The Andrew Goodman Historically Black College and University (HBCU) Cohort is a national platform where HBCU student leaders can thought-partner and form proactive measures to increase voter registration, participation, and engagement among HBCU students and their surrounding communities.
Monica Clarke is the Freshman Academy Service Learning Coordinator and an adjunct English faculty member at Alabama A&M Univeristy.
Sierra Boykin is a junior Food Science major from Atlanta, GA. She is involved in several organizations on campus, including Women of Worth, the NAACP, and the Gospel Choir, and she also serves on the executive board for Food Science. Sierra is passionate about service and committed to uplifting and supporting her campus community. Through her leadership and involvement, Sierra strives to make a positive impact on every space she is part of.
Paris Clack is from Snellville, Georgia. Paris is majoring in biology with the goal of becoming a pediatrician. Since her first year of college, Paris has been registering her community to vote, which resulted in her inclusion in the voter registration honor roll published in Forbes Magazine. Paris enjoys ice skating, spending time with her family, and watching anime in her free time.
LaNise Chilton is from Flint, Michigan. She graduated from Grand Blanc High School in 2024. LaNise is a track and field athlete at Alcorn State University, as well as serving as Miss ASU H.E.R.O.S on campus.
Carson LaTrell Posey is 19 years old and studying in hopes of attending med school. His ultimate goal is to be a cardiologist since heart problems are plentiful in his family and even in his peers.
Tonyetta McDaniel is the Program Coordinator at Career Services for Claflin University.
Richard Biles Jr is a sophomore Business Management major at Claflin University from Detroit, Michigan. He enjoys helping others and being involved on campus. Outside of school, Richard enjoys watching scary movies, playing video games, and exploring his interest in fashion. On campus, Richard serve as a Career Ambassador in the Student Development Center, where he help students with their professional development, and also serves as a Tour Marshal, helping introduce prospective students and visitors to Claflin University. Richard enjoys being someone others can rely on and looks forward to finding new ways to make a positive impact in my community.
Teri Platt is a Community of Practice Fellow, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge at Civic Nation.
Teri Platt, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and the Director of the Isabella T. Jenkins Honors Program at Clark Atlanta University. She has over 15 years of higher education teaching experience in courses on American political institutions, public policy, urban politics and planning, and research methodology. Dr. Platt has a long-standing commitment to research and service in areas of civic engagement and community-based participatory research activities. She is currently a Faculty Affiliate with Data Science Initiative of the Atlanta University Center Consortium and the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development at Clark Atlanta University where she is a social science researcher and lead of the Community Engagement and Dissemination Core. Through her work with the CCRTD, Dr. Platt has received funding to explore the relationship between civic engagement, self-efficacy, and prostate health through the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Platt was a 2021-2022 Fellow with the National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement at the University of California, Irvine where she evaluated student voter engagement at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). She is also the Faculty Champion for the Andrew Goodman Foundation HBCU Cohort; a Co-Designer with the Ask Every Student Initiative of the Students Learn, Students Vote coalition; a member of the Executive Council of the Students Learn, Students Vote Coalition; participant in the HBCU Community of Practice for the ALL IN Democracy Challenge; and Faculty Champion for the Democracy Fellows of the Campus Vote Project.
An active member of scholarly associations, Dr. Platt has served on committees and participated in the annual meetings of the American Society for Public Administration, Conference for Minority Public Administrators, Southeastern Conference for Public Administration, National Conference of Black Political Scientists, Midwest Political Science Association, and American Political Science Association.
Dr. Platt resides in Atlanta with her family and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She provides additional service to the community through her church and the Atlanta Public Schools.
Naysa Sutherlin is a Junior attending Dillard University majoring in Political Science while also on the Pre-Law track, from Chicago, Illinois. In her free time she enjoys volunteering at food banks and around the community as part of the Sisters Keeping It Real Through Service organization, advocating for food equity as a member of Dillard's Slow Foods Club, and a voice for youth advocacy as a New Orleans Youth Advisory fellow. Following graduation, Naysa hopes to go on to attend law school, and have a career as an attorney and work within the local government of Chicago. She enjoys any work that allows her to strengthen her community and get the youth involved in civic engagement and exercising their political voices.
Roderick Morning-Trice is a class of 2027 Political Science Major at Dillard University. He hails from the great city and state of Birmingham, Alabama, and is anxious to solve some of the world’s problems, and excited to connect with you all! In his free time he enjoys socializing with friends, meeting new people, and diving deeper into his passions of music and social justice.
