Board Of Directors

Dana Hall, Board Member and Executive Director

Dana Hall is a senior associate with JP Morgan Chase and the Founder of Aya, Inc., a multi-tiered mentoring program based at Howard University. Dana also serves as the board secretary for Girls, Inc. Previously, Dana worked for Democracy Alliance, the DC City Council, the Freedom Schools Program run by the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Aspen Institute. Dana’s campaign work includes serving the Trayon White for Ward 8 2016 and 2018 campaigns as field director, political director, and deputy director. Dana is a graduate of Howard University and American University School of Public Affairs. She is also a graduate of The Campaign School at Yale University, the Black upStart and WeLead at American University.

LeVar Jones, Board Member

For the past 21 years, LeVar A. Jones has worked unapologetically to serve and support young people.  Licensed to preach at the age of 14 at Washington, DC’s historic Shiloh Baptist Church, LeVar’s service to youth has been built upon the mantra of “Relational and Relevant.”  He currently serves as the Minister of Youth & Young Adults of The New Macedonia Baptist Church located in Southeast Washington, DC, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Patrick J. Walker.  He also serves as Founder and Senior Advisor of the award winning #OurLivesMatter Teen Campaign.  Founded in 2015, #OurLivesMatter is a teen led, youth development program focused on providing a platform for Black youth to educate themselves, empower others and engage community.

Through the years, he has served as both youth pastor and nonprofit professional, developing initiatives in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas, most recently with Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, for nearly a decade.

A passionate advocate for young people and youth work, he is a mentor to other youth pastors and young ministers across the country and abroad.  He has traveled to South America, Europe and the Philippines, to minister and help develop youth work in these countries.  He extends his passion for youth work and ministry into other areas as well:

• Board member for Aya, Inc, a mentoring program focused on the development of young women of color

• Co-Leader for the DMV Youth and Young Adult Ministry Leader Network

• Mastermind Facilitator for Youth Ministry Booster, a national youth leader training collaborative

• Advisor for Lifeway Students

A native Washingtonian, LeVar resides in the District of Columbia and lives his life based on Galatians 6:9, “Be not weary in well doing, for in due season, you shall reap, if you faint not!”

Natalie Mitchell, Board Member

Natalie Mitchell is the Director of Title I and School Improvement Programs for Alexandria City Public Schools in Alexandria, VA. A native of London, England, she came to the United States to attend Howard University’s School of Fine Arts where she joined multiple organizations, many of which she is still active in. She received a BMus in Jazz Studies from Howard in 2003 and has since made Washington, DC her home. Despite receiving a degree in music, her entire professional career has been in K-12 education, primarily public and public charter. She specializes in federal, local, and state education policy and implementation; grants management, monitoring and reporting; school improvement; funding structures and management; program design, review and monitoring; parental and community involvement; and the effects of poverty on education. She is passionate about policy and practice issues of equity and access in education, particularly in the context of race, class and gender.

Jaida Moore, Board Member

Jaida A. Moore is a New Jersey native with a passion for litigation and public service.  She graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University and then went on to obtain her law degree from Howard University School of Law in 2009.  During law school she served as the Community Service Co-Chair for her class, was on the planning committee for Alternative Spring Break, and tutored at Maya Angelou Public Charter School.

After graduation, Jaida began a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Herman C. Dawson in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County.  She then went on to serve as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Prince George’s County for two years, where she advocated for victims in the District Court, Domestic Violence Unit. In 2012, Jaida relocated to volunteer in Costa Rica for five months to teach English to elementary students. Upon her return, she started her own practice: Moore Legal Group, LLC which focuses on real property matters and civil litigation.

In 2015, Jaida founded Jaida A. Photography to pursue her passion for photography. She focuses on family, beauty, and boudoir photography. When she is not working or volunteering, Jaida enjoys traveling and laying on the beach.