Mrs. Sylvia Myers was born in Oakland, California and raised in Tallahassee, Florida. Mrs. Myers received her Associate of Arts Degree from Tallahassee Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Exceptional Student Education from Flagler College-Tallahassee. She went on to receive a Masters of Educational Leadership from Saint Leo College in Tallahassee.
 
​Mrs. Myers is a creative, caring and dedicated professional who embraces life-long learning and works hard to instill the love and empowering qualities of learning into others.  Mrs. Sylvia Myers was a teacher at Kate Sullivan Elementary in Tallahassee, Florida for six years working with students with varying exceptionalities for four of those years, and teaching 4th grade for two.  While teaching in Leon County, Mrs. Myers was honored as Leon County’s 2010 Glenn-Howell Minority Educator and as the Teacher of the Year for Leon County in 2012.  During her tenure as a teacher, she was instrumental in helping the district earn Exemplary Status for an infused African American Curriculum from the State of Florida’s Task Force on African American History.  Mrs. Myers was the assistant principal at Bond Elementary and Kate Sullivan Elementary in Tallahassee and is now serving as the proud principal of Springwood Elementary.   
 
Mrs. Sylvia Myers enjoys working with the Foundation for Leon County Schools as a board member and advocate for providing teachers and schools with support and supplemental resources to assist in providing students with a quality education.  In addition to working with the Foundation, Mrs. Myers is an active member in the community, volunteering her time with various organizations.  Mrs. Myers is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and a member of the Chi Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Sylvia Myers also serves on the board for Heroes from the Hood, a non-profit organization that focuses on mentoring young gentlemen in the community. Sylvia Myers is was also a member of Leadership Tallahassee, Class 35. Mrs. Myers is an active stakeholder at Flagler College in Tallahassee, always helping, when asked to improve the quality of the program and help to develop future teachers.   

Email: [email protected] 

​Tee Thompson is a graduate of Florida A&M University with a bachelors in Psychology & Minor in Education. As second generation business woman, she successfully serves her clients and partners with a team focused leadership style and cohesive analytics. She is passionate about Education, Sustainable Community Develop, and empowering under-served demographics.

Tee Thompson
Chief Executive
NAKORZA SERVICE
O: 850.656.2000
Email: [email protected]

Raven Davis serves as a Program Administrator for the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute facilitating and delivering executive leadership training around the state. Raven holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. She has one son, is an avid traveler and baker. She been a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. since 2006.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raven.a.davis 

Ms. Chiara Yvette Wesley is a graduate from the highest of seven hills, Florida A&M University. Ms. Wesley earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Florida A&M University in 2008. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a Master’s in Nursing, specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner.  She currently works at a local hospital in Jacksonville Florida as an Emergency Registered Nurse and at a local clinic in Jacksonville Florida as a Nurse Practitioner. Fall of 2020, Ms. Wesley will pursue her last and final certification at the University of Florida where she will earn a post master’s certification in Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Allowing her to achieve more advanced knowledge in the field of medicine. A field that she loves dearly.

Ms. Wesley is also a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She also volunteers as a Nurse Practitioner at Mission House clinic servicing non-insured and underinsured patients in Jacksonville Florida. During her spare time, Ms. Wesley enjoys cooking, talking about God, reading, spending time with family, and friends. She also enjoys traveling, but COVID-19 has placed a hold on those things now. If Ms. Wesley could speak in first person, she would tell readers who are reading this, that the best is yet to come. Hold on to God’s unchanging hand and keep pressing to whatever it is you would like to accomplish. Never tell yourself you cannot because you can. 

Email: ​[email protected]

​Avantra Stroud is the President and Entrepreneurial Event Planner for Premier Events by Avantra, LLC. Avantra does luxury event planning, event designing, and hosts social affairs.

​Avantra came to live in Tallahassee, Florida in 2000 to attend Tallahassee Community College followed by Barry University. She uses her legal background as a legal assistant to help those that cannot afford an attorney get the legal results they need in the areas of divorce, child custody, and child support.

Her most important aspect of her life and business is empowering others to find their purpose in life. She helps others align with God to bring fullness to their lives and walk in their created being wholly. 

​Avantra's 2nd Annual Me Time Mother's Day Luncheon will be a virtual conference this year on May 9th, and tickets are available on Eventbrite. The theme is: Emerge! The Time is Now! An event that's for mothers and non-mothers focusing on transforming within to shine outwardly.

Email: ​[email protected]

My name is Wallisha Berry, I am a wife and a mother to 5 amazing children. My desire to do birth work was conceived long before I moved to Tallahassee. I am a native of Ohio, and that is where my journey as a doula began. I am certified in each of the following five areas, as a SMC full circle doula, a Birth Assistant, a Mixxedfit group instructor, and as a Homebirth and breastfeeding advocate. I am currently working directly with Crowning Midwifery as one of their direct birth assistants.  I was featured on the Black News Channel segment called “being a woman” to speak about encouraging more black women to give birth at home vs going to the hospital. In 2018, I was also featured in the Afyia Magazine to promote the importance of physical exercise while pregnant and to share my fourth Homebirth story. I am the co-founder of Vegan Rainbow Eats, and occasionally participate by preparing and selling vegan meals as a vendor at the Frenchtown Farmers market.  In my spare time I enjoy all genres of dance, reading and writing, and I also aspire to become a bestselling author. 

Email: ​[email protected]

My story is really no different than anyone else's today, it is one of survival. I know this all too well from having come from a family that instilled the skills but also from my days as an active duty United States Marine. It comes from a family lineage of civil and human rights activists and business owners. However, I never thought after a tailored and dreamed, life long legal litigation career, that I would be a co-owner and operator of a bike shop. 