Anastasia Taylor is the Margaret Walker Center's Director of Digital and Community Engagement. As a proud Jacksonian and alum of HBCU, Tougaloo College, their passion lies in the preservation and accessibility of community history. Their work at MWC focuses on student training, visitor experience, digitization, and organization. They serve on the Mississippi Museum of Art's community access council, insuring that their voice is used to advocate for their local community. Outside of this work, they write poetry and create illustrations that aim to distill their lived experience, archival knowledge, and advocacy.
Robby Luckett received his BA in political science from Yale University and his PhD in history from the University of Georgia. A native Mississippian, he returned home, where he is a tenured Professor of History and Director of the Margaret Walker Center and COFO Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University. His books include a collection of essays, Redefining Liberal Arts Education in the 21 st Century (2021), and a monograph, Joe T. Patterson and the White South’s Dilemma: Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement (2015).
Robby is an Advisory Board member for the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Mississippi Book Festival. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Farish Street Historic District: Main Street Association in Jackson and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Association of African American Museums. From 2017 to 2023, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Jackson Public School District. For his
work in racial equity, he was named a Kellogg Foundation Fellow. Robby has three children: Silas, Hazel, and Flip.
Anastasia Taylor is the Margaret Walker Center's Director of Digital and Community Engagement. As a proud Jacksonian and alum of HBCU, Tougaloo College, their passion lies in the preservation and accessibility of community history. Their work at MWC focuses on student training, visitor experience, digitization, and organization. They serve on the Mississippi Museum of Art's community access council, insuring that their voice is used to advocate for their local community. Outside of this work, they write poetry and create illustrations that aim to distill their lived experience, archival knowledge, and advocacy.
Robby Luckett received his BA in political science from Yale University and his PhD in history from the University of Georgia. A native Mississippian, he returned home, where he is a tenured Professor of History and Director of the Margaret Walker Center and COFO Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University. His books include a collection of essays, Redefining Liberal Arts Education in the 21 st Century (2021), and a monograph, Joe T. Patterson and the White South’s Dilemma: Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement (2015).
Robby is an Advisory Board member for the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Mississippi Book Festival. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Farish Street Historic District: Main Street Association in Jackson and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the Association of African American Museums. From 2017 to 2023, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Jackson Public School District. For his
work in racial equity, he was named a Kellogg Foundation Fellow. Robby has three children: Silas, Hazel, and Flip.
Chezney Fowler is a Computer Engineering student passionate about technology, leadership, and making a positive impact in her community. She is strongly committed to advocating for students and creating opportunities for them to use their voices and feel heard. Through Chezney's involvement in campus organizations and civic engagement, she hopes to encourage students to become more informed, involved, and confident in advocating for themselves and others. Chezney's goal is to use her education, leadership, and passion for advocacy to make a meaningful difference both on campus and beyond.
Iyanna Sobers is a senior psychology major from Plainfield, New Jersey. Having parents who were born in a different country allowed her to see the disparities in the world at a younger age than most. She recently had an internship working with the Union of Southern Service Workers, mobilizing the city of Durham, North Carolina. She is very passionate about civil justice and mental health support for people of every background.
Dr. Tiffany Seawright is the Director of the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T). With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Seawright has built a career centered on leadership development, student engagement, organizational effectiveness, and community impact. Before planting her feet at NC A&T, she held multiple positions and served on various boards at Winston-Salem State University and Salem College.
Her professional background includes training and development, assessment, programming and program design and development, curriculum and instruction, strategic planning, program consultation, leadership development, and civic engagement.
Dr. Seawright earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Gardner-Webb University. A native of Easley, South Carolina, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Salem College and a Master of Science in Adult Education/Higher Education from North Carolina A&T State University.
She is a John Maxwell Trainer and Coach, True Colors Personal Success Facilitator, Truist Emerging Leaders Certification External Facilitator, and Certified Life Coach through the Life Coach Institute of Orange County. Her additional professional credentials include the Gallup Global Strengths Coach Certification training and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certification from the University of South Florida, among others.
Dr. Seawright is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, where she serves through the Winston-Salem Alumnae Chapter and contributes to the Membership, Economic Development, and Political Awareness and Social Action committees. Deeply rooted in community engagement, she also serves as the Political Action Chair on the Winston-Salem Urban League Young Professionals Executive Board and as a Program Consultant for Youth Voter Engagement at the North Carolina Black Alliance in Raleigh, North Carolina.
