THE DBAB DREAM TEAM

Connie St. John, creator of the Don’t Be A Bully Project and founder of No Weapon Productions, has more than 30 years of experience working with Fortune 50 companies, historic nonprofits, notable entertainment organizations, and media moguls.  Through both her companies – No Weapon Productions and the St. John Consulting Group – Connie and her teams use entertainment to change lives and create innovative business solutions to change the workplace. 

As a corporate and entertainment executive, Connie has worked with several high-profile companies in marketing and public relations, including Columbia TriStar (Sony)Television and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) in Los Angeles, Sara Lee Corporation and Harpo Productions, Inc. / The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago, and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. in Atlanta.

Connie’s specialty and passion is change your life entertainment™, followed closely by innovative education and business management. She serves as the president of Women in Film & Video (DC) and sits on the executive board of the LACHSA Foundation, which funds the arts programs at the prestigious L.A. County High School for the Arts. 

Spring Y. George is a Certified Public Accountant, and her work experience includes management positions in state and federal government as well as serving as a chief financial officer with non profit organizations. Ms. George serves the global community by providing services to unhoused women and children living in local shelters and supports international missions through BreaktheTide, Change Agent Network and CANAFRICA. Ms. George became part of the Don’t Be A Bully Project in order to continue to assist with projects that make a difference in the lives of children and youth locally and globally.

Tia Powell Harris is a career arts educator and administrator whose unwavering belief in the power of the arts to transform lives has landed her at a variety of educational and cultural institutions. 

Tia's career began her career began at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, and spans over thirty years. Following her initial classroom work at Ellington, she served first as Manager of Community Partnerships at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and then as Associate Director of Education Programs at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. She returned to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 2006 where she held the position of Dean of Arts and was then pleased to become the school’s first Director of Artistic Affairs. After serving as Executive Director and President of Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn, New York, she once again returned to Ellington as Chief Executive Officer. Tia now serves as VP of Education and Community Engagement at the New York City Center. She holds a BS in Speech and Drama Education and an MA in Communication Arts and Theatre from the University of Maryland, College Park.

LaTrice V. Harrison is the co-owner of Harrison Affect LLC specializing in strategic development, intellectual property, graphic design, and marketing services. Known as a leader, visionary, and philanthropist, LaTrice Harrison brings vast experience to the DBAB Project. 

Notable accomplishments, while serving as Vice President of Marketing and Development for Matrix Human Services (Matrix) in Detroit, Michigan, her hometown, include leading marketing efforts internally, and becoming a certified top instructor for the nationally recognized Transition to Success™ model. This sought out model of care transitions individuals out of poverty to a life of economic self-sufficiency. During her tenure with Matrix, LaTrice also raised hundreds of thousands annually to support programs that helped underserved communities. 

LaTrice has received numerous professional accolades including the Women of Excellence Award from the Michigan Chronicle, Spirit of Detroit Award from the City of Detroit City Council, and a national nomination from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for their Hometown Hero Award. 

LaTrice is also a nationally recognized author of “We Can No Longer Be Friends Because of the Color of My Skin,” and “Faith the Baby Seed and the Field of Dandelions.” 

Chiquita Kennedy has a background in all things strategy and efficiency.  She isn't the loudest person in the room (far from it) but you best believe she's observing and taking everything in and will ask the questions that need to be answered in order to help the team/organization/business owner move forward with clarity.  She brings a wealth of varied experience to the table and uses this variety to promote out-of-the-box thinking and solutions.  Some of this experience includes HR (recruiting and training/development),  manufacturing (sales operations, applications engineering, LEAN  principles), and entrepreneurship. 

Naketa is a licensed clinical social worker with a concentration in clinical child psychology. She Infuses prominent skills and expertise that were acquired from an extensive background as a clinician and relationship management expert, sexologist and trauma specialist, leveraged from over a decade of major organizational tiers in case management, clinical practice, and as an administrator working with government stakeholders and nationally recognized legislators to effect global changes for children, couples and families.

With an impressive career spanning over two decades, Gaylen Washington stands as a seasoned executive in the technology and business operations field. His expansive career includes notable positions in diverse industries, with noteworthy expertise encompassing SaaS technologies, agile project management, and cloud architecture. As a leader, Gaylen has transformed IT operations and championed process excellence, earning recognition through numerous industry accolades. His approach to leadership combines his deep commitment to people development with the aim of fostering collaboration, optimizing business performance, and delivering exceptional value to stakeholders.

Concurrently, Gaylen has dedicated significant energy to community service and faith-based initiatives. At just 18, he exhibited uncanny leadership and determination by founding and serving as the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization focused on reversing social ills in inner-city communities. This early initiative demonstrated Gaylen's commitment to uplifting others, by exposing primary-grade youth to college and university environments. Further illustrating his dedication to community service, Gaylen has served as a senior leader for over 13 years at a Christian faith-based organization, facilitating reconciliation and healing among diverse people groups. In every aspect of his life, Gaylen Washington exemplifies the combination of a technology executive, community advocate, and faith leader, who is unceasingly dedicated to driving progress and fostering unity.

Simone Washington serves as an amazing NWP board member, lifelong educator, and student advocate with over three decades of experience across various sectors of education, from public and private to collegiate and government spheres. Her dedication to enriching the personal, professional, and educational journeys of individuals transcends professional boundaries, making her not just a board member but a mentor and guide to individuals from all walks of life.

Simone, along with her husband Gaylen, also commits herself to the promotion of familial unity and healing through their active involvement in Marriage and Family Ministry for over twenty years. In her various community-impact roles, she upholds the belief that strong communities and healthy relationships foster personal growth and success. Simone embodies dedication, compassion, and wisdom, as she tirelessly advocates for better futures for those she serves.

Geena Young is the Principal of Centric Business Solutions, LLC, a woman-owned consulting firm located in the Washington, DC metro area. Centric specializes in accounting, business and CFO consulting services as well as IT services. The company's client list includes small to mid-sized businesses in the private and public sector as well

as local, state and Federal government sectors. Geena's primary goal in servicing her clients is to bring best practices and innovation, typically only available to large companies, to her smaller clients in order to allow the business owners to focus on what they do best - "grow and expand their business." 

Geena is also the Managing Partner of NexxtOne Sports and Entertainment Management Firm, a Washington, DC based lifestyle, business and wealth management firm for executives, professional athletes and entertainers. The clients of NexxtOne are

serviced and supported by a team of subject-matter experts in various fields which allows the clients to focus on the things that matter most – their families and their careers. Geena strongly believes in the principle of “giving back.” 

To that end, she is the Founder and Treasurer of the Board of Directors for NexxtOne Academy, a 501 (c)(3) which works to develop underrepresented Black and Latinx youth through science, technology, engineering, arts, athletics and mathematics (STEAAM) programs; and she is the Treasurer of the Williams Franklin Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization which provides academic scholarships, business/career networking and mentoring opportunities to HBCU students with extreme financial need.