ms. Jackson has twenty years of nonprofit management and social services experience and is passionate about improving the quality of life for children and families. Over the course of her career, Ms. Jackson has had the privilege of impacting youth in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina through organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Council for Children’s Rights, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), and most recently served as the Executive Director of the Salvation Army Boys & Girls Clubs of Gaston County. Ms. Jackson is a native of Atlanta, GA and graduated from Emory University with a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Women’s Studies. Additionally, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice with her Master of Social Work diploma and began her career as a school-based Social Worker in Philadelphia. Currently Ms. Jackson oversees all of the day-to-day operations, fiscal management, staffing, programs, and philanthropic endeavors of Warrick Dunn Charities, Inc. and is charged with working closely with the Board of Directors to fulfill the mission of the organization and executing Mr. Dunn’s vision of empowering families to break the cycle of generational poverty, to achieve a better quality of life for all.

Leticia Bhola is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Texas. As a graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Social Work from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she has worked with various populations in New York, the District of Columbia and Texas. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and obtained her Supervision Certification because she believes in helping social workers advance and grow professionally to become clinically licensed social workers. LMB Wellness is a Professional Limited Liability Company (PLLC) registered in the State of Texas.

Kristin Smith grew up in Atlanta and always wanted to be a teacher. She graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in Business, majoring in Management and Minoring in Accounting. She started out in office management for a small law firm which led to her transitioning to a career as a paralegal. Even practicing in a field she loved, she still desired to teach so she volunteered through Hands On Atlanta where she worked with students at Whitefoord Elementary School. She and her husband moved from Atlanta to Huntsville, Alabama twenty years ago and she continued volunteering with local school children. Years before the birth of her only child, Kristin started to research the option of homeschooling. With the birth of her only child in 2004, Kristin and her husband began to seriously consider the idea. Excited about the numerous opportunities homeschooling provided - including satisfying Kristin’s long desire to educate - the family committed to the homeschool journey. Kristin and her daughter attended several cooperatives over the years in which Kristin had the chance to teach and her daughter had the experience to learn in an environment more like a traditional classroom. Many of these other homeschooling families continued to seek out Kristin’s classes and, in 2017, Kristin hosted the first classes for homeschoolers out of her home. She led an all girls team to compete in Mock Trial at the state level through Alabama Youth in Government in 2018. In 2019, Kristin and a small group studying Alabama History were preparing to celebrate Alabama’s bicentennial. Through planning the lunch menu, they realized that Alabama had never designated an official state vegetable. Kristin and this group of students started a state-wide campaign and, in 2021, stood on the steps of the Alabama state Capitol with several state senators, the speaker of the House of Representatives, several state representatives, and members of the Alabama Farmers Association as the governor signed the legislation proposed by Kristin’s students designating the sweet potato as the state’s vegetable. Kristin has become a true leader in the homeschooling community and continues to teach. Kristin’s daughter is a senior this year and will be attending college in the fall 2022. Kristin’s desire is to continue to teach and mentor other families through their homeschooling journeys.

Joshua Travis Dickerson Sr. is a proud graduate of Griffin High School and Georgia State University. He went on to become an educator in the DeKalb County School system and was award 2007-2008 DeKalb County Teacher of the Year for Jolly Elementary. He is currently serving as Executive Director with a non- profit organization in Metro Atlanta. He has created several programs to empower youth and has helped to create chess and robotic clubs at various programs in Atlanta. Mr. Dickerson uses his experience and love for kids to train teachers and administrators on different ways to incorporate literacy into daily educational activities. His poem “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil”, has sparked conversation around the world. As a proud father of four children: Destiny, Joshua II, Justice, and Skylar Dickerson, he knows all too well how important a positive role model is in every child’s life. He is a passionate writer and author. His poem “Cause I Ain’t Got a Pencil”, has sparked conversation around the world. Mr. Dickerson stand strong on his belief that though no one person can do everything, but each person can do something.

“I am the CEO and Co Founder of Break The Box, A full service opportunity zone fund and business incubator based in Austin, TX. I Serve within the Executive team to create lucrative financial opportunities and socially equitable success tools for the Community in Austin. I enjoy building successful business cultures that invest in the growth of people, learning new technologies, and understanding what drives people to perform at their optimal level then driving the behaviors that engage people to exceed expectations. I enjoy coaching others to avoid reactive behaviors and instead work towards the behavior that proactively leads to excellence.”

Dr. Anyee` D. Payne is a powerhouse leader. She inspires leaders and aspiring leaders to become #organizedleaders, who identify priorities, develop action plans, and delegate tasks that catapult the organization’s culture and academic growth. With this leadership model, she serves as principal of a high performing, internationally STEM certified school. Additionally, she has earned state recognition from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement for student growth. Additionally, Dr. Payne has secured millions of dollars in grant funding for STEM based instruction, afterschool, and summer programs. Dr. Payne began her educational career as a kindergarten teacher. Throughout her career, she has held various instructional, support, and leadership roles; including Reading Instructional Coach, Instructional Liaison Specialist, Leadership Support Specialist, and Assistant Principal. Dr. Payne holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University. She obtained a master’s of education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Central Michigan University, and a doctor of philosophy degree in Educational Leadership from Mercer University. She fulfilled her ultimate dream which was completing the Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education’s National Institute of Urban School Leaders program.Dr. Payne’s balance in life are her devoted husband Michael and daughter Avery.

Chanel Johnson is from Atlanta, Georgia, and currently lives in Atlanta as a Science Specialist for the 5th largest district. She has served countless students and educators since 2009, focusing on the areas of math, science, instructional technology, and coaching. Whether teaching students or teaching adults, her passion is to teach and ignite all voices so that they are heard. She believes in developing digital age learners and digital age educators by stimulating a culture of empowered learners through applying 5 C’s ( Creativity, Collaboration, Citizenship, Communication, and Critical Thinking). Her passion is to show stakeholders how with current researched-based instructional strategies, empowering all learners’ voices, especially those often silenced, fostering a dedicated community. All learners can meet their highest potential. Chanel usually develops and executes professional development around the implementation of content and instructional technology fluently. She believes instruction consists of Standards-Aligned Content, Appropriate Pedagogy, and Technology Integration. The most crucial factor is to remember we are teaching the child before the content. Chanel believes in the power of community and collaboration through being a part of countless professional learning networks often sparked from social media platforms such as Twitter. You can follow Chanel on Twitter as Dc_stemtastic. She has conducted several professional developments in training coaches, educators, and instructional leaders towards using the most appropriate technology to empower all voices in science education. She has presented at countless national and local conferences, served as an ASCD’s Emerging 2019 Leader. Chanel is also the newly appointed Vice President for GSTA ( Georgia Science Teacher Association), ISTE Certified Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Google Certified Level 1, Flipgrid Ambassador, Nearpod Advanced Educator, and countless more accolades. On a personal level, Chanel is a proud wife to her husband, Martin. Mother to three kids, Shaylyn, a set of Twins, Christian, and Chloe and Proud member of SIgma Gamma Rho Incorporated