Staff

As an advocate for youth empowerment and community development, Lorenza Wilkins’ connection to the city/county of Durham dates to 1991 as a student-athlete at North Carolina Central University. During the mid-1990s, Wilkins spent time with RTP based technology companies Motorola and Cree Research. In 1998, Wilkins joined Jacksonville, Florida based CSX Transportation, where he spent 17.5 years in Operations, Training & Development, Workforce Analytics, Career Progression Planning, Recruiting, Process Improvement, and Talent Assessment.  Understanding the importance of education and its relevance to improving the socio-economic mobility of life’s most vulnerable populations, Wilkins began to leverage his time in the private sector as a tool to strengthen his presence in servant leadership. 

In 2009, Wilkins began to invest heavily in the community by serving as President, Chairman, and CEO of Compass Youth Center. As a 501(c)(3) organization connecting hundreds of North Carolina students to comprehensive STEM and Robotics, Compass aims to expose underserved and underrepresented students in k-12 as a means to enrich their academic, social, and emotional preparedness while combatting the school-to-prison pipeline. 

As a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, Wilkins credits the Aspen Institute (Aspen, CO) as well as Dr. Tom Peters (South Carolina Coalition for Mathematics and Science at Clemson University) with helping to broaden his network and commitment to leading change in America. 

When he is not serving the community and completing the dissertation phase of his Doctorate in Business Administration at Columbia Southern University, Wilkins enjoys time with family, exercising, gardening, and caring for one dozen pet sharks.

Jen has a passion for helping people realize their strengths in transforming their own lives. She works within the Durham community to assist students in reaching their academic and behavioral goals. One of her missions is to dismantle the stigma of mental health and strengthen the community. She utilizes a strength-based approach when working with youth and families. She also incorporates restorative practices to help build relationships. She believes that everyone possesses the ability to be better but may need assistance on the journey, which is where she steps in.

Jen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York and a Master of Social Work from North Carolina Central University. Jen is a self-identified lover of ice cream, dream chaser, and difference-maker.

Rasheda Royster is a native of Durham, NC. Since 2017, her role has been the Director of Community Engagement. She has an Associate Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. With training in Motivational Interviewing, Conflict Resolution, Trauma-Informed Care for Adolescents, and Restorative Practices, she excels at building relationships and gaining the trust of hundreds of youth and families in the Durham community.

Rasheda has a passion for working with youth and wants to continue to help to create platforms for families to feel supported in the school system and connected to resources in their communities.

Miriam’s passion for working with nonprofits comes from her desire to see and experience organizations making a difference in their community. She enjoys learning from and working with others. In nonprofits, Miriam’s strengths are in finances, development, fundraising, organizing, and translating. She currently serves five local nonprofits in the Durham community and has been working in the nonprofit sector for over ten years. 

Miriam attributes her success to directly aligning her skills and development with the organizations’ mission and goals. She understands the need for supporting nonprofits because she has directly benefited from nonprofit services in the past. By aligning her skills and competencies with the organizations’ mission, Miriam can make the most significant impact and create lasting, positive change for many people.

​In 2016, she was awarded the Steve Schewel Award for being a Triangle resident who does fabulous work for their local nonprofit.

When Miriam is not hard at work, she loves to travel, try new restaurants, take a day trip to the ocean, and experience new things.

Bobby Ellis is a recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, where he received a degree in Public Relations. While he was at UNC, he was a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and helped host student marketing competitions. 

He has worked with numerous other non-profit organizations assisting in communication, marketing and outreach. In these roles, he helped with connecting to various audiences.

For Bobby, giving back to the community is very important. He has had a passion for helping people from a very young age that has stayed with him to this day. 

Bobby is from Charlotte, NC and is an Eagle Scout. In his spare time, he loves watching and playing sports, listening to music, writing, and drawing.