Past Events
Starting, Saving, Spending: Industry Professionals Discuss Making Sound Financial Decisions
March 25, 2021
Information for those who are starting out or starting over, including how to build savings and investments and the critical aspects of spending and credit.
Moderator
Chandra Arthur, AVP, Program Accreditation and Health Care Initiatives, Tri-C
Presenters
Lydia M. Pope, SBE, MBE, DBE, WBE Certified
President and Broker, E&D Realty and Investment Co. and Branch Manager/Housing Counselor, NID-HCA
Lydia Pope has been in the real estate industry since 1995. She was the first vice president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) and became the association’s third female president in more than 70 years just this year. She is also past president and chair of the NAREB Women’s Council of NAREB, the Mt. Pleasant Advisory Board, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency Committee and the Cleveland Realtist Association’s Cleveland/Akron Legislative Committee. She is also involved with nonprofit mentoring organization Man Talk Inc. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in business and project management.
Hazana Rivers, CISR, CLCS
Client Executive – Small Business, Hylant
Hazana Rivers has spent more than two decades assisting small businesses with their risk management programs. She has a proven history of providing superior service with diverse business needs. Her knowledge of the marketplace allows her to create innovative solutions that offer stability in an often volatile industry.
I Love Myself: Healthy Body, Mind and Spirit
Feb. 11, 2021
A holistic approach to living well and making wellness the center of self-care.
Presenters
Chef Patrice Zebbs, Owner, Damn Good Vegan
Patrice Zebbs has been passionate about food since age 10, when her mother taught her to cook as a way of helping her learn math. She worked in the kitchen at Six Flags for three summers before moving to Louisville, Kentucky, to study culinary arts at Sullivan University. She got a job as a prep cook after graduation, eventually working her way up to line cook. She taught classes at Sur La Table and crafted Lebanese fare at Taza before becoming a chef at Whole Foods. Vegan since 2016, she started her own business, Damn Good Vegan, in 2018. It pairs her two loves: cooking and helping others live healthier lifestyles.
Shavonda Johnson, LSW, MSW
Shavonda Johnson is a licensed social worker who counsels adults within the State of Ohio prison system and at Meadows Counseling LLC in Columbus. Passionate about helping individuals in their time of need, she works to reduce the stigma around mental health treatment — especially within Black communities.
Her Instagram blog, The Mental Health Manager, engages a diverse audience by sharing everyday tips and tricks for managing mental health.
Niké Olabisi-Green, Founder, NOLA Movement
Niké Olabisi-Green shares her contagious energy and passion for music and movement with everyone she meets. As one of the leading dance fitness instructors in the Greater Cleveland area, she is committed to a lifestyle of health and wellness and encourages her clients to trust the journey. Since achieving certification in 2009, she has created a community where all feel welcome and inspired to realize the best version of themselves. Olabisi earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and an MBA from Kent State University. She holds several licenses from Zumba and looks forward to earning more fitness certifications. Excited to be a part of the revitalization of Cleveland, she co-created the BelieveLand Besties podcast to share her city with the world.
I Want to Be Seen and Heard: African American Women and Health Care
Jan. 28, 2021
A discussion about health care disparities and strategies for advocacy and empowerment.
Moderators
Diane Gaston, Associate Professor, Philosophy, Tri-C
Danasia Holliday, Student and Black Diamonds Intern, Tri-C
Presenters
Munirah Bomani, M.D., MetroHealth
Dr. Munirah Bomani is a graduate of the Cleveland public school system and Cleveland State University. After completing her undergrad degree, she moved to Nashville to study at Meharry Medical College, a prestigious HBCU. There, she learned that her skin color is not a deterrent to success. It is her goal to provide guidance and mentorship to Cleveland’s youth and to serve as an example that any dream can become a reality. As a physician, she is passionate about providing quality care to women and girls. She plans to continue as a primary care doctor in the community that raised her for many years to come.
Lisa Johnson, RN, BSN, CDP, Aultman Hospital
Lisa Johnson currently serves as employee relations director at the Aultman Health Foundation/Aultman Hospital. She has held numerous positions in her 16 years at Aultman, including patient advocate coordinator, transitional care RN, hospice RN liaison, and staff RN on the cardiac care and stroke unit.
She has also held leadership positions in several Akron-area organizations, including the Stark County Human Resource Association (chair-elect for 2021), the Stark County Black Nurses Association (2020 president) and the Stark County Minority Health Coalition (2019-2020 chair).
Well-Being and Being Well
Aug. 26, 2020
Real talk about mental and physical health during a pandemic and social unrest.
