Board of Directors
Dr. Jacquelyn Cheatham-Terry D.O
Board President
Dr. Cheatham-Terry is a family practice physician serving medically underserved communities in rural northwest Georgia. She is the founder and operator of NT Physician Consulting, based in metro Atlanta.
Dr. Cheatham-Terry serves as physician leader for the Floyd Community Ambassador Program, which addresses healthcare disparities and improves heart disease outcomes in the Black community. She also works as a community preceptor, training medical students, nurse practitioners, and family medicine residents.
Dr. Cheatham-Terry earned her B.S. in Biology from The Ohio State University and her D.O. from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she was awarded the National Health Service Corps Scholarship. She completed her residency training at Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia, where she served as Chief Resident.
Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Cheatham-Terry is a wife and mother of two.
Cassie Ford, Esq. Treasurer
Cassie is an attorney-advisor at the Board of Veterans' Appeals, where she has served since 2016. She also co-chairs the Education and Training Committee of Law 4 Black Lives DC.
Before joining the Board of Veterans' Appeals, Cassie practiced law at her own firm, the Law Office of C.L. Ford, in Memphis, Tennessee. Her diverse experience includes working as a law clerk in the Real Property Division of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office and teaching at Lowery Elementary, where her commitment to equity in education took root. As a lifelong learner, Cassie continues to expand her expertise while championing educational access and equity through her community leadership.
Cassie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Xavier University of Louisiana and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School. She is licensed to practice law in Tennessee.
Jordan bowles Social media
Jordan serves as a Digital Communications Associate at a nonprofit communications agency, where she supports various nonprofit and advocacy organizations.
Jordan is deeply committed to uplifting and empowering the Black community, especially Black women. She has demonstrated this commitment through community involvement and projects in her local area. As an executive board member of her university's NAACP chapter, she discovered her passion for advocacy work that shapes her career today.
Jordan earned her M.A. in Communication Studies from Florida Atlantic University in 2020, focusing her research on media representations of Black women and how Black women use digital spaces for activism and political advocacy. She also holds a B.A. degree in Multimedia Journalism with a certificate in Ethnic Studies (2018).
Nicole Clark, LMSW
Member At large
Nicole Clark, LMSW is a licensed social worker and the founder and owner of Nicole Clark Consulting. She partners with BIPOC-led, women of color-led, and allied organizations to build their capacity in program design, community-based research, evaluation, and strategic planning.
Nicole’s work supports organizations whose work centers the lived experiences of women, girls, and gender-expansive youth of color. She brings a Reproductive Justice framework to her consulting, grounded in Black feminist thought, racial equity, and intersectional analysis. Her clients include public health agencies, government offices, social service providers, and social justice organizations committed to elevating the voices of women and girls of color.
Nicole's consulting services include participatory research design, culturally responsive evaluation, strategic planning, and organizational sustainability. Based in Washington, DC, she works with organizations across the United States and internationally.
Nicole has earned a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College and M.S.W. in Social Work from Columbia University.
Tiffani scales, MPH
Member at large
Tiffani is a member of the 2025 Resident Teacher Cohort for Prince George's County Public Schools. She brings extensive experience in public health and health equity from her decade as a Program Development Officer at USAID and her work in community health leadership.
At USAID, Tiffani focused on reducing global health disparities and expanding access to quality healthcare. Previously, as Public Health Program Manager II in Columbus, Ohio, she directed the city's branch of the Ohio Equity Institute, a statewide initiative addressing racial and economic disparities in birth outcomes. She led cross-sector partnerships with hospitals, community organizations, and policymakers to design and implement evidence-based interventions that improved maternal and infant health outcomes.
Tiffani has managed over $1.8 million in grant funding, developed community health worker programs, and created strategic partnerships that expanded healthcare access in underserved communities. Her work centers on the belief that everyone, everywhere deserves access to high-quality healthcare.
Tiffani holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Cincinnati and an M.P.H. in Health Behavior/ Health Promotion from The Ohio State University.
Dr. Pearline M. Tyson, Ph.D.
Board Vice-President
Pearline is Senior Program Manager for Montgomery County government, where she manages long-term federal contracts focused on economic mobility.
Pearline brings extensive experience in applied research and program management. She co-led the 2021 research study on partnerships between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Her research experience spans over a decade, focusing on educational outcomes for young people in the United States and South Africa, with projects contracted by nonprofits and government agencies at local, state, and federal levels.
Pearline earned a B.A. in Political Science with concentrations in African American Studies and Sociology from Xavier University of Louisiana, an M.A. in African American and African Diaspora Studies from Morgan State University, and a Ph.D. in African Studies with a concentration in Policy and Development from Howard University.
Shanelle Chambers Haile, Ph.D. Member At Large
Shanelle is a sociologist and consultant in McKinsey & Company's Boston office, where she applies research methods to help social and public sector clients turn evidence into action. She brings over a decade of experience helping public and social sector organizations translate research into meaningful action through strategic program design and evaluation.
Beyond her consulting work, Shanelle advances social impact through fellowship and nonprofit leadership. As a Visiting Fellow at FCLTGlobal, she leads the think tank's impact strategy, helping to promote long-term value creation for savers and communities. She is also a Fellow in the American Sociological Association's Policy Outreach Program, where she works closely with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to communicate complex research to policy audience. Lastly, Shanelle serves as a Trustee of Brown University, her alma mater, where she champions inclusion.
Shanelle has earned a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College, an M.Ed. in Community Development from Vanderbilt University, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Brown University.
Shanelle resides in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and two daughters.
