Board Members

Dr. Darin Brawley, Compton Unified School District’s (CUSD) Superintendent has been with the District since 2012. He has led the turnaround in student performance in the Compton School District which has seen both test scores and graduation rates increase.  Under his leadership two schools have been awarded National Blue Ribbon status. Several schools have received Title I Performing Schools recognition, as well as California Distinguished School Awards. He is committed to continuous improvement in relation to the core mission of education. 

Pastor Guy Witherspoon of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church grew up in Compton, Watts, and South Central Los Angeles. He is a product of the Compton Unified School District, Compton Community College, California State University, Dominguez Hills, and University of Southern California. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is an ardent supporter of assisting students to utilize their God-given talents and skills.  

As an executive in the entertainment business for over a decade, Michelle's expertise and focus is leading creative brand marketing campaigns and securing partnerships in her current position as Head of Partnerships at LiveXLive. She previously was VP brand marketing at Epic Records with clients including Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Black Eyed Peas, Wu Tang Clan, Madison Beer and Meghan Trainor. As a change agent, philanthropy, diversity & inclusion and giving back has always been her passion, and integral in her work as she creates unique partnerships to ignite change. She supported Chairman/CEO Sylvia Rhone with the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life Honoree raising the most single amount ever raised by a single executive for City Of Hope with over $350K from key sponsors American Express, Shea Moisture, Kering, and Morgan Stanley. 

She formerly was a branding agent at ICM Partners for clients including Mary J. Blige, Anderson Paak, H.E.R., to executive women including Bozoma St. John, Debra Lee and Tina Knowles. She's  previously worked at Red Light Management and Warner Bros Records, focusing on strategic partnerships and artist development on campaigns worked on campaigns for the likes of Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Estelle, Imagine Dragons, The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr. and Josh Groban.

Kenisha Edwards grew up in Los Angeles, Ca. She worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) for 13 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from California State University Dominguez Hills. While working as a Special Education Assistant she then subsequently moved on to teaching High School English. She ended her tenure with LAUSD to pursue an opportunity to teach English in Seoul, South Korea for a year. After returning from South Korea, she started working for the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) as a contracted School Site Reviewer, where she ensured the sufficiency of textbooks for students. Making sure that each

student had a textbook was one of the most rewarding aspects of her job. 

Kenisha moved to Compton in 2016 and has been providing services to homeless children through her non-profit EXPOSED. She also owns a Family Day Care in Compton servicing low-income and foster parents. Kenisha spends most of her time seeking out resources, vendors, and donors whom to share in the movement that she and others like her have created for children living in poverty. Kenisha has used her influence and connections to align Exposed with a diverse group of supporters ranging from the entertainment field to grassroots boots on the ground community stakeholders. 

Jeff Harris is an accomplished non-profit executive who is passionate about civic engagement surrounding racial justice and equality. He heads JB Harris Consulting, which was founded to support organizations bringing programs and resources to BIPOC communities working to mitigate the effects of poverty, violence, and trauma that can prevent young people from achieving their full potential. He serves on the board of several non-profit organizations including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Junior State of America Foundation and Food Forward.

Tori Samuel is a Financial Planner with the respected nationwide financial institution, LPL Financial. He helps individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations with investment management services. As a Los Angeles native, he is committed to focusing on the personal growth and development of our youth.  

Jaffe Dickerson runs his own consulting firm and has been serving individuals, employers, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions for almost 40 years.  For nearly 30 years, he was a specialist in labor and employment law with the highly respected national employment law firm Littler Mendelson.