At the heart of Dr. Seawright’s leadership philosophy is her belief that great leaders attract greatness from others, and they empower those same individuals to exert the same Law of Attraction.
Nikkyla Johnson is a Psychology student at North Carolina A&T State University from Durham, North Carolina. She is passionate about mental health advocacy and juvenile justice reform and hopes to create meaningful change in the lives of our at-risk youth. Her interests lie in restorative justice, social work, and understanding the ways systems can either support young people or create barriers for them. Through her work with Students for Voting Justice and the Civic Engagement Coalition, Nikkyla has found another way to advocate for her community and the issues she cares about. After college, she plans to pursue a Master of Social Work and become a restorative justice social worker, where she hopes to advocate for our youth and be a force for change in her community.
Jyanne Guide is a sophomore Honors student at North Carolina A&T State University, majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in Political Science. She is passionate about advancing social justice and seeks to inform and empower communities through multimedia journalism, research, and civic engagement. Jyanne is dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices by connecting politics, social justice, and everyday life.
Dr. Vanessa Raynor Moone serves in academic leadership at Shaw University for the past 15 years in positions which have included Vice President-Academic & Student Affairs, Vice President-Student Affairs, Dean of Academic Support Services, Academic Division Head of Health and Human Sciences, and Program Coordinator of Communication Disorders and Sciences. In her current role as dean, Dr. Moone has the opportunity to collaborate and lead a highly engaged support staff in a data-driven design, implementation, coordination, assessment and improvement of programs and initiatives to improve student success. The support areas that Dr. Moone manages in this role include Library Services, Digital Teaching and Learning, Center for Teaching and Learning, Writing Center, Honors Programs, Experiential Learning and Career Development, and Academic Success. In addition, Dr. Moone is the director of the Quality Enhancement Program and the Higher Education in Prison Program for Shaw University.
Dr. Albert L. Samuels is a Dr. Jewel & Dr. James Prestage Endowed Professor of Political Science and the Chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography. He is originally from Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from Green Oaks High School in 1984. After teaching for one year at Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Georgia, he returned to the Southern University Department of Political Science in 1999 as a full-time professor, where he has taught ever since. In his tenure at Southern University, he has taught courses in American government, state and local government, constitutional law, civil liberties, the American presidency, race relations, Louisiana politics, black politics, politics and religion, international relations, and comparative government. In addition to publishing several research articles, he is the author of Is Separate Unequal: Black Colleges and the Challenge to Desegregation (Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2004), which received the Best Book Award from the Race and Ethnicity Section of the American Political Science Association. He is a frequent commentator on national, state and local politics and have served as an elections analysts for local radio and television stations. His quotes have appeared in The Washington Post, The USA Today, The Huffington Post, U.S. News and World Report, The Morning Advocate, The Baton Rouge Business Report, and other publications.
Landon Blache is a native of Baton Rouge and a Political Science major at Southern University and A&M College. During his time at Southern, he has served as a student representative for the university on the Louisiana Board of Regents Power-Based Violence Task Force and as an officer in Southern University’s Model United Nations Club. In 2026, Landon was selected as a Louisiana Governor’s Fellow, where he gained firsthand experience in state government and public policy. During the fellowship, he developed a public policy proposal and had the opportunity to present his work to the Governor and his staff. Currently maintaining a 3.3GPA while pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Landon is passionate about justice, civic engagement, and public service. He aspires to become an attorney and use his career in the legal profession to create meaningful and lasting change in his community.
Dr. Cynthia Neal Spence is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Spelman College and Director of the UNCF/Mellon Programs. Her teaching and research interests in the areas of sociology, criminology, law, and violence against women support the Law and Criminology concentration in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Dr. Spence has served in the capacities of Assistant Dean for Freshman Studies, Associate Academic Dean and Academic Dean at Spelman College. Her interest in issues of higher education access, service-learning, gender role socialization and violence against women frame her research, writing, community service involvement, and public speaking. Her publications include “A Woman’s College Perspective on the Education of Men” (2004) New Directors for Student Series and “The Spelman College Total Person Commits to Positive Social Change” (2006), Engaging Departments: Moving Faculty Cultures from Private to Public, Individual to Collective Force for the Common Good. Her most recent publication “Does Race Trump Gender? Black Women Negotiating their Spaces of Intersection in the 2008 Presidential Campaign” is included in the edited volume “Who Should Be First? Feminists Speak Out on the 2008 Presidential Campaign” (2010). As Director of the UNCF Mellon Programs, Dr. Spence creates, manages and oversees a suite of future faculty development and faculty career enhancement programs for UNCF (United Negro College Fund) students and faculty. The UNCF/Mellon Programs are housed at Spelman College and funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation.