My husband a proclaimed "cyclists" created the bike shop for his own reasons 7 years ago. I wasn't thrilled because he did not consult me. Our kids were graduating and it was time for us, a time to travel, not babysit something else, and dump money into what would be a failed business (it takes 6 years to make a profit). 

Brent started out racing BMX bikes at 10 years old and has raced in many genres since. I've been a bike rider since youth and riding in notable recreational challenges across Iowa starting with RAGBRAI twice and with VETS in North Carolina and across the state but never labeled myself as anything more than a fitness enthusiast,  commuter and someone who always loved being on a bike. 

I came into the business reluctantly in 2015 out of happenstance when I was doing contract work when he was juggling travel with his corporate job as a BioMed engineer. The bike shop community wanted to have us open full-time. It also required a woman's presence that was down to earth and more practical. The male racer was not what they were looking for, or the $3k bikes on the floor. Fast forward, we are now in the 3rd expansion buildout. Where others have failed, we have succeeded to be the only surviving bike shop for another 8 miles. It doesn't mean that this hasn't been without much of our own money, strife, hours, and tears.

While I knew how to do work on cars before and do some work on bikes, I've since learned more specific relating to wrenching on bikes and diagnosing. I've learned historical information about bikes, brands, sales, etc. While I trail ran before, rock climbed and repelled, I had to learn so many other things to be able to conversate regarding genres of cycling. This is where I was blessed to have my legal career to quickly read, digest, filter, and categorize information. However, I also had my fitness to rely upon.

I with my husband am the only of color woman enduro MTB/Enduro, race promotors, and enduro race series owners Third Coast Productions and 3rd Coast Enduro Series, and were the first in the southeast. The same is still true today.  I learned how to mountain bike and I was the first to put on an all woman's mountain bike enduro in the southeast with 80 women coming from 11 states from ages 18 to 68 in 2017, with having over 20 top industry sponsors. The most widespread covered race apart from Redbull and largely because of being of color, my age, the demographics, our shop coverage, and the widespread that this race covered in Tennessee of all places. 

I rep for AAA as our store is a Discount Partner and my photo is on its own landing page. I am a Bianchi Dama Ambassador (the first minority) when ambassadorship started (the oldest bike brand that has been in business for 138 years out of Italy. I've been a Rocky Mountain MTB Ambassador (which generally requires being a racer for mountain bikes, which I've never been), which is out of Canada), the only minority and person of my age. 

In 2017, the Superintendent of Fulton County Schools signed off on me having bike clubs in its schools. We now have an educational partnership with Alpharetta Highschool for the Outdoor Education Program. I give bike lessons, learn to ride and clinics to kids/youth/adults to where people have come from almost 2 hours away. I lead group rides and educate beginners on how to enjoy the ride because as a Marine, no one left behind. I help to focus on nutrition and healthy lifestyle education as I'm also NASM trained but no longer certified. 

I do not practice as a paralegal fulltime anymore (but am slowly getting back to some things) because of a TBI and other body injuries I'm recovering from as a result of a car v. bike accident in Nov 2017. An SUV decided not to you when I was crossing the street on a green light and ran me over. I do not have a memory, but life has been challenging. As a result, I formed a Non-Profit, called A Mindful Ride, Inc. to deal with trauma on many levels for all different types of accidents. 

A Mindful Ride is dedicated to the prevention of traumatic injuries through the education of people of all ages, areas of interest, activity level, and walks of life. When prevention is unsuccessful, our collection of resources will help the injured, their families, and supporters guide the process of rehabilitation and recovery. It is our goal to reduce the effect a traumatic injury has on a person’s future, and aid them in resuming a connected, healthy, and active life.  

I still choose to find ways to give back. In my weekend I make safety COVID-19 packs to give to the homeless that makeup sanitizer (that I make)  that I also make for our bike shop, gloves, mask, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, lotion, wipes, socks etc. As there is nothing that should be inhumane about being homeless and living without. 

Many of us will find that we are not doing what we were educated to do, what we want to do, and/or what we think we can do, but hopefully, you will make a choice in how you choose to think about what you will do. 

Email: ​[email protected]

Shelia is a native of Tallahassee, Florida and a graduate of Florida A & M University. Shelia has  worked in the Health arena for the past 30 years.  Shelia exemplifies character, courage, and  commitment by her long standing commitment to serving the health needs of everyone where they live worship & play. Shelia’s previous work history include Disease Intervention Specialist, HIV/AIDS  Educator, HIV/AIDS Prevention & Training Consultant, Minority Health Coordinator, HIV/AIDS Part CCoordinator, Prevention & Outreach Program Manager, Independent 
 
Contractor, Event Planner, Community Empowerment Network, Community Organizer/Activist.  Shelia enjoys spending time with her family, reading, shopping and meditating.  In Shelia’s spare time, she gives back to the community by volunteering, from feeding the homeless to coordinating  empowerment workshops, Organizing Health & Economic Development Community fairs. Shelia’s efforts to reach out to men, women and children have resulted in stronger families, Resilience and  improvement of overall health in Leon & surrounding counties. Shelia is a member of several  Organizations & Community boards. Tallahassee Urban League Crime Prevention Board Member,  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated 
 
(Member), Frenchtown Rising (Volunteer Community Board Member), Minority Alliance for  Advocating Community Awareness (Volunteer), Anderson Chapel A.M.E Church Senior Day  Community Health Program (Founding Organizer), Talk With The Women Community  Empowerment, Helping Hands 2 Board Member, TAVA Lifestyles (Distributor), Giving Others  Opportunity (Community Liaison), Fantasy Island Enterprises. (Advisor), Creator of Sangria –Empowerment Network Shelia’s Motto is Strive for Success & Nothing Less! 

Email: [email protected]