Board

Chief Administrative Officer, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle

Dr. Lorenza Wilkins is an equity-driven servant leader and inductee into the National Society of Leadership and Success. As a 2018 participant in the National Opportunity Youth Forum hosted by the Aspen Institute (Aspen, CO), Dr. Wilkins is forever committed to philanthropy and service to the common good of all humanity. As a former Consultant with Clemson University’s South Carolina Coalition for Mathematics & Science, Dr. Wilkins fully supports raising student achievement and advocating for STEM literacy to prepare our young people to compete in an evolving 21^st Century global marketplace. Dr. Wilkins previously served as Executive Director at Rebound, Alternatives for Youth, Senior Director of Programs and Operations at Made in Durham, Program Manager at the Triangle Literacy Council, and Talent Advisor at CSX. Dr. Wilkins credits projects with NCCU BRITE/Fab Lab, Duke University’s Design Thinking Team, and Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship with solidifying and validating the programmatic infrastructure at Compass Youth Center. As a graduate of Leadership Triangle, Dr. Wilkins is proud to be a Goodmon Fellow and change agent across the Triangle. Leadership Triangle is a nonprofit organization established in 1992 to educate and promote regionalism across the separate communities of the Triangle. As a former student-athlete at North Carolina Central University, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Master of Business Administration, and Doctor of Business Administration from Columbia Southern University. Dr. Wilkins is a native of Lake Gaston, N.C., and enjoys spending time with his wife, four children, and family. His hobbies include volunteering, gardening, weight training, boating, fishing, and swimming.

Dukes & Associates Consulting LLC

Dr. Tanneshia Dukes is a dedicated educator, advocate, mother, and wife with a strong commitment to improving educational outcomes for all students. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education (K-6) from Greensboro College, a Master’s Degree in School Administration from North Carolina A&T State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from High Point University.

Throughout her career, Dr. Dukes has held various roles, including Teacher, Instructional Coach, Behavior Specialist, and School Administrator. She has worked in several school districts, including Guilford County Schools, Danville Public Schools, and the Alamance-Burlington School System. These diverse experiences have deepened her passion for promoting equity and ensuring access to quality education for every student.

Currently, Dr. Dukes serves as the Executive Director and Lead Consultant at Dukes & Associates Consulting Firm. In this role, she leads a team that offers a comprehensive range of services aimed at empowering educational institutions, policymakers, and leaders. 

Brilliant Corners Innovations, Principal Consultant/Managing Director

Soyini T. Abdul-Mateen is a mother of three adult children and a proud bonus mom to a cherished daughter—a role that has deepened her lifelong commitment to fostering belonging, growth, and second chances. She believes every young person deserves the freedom to explore their potential in spaces where they feel safe, valued, and celebrated. At the Reintegration Support Network (RSN), she sees this vision come to life, as the organization nurtures healing, resilience, and hope for youth rebuilding their futures. 

A natural mentor and advocate for inclusivity, Soyini has dedicated her career to creating communities where people feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. Her work as an IT consultant reflects this ethos, blending technical expertise with a heartfelt drive to transform systems—and lives—for the better.  

Soyini’s compassion is rooted in her own journey. Having walked alongside family members navigating mental health challenges, substance use, and justice system involvement, she understands the power of empathy during life’s most fragile transitions. These experiences fuel her dedication to ensuring no one feels alone in their struggles. 

As an RSN board member, Soyini combines strategic insight with an unwavering belief in the community’s transformative power. She is honored to contribute her voice, vision, and passion for human-centered solutions, helping RSN create pathways where every young person can thrive.

 Grants Consultant, Maslow’s Peak

Julie Boler is a bridge builder and problem solver, whose nonprofit career focuses on creating opportunities for fruitful collaborations between widely divergent cross-sections of Americans. She prioritizes pursuits that expand access to civic engagement and illuminate shared goals between groups who see themselves as opponents. Julie reaches across lines of division to inspire confidence in win-win scenarios. She believes that by investing resources and support where they are most needed, we can discover the hidden gifts and strengths that enable individuals to reach their full potential and society to evolve towards abundant well-being for all. 

Mental Health First Aid Assistant, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Shalisa Clifton is a dedicated mental health advocate working at The University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill.  With certifications in Adult Mental Health First Aid and Mental Health First Aid for Veterans, Shalisa is committed to equipping individuals and communities with the skills to recognize and respond to mental health challenges. As experienced instructors, they play a crucial role in fostering education, support, and resilience, ensuring that mental health resources are accessible to those in need. Passionate about breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, Shalisa is devoted to empowering others through knowledge and compassionate care.

A graduate of Winston-Salem State University and Texas Tech University, where they earned their master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, Shalisa brings a strong academic foundation to their work in mental health support and education.

As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Shalisa serves their community alongside women devoted to the mission of service to all mankind. Passionate about breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, they strive to empower others through knowledge, compassion, and advocacy.

Nu Vizion Foundation 4 Lyfe, Founder

Kimberly A. Guess is a dynamic servant leader dedicated to empowering individuals to step into their purpose with confidence and excellence. She is a certified career coach who specializes in guiding professionals and entrepreneurs toward career fulfillment, business success, and financial independence. Kimberly is also an image consultant, helping individuals align their personal and professional brands with their purpose, presence, and power. Kimberly brings her expertise in marketing and branding and provides strategic solutions that elevate businesses, ensuring their message and mission resonate in a competitive marketplace. 

