WE'RE ELIMINATING RACISM & EMPOWERING WOMEN
​with a dynamic board of directors

Our board of directors makes a real difference in the lives of women and people of color in the Charleston region, working hard behind the scenes to enable our programs, from our annual MLK Celebration to our annual What Women Bring event. We can't thank this passionate, talented group of women enough! 

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COURTNEY JOHNSON
YWCA.GC Board Chair

A board member since 2019, including terms as board treasurer, and a group insurance executive for more than 20 years, Courtney is the vice president of business development for Atlanta Life Insurance Company, a historic Black-owned insurance company, where she helps others with reinsurance: life, disability, and other insurance needs. 

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Prior to joining Atlanta Life Insurance Co., she served as the regional vice president of sales and service for the west division and vice president of client relationship management at Fortune 500 firm Prudential Financial, where she also served as national co-director for its Black Leadership Forum, Prudential's largest and oldest business resource group, with more than 2,000 members. In this role, she partnered with senior leaders and key stakeholders across the company to drive impactful, community-based engagement to enable and empower Black employees to advance in their careers, cultivate allies in the work of inclusion, and contribute to market and community success.

Courtney enjoys coaching and mentoring children as well as volunteering to help the homeless. She currently sits on the board of nonprofit Teacher's Supply Closet. For six years she served as a mentor for children as part of Omaha TeamMates Mentoring, which provides mentors for thousands of students across five states, and as a girls' track coach for  inclusivity nonprofit Amateur Athletic Union. For two years she also taught children in the Schools on Wheels program in Huntington Beach, California. 

She is a member of the Charleston, SC Chapter of The Links, Inc., and was previously a member of the Omaha chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, a nonprofit seeking to empower Black women and girls in the areas of economic well-being, education, and health.   

She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is the proud pet parent of a rescue dog named CoCo, with whom she enjoys running 5Ks.

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JANET HART
YWCA.GC Board Vice Chair

A board member since 2019 and a current member of the YWCA.GC Governance Committee, Janet has also served as co-chair of our What Women Bring event. A business development leader with a broad operations and product management background who enjoys solving puzzles to drive positive change for customers, she currently leads products for Amazon's print-on-demand division.  

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Previously she served in seven roles at Blackbaud, including running its global sales operations, building a new marketing operations team, and leading a back-office transformation as its director of operational excellence.  
 
Janet and her husband Greg are the proud parents of one daughter, Margot. She has been a YWCA.GC board member since 2019.

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RADIA BAXTER
YWCA.GC Board Secretary

A board member since 2016 and a current member of the YWCA.GC Governance Committee, Radia is an experienced leader who drives impactful marketing, public relations, social campaigns, program development, and strategies for various organizations and companies. She is committed to positively impacting the quality of life for others through activism and community partnerships, development, and alignment.

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​She is extremely passionate about community outreach & building, education, entrepreneurship, professional development, social justice, restorative justice, and youth programs.

Radia has produced dynamic, results-driven strategies with expertise in campaign management, community engagement, nonprofit organizations, leadership development, public relations, and public service. She is adept in gathering and analyzing community, cultural, educational, social and demographic data to develop and implement programs with excellent communication and leadership skills.She has the ability to cultivate, build, and maintain positive relationships with community, corporate and other stakeholders.

Her areas of expertise include advocacy, strategic planning, community relations, leadership, and program development & management.

Radia is the director of education and programs at the Charleston County Detention Center, where she is responsible for the development and implementation of programs to empower and prepare adult and juvenile residents for workforce development and successful re-entry into society.

She also serves on the boards of Lowcountry Youth Services, Jenkins Orphanage, and R3: Real Talk, Real Results, Real Action.

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KENDRA SNIPE
YWCA.GC Past Board Chair

A board member since 2015 and a native of Johns Island, Kendra originally joined our board to serve as an under-30 member, and quickly rose to leadership. One of our youngest-ever board chairs last term, she graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, SC, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with minors in communications and Spanish. 

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She went on to graduate school at Georgia School of Professional Psychology and again at Webster University to become a master level-trained professional in counseling, human resources development, and management & leadership. Her education and experience both allow her to promote behavioral change, build training programs, and improve organizational processes. 

