2025 Board Members

Dr. Matt Bloom is currently a research professor at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. In 2020, he left his tenured position to focus full-time on leading the Flourishing in Ministry and WorkWell research projects. These projects focus on the well-being of helping and caring professions: clergy, physicians, global health workers, international humanitarian and development professionals, and educators.

For 15 years, Dr. Bloom taught innovation to graduate and executive education students. He has also worked with a variety of not-for-profit organizations in the United States and abroad, helping them learn about and integrate well-being research into their programs and initiatives. Before entering academia, Dr. Bloom spent several years as a consultant with Arthur Young, E.F. Hutton, and Shearson Lehman Brothers. He received his PhD from Cornell University.

Mr. Ernest Brooks is a managing associate at Isaacson, Miller, one of the nation’s leading retained executive search firms, where he also serves as co-lead of the firm’s social justice + advocacy practice area. His practice as an executive search consultant is informed by the diversity of his leadership experiences spanning a broad range of mission-driven institutions. Mr. Brooks has successfully recruited presidents, chief executives, c-suite and senior functional and program leaders for organizations across sectors including higher education, k-12 education, and youth development, faith-related organizations, social justice + advocacy, and philanthropy/collective impact. 

Prior to joining Isaacson, Miller, Mr. Brooks served as president and CEO of Academy of Preachers, Inc., a national ecumenical vocational discernment and development organization for young people exploring pathways in and refining their gifts for ministry. He previously served as special assistant to the CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and as assistant dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, among other roles. In addition, he was a Higher Education Fellow for Graduate Diversity Initiatives at the University of Chicago.

A passionate advocate for effective social-sector leadership, he has served on governance and advisory boards for several national and local organizations including Interfaith Community Initiatives, Southern Initiative Algebra Project, Rural School and Community Trust, and Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society. Additionally, Mr. Brooks has led consulting engagements with numerous organizations in the areas of mission and vision development, strategic planning, program design and launch, organizational governance, and change management.

Mr. Brooks is a proud alumnus of Morehouse College, Duke University, and The University of Chicago.

Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson is the executive presbyter at Presbytery of Greater Atlanta where she serves as an encourager to 84 congregations, 26 new worship communities and leaders within a presbytery filled with deep cultural diversity and a vast theological landscape.

Before her current role, she served as a youth director and later as the mission pastor at Wayne Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania. While serving at Wayne Presbyterian Church in 2013, she also served as the organizing pastor for The Common Place, a faith-based arts and education center in Southwest Philadelphia. Aisha has also served various churches in her hometown of Philadelphia as well as New Jersey, New York, and the surrounding area through her music ministry, preaching, teaching and pastoral care. She holds a BS in music from Temple University and earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Rev. Dr. Neichelle R. Guidry (she/her/hers) is a highly sought-after teacher, preacher, leader and commentator. Dr. Guidry currently serves as the Dean of the Chapel and the Director of the WISDOM Center at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. A womanist homiletician and practitioner, she is the author of Curating a World: Sermonic Words from a Young Woman Who Preaches. 

She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University (BA) and Yale Divinity School (M.Div.), where she was the 2010 recipient of the Walcott Prize for Clear and Eective Public and Pulpit Speaking, and the 2019 recipient of the William Sloane Con Alumni Award for Peace and Justice. She is also a graduate of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, where she completed her Doctor of Philosophy (Liturgical Studies, Homiletics concentration). Her dissertation was entitled, “Towards a Womanist Homiletical Theology for Subverting Rape Culture.” 

She is a member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion, the MLK Jr. International Chapel Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Guidry is passionate about loving and serving Black women, and creating innovative vehicles for our stories. As a certied coach and the founder of Flourish From Within, LLC, she loves to walk with Black women of faith as they cultivate deeper spiritual wellness and vocational clarity. For her service and dedication, she has been recognized by media outlets such as Time, Ebony, The New York Times, Vice, and more. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, Oluiyapo, and their son.

Ms. Soon Mee Kim is executive vice president and global diversity and inclusion leader for Porter Novelli, part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group. In her role, she is responsible for implementing policies and programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. A dreamer and a doer, she is passionate about workplace culture, supporting the talent lifecycle, and working with clients to create innovative campaigns that make an impact.

A frequent speaker and writer on topics related to diversity, race and gender, Ms. Kim was recognized as a 2019 Holmes Report Innovator 25 for the Americas. She was also named a 2019 ColorComm Circle Award honoree for helping to strengthen the voices of underrepresented women of color in the communications industry. At a local level, she was named the 2019 Changing the World honoree by the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.

Ms. Kim serves on the board of directors for ColorComm, the business community for women of color in communications, and the board of advisors for the Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network. She is an active member of Leadership Atlanta and a member of Atlanta Magazine’s editorial advisory board. Ms. Kim is a graduate of Emory University and is a trained diversity coach through Coach Diversity Institute. She and her husband Kevin have two daughters, Madeleine and Chloe.

