OUR CORE
TEAM
Meet the Black Sustainability Team. We are the people behind the scenes that make it all happen. Although you can glimpse the images of those on staff and former staff (because we would not exist without their contributions), what this page cannot articulate is the passion, heart and committed minds working diligently to amplify and connect members for greater impact.
(Not pictured are our valuable volunteers that power the work we do.)
Raina Turner-Greenlea
Co-Founder & Ecosystem Director
aSHLEY QUICK
Chief Financial Officer
IMARA TAYLOR
Administrator, Global Projects
Ariel doty
Programs Specialist I
Jordan roberts
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Alexis Blomqvist
Research & Business Development Specialist
Kelyce allen
Membership Specialist
ANAYA MARTIN
Events Coordinator
QUALON BOBBIT
Program Specialist II: Solar
OUR
BOARD
Meet the board members guiding our work and vested in our success!
Erica Holloman-hill, phd
Vice Chair, Board of Directors
JAMES PIPPIM
Board Treasurer
charles Greenlea, III
Board of Directors
Yeamah Brewer
Co-Founder, Board Secretary
OUR
BOARD
Meet the board members guiding our work and vested in our success!
Nobantu ankoanda, phd
Co-Founder, Board of Directors
cOSCO JONES
Board of Directors
OUR
ADVISORY
BOARD
Meet the advisory board members that are always on standby to provide us with advise and resources that support our organization!
LATRESSE SNEAD
Advisory Board
Raina Turner-Greenlea
Co-Founder & Ecosystem Director
Raina is a mother & wife with a passion for creating & supporting healthy, sustainable communities by applying indigenous wisdom & exchanging best practices to (re)develop/support sustainable communities without contributing to irreversible damage to the planet. Raina has been serving in a leadership capacity with Black Sustainability, Inc. since its inception and developing a responsive global database to connect Black Sustainability practitioners to contracts and grassroots + grasstop projects that contribute to sustainable development.
She is also working with her family to revive 160 acres of family land as a model.
Ashley Quick
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Ashley Quick serves as Chief Financial Officer for Black Sustainability, Inc., where she oversees the financial strategy and stewardship that keeps the organization's mission moving forward.
Ashley believes that financial health and mission-driven work go hand in hand, every dollar managed wisely is a dollar that goes further toward building sustainable communities and economies. Her leadership helps ensure BSI remains a strong, accountable organization capable of supporting its members and growing its impact for years to come.
Ariel Doty
Programs Specialist I
Ariel Doty is an Atlanta, Georgia native dedicated to driving positive societal change and building a lasting legacy through education and community engagement. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Ashesi University in Ghana (2012) and an M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology from Georgia State University (2016).
Throughout her career, Ariel has designed and facilitated impactful learning experiences across diverse environments—including museums, libraries, schools, daycares, and community education centers. Grounded in a passion for learning beyond the traditional classroom, she excels at creating accessible, engaging educational opportunities that foster curiosity and open-mindedness. Driven to expand her reach, Ariel focuses on leveraging her instructional design and community-building expertise to make a lasting impact within the sustainability sector.
Imara Taylor
Administrator, Global Partnerships
I am a child of Araminta Harriet Tubman who knew from age 15 that Afrika is my purposeful destination. My formative years went spent growing up in the South Bronx, N.Y. front seat to full throttle ghetto life.
My Family ensured that higher education and exposure would steer me clear of my surroundings and it worked. From age 7 to 17 I went to summer camp in New Jersey and fell in love with the opposite of my surroundings: green trees, fresh air, swimming and camping out in a safe environment.
Learning hands on about nature in all forms and understanding the importance stewardship and that I am one. BSI covers every interest of environmental awareness, justice, education, cultural, agriculture and more, that I have. I am pleased to be a solution driven participant in Change of Theory.
Alexis Blomqvist
Research and Business Development Specialist
Based in Finland, our Research and Business Development Specialist extends Black Sustainability, Inc.'s mission across the European chapter of the African diaspora. In this role, they research emerging opportunities in sustainability, identify partnerships that strengthen BSI's global network, and help translate research into actionable strategies for growth.
This work reflects BSI's commitment to being a truly global network, one that connects sustainability practitioners not just across the U.S. and the Caribbean, but throughout Europe and beyond. By grounding business development in rigorous research, our specialist helps ensure BSI's expansion is intentional, sustainable, and rooted in the same values that guide the organization's work everywhere else.