Kendra currently serves as a college recruiting coordinator at Nucor Corporation, where she supports more than 300 Nucor divisions and 30,000-plus teammates,  attracting world-class talent to the steel industry.

Kendra has served as YWCA.GC board vice chair, secretary, Organizational Leadership Committee chair and Governance Committee member.

CAROL A. JACKSON
Chair, Governance Committee

Carol, a board member since 2022, a former City of Charleston Council member, and a retired executive with 40 years of experience in nonprofit management, served as the Council’s human resources chair from 2018 to 2021 and as the City of Charleston Mayor Pro Tempore in 2021. 

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She was also the founder and only female president of the precursor to the City of Falls Church VA Economic Development Commission, and the originator and first president of Falls Church's first overnight winter shelter, preventing hypothermia among the homeless population. She has served on a host of boards and committees, including a term as vice chair of the Charleston Commission on Women, and is currently working to close disparities gaps as a member of the City of Charleston's Human Affairs & Racial Conciliation Commission.

Carol graduated cum laude from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor’s degree.
 
“I look forward to seeing the day when all children love their own skin and never encounter situations that would lead them to believe any less of themselves,” Carol says. She also enjoys supporting women “to find and solidify their firm footing wherever they choose to walk, while they grow and spread their wings to fly far beyond any vision I have for their future.”

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KENYA DUNN
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2022 and both our current #WhatWomenBring chair and a current member of the YWCA.GC Governance Committee, Kenya founded her own consultancy after serving as vice president of retail sales at T-Mobile, where she was one of the few women executives in the company, an active advocate for diversity and inclusion, a mentor to multiple women, and an inspiration to many. 

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Today she concentrates entirely on coaching women for success as chief executive officer of The Power Filled Woman, and also serves as fractional chief operating officer for Life tagger, Inc., an African American technology startup, where she mentors the founders while preparing the company to scale up.  

The recipient of the 2020 #WhatWomenBring award in the business category and the 2021 Like a Girl: Dare to Dream award, she was also the 2019 nominee of Black Entertainment Television Network’s Women in Corporate America award. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix.

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ADRIANNE GRIMES
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2022, former TV news producer Adrianne Grimes is the director of marketing and communications for the South Carolina Research Authority. She previously led external affairs and marketing communications for the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Center for Telehealth.

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While at MUSC, she founded Telehealth Awareness Week, which was adopted by the American Telemedicine Association. 

Adrianne also serves on the boards of the South Carolina Public Relations Society of America, Dorchester Two Educational Foundation, and Charleston Youth Leadership Council, Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of South Carolina and a master of science from The Citadel Graduate College.  

Adrianne and her husband Randy are the proud parents of three adult children: Erika, Morgan, and Jared-Benjamin.

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SARAH CASTLE
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2023, Sarah has served on the board's strategic planning committee and was our #WhatWomenBring business honoree in 2022. A former Amazon executive with 20 years of corporate leadership experience, she was promoted to the executive level before she was 40 years old (unusual at Amazon), working on technical teams at the global leader before transitioning out to start her own coaching and consulting firm where she helps transform organizations and elevate leaders.

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While at Amazon she worked in its digital and print books division, on Amazon Alexa voice technology, and in mergers & acquisitions: often one of only a few women working on technical teams. Her other previous positions include roles in human resources, investment fund portfolio management, digital devices, and software engineering education.

Today she is also a faculty member at the College of Charleston, where she teaches
entrepreneurship and leadership, and an author. She currently serves on the board of The Harbor Entrepreneurship Center, on the committee of Thrive, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's women's professional network, and is a member of Social Venture Partners.

She has also served as a speaker on women's development, including at The Citadel’s 2022 Women in Entrepreneurship series, and has been a guest on the Snack-Sized Business Podcast.

