Board of Directors

Nicole Brandes is the founding director and chair of the board of directors.  Nicole is a fierce advocate for women’s entrepreneurship and is a member of Her Corner business development network.  Nicole holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of California San Diego where she studied art history and studio art.  She has taught drawing and painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Henry Street Art Settlement, New York City Public Schools, the Maryland College of Art, the Fillmore Art Center, the Lab School of Washington and at DCPS Bancroft Elementary School, where she was the lead art instructor responsible for over five hundred children. Nicole is a practicing visual artist and has received the Puffin Award, Art Matters Award and Russell Award for Artistic Excellence.  Her work has been shown by Pierogi Gallery, Apex Art and Printed Matter in New York City, School 33 in Baltimore and Gasworks Gallery in London.  

Sheena Foster is a member of the board and has spent nearly fifteen years working as a faith-based social and economic justice activist, organizer, researcher, negotiator and non-profit administrator within the labor movement, where her work spans five continents. Sheena currently serves on the board of directors of the North Carolina-based Self-Help Credit Union, Labor Research Action Network, a project of Jobs with Justice Education Fund, and the Metro DC Synodical Women’s Organization of the ELCA Church.  She is passionate about faith-based community development and working with interfaith communities on equitable development, asset mapping and committed is to promoting economic justice through wealth and asset building opportunities.

Nia Francis is a member of the board and a senior real estate professional with the U.S. General Services Administration.  Nia has worked for public and private organizations in construction management, economic and real estate development in New York City and Washington DC.  Nia’s experience includes having been the project manager to first bring Cirque du Soleil to New York City while at the NYC Economic Development Corporation and negotiating the redevelopment of public land around the Nationals Ballpark while at the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation. Nia has extensive event planning and fund-raising experience including for her alma mater New York University.

Sulafa Webster is a member of the board and works at Booz Allen Hamilton. As a native of Sudan and Ivory Coast, she was introduced at a young age to various cultures and languages. Meanwhile, she was also exposed to peace conflicts, social injustice, and extreme poverty. She became greatly passionate about economic development, human rights and promoting access to education. Her work at Booz Allen includes IT financial management, micro-lending, and non-profit fundraising. She received her bachelor’s degree in International Studies from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.