Stephen Lewis is the president of the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) and creator and co-founder of DO GOOD X, a start-up accelerator for under-represented, faith-rooted social entrepreneurs. He has more than 25 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit leadership as an organizational change strategist and a leadership development specialist, focused on inspiring the next generation of faith-inspired leaders and entrepreneurs to live and work on purpose. Stephen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in banking and finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Divinity from Duke University. He co-authored Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose (2020) and A Way Out of No Way: An Approach to Christian Innovation (2021).

Sherifat (Sheri) Oluyemi is an employment attorney based in Atlanta, GA. She knows that employers are focused on retaining exceptional talent without compromising business profitability, while professionals desire a safe and prosperous workplace. Sheri assists employers and professionals in this delicate balance to solve problems arising within the full gambit of the labor and employment law realm.

Over the past ten years, Sheri has gained experience and education representing employers and professionals in all manner of workplace-related disputes. For instance, she has assisted the management of various industries in drafting and implementing human resource policies, employment contracts, and non-compete/non-solicitation agreements, also known as restrictive covenants. She has assisted public and private employees with whistleblower claims, unpaid wage claims, discrimination and harassment, among other complex legal issues.

Sheri has represented clients in federal and state litigation during jury and bench trials, in formal and informal mediation and before federal government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit System Protection Board (MSPB).

Sheri is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Communications at the University of Ottawa (magna cum laude). Though Sheri has enjoyed traveling the world and living in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Lagos, Abuja, Ottawa, and Toronto, she also loves being at her Atlanta home with her collection of unique cacti, her dear husband and two bubbly no-so-baby girls.

Ms. Andrea Perrett is an associate in New Witnessing Communities at the Centre for Missional Leadership at St Andrew’s Hall in Vancouver, Canada, and the director of two different church planting networks, Cyclical Vancouver and Cyclical Calgary-Macleod.

Before her current roles, Ms. Perrett created and led a dinner church, St. Andy’s Community Table, and served at West Point Grey Presbyterian Church in Vancouver. She is also a registered dietitian and currently leads a missional community, the Just As We Are Baking Circle. Andrea received her MDiv from Vancouver School of Theology.

Rev. Aracelis Vázquez Haye is an ordained American Baptist minister, certified transformational life coach, grief educator, and community organizer who has served in a variety of capacities, including associate pastor, university administrator, college chaplain, and elected public official. With her extensive background, she now co-leads the Púlpito Fellows initiative, a Compelling Preaching grant funded by the Lilly Foundation in partnership with Urban Strategies.

Aracelis is guided by the conviction that everyone—especially those on the margins—deserves recognition, validation, and access to the resources they need to thrive. She devotes herself to cultivating inclusive environments of learning, healing, and transformation that respect the rich diversity of human experiences. As a teacher, preacher, coach, and community organizer, Aracelis empowers individuals and faith communities, encouraging spiritual resilience, liberatory theological perspectives, and a commitment to systemic change.

She has taught at Yale University’s Youth Ministry Institute, St. John’s University (NYC), Connecticut College, Three Rivers Community College, and through the State of Connecticut Department of Corrections. Aracelis holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Connecticut State University, a Master's in Education (Higher Education Administration) from the Loyola University of Chicago and a Master of Divinity from Yale University.

Demeika is a coach and curator of experiences, fueled by love.

With 25 years of experience in communications, Demeika is a senior vice president and Atlanta Market Lead at Porter Novelli, a strategic communications company. She has led and launched a variety of award winning campaigns and programs that drive behavior change and result in healthier lifestyles and better outcomes for communities. Demeika says she always finds reward in her work because it contributes to the greater social good.

Demeika has expertise in all facets of integrated communications campaign development from message and collateral development to strategic partnerships and grassroots outreach programs, with a focus on parents, women, teens, people living with disabilities and multicultural audiences. Additionally, she counsels clients in the development and execution of their DEI communications strategies, with an eye toward employee experience, executive thought leadership, storytelling and issues management.

Demeika is a creative facilitator who enjoys bringing out the best in others and making connections. She uses her skills as a trained facilitator and coach to develop and deliver training on topics like goal setting, ways of working, belonging, courageous conversations, inclusive culture and spiritual gifts. In addition to communications coaching for executives, she is committed to developing the next generation of leaders. She partners with her husband to coach high school and college students on communication, personal branding and life skills. She serves on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Georgia, has worked with students in the Atlanta University Center and is a regular presenter and coach for the National Urban League’s Emerging Leaders Program in partnership with Georgetown University’s Business for Impact.

Driven by her belief in the power of social action and her passion for improving the lives and health of women and youth, she volunteers her time working with community-based organizations to develop programs focused on health equity, education, scholarship and image building. A no-limit nurturer, she also advocates for and supports families as a birthing coach and doula.