Board of Directors

Millicent Rogers, Board Chair, is a graduate of Appalachian State University. Millicent started her advocacy work in high school while attending Durham School of the Arts. She redirected her advocacy for a youth focus after the birth of her son, working with his school’s local PTA unit. It is through her PTA experience that she gained an understanding of the need for more exceptional advocacy in reducing the impact of the suspension on high school students. Millicent was able to bring awards and a great resource to local PTAs and began serving on the Rebound Board of Directors in 2019.

When Millicent is not advocating for youth, she enjoys spending her time playing Bid Whist with her family.

Allyson is a San Francisco native who has spent her entire professional career in North Carolina, most notably working with several notable nonprofit organizations throughout North Carolina. As a former DPS Educator, she understands the daily impact of school suspension and the systemic issues surrounding it that plagued many of her students.  Currently, she serves as the Leader of Community Engagement at the United Way of the Greater Triangle located here in Durham, NC leveraging relationships between nonprofit organizations and corporations wanting to make an impact throughout the Triangle. Allyson received both her B.A. in History and M.S. in Adult Education from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, NC.

Allyson shared the following quote to sum up her belief in the community:

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

Nidia’s commitment to relationships, business experience, and academic background contribute to her effectiveness as a financial advisor and board member. Her dedication to improving the lives of her clients and students in Durham Public Schools is a priority. As an immigrant and first-generation college graduate, Nidia proudly represents her Mexican heritage and speaks fluent Spanish.

Nidia’s passion is to see dramatic advancement and improvement in people and communities. She brings over 25 years of business experience to her practice in retirement planning and wealth management. Her professional background includes serving as New Product Development Engineer and Latin American Accounts Manager at Motorola and Director of Operations of the Boston Higher Education Resource Center. Nidia received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Materials Science Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration Degree from MIT’s Sloan School.

Jessie Larkins is a United Methodist pastor who has served in a variety of pastoral and administrative leadership positions within the North Carolina Conference of the UMC. She has led congregations and served as Assistant to the District Superintendent allowing her to exercise a broad skill set in pastoral administration, coaching, teaching, and organizational leadership. Her passions are youth, children, public schools, and racial equity. 

Jessie recently transitioned to work at Duke Global Health Institute to engage as the Program Director for the Clergy Health Initiative at the Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research. In this role, her job will be to help bring to life “Selah”, a mental health and stress intervention.

Jessie and her family live in Durham, NC and are proud parents of two DPS middle schoolers. They have served as foster parents to youth in the custody of Durham County Social Services.

Tiffany Meekins is a Site Activation Team Manager at Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD). PPD is employed by Pharmaceutical companies to help facilitate clinical trials.

Tiffany believes the youth are our future and when we properly invest in them, we ensure the future is bright for all of us.

Tiffany has served on the Junior Leadership Durham Board of Directors, served as a Girl Scout Troop Leader for NC Coastal Pines and she continues to serve as an Awana teacher and Children’s church teacher at Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church.

Tiffany holds a Bachelors of Arts from Winston Salem State University in Mass Communications.

Ameshia A. Cooper is a public servant committed to improving the lives of North Carolinians. She received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Small Business and Entrepreneurship from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2010 and her Juris Doctorate in 2013 from Charlotte School of Law. During her time at Charlotte Law, Ameshia discovered her passion for litigation and leadership.

Ameshia is employed as an Assistant Attorney General for the North Carolina Department of Justice. There she advises and litigates on behalf of the two agencies that certify law enforcement. Prior to assuming her current role, Ameshia served the people of Durham County as a Felony Prosecutor. As an Assistant District Attorney she ushered victims of crime through the criminal justice system with compassion and ensured that persons charged with crime were provided the rights afforded to them by law and the dignity they required as human beings. Ameshia has been recognized by various organizations for her skill and contributions to the Durham community.

Ameshia was born and raised in Durham, NC, and was educated in the Durham Public School System. Her parents instilled in her the values of hard work and integrity. Ameshia serves her community in numerous capacities. She is a member of The Durham People’s Alliance Board of Directors and serves as Board Secretary for Rebound. Additionally, she is a life-long member of Union Baptist Church, she serves on the Durham County Bar Grievance Committee, volunteers with the Durham County Teen Court and Restitution Program and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Judge Shamieka Rhinehart is a native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. She was raised by her retired grandmother and her working-class mother. Her grandmother instilled in her the importance of obtaining an education and treating everyone with dignity and respect. In 1993, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received a Bachelor of Art in English. Upon her graduation in 1997, she took a year off and she became an eagle at North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1998. She received her law degree in 2001. After graduating from law school, Judge Rhinehart worked as an associate attorney with Willie R. Perry, Jr. in 2002. In 2003, she worked as an associate attorney with Brown, Flebotte, Wilson, Horn & Webb, PLLC. In May of 2005, Judge Rhinehart became an assistant district attorney in Durham County where she prosecuted various misdemeanors and felonies. During her years in this position, she supervised the property and fraud teams for two years until she became the supervisor of District Court in 2012. As the District Court Supervisor, Judge Rhinehart prosecuted various misdemeanors and felonies and supervised other assistant district attorneys.

On January 2, 2017, she was sworn in as a district court judge for Durham County. Currently, Judge Rhinehart presides over civil jury matters; child support matters, misdemeanor criminal matters; abuse, dependency and neglect cases, traffic court, and jail court. Judge Rhinehart is the presiding judge in Durham’s misdemeanor diversion court. Judge Rhinehart loves to mentor young people and is involved in several organizations, such as Rebound, that helps provide educational needs to students during short term suspensions. She is also a board member of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee and advises the local government about housing issues in Durham. She also loves to volunteer with the Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties and her beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as she works relentlessly in trying to improve her community. She is currently a faithful church member of St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina where she serves on the Racial Justice and Reconciliation Committee. When she has spare time, she loves to speak inspirationally to young people, spend time with family and friends, and curl up with a good book.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Franklin grew up in New York and has lived in the Triangle for the past 12 years. For 8 years he owned and managed Bull City Craft, an art supply and craft store in Durham. He currently works at Farmer Foodshare and teaches art at the International Montessori School. Franklin has two children.