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. 

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.” LaTrice currently resides in Illinois with her husband and son. 

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.

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.

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.