BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TIFFANY

MCGEE

President, CEO and Founder

Tiffany founded Survivor Ventures in 2018 and has been involved in Counter Human Trafficking initiatives for over a decade. 

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In addition to Survivor Ventures, Tiffany is owner of Chelsea Consulting Group, a grant writing firm that hires and trains survivors of trafficking to be grant writers and Development Directors.

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Tiffany has a M.A. in Peace Negotiation from the American Military University, a post-graduate degree in Gender and Transformation from the University of Cape Town's African Gender Institute and a B.A. from Ohio University in African Affairs.

KELLY VANDERKAM

Secretary

Kelly (Fischer) Vanderkam joined Survivor Ventures as a founding member in 2018.​ A graphic designer, senior producer and project manager by trade, Kelly brings 10+ years  of professional experience with her and is focused on helping develop the marketing and promotional strategy with experience and integrity. 

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She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and Graphic Design from Longwood University and is a proud military brat but has called Virginia home for the past 10 years.

COURTNEY SESSOMS

Director, Survivor

Courtney is the Program Coordinator for Go To Work, a nonprofit in Portsmouth, VA.

A former constituent to numerous nonprofits serving survivors of abuse and trauma, Courtney is keenly aware and personally invested in nonprofit fiscal responsibility. 

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A current Survivors to Entrepreneurs participant, Courtney is formulating a nonprofit to serve at-risk youth and single mothers.  Previous to this, Courtney owned and operated her own hair business and single-handedly spearheaded Survivor Ventures furniture donation apparatus, furnishing dozens of survivor-led homes.

TARA

JONES

Director

Tara is an experienced Financial Center Manager with over 21 years in the banking Industry. A professional with a successful career in banking, sales training, business development, retail management, and human resources. She excels at interfacing with others at all levels to ensure business/organizational goals are attained.

A SCORE mentor, Tara provides invaluable input for our Survivor Entrepreneurs in their small business development. 

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ANTONIO

EASTON

Director

Antonio was born and raised in Norfolk, VA.  A product of Norfolk Public Schools, he excelled at little league and later basketball which earned him the nickname "Doc". 

Antonio is the quintessential example of perseverance; like so many inner city youth, he got involved with gangs, drugs and the law. Determined to turn his life around, he started a non-profit for at-risk juveniles and quickly began to receive invitations to speak to at-risk and juvenile offenders.

"Doc" looks forward to applying his experience with jail-based programs to help Survivor Ventures better identify and serve survivors still incarcerated and awaiting release.

TINA

KNIGHT

Director

Tina is a Business Performance Advisor with Insperity, an HR solutions company in Norfolk, VA.

Helping local small businesses has been her passion for years and she played an integral role in helping Survivor Ventures connect to suitable small business worksites in our pilot year. 

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Tina is a graduate of ODU with a B.S. in Psychology.

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BRANDON

HAROLD

Vice President

Working at Cox Communications over the past eleven years, Brandon enjoys being a part of keeping our communities connected. In addition, previously serving in the U.S. Merchant Marines, he gained experience on the affects of human trafficking on the global community.

FRANK

MCGEE

Treasurer

Frank is a Managing Director at Credit Suisse based in Raleigh, NC and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Global Equity Capital Markets group. Frank also heads the Investment Banking and Capital Markets group in Raleigh.

He graduated from Babson College in 2000, joined Credit Suisse in 2004 and is a founding member of Survivor Ventures.

MICHELLE

ELLIS YOUNG

Director

Michelle Ellis Young is the Executive Director of the American Red Cross – Coastal Virginia where she ensures visibility, accountability and responsibility for the organization’s mission.

Equipped with years of experience in higher education, community engagement, retail and HR, she brings a unique and well-balanced perspective to her role. Described as a connector of people and resources, Michelle is passionate about service and the development of people and helping them to actualize their passion and purpose. 

A proud native of New Orleans, LA, Michelle is an alumnus of U. of Houston, Hampton University and West Virginia University.

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KIMBERLYN

P. BARR

Director

Kimberlyn P. Barr has a Master of Business Administration degree and brings over 9 years' of work experience providing care and supports to victims of sexual assault in the public sector as well as government.

She has been employed with non-profit agencies in South Carolina, Sasebo, Japan, and Norfolk, VA providing care and support for victims of Sexual Assault. 

CARLA

HOLMES

Director

Carla is a graduate of Norfolk State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Masters of Arts in Urban Affairs. Her financial career spans over 30 years to include retail and mortgage lending as well as Community Development.

While serving as a Homeownership Counselor for Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and Habitat for Humanity, a passion was ignited for moving families from Public Housing to Homeownership through training and financial coaching. Currently serves as a Community Manager for The Percolator Co Working Space in Norfolk Va. and a community link between the community and a range of local partners.

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BRIAN 

DOUAST

Director

Brian is currently a Director in fixed income sales at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. based in New York City. With close to 20 years experience in the financial services industry, Brian has held multiple positions in the capital markets and sales & trading divisions at both Deutsche Bank and Citigroup.  

Brian is in long term recovery from addiction/alcoholism celebrating 5yrs continuous sobriety next month.  An active member of A.A. he has a sponsor and sponsors several men in the Program, participating in the fellowship of A.A. on a daily basis'.

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Brian holds a B.A. in Political Science from Amherst College graduating in 2001 and received a Health Coaching Certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2018.  

TYLER

CARRELL

Director

Tyler is the Large Loss Claims Specialist for the Central Atlantic Region for Nationwide Insurance Company covering losses throughout Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.  

Previous to this, he was a legal assist where he gained experience working with Columbus, OH-based judges, attorneys, healthcare providers and governmental agencies.  Tyler is eager to help Survivors to Entrepreneurs expand to the Columbus market.

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Tyler has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the Ohio State University.