Sarah earned a master’s degree from Cornell University after graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

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DR. TOMEKA MIDDLETON
YWCA.GC Board Member

New to our board this year, Dr. Middleton is no stranger to YWCA.GC. She has led #WhatWomenBring subcommittees across multiple years, served on the Joseph P. Riley Vision Award Committee, part of our annual MLK Celebration, and, as the owner of her own chiropractic practice specializing in preventative care and post-accident rehabilitation, is a proud graduate of our WE 360° program for women entrepreneurs of color.

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Dr. Middleton earned her bachelor of science degree in biology and chemistry from South Carolina State University. Her outstanding academics led to her acceptance by Life University College of Chiropractic, where she earned her doctorate of chiropractic degree.

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JENNIFER BROWN
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2023, Jennifer serves as the director of employment and education services for Palmetto CAP (Community Action Partnership), which works to meet the basic needs of working families with gaps in education.

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Jennifer also serves on the City of Charleston's Commission on Women and Trident United Way's African American Leadership Council. She is chair of the steering committee of the latter, and additionally serves as the president of Charleston Epicureans.

She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from North Carolina Central University and a master's degree in human services from Springfield College.

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MONIQUE BROWN
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2023, Monique serves as global data protection officer at Greystar. She chose to go into law, earning her undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees from the University of South Carolina, because she felt service is at the heart of a legal career.

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Prior to taking her role at Greystar, she served as assistant general counsel of privacy & data security at Rite Aid Corporation, and before that, as senior corporate counsel and privacy officer at technology company Benefitfocus.

Monique serves on several other local boards and is involved in numerous community and professional organizations. As the wife of a retired naval officer, she has particularly supported military families.

"Success is leaving your comfort zone," she says. "Don't be afraid to follow your passion, take risks, and step out in faith. Remember Jeremiah 29:11. "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for."

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PAMELA RICHARDSON
YWCA.GC Board Member

A board member since 2023, Pamela serves as director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for HCA Healthcare 's South Atlantic and North Florida divisions. Prior to taking her role at HCA Healthcare, she served as senior global equity diversity and inclusion executive at Boeing, overseeing DEI at its South Carolina location.

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She held a similar role as director of talent and inclusion at Dot foods, North America's largest food distributor, where she oversaw its corporate-wide inclusion and diversity initiative.

Pamela also volunteers her time as diversity chair for Palmetto SHRM, the local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, and the board of Williams & Associates. She has served on the boards of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the St. Louis Zoo. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the St. Louis American Business Excellence Award and St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leader Award.

She holds an MBA with an emphasis in human resources from Williams Woods University, a master's of jurisprudence degree from Loyola Chicago School of Law, and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Columbia College.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Interested in serving?

We elect our board of directors from a diverse community representative of our members. All board members are eligible to serve for two 3-year terms. Elections are held annually.

For more information about becoming a YWCA.GC board member, please contact our executive director.  

ABOUT YWCA.GC

For 116 years, YWCA Greater Charleston has worked to eliminate racism and empower women in South Carolina's Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties. 

A historic local association of YWCA USA, one of the oldest and largest multicultural women’s organizations in America, we seek to create opportunities for personal growth, leadership, and economic development for women, girls, and people of color.

Our annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is one of Charleston’s longest running events, predating Spoleto Festival USA and other events. One of the first MLK tributes in the nation, today it attracts thousands of celebrants each year. 

We also work to eliminate racism with our annual Stand Against Racism. 

In 2016 we brought the first Girls Who Code club for middle school girls to Charleston; our subsequent Y Girls Code program has since expanded to female students of all ages. 

In 2017, we brought the Racial Equity Institute, which leads our Racial Equity & Inclusion workshops, to Charleston to help local leaders understand and address racism in the community, along with Own The Room public speaking workshops to empower women’s business success by improving their public speaking skills. 

In 2018, we introduced What Women Bring, an annual power lunch attended by hundreds to celebrate and empower South Carolina’s women in business, community, and culture. 

In 2019, we brought SheStrong into our fold to empower high school girls to develop as leaders and changemakers. 

In 2020, we introduced WE 360°, a multi-week course designed to help women of color overcome barriers in entrepreneurship.

Please follow us online as we announce new programs and events!

Facebook | @YWCAGreaterCharleston 
Instagram | @ywca_gc
Twitter | @YWCAChasSC

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