Jordan roberts
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Jordan Ayanna is the Marketing and Communications Specialist for Black Sustainability, Inc. A Florida A&M University graduate with a degree in Environmental Science and a specialization in graphic design and communications, Jordan brings a scientific lens to how BSI tells its story, translating sustainability work into content that educates and drives action.
Jamaican American and known in the music world as the "Singing Scientist," an international charting recording artist, Jordan carries the same grounding in truth and culture into her work at BSI, believing environmental communication is strongest when it's accurate, accessible, and rooted in community.
anaya martin
Events Coordinator
Anaya Martin is the Events Coordinator for Black Sustainability, Inc. and a Tyrone, GA native with a passion for educating others on environmental protection through creative mediums like filmmaking, writing, poetry, fashion, and design.
Anaya holds two Bachelor's degrees from Georgia State University, in Entrepreneurship and Film and Media. In 2023, she launched DeliciOATso, a plastic-free, plant-based overnight oatmeal business built around circular economy principles. Her passion for sustainability deepened in 2025 when she completed BSI's Shoe Waste Deconstruction Cohort, work she went on to apply by building a recycling system for a gym community in College Park. That same year, she wrote and directed her first film, Drowning on Air, exploring environmental storytelling through narrative filmmaking.
At BSI, Anaya brings creativity, collaborative leadership, and an independent, self-starting spirit to her role coordinating the organization's events. She's especially passionate about BSI's Education and Cultural Preservation Industry House, believing that reconnecting communities to their history and traditions builds resilience for the future.
Kelyce Allen
Our Membership Specialist serves as the welcoming front door to Black Sustainability, Inc., guiding new and existing members through the Black Sustainability Network and ensuring every member feels supported, informed, and connected to the resources they need.
From answering questions about membership tiers to helping members find their place within BSI's Industry Houses, they make sure the network stays exactly what it was built to be: a space for real connection and collaboration.
Believing that a strong network starts with strong relationships, our Membership Specialist works every day to grow and nurture BSI's community, ensuring the organization's mission reaches, and resonates with, every member who joins.
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
QUALON BOBBIT
Program Specialist II: Solar
Qualon Bobbit knows BSI's solar program from the inside out. A proud graduate of Cohort 1 of BSI's clean energy workforce training, delivered through the C.A.S.T. Collective in partnership with GRID Alternatives, Qualon earned his OSHA 10, IronRidge Certified Installer and First Aid/CPR/AED credentials through hands-on classroom and job-site training.
After graduating, Qualon put those skills to work in the field, installing solar as part of Atlanta's growing clean energy workforce. Today, as Program Specialist II: Solar, he helps guide the next generation of trainees through the same path he walked, supporting cohorts, connecting participants to opportunities, and showing what's possible when workforce training is built with the community.
Qualon's journey from trainee to team member is living proof of BSI's mission: building Black and Green careers that power our communities.
James pippim
Board Treasurer
James Pippim is a champion for shifting power and resources to communities where wealth has been historically extracted. He leverages his diverse background in venture capital, grant-making, and law to ensure that capital acts as a catalyst for financial empowerment and community self-determination.
Currently, James serves as a manager at Candide Group’s Afterglow Climate Justice Fund, which lends to organizations serving communities living in persistent poverty, facing high energy costs, lacking access to clean transportation, and disproportionately suffering from extreme weather. In his prior experience as an investment analyst at the Skoll Foundation he supported climate justice social innovation centering Black-, Brown-, and community-led solutions spanning from the Global South to the US South. He also designed impact assessment frameworks and performed diligence for mission-related investments in underrepresented fund managers.
A proud Ghanaian immigrant with roots in Connecticut and Georgia before moving to the West Coast during graduate school, where he completed his JD/MBA at Golden Gate University.
cosco Jones
Board Member
Growing up in a neighborhood often overlooked but brimming with untapped potential, Cosco Jones was inspired to explore avenues of sustainable living and residential energy efficiency.
As a graduate of Norfolk State University (undergrad) and Virginia Tech (Master's dgeree) his experience with LEED and green building initiatives solidified his dedication to environmental stewardship and set him on a trajectory towards specializing in residential energy efficiency and building science.
As the founder of Jones Sustainable Solutions group, Jones brings his wealth of experience with Americorps, Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, and Southface where he honed his green building skills and deepened his understanding of sustainable practices.
Today, as a certified HERS Rater (Home Energy Rating System), he continues to champion environmentally conscious solutions while providing tangible pathways towards a greener, more resilient future. Cosco brings not only his green building expertise, he is a tech champion and leader in the Alternative Economics space constantly pushing our organization to lean into cutting edge opportunities for economic mobility. Mr. Jones also currently sits on the Board for Eco Action, Harambee House and the City of Atlanta's Clean Energy Advisory Board.
