Speakers and Panelists

Dalia Blell LCSW-supervisor is a professional counselor/training lead for Dallas College Counseling and Psychological Services. She has years of experience providing mental health services to students in higher education, secondary education, community mental health and crisis centers. Blell is a bilingual therapist and holds numerous clinical certifications specializing in mood and anxiety issues, trauma recovery and suicide prevention. She is located at the North Lake Campus Counseling and Psychological Services Center.

Cherrender Haynes is a licensed professional counselor (LPC). She holds a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Prairie View A&M University and a Bachelor of Science degree in organizational management from Paul Quinn College. Her experience includes working with Metrocare as a qualified mental health professional and with Dallas Behavioral Healthcare Hospital as an inpatient therapist. Haynes also has experience working with adults and juveniles in residential programs. Additionally, she has worked with Dallas College for 11 years as an adjunct instructor of general psychology, learning framework and human development. In her personal time, she enjoys hiking, fishing, reading and camping.

 

Tro'juan Henderson

Performance Poet

African American Read In

Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Tro'juan Henderson is a performance poet based in Dallas who advocates for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence. Henderson works in Dallas Independent School District teaching creative writing for youth centering gender, emotional stability and how essential they are when paired with developing critical social-emotional skills, including communication, empathy, engagement self-control, discipline and cooperation.

Curtis Hill is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) at Dallas College with over two decades of experience and is competent in the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Hill teaches graduate courses part time in the Department of Counseling at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He is also a Safe Conversations master trainer grounded in Imago therapy with over twenty years of experience presenting workshops at the local, state and national levels. Hill earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Science (MS) from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from Baylor University.

Schabandol Johnson is a licensed social worker who has served hundreds of families across Louisiana and Texas. She is currently employed at Metro Care and helps adults navigate mental health and criminal justice issues. Johnson is a staunch educator at heart and believes in creating materials and resources that educate people holistically, especially as it relates to exposing the plight and progress of Black people.

 

Jiles King

Theater, television and film director and producer

Courageous Conversations: Authenticity and Respectability Politics in Professional Spaces

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, Noon-1:30 p.m.

Jiles King is an accomplished theater, television and film director and producer. He is the publisher of the quarterly Urban Arts Magazine and founder of DFWBlackArts.com and Urban Arts Collective. With Urban Arts, he created and executive produced the annual Irma P. Hall Black Theatre Awards and Unity Fest Dallas, a free two-day community empowerment event. Urban Arts holds arts workshops for youth and adults in underserved communities. In 2013, he returned from New York City to serve as the first chief executive director for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas. At TBAAL, he had the opportunity to work with a plethora of artists including the late Ruby Dee, Diahann Carol, Debbi Morgan, Fantasia, Ledisi, Loretta Divine, Malik Yoba and Malcolm Jamal Warner. Some of his favorite projects include associate producer of “A Night with Ruby Dee” at the world-famous Apollo Theater, associate producer of the Tony Award winning Negro Ensemble Theater’s “The Monkey on My Back” starring Debbi Morgan, and director of production for the 2017 Riverfront Jazz Festival. King received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University in theater producing and management. While in New York, he worked on Broadway with Disney Theatrical Group and produced numerous theatrical plays and festivals.

 

Shareefah Mason

Executive Producer for From the Block Documentary

Black Film Festival Screening

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Shareefah Mason has innovative ideas for revolutionizing education focused on teacher diversity, designing culturally affirming schools and creating “UNimpoverished” first-generation graduates, who attain college degrees without extreme student debt.

Mason is an associate dean of educator certification at Dallas College and lead author of the trailblazing Teach Plus and Center for Black Educator Development collaboration paper, “To Be Who We Are: Black Teachers on Creating Culturally Affirming Schools.” She's also the executive producer of the internationally award-winning film, “From the Block,” emphasizing the impact of Black teachers on all students.

 

Terry (T.) Odis

Poet

African American Read In

Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Terry (T.) Odis is a poet from Dallas by way of Chicago. He began using poetry as a means of catharsis and has since embraced his unique writing, performance, teaching and corporate experience to entertain, inform and organize events nationwide. He is a historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) alumnus, an award-winning slam poet, and has published two books of poetry. T. Odis has performed in venues and festivals nationwide. He is currently an architect and teaching artist living in Dallas with his wife and two children.

 

Chinyere Okpara

Leadership Coach, The Elevather

Courageous Conversations: Authenticity and Respectability Politics in Professional Spaces

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, Noon-1:30 p.m.

Chinyere (Chichi) Okpara is a leadership coach through her firm The Elevather, where she has the opportunity to guide high-achieving women to step into their brilliance. She serves as a diversity consulting principal through AO Consulting, a boutique diversity recruiting firm that partners with organizations to create more inclusive cultures to attract and retain untapped talent. She's intent on building up organizations to be ready to welcome and nurture brilliant diverse talent from day one. She has had the privilege to work directly with both start-ups and Fortune 100 corporations to build sustainable pathways to opportunities for underrepresented talent. Chichi has led intentional efforts to increase diverse representation at companies such as Amazon and Oracle and currently heads the Americas Diversity Recruiting Strategy at a well-known Investment bank. Chichi lives in Texas with her husband, identical twin boys and a brand new perfect 4-month-old baby boy. In her spare time, you will find her reading/podcasting about all things diversity, equity and inclusion, and leadership development.

Dr. Ross is currently the department chair for Dallas College’s School of Nursing at the El Centro and North Lake campuses. She was the dean of nursing at Rasmussen University’s Dallas and online campuses and the interim dean of nursing for the Mankato Minnesota campus overseeing more than 1,000 students and over 100 faculty.

Dr. Ross holds an associate degree in nursing from Houston Community College, a Bachelor of Science from University at Stony Brook, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas Tech University, a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Healthcare System Leadership from Chamberlain University and is a Ph.D. candidate at Walden University.

Grenalda Spears is a licensed professional counselor (LPC). She has been with Dallas College Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) for over three years and a practicing clinician for over fifteen years. Spears is currently located at the North Lake Campus. She has gained a vast amount of experience working in community health settings, with clients in the judicial system and students in higher education. Her clinical experience includes counseling adults, families, college students, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) with an expertise in areas including stress management, addiction, depression, anxiety and co-occurring disorders.

 

LaMonte Thomas

Vice President – Market President South Central, Aetna

Courageous Conversations: Authenticity and Respectability Politics in Professional Spaces

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, Noon-1:30 p.m.

LaMonte Thomas has over 25 years of experience in the health care industry. He has held roles in human resources, sales operations and management, as well as finance and audit.

Serving as the south-central market president for Aetna since February 2021, Thomas has created a culture that values the ideas, contributions and energy of each Aetna colleague. He encourages colleagues to be active in the community where they work and live.

Thomas is a member of the board of directors for KERA, Housing Forward (formerly Metro Dallas Housing Alliance), Business Council for the Arts, Collin County Business Alliance and TexProtects.

In 2013 he received the Texas Diversity Council Leadership Award and was named to the 2014 Dallas Business Journal’s Who’s Who in DFW Health Care and the 2015 Dallas Business Journal’s Minority Leader award. Thomas chaired the 2017 March of Dimes Dallas Area March for Babies.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Washington University, St. Louis.