In her newest role, Dr. Spence serves as the Faculty Lead for the Spelman College Social Justice Fellows Program. Dr. Spence is committed to helping Spelman women fully actualize their commitment to “making a choice to change the world “through social justice advocacy. She has served as a consultant for the Ford Foundation Institutional Transformation Project, the University of Chicago Provost Initiative on Minority Affairs, the Agnes Scott College Center for Teaching and Learning and the Georgia Department of Corrections. She currently serves as Faculty Trustee on the Spelman College Board of Trustees and is the former chair of the Board of the non-profit agency Men Stopping Violence. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Georgia Women for Change and the Women’s Solidarity Society for the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Dr. Spence is a graduate of Spelman College where she earned her B.A. degree. She earned both the Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Rutgers University. She is married to Harold W. Spence and they are the proud parents of two daughters, Christie ’05 and Courtnee ’08.
Taylor Gamble is a junior Health Sciences and Spanish Double Major, with a Biochemistry minor on the Pre-Law Track attending Spelman College. She is invested in all things public health, and plans to use her science background to change public health policy. She is interested in civic engagement, advocacy, lobbying, and ultimately being an ambassador and a force for change for her community. After college, Taylor aspires to get a Masters of Public Health and Juris Doctor in order to help make change on capitol hill.
Jordan Benjamin is a freshman political science major at Spelman College. She is originally from Columbia, South Carolina where she graduated from Spring Valley High School. Jordan is an active traveler, foodie and community servant, who believes deeply that to whom much is given, much is required.
Michael O. Adams, Ph.D., is a Professor of Political Science at Texas Southern University, where he serves as Founding Director of the Barbara Jordan Policy Research and Survey Center, Founding Director of the Institute for Voter and Civic Engagement, and Director of the Executive Master of Public Administration Program. A specialist in electoral politics, redistricting, and civic engagement, Dr. Adams has built a body of work dedicated to producing original, policy-relevant data on Black and Brown communities and to elevating the voices of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in national policy conversations.
He founded the Barbara Jordan Policy Research and Survey Center to advance this mission, training graduate researchers and generating data that informs public debate. Under his leadership of the Institute for Voter and Civic Engagement, Texas Southern University earned both the Voter Friendly Campus designation and the Carnegie Classification for Civic Engagement—distinctions that reflect the institution’s broad
commitment to civic participation.
The Center’s polling has been cited in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Houston Chronicle, and its results are tracked on RealClearPolitics—a measure of the national reach of Dr. Adams’s research and its standing among leading observers of American politics.
Joseph Carter is the Student Regent at Texas Southern University, a governor-appointed position representing over 8,000 students as the sole student member of the university's governing board. A Political Science major with a minor in Psychology in the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College, Carter's work centers on housing policy, environmental justice, and expanding opportunity for underserved communities.
He completed a placement in the office of U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Leadership Institute and currently serves as a 2026–2027 CBCF Leadership Institute Ambassador. At Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Scholars Program, his research examined the impacts of mold exposure in under-resourced housing communities.
Carter is the founder of Changed by Carter and The Carter Collective, two Houston-based organizations serving hundreds of individuals through resource distribution and civic engagement. His long-term vision centers on developing an upscale, low-income housing model with direct pipelines into HBCUs, Ivy League institutions, and major corporations.
Celestial Gordon-Griffin is a proud graduate of Tougaloo College, where the institution’s historic role in the Civil Rights Movement and its enduring commitment to social justice, leadership, and service helped shape her passion for civic engagement. Inspired by the courageous men and women who used their voices to challenge injustice and create change, Celestial has carried those lessons into her own work in voter advocacy, education, and community engagement. Her love for Tougaloo continued beyond graduation, as she later became an employee of the College and continues to volunteer and work alongside SGA and campus leaders to encourage student involvement.