Presenters
Arelia Dalton, LPCC-S, Assistant Professor and Counselor, Tri-C
Arelia Dalton is an assistant professor and counselor at Tri-C. She previously served as a student advisor for Tri-C’s Women in Transition program and as a clinical supervisor in the school-based program at Beech Brook. She holds a Master of Education in counseling from Cleveland State University and an MBA from the University of Akron. A gifted presenter, she has spoken at local and state conferences on topics such as effective communication, mental wellness and treatment modalities for adolescents.
Lisa A. Gadson-McCraney, LPCC-S, Founder and Executive Director, Healing Hearts Counseling
Lisa Gadson-McCraney is a licensed counselor with more than a decade of experience in mental health. In 2014, she founded Healing Hearts Counseling & Consultation Services, a faith-based nonprofit that works to start and continue much-needed mental health conversations in the African American community. She became a licensed minister in 2001 and is an active member of the New Community Bible Fellowship in Cleveland Heights. She holds a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and communications and a Master of Education in community counseling from Kent State University.
Niké Olabisi-Green, Founder, NOLA Movement
Shavonda Johnson, LSW, MSW
Hit the Reset Button
Aug. 11, 2020
Reinvent, retool and rebrand yourself in a changing global job market. Discover educational and occupational options to enhance your employability or become an entrepreneur.
Moderator
Nikki Marchmon-Boykin, Master Teacher, Theodore Roosevelt High School
Presenters
Cicely Campbell, LSW, MSW, Director, Women in Transition and Carl D. Perkins Grant, Tri-C
Cicely Campbell joined Tri-C as a volunteer for the Women in Transition program during her own “transitional” stage and worked her way up to became director in 2011. She also serves the College as a mentor for the Black American Council and co-chair of the Frances M. Franklin Scholarship and Protégé Luncheon. Prior to this, she worked for the YWCA, United Way and Planned Parenthood organizations in the St. Louis area. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University and a master’s in social work from Washington University.
Shaneen A. Harris, Co-founder/Host, Poetry Unchained
Shaneen Harris is an author, orator and educator born and raised in Akron. She is the co-founder and host of web-based poetry show Poetry Unchained and is the former host of TBN’s Joy in Our Town. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University, a master’s in electrical engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s in creative writing from Sierra Nevada College.
Linda Lanier, M.Ed., LSW, Assistant Professor, Counseling, Tri-C
Linda Lanier is a licensed social worker with a master’s degree in community counseling from Kent State University. In addition to serving as a counselor at Tri-C’s Metro Campus, she is the founder and co-chair of the Black Diamonds Women’s Initiative. With more than 30 years in education, she has a wealth of experience in student affairs, admissions and higher education operations.
C4: Creating Climates for Courageous Conversations (in the Classroom)
July 14, 2020
A webinar providing answers, ideas and insight for dealing with the explosive topics of racism and social justice in the classroom, including strategies for engagement and anti-racism.
Moderators
Annette McDowell, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, Tri-C
Rebecca Stolzman, Collegewide Director, Grants Management, Tri-C
Presenters
Valerie S. Brown, Ph.D., MSN, RN, Professor Emerita, Sociology and Nursing, Tri-C
Valerie Brown is an advocate for vulnerable populations such as infants, children and older people. She draws upon her rich multidisciplinary research, teaching and clinical practice to engage students in the classroom and through community-based service-learning projects designed to critically analyze and address contemporary social issues.
She believes that students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members can all benefit from candid, respectful discussions focused on understanding and working to resolve issues surrounding racial-ethnic inequality, discrimination, intolerance and social injustice.
Phyllis Dukes, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling (Retired), Tri-C
Phyllis Dukes is a retired professor of counseling at Tri-C's Metro Campus. She has remained committed to student success since joining the College in 1997. Her invaluable service as immediate past president of Tri-C's Black American Council has supported African American students in achieving their academic goals through programming, mentoring and scholarship funding.
Her extensive community service background includes positions as chief program officer at Murtis H. Taylor Service Center, executive director of the Mental Health Development Center at Case Western Reserve University and executive director of Kirkwood Mental Health Center in Detroit.
What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do
June 18, 2020
A virtual discussion on navigating issues of racial justice and mental wellness during a worldwide pandemic.
Moderator
Yalonda Hawkins, Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University
Presenters
Linda Lanier, M.Ed., LSW, Assistant Professor, Counseling, Tri-C
Clotea Mack, CEO and Founder, Lifted in Love LLC
Clotea Mack’s mission is to live a life “that exemplifies faith, hope and love while serving God and mankind.” An English teacher for more than 25 years, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Case Western Reserve University and a master’s degree from Kent State University. As an empowerment coach and founder of Lifted in Love, LLC, she speaks on the power of forgiveness, self-care and many other relevant and life-changing subjects.