Kia is a native of Southeast Raleigh, North Carolina and currently serves as Executive Director for Southeast Raleigh Promise, Inc. After graduating from Hampton University in Virginia, Kia returned to the Triangle and began working as a Community Organizer in Hillsborough, NC, where her passion to work for social change began to grow. She has over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector with organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Public Allies, and most recently, served as the Chief of Food Recovery & Distribution at a Feeding America food bank, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Kia currently serves on the boards of the Raleigh Area Land Trust, Habitat for Humanity-Wake County and Carolina Common Enterprise. She is also a RaceForward Equity Ambassador. In her spare time, Kia enjoys gardening and creating culinary masterpieces for her family.

Dalia serves at the Partnership Director for Southeast Raleigh Promise. In her role she is responsible for implementing strategies to develop and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders, including nonprofit and community organizations, corporations and individuals. Dalia comes with over 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Originally from New York, Dalia moved to Raleigh shortly after graduating from the State University of New York at Cortland in 2006. She is passionate about serving her community in a meaningful way and committed to creating lasting change. In her free time, Dalia enjoys traveling and eating good eats with her family and friends.

Jennifer serves as the Director of Student and Family Engagement for Southeast Raleigh Promise. Jennifer has over 15 years experience working in public universities and youth-serving nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin as well as Raleigh, North Carolina. As a former Americorps Access member, she enjoys learning with and serving her community and is especially passionate about youth wellbeing and leadership, diversity and equity, and utilizing education as a transformative tool for social change. Jennifer has her Bachelor’s in Social Work and Master’s in Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin and Master’s in Social Work from NC State. Jennifer currently serves on the boards of Corral Riding Academy, Seasons Village and Write, Speak, Inspire LLC. Jennifer enjoys serving in the community with her daughter, reading, walking her dog on the greenways of Raleigh, dirty chais, and backyard bonfires with friends and family.

Melissa Needham serves as the FoodCorps Service Member with Southeast Raleigh Promise. FoodCorps, a grantee of Americorps, is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect kids to healthy food in school. In addition to managing Southeast Raleigh Elementary School’s two on-site gardens, Melissa is responsible for working alongside students, teachers, and community members to lead hands-on lessons, cultivate a positive cafeteria experience, and promote a school-wide culture of health. Melissa grew up in Raleigh, NC where she developed a passion for regenerative community gardens and food security. Melissa received a B.S. in Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University, focusing in Community, Regional, and Global Development and Agro-ecology. After graduating, she accepted an invitation to serve with Teach for America in Selma, AL where she taught 7th grade English and gardening. In her spare time, Melissa enjoys baking and cooking, rock climbing, and spelunking.