About Ebonie Johnson Cooper

Ebonie Johnson Cooper believes Black giving is magic! For more than fifteen years Ebonie has used her research, thought-leadership, and expertise to inform national and local projects and speaking engagements related to nonprofit racial equity, African American donor engagement, church ministry, partnership development, and fundraising strategies. She has worked with institutions and nonprofits that include, The Lilly Endowment, The Center for Congregations, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Central Carolina Community Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, The Washington Area Women’s Foundation, Odyssey Impact, and Teach for America.

Ebonie currently serves full-time in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland as Faculty Director, Nonprofit Executive Education and Training for The Do Good Institute and an Associate Clinical Professor. In her spare time, she serves as a trusted nonprofit consultant through Friends of Ebonie, LLC, and Founding Executive Director of the Young, Black & Giving Back Institute (YBGB).

Ebonie was recognized by ESSENCE Magazine (April 2022, November 2016) and JET Magazine(September 2013), as one of the nation’s top leaders for her innovation around NextGen African – American philanthropy. Ebonie’s leadership and achievements have also been featured on CNN’s HLN network, The Washington Post, and ABC-7 (NY). She is a National Museum of African American History & Culture Ambassador, and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Black Benefactors Giving Circle (DC). She is also an ordained Itinerant Deacon for AME Church’s 2nd Episcopal District and serves faithfully as the Young Adult Minister at Kingdom Fellowship AME Church. Ebonie is a proud graduate of North Carolina A&T State University (BS), New York University (MS) and Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv.). Her greatest role however, is being a mother to her precocious, adorable, and loving toddler son.

About TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian

TaKiyah Wallace-McMillian is a Photographer, and the Founder and Executive Director of Brown Girls Do Ballet, a philanthropic organization that works to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in ballet programs by providing resources and scholarships to assist young girls in their ballet development and training.

TaKiyah's work has been featured in/on CBS Mornings, The Washington Post, HuffPo, Pointe Magazine, and more. She is a former Dallas ISD Gifted-Education teacher (18 years) and is the Owner/Photographer of Some Sweet Photography. She is the author of The Color of Dance, released in September 2023. Her 2nd book, Brown Girls Do Ballet, will be released in August 2024. She lives in Dallas, Texas, with her family. 

About Valaida Fullwood

Described an “idea whisperer,” Valaida Fullwood brings unbridled imagination and a gift for harnessing wild ideas to her work as a writer, public speaker and consultant on various projects and events. Valaida is the award-winning author of Giving Back, a 400-page hardcover book profiling stories of philanthropy among African Americans that was developed with photographer Charles Thomas. Giving Back was named one of the 10 Best Black Books of 2011 and received the prestigious 2012 McAdam Book Award, which recognizes “the most inspirational and useful new book for the nonprofit sector.”

Valaida is a recognized thought leader on African American philanthropy and community-led philanthropy and is frequently invited by a variety of groups to write, talk and consult on the topic. She is featured in a 2013 TEDx Talk on philanthropy and was named the 2014 Lake Distinguished Visitor at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. In 2015, Valaida collaborated with HBCUs, museums and other cultural institutions to launch the multimedia, touring exhibition Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy Reframed and Exhibited. The exhibit has attracted major funding, been hosted by 35 communities, and continues to tour cities nationwide.

In 2020, the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Funding Professionals (AFP) named Valaida Charlotte’s Outstanding Champion of Diversity. YWCA named her “Community Champion” among its 2020 Women of Achievement. She also earned the 2020 Trailblazer Award from ABFE, the national network of Black executives and professionals in philanthropy and She also received a 2022 Madam CJ Walker Award for “Trailblazers of Color in the Nonprofit Community” from F3: Fab Female Fundraisers.

About Cidney Farley

Cidney’s career began as a middle school English teacher in Houston, Texas, where she developed a deep understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized communities. Her teaching journey led her abroad to Abu Dhabi, where she taught 6th grade math, gaining valuable insights into global education systems and igniting her love for international travel. Upon moving back to the United States, Cidney served as the founding operations manager for Capital Village Public Charter School, playing an instrumental role in the school’s design and launch.

One of Cidney’s proudest accomplishments is founding the nonprofit, iFLY Youth, an organization dedicated to developing middle school girls of color into global leaders through international travel and community building. As the Executive Director, she spearheaded the expansion of iFLY Youth’s summer programming in the Greater Washington Area, providing 52 girls with passports and sending 4 cohorts of students abroad to Costa Rica and Colombia.

Cidney holds a Bachelor of Journalism and a minor in Leadership & Public Service from the University of Missouri.