Meet our Leadership Team

Our Board of Directors are young professionals who are passionate about making Grand Rapids a diverse and inclusive community to live, work and play. With the support of our amazing Advisory Council of seasoned professionals, we are able to help advance and retain young professionals of color in our community.

Board of Directors

Dannielle Ashford

Social Networking Chair

Dannielle Ashford was raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a graduate of Wayne State University, she earned her Bachelor’s in Communications. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Edge Class of 2016 and is a Certified Tourism Ambassador for Grand Rapids. Currently, Dannielle is working as the Office Assistant for The Knickerbocker-New Holland Brewery. As a Grand Rapids local, she continues to follow her passion for volunteering with multiple organizations while expanding her social and professional network.

“Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance.”

Pslams 42:11

Kaitlyn Califf

Marketing Communications, Co-Chair

marketing@grblend.org

Kaitlyn Califf was raised in Muskegon, Michigan. She is a proud alumna of Grand Valley State University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and marketing. After college, her involvement in the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce helped her discover her passion for business development and leadership. She obtained her Real Estate License in 2015 and is a graduate of the ASP.Net C# Coding Bootcamp through Grand Circus. She currently works as a Project Coordinator for Vías Latino Market Consultants. Kaitlyn is passionate about being actively involved in the Grand Rapids community through volunteering, networking and supporting local events and businesses.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.”

George Bernard Shaw

Jeffrie L. Chappell

Executive Board, Treasurer

eboard@grblend.org

Jeffrie L. Chappell was raised in Detroit, Michigan. and has lived in Grand Rapids for three years. As a graduate of Western Michigan University, he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and has been honored with the 2016 Career Life Success Award along with achieving Executive Council in 2017. He holds a license in Life & Health Insurance through the State of Michigan and a Series 6 & 63 License through the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Jeffrie has been in financial services since 2009 and is currently building a Financial Services Practice with New York Life. He is passionate about working with people from diverse backgrounds to accomplish a goal that benefits the greater good of society.

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tiffany DeMyers

Executive Board, President

eboard@grblend.org

Tiffany DeMyers, was raised in Lansing, Michigan. She is a passionate leader and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sales and Business Marketing from Western Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University. Here in the Grand Rapids community, she is using her passions, education and strategic perspective to alleviate disparities, create connections and foster growth in professional communities of color. Her appreciation and commitment to community development has been a key component to both her upbringing and professional work. She joined the BL²END Board of Directors in 2015 where she has served as the Marketing Communications Chair, Vice President, and now the active President of BL²END. Tiffany is also a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and Alpha Kappa Psi, Professional Business Fraternity, Incorporated.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ebony Holt

Executive Board, Vice President

eboard@grblend.org

Ebony Holt was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She studied Business Administration at Ferris State University. She is passionate about serving and giving back to the community. She believes position means nothing if you don’t understand your mission. She is currently working at MedData as a PSR. She joined the BL²END Board of Directors in 2014 and has served as the Secretary, Community Outreach Chair, and now the Vice President of BL²END. Ebony wants the community to benefit from our contributions and philanthropy 50 years from now.

“You face your greatest oppositions when you’re closest to your biggest miracle.”

Bishop T. D. Jakes

Briana Johnson

Project Coordinator

volunteer@grblend.org

Briana Johnson was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a graduate of Grand Valley State University, she obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on ERP systems and Management Information Systems. Briana is also the recipient of the SAP Student Recognition Award from Grand Valley. She joined the BL²END Board of Directors in 2016. She is passionate about growth, diversity, relationship building, youth, and academic success.

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

Malcolm X

Rumeal McKinney

Community Outreach Chair

community@grblend.org

Rumeal McKinney was raised in Detroit, Michigan. As a graduate of Aquinas College, he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Science. He is certified in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER). He is also a proud National Champion in track. Rumeal is passionate about helping others, particularly the youth, by teaching life skills through sports. His mission is to help the community become more unified and connected through networking and volunteering.

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

Vince Lombardi

Aleka C. Thrash

Marketing Communications Co-Chair

marketing@grblend.org

Aleka C. Thrash was raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is currently attending Cornerstone University where she plans to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Aleka is the co-founder of Kinky Hair Connection, an annual event created to connect, support and encourage naturals as well as those considering and transitioning to a natural lifestyle. She has been a professional lifestyle portrait photographer for over 10 years and is known for her lifestyle blog NaturallyACT. She is a LocalMotion award recipient for her commitment to social, environmental, and economic responsibility. She has been featured on Essence.com Hair Street Style: Curly Hair Straight From The Windy City. Her mission is to use her talent for seeing the inner beauty in others and reflecting that beauty through photos and to help her followers embrace who they were born to be.

“The value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation. You are not important because of how long you live, you are important because of how effective you live.”

Myles Munroe

Cordell Zachary

Professional Development Chair

professional@grblend.org

Cordell Allen Zachery was raised in the Metro Detroit Area. He is a recent Grand Valley State University graduate with a degree in Advertising and PR. He hopes to pursue a career in Marketing or Public Relations. He is currently working as a Project Coordinator at Steelcase Inc. He joined the BL²END Board of Directors in 2016 where he has served as the Project Coordinator and now the Professional Development Chair. He is passionate about community engagement and hopes to create more pathways for black males transitioning from college to the professional world. Cordell is also an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13 NKJV

A Letter From our Founder and Visionary

ERAYNA GAMBLE SARGENT

BL²END was created out of a desire for belonging. During my college years and at the start of my career, I would be in many situations where I was the only person of color. On an everyday basis, I went to work in an office of over 500 people and somehow, I was one of only 5 people of color – and the only one under the age of 30. As a recent graduate of GVSU, I knew that there were other driven young professionals in the area eager to develop professionally and grow their social network of other like-minded individuals. While I will always appreciate the Grand Rapids community for allowing me to start my professional career, I often felt alone and that the face of “success” rarely looked like mine. I gathered a group of some of the smartest, strongest young professionals in the city and developed a plan to test this theory.

What we quickly recognized was that creating a sense of belonging for one community does not mean that there should be a sense of exclusion for another. We named the organization BL²END to be an invitation to all that want to help others while helping themselves. This is a major reason why years later, it is still making a positive impact on the Grand Rapids community. So, to all that have joined and to future participants, I hope that this organization does for you as it has for me. I hope it helps you better understand the perspective of others and the power inside of you.

Mix…Mingle…BL²END!

Erayna Gamble Sargent | Founder