Battling double pandemics—COVID-19 and the resulting increase in domestic violence—has tested the mettle of this Executive Director and the organization she leads. Since taking the reins of District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) in 2017—10 years after the ground-breaking organization launched—35-year-old Executive Director Koube Ngaaje has doubled the organization’s capacity to shelter victims of domestic…
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This dynamic young executive has built an unparalleled fundraising program from the ground up Trying to keep our families and friends safe and healthy while balancing our personal and professional lives—in 2020, this became an almost impossible task for many. Despite these obstacles, though, Joy Bentley Phillips, Chief Advancement Officer at the Academy of Hope…
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Since she was a child, Wanda Steptoe knew she wanted to help people. “I grew up in a very large, very close-knit, loving family,” Wanda says. “One of my cousins had Down’s Syndrome — and life for people with developmental differences wasn’t like it is today. They recommended putting him in an institution — but…
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LaKendra McNair Empowers & Accelerates Minority and Women-Owned Businesses We’re thrilled to officially launch our #BlackWomenSparkChange campaign with LaKendra McNair. LaKendra is a Vice President at M&T Bank who focuses on serving underrepresented business leaders and entrepreneurs in the greater D.C. area. Her “purpose-driven” approach defies traditional banking and lending, empowering women- and minority-owned organizations…
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Black women are powerful leaders. It’s time to amplify their voices to elevate their work. In the earlier months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was on a call with a business leader talking about how small businesses could survive the economic consequences of the pandemic. I learned about the ways in which small, women, and…
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