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ANDREA MILLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(Pronouns: she/her) Andrea has called Birmingham her home since 2011. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Communications degree in 2015. She has been part of the ACE team since 2016, when she served as the very first ACE volunteer. In 2017, she became an AmeriCorps Program Specialist and served for two years in that role before stepping into the roles of the Life Skills Education Program Manager, Programs Manager, and Programs Director. She also serves as the Member Management Fellow on the interim leadership team for the Birmingham Coalition for Student Mental Health. Andrea plays roller derby on the Tragic City Rollers team and is the Board President of the league. |
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SHAINA BERRY, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
(Pronouns: she/her) Originally from a small town outside Lexington, Kentucky, Shaina has called Birmingham home since 2013. Shaina specializes in organizational development, communications strategy, and nonprofit management. Since graduating from the University of Kentucky in 2010 with a degree in Integrated Strategic Communication, Shaina has dedicated her career to serving nonprofits and is passionate about creating equitable communities. Shaina loves spending time with her family and chasing her twin toddlers and 5-year-old in her spare time. |
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ROSA DELGADO, PROGRAMS MANAGER
(Pronouns: she/ella) Rosa Delgado moved to the Magic City about 5 years ago from Montgomery, AL. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Psychology degree in 2018. She has partnered with the Birmingham Museum of Art in teaching art classes to inner-city youth. She is passionate about destigmatizing mental health, sharing the healing powers of art, and incorporating emotional intelligence within her community. Rosa loves to dance to Latin music, spend time with Mother Nature, bake for her sweet tooth, and paint with friends. |
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LORRAINE SHACKELFORD, AMERICORPS VISTA SOCIAL JUSTICE PROGRAM COORDINATOR
(Pronouns: xe/xer) Lorraine Shackelford is currently serving in xer second AmeriCorps position as the Social Justice Coordinator VISTA. Previously, Lorraine has served as an AmeriCorps State Member with the Building Communities Bettering Lives Program through the YWCA of Central Alabama as a Program Assistant for YouthServe. Xer involvement with non-profits has also included paid internships with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Southern Vision Alliance of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a research fellow with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. She also has been involved with Social Justice programming since she was an Anytown delegate in 2015! |
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CYNTHIA GAGE, CULTURE COACH CONSULTANT
(Pronouns: she/her) Dr. Cynthia Gage thrives on challenging educators to think “outside the box” to get optimum results whether learning, teaching, or leading. As the CEO of Leadership Lens, Cynthia is an organizational guru with a talent for implementing “whatever it takes” to get desired results. More than anything, she is a passionate teacher, an encouraging leader, and an inspirational speaker with a big heart for audiences of all ages. Dr. Cynthia Gage is a native Chattanooga, but has lived in Birmingham, Alabama for the past 30 years. Cynthia began her career as a 7th and 8th grade reading teacher in Chattanooga in 1986. Thirty four years later, she has worked in 3 states, taught at 6 schools for 8 different principals, worked with over 300 teachers, and has taught almost 4,000 students. Cynthia received her undergraduate degree in 1982 from Bryan College, a private Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, Tennessee. She also received her graduate degree, her Ed.S. and her Ed.D. from Samford University in Birmingham. Audiences enjoy her sense of humor as she pushes the boundaries of how to improve relationships at home, at school, and in the workplace by using the DISC Personality Test. Currently, she is contracting with AlaQuest Collaborative for Education as a Culture Coach for Lee High School in Montgomery, Alabama. |
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LINDA COOGAN, INTEGRATIVE NURSE COACH
(Pronouns: she/her) Linda Coogan (AKA Nurse Linda Kay) is a multistate licensed registered nurse. She is a recognized leader in the field of healthcare with a passion for helping others improve quality of life. Linda has board certifications as an Integrative Nurse Coach, a Healthcare Quality Professional, a Tai Chi for Health Coach and has achieved Fellowship status with the American College of Healthcare Professionals. Linda is a proud alum of the UAB School of Nursing and School of Health Related Professions where she earned her BSN and MSHA. She founded and serves as the CEO of AlaQuest Center for Performance Excellence. A passionate community volunteer, Linda co-founded the AlaQuest Collaborative for Education in 2015 with her son, Matthew and serves as our President Emeritus. She has served her community as a Board Member of the Alabama ACHE, AlPex Baldrige award program, VOCAL, AAHQ, and as an Elder in her church. She also serves as a member of the Alabama and American Nurses Associations. The American Holistic Nurses Association, the Alabama and American College of Healthcare Executives, the Tai Chi for Health Community, American Association for Healthcare Quality, Alabama Women in Business, and Everytown Survivors of Gun Violence. Linda has recently discovered her passion as an author and writes weekly inspirations on her blog. Joshua Pearls, dedicated to her son who was murdered in his sleep. She is also writing a book. "The Impact Statement" sharing her journey in finding the strength to persevere through tragedy. |
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ANAMARIA SANTIAGO, DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE
(Pronouns: she/ella) While her full-time appointment is in the English Department of UAB, where she teaches freshman comp and sophomore lit courses, Anamaria's passion is in her work as a community activist and volunteer. She has served with various organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Anytown Alabama Teen Leadership Summit (which she currently co-directs), PEACE Birmingham, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, YouthServe, One Roof, Magic City Art Connection, and the V-Day Campaign. At UAB she has been involved with various on-campus engagement and diversity-driven organizations such as the Faculty Fellows in Engaged Scholarship, the Spanish and Latino Student Association, Manos Juntas, and SafeZone. She is an alumna of both UAB and the Gates Millennium Scholars program. In her free time she writes poems, makes amigurumi, gardens, studies honey bee husbandry, and hikes with her husband, Kenton. |
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