Celestial is committed to helping individuals understand not only the importance of voting, but also the power they possess when they actively participate in the decisions affecting their communities. Through voter registration drives, educational forums, community outreach, Democracy Divas and Gents, and Campus Voices, she works to inspire young people to find their voices, understand their influence, and become civically engaged.
Celestial believes that the next generation must understand that democracy requires participation. For her, Tougaloo’s legacy is more than history, it is a responsibility. She views her work as one small part of continuing the legacy of those who came before her while preparing a new generation to lead, advocate, vote, and use their voices to create change.
Lisa is a historian with a Ph.D. in African American Studies, and a professor at Tuskegee University.
Doni Russell came to the University of the District of Columbia after five years of service in the non-profit sector. She managed funding development for associations and non-profit board of directors, focusing on Next Generation programs and research. Before joining the non-profit sector of the Washington Metropolitan region, Ms. Russell obtained her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Business from the University of North Carolina. Immediately following, she completed her master’s degree in Research Methods at Howard University. Ultimately she “decided to join the realm of higher education to inspire and assist students in fostering a love of knowledge and as a means of obtaining future goals.
Ms. Russell is active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations including Greater DC Cares, The American Association for University Women, the Kennedy Center Foundation, and Sigma Gamma Rho National Sorority.
Jessica is a psychology student at the University of the District of Columbia. She is passionate about understanding human behavior and hopes to pursue a career as a forensic psychologist. Jessica is a hardworking, determined, and caring person who enjoys helping others and learning new things. Her goal is to continue growing academically and personally while making a positive impact in the field of psychology.
Xynoviah Roca is a Political Science student at the University of the District of Columbia with a strong interest in civic engagement, advocacy, and social justice. She is very passionate about empowering young people to understand their voices, rights, and ability to create change within their communities. Through her leadership experiences, Xynoviah has developed a commitment to helping others feel represented, informed, and confident in using their voices. She hopes to continue growing as a leader while encouraging greater civic participation among students and young adults.
Shanneka Claiborne is an educator, doctoral student, and community leader from Petersburg, Virginia. She currently serve as a lead teacher at The L.E.E. Academy and is passionate about helping students recognize the power of their voices. As an Andrew Goodman Foundation Ambassador, Shanneka is committed to promoting civic engagement and helping young people understand the importance of voting. She believes that education and advocacy can empower students to become confident leaders who create meaningful change in their communities.
Adrian Taylor is an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Field Experiences and Special Projects in the College of Education at Virginia State University. With more than 25 years of experience in education, Adrian is passionate about mentoring students, developing future leaders, and creating opportunities for meaningful community engagement. Adrian is committed to empowering students to recognize their voices, exercise their civic rights, and create positive change in their communities.
Madison Levy is a Speech-Language Pathology major with a minor in Psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana. She is passionate about service, leadership, education, and advocating for others, particularly within her community. Through her involvement in campus organizations and community service initiatives, Madison has developed a strong commitment to empowering others and creating positive change. As a Vote Everywhere Ambassador, she hopes to continue using her leadership and communication skills to educate her peers and encourage meaningful civic engagement.
Kali Durce AbdurRahman is a student leader, entrepreneur, and civic advocate committed to financial literacy, youth empowerment, and creating opportunities for underrepresented communities, and is the co-founder of StockUpKids.com, a globally recognized financial education eLearning platform featured by NPR, TheGrio, WMAR 2 News, and PIX11 News. In March 2025, Kali was elected Eastern Region Teen President and National Teen Board Member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., representing more than 50,000 families across 271 chapters and 41 states while leading initiatives in financial literacy, civic engagement, and leadership development, and also served on the National Teen Board of Guide Right Kappa League. As a National Debate Champion, public speaker, DEI organizer, poet, and documentary creator, Kali has facilitated conferences and advocacy forums, earned recognition from The Pierians, Incorporated, and created Transparency Baltimore, a documentary series focused on building trust and finding common ground among elected officials and community members. Through Team ENOUGH Baltimore, Kali helped advocate for safer gun legislation that was later signed into law by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, while at McDonogh School, where he spent more than a decade, Kali contributed to the school community through academics, athletics, music, service, and traditions such as the Lifer Pin and the school’s first commencement student baccalaureate address. Kali will continue his commitment to leadership, service, education, and community impact as a fellow in the Magnificent Male Program at Xavier University of Louisiana.
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