Nobantu ankoanda, PHD
Co-Founder & Board Member
A California native, Dr. Mama Nobantu Ankoanda has spent her life committed to education, Pan-African liberation, and intergenerational empowerment. As the mother of five adult children, grandmother of eight, and a mother figure to over 300 former students, Mama Nobantu's nurturing spirit extends far beyond her family. Her oldest son, diagnosed with Down Syndrome, has been a profound teacher of patience and calm traits that define her leadership.
Mama Nobantu holds a Doctorate in Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from the University of California at Berkeley. She began her formal teaching career in 1972 in East Palo Alto, California, affectionately known as “Little Nairobi.” With nearly 50 years of experience as an educator, principal, and founder of Afrikan Centered Community-Based institutions, her impact on African-centered education is vast and ongoing.
As one of the founding members of Black Sustainability, Inc. and the Black Sustainability Summit, Mama Nobantu's work on the board has been mutually beneficial ensuring sustainability at her Original Collard Greens Cultural Festival with BSI as an anchor of the Sustainability Pavilion.
Yeamah Brewer
Co-Founder & Board Secretary
Yeamah's journey has garnered her experiences and expertise at the intersections of public health, environmental policy, economic empowerment, and social impact. After a decade of working with local government, mainstream organizations, and INGOs based in the Twin Cities (Minnesota, USA), Yeamah joined Atlanta-based organizers of the annual Black Sustainability Summit and together they co-founded Black Sustainability, Inc. (BSI). In her leadership roles, she has primarily contributed to strategic planning and organizational development.
As a daughter of Liberia and Sierra Leone, she aspires to help expand the reach and impact of BSI on the African continent and throughout the diaspora.
CHARLES GREENLEA, III
Board Member
A multigenerational resident of Atlanta and the descendant of a long line of growers, educators, entrepreneurs, and organizers, Charles was cultivated to serve his community in a unique way. In 2019, he founded ECO-PARADIGM, LLC as an official organism in Atlanta's local food ecosystem in an effort to help bring balance between ecology and economics for communities of color.
Brother Charles joined Black Sustainability, Inc. in 2016 as an attendee of our inaugural summit and soon after supported identification of potential speakers and presenters within the field of sustainable agriculture. He has moderated sessions, led outreach and continues to be active in our Sustainable Agriculture Industry House in the North America region.
Charles loves people and nature and sees the work he does as an opportunity to support others in sustaining themselves and their communities through land stewardship.
DR. ERICA HOLLOMAN-HILL
Board Vice Chair
Dr. Erica Holloman- aka Dr E. earned her B.S. in Marine and Environmental Science and a M.S. in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Science from Hampton University in 1998 and 2001, respectively. In January 2012, she became the first African-American woman to obtain a doctoral degree in Marine Science from the College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS). Dr. E’s expertise spans fields of marine and climate science, environmental risk assessments (human and ecological), community-based participatory research (CBPR), participatory action research (PAR), and environmental justice.
In 2016, Dr. E established Ayika Solutions, Inc. (ASI), a family-owned environmental consulting firm that strives to co-create and co-manage the sacred spaces where sound science and authentic community engagement merge into implementable solutions. ASI is co-developing and supporting the implementation of practical and sustainable environmental solutions within the Southeast Region of the USA. Dr. E has served as a member of the US EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (2016 -2019), the Leadership Circle for Harambee House/Citizen for Environmental Justice (2019 -2024), the City of Atlanta’s Clean Energy Advisory Board (2020 -2023). She is currently serving as Editor for the peer-reviewed publication: Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM), and as a member of the Clean Water Fund Board, the Conceptual Committee of Frontline Resource Institute (FRI), the Georgia Chapter of the National Women In Agriculture Association, and co-owner of Market 166 Grocery Store and Kitchen Co-op. Together with her husband Gary, they are raising their four sons, Asim, Asad, Asir, and Asun, in her childhood home of East Point, GA.
Kelyce Allen
Our Membership Specialist serves as the welcoming front door to Black Sustainability, Inc., guiding new and existing members through the Black Sustainability Network and ensuring every member feels supported, informed, and connected to the resources they need.
From answering questions about membership tiers to helping members find their place within BSI's Industry Houses, they make sure the network stays exactly what it was built to be: a space for real connection and collaboration.
Believing that a strong network starts with strong relationships, our Membership Specialist works every day to grow and nurture BSI's community, ensuring the organization's mission reaches, and resonates with, every member who joins.