Kimberly is also a peer-to-peer mentor and award-winning best selling author, committed to walking alongside others as they navigate personal and professional growth and sharing her personal journey of resilience, faith, and transformation, inspiring others to embrace their struggles, turn their pain into purpose, and show up for themselves and their communities.

She has touched the lives of countless women and aspiring entrepreneurs through The Show Up Queen Entrepreneur Academy, offering tools, resources, and mentorship to help them succeed.

Full Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Andrea Hussong is a Professor of Psychology at UNC-CH and a North Carolina licensed Clinical Psychologist. Her work explores issues of youth mental health and substance use, especially how to build on the strengths of children in families struggling with parental addiction to help youth thrive. Having called North Carolina home for nearly 30 years, she most enjoys her work with community partners in which science and lived experience together inform the best approaches to prevention and intervention. Her world view is shaped by her own journey as a first-generation college student growing up in rural Indiana to a mother of two grown children, fueling a desire to support youth from all walks of life as they grow into young adults. 

Black ology Coffee Company, Founder/Executive Chef

Lori Jones has a passion for empowering individuals to recognize their potential and create meaningful change in their lives. She has worked extensively with second-chance individuals, helping them gain culinary and life skills to build sustainable careers. Through her work with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, Lori developed a culinary training program that has transformed the lives of unemployed and underemployed individuals by providing them with hands-on experience and professional certifications.

One of Lori’s missions is to foster community connections and support underserved populations. As the founder of Black•ology Coffee Company, she actively supports nonprofits addressing domestic violence and sexual assault while using coffee education to inspire growth and build relationships. She believes that everyone has the ability to achieve their goals but sometimes needs guidance and support to succeed.

Lori is a chef, entrepreneur, and community advocate. She is a devoted mother of two, a lover of coffee, and a champion for second chances and community empowerment.

Retired

Dr. McQuiston focused her academic career working collaboratively with the Latino community in Durham, NC through Participatory Action Research to build community capacity and culture-specific HIV/AIDS prevention strategies. Her interest in culture-specific care arose from her experiences providing care as a Public Health Nurse and a Family Nurse Practitioner to primarily Urban Appalachians and African Americans respectively.  After she received her PhD in Nursing from Wayne State University in 1994 she moved with her family to Chapel Hill, NC and began teaching and research at the University of North Carolina School of Nursing in the Department of Community Health. This was during the AIDS crisis and the first wave of Latino migration to the Triangle. She received multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted research at El Centro Hispano in Durham NC where she volunteered for 12 years and was a member of Café de Mujeres (Women’s Group).  She used Participatory Action Research to design and conduct research with community members. Initially, we developed and conducted a Lay Health Advisor Program (LHA) which continues to this day and is currently spreading information about what to do if ICE comes to call.  Subsequently, we conducted a binational (4 Mexican sending cities and Durham, NC) then a trinational study (the Mexican sending cities plus Honduras and Durham, NC) to examine the effects of migration on health and culture specific strategies for interventions.

In 1998, she  was awarded an Excellence in Teaching Award and then was recognized in the broader nursing community in 2002 in San Antonio Texas by the Southern Nursing Research Society which presented her with an Award for Research in Minority Health. The University of North Carolina again acknowledged her work and asked her to submit a proposal to NIH (2002-2007) for a Health Disparities Center. Dr. McQuiston sought and received funding for and became the Director for The Center for Innovations in Health Disparities Research in collaboration with North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University. Dr. McQuiston retired in 2006. She remains concerned about Latino immigrants and in 2018-2020 led the sanctuary movement in her church to shelter a Latina who was in fear of deportation. 

Tom McQuiston, a Doctor of Public Health, retired in 2015 from 30 years of work in the labor movement where he focused on health, safety, the environment, and participatory education and research. During his career he worked for international labor unions where he developed, directed, and evaluated national public health programs involving international labor unions, universities and hundreds of workplaces. For over 13 years, Tom has volunteered and sponsored residents at Orange Correction Center, a NC state prison. He is also a co-founder of Wounded Healers NC, a peer mentoring and support program for those transitioning from prison back to the community. In addition to being RSN’s Founder and Board Treasure, Tom also serves as RSN’s Senior Advisor. Tom brings his Quaker values to every aspect of his life and work.

Clinical Social Worker, Duke Health

Jen has a passion for helping people realize their strengths in transforming their own lives. She works within the Durham community to assist students in reaching their academic and behavioral goals. One of her missions is to dismantle the stigma of mental health and strengthen the community. She utilizes a strength-based approach when working with youth and families. She also incorporates restorative practices to help build relationships. She believes that everyone possesses the ability to be better but may need assistance on the journey, which is where she steps in.

Jen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York and a Master of Social Work from North Carolina Central University. Jen is a self-identified lover of ice cream, dream chaser, and difference-maker.

Charter Success Partners, Finance Analyst

My name is William Vanhook and I am an experienced financial professional specializing in financial analysis, reporting, and regulatory compliance. With a CPA certification and over a decade of experience, I have worked with not-for-profit organizations, contractors, and small businesses. My expertise includes budgeting, financial forecasting, and ensuring regulatory compliance. I have held roles at national and regional CPA firms, delivering impactful insights that drive financial stability and transparency. I am adept at leveraging my analytical skills to support decision-making and advance organizational goals. I hold a Certificate in Accounting from Muhlenberg College and a BA in History from the University of Virginia.