Women of the Collaborative

Phyllis is the National Organizing Director for Faith in Action and Founder of the Black Southern Women’s Collaborative (BSWC). The BSWC was created to be a soft place to fully belong, without defense or pretense, that honors Black Women’s labor, leadership, and brilliance.  As National Organizing Director at Faith in Action, Phyllis built a regional support structure for 45 state and local organizing groups. This included organizer, clergy, and leader training, campaign, and organizational coaching. Phyllis has rooted the organizing program in the development of public faith-based grassroots leadership that changes the narrative about who belongs and that drives public campaigns for material change. Additionally, Phyllis helped create the Black Women’s Caucus of Faith in Action, centering Womanist Theology as fundamental as how Black Women can lead with their full selves. Phyllis received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Georgia Southern University, while participating in a study abroad at Oxford University focused on Religious Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree in African American Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Tameka has worked as an advocate and activist for equity and justice for over 15 years. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Memphis Artists for Change (MAC), a  power-building organization serving based in Memphis, TN.  She has held numerous leadership positions both locally and regionally while serving as Executive Director of MAC including serving as the Project Director for the American Job Centers for Shelby, Tipton and Fayette Counties in  Tennessee. With Tameka’s skillful guidance MAC has expanded its programming to arts-powered community organizing. 

Kendra has more than 20 years of experience building and cultivating relationships in order to advance a favorable public image and positive strategic agenda for the individuals and organizations that she serves. Kendra is currently the chief operating officer for New Georgia Project, Inc. She assumed this role after leaving her position as the campaign manager for a US Senate race. Kendra was the founding executive director of Rep GA Institute, Inc Georgia's statewide c3, nonpartisan leadership training  HUB, as well as its c4 arm Represent Georgia Action Network.  

Ashley is the Founder, President, and CEO of the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, a statewide 501c3 table in Louisiana. The Power Coalition uses a broad-based strategy that combines community organizing, issue advocacy, and civic action to build pathways to power for historically disenfranchised populations. Mrs. Shelton has led both C3 and C4 strategies to move more than one million voters throughout the state of Louisiana having a significant impact in elections statewide and in the major metros including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport. Prior to this role, Mrs. Shelton was the Vice President of Programs at the Louisiana  Disaster Recovery Foundation (LDRF). Ms. Shelton attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. 

Rhonda is a native of Miami Florida.  She and her husband serve as the founding Pastors of the New Generation MB Church in Miami for over 30 years.  Rev. Rhonda Thomas began her journey as a fellow for PICO  Florida, (presently known as Faith in Florida) in 2012 as she began engaging the Faith Community and encouraging voters to vote No on Amendment 3. Rhonda continued to elevate in the world of organizing as the lead organizer to the Statewide Deputy Director.  She led the “Let My People Vote Campaign as the Deputy  Director for the State of Florida, fighting for over 1.5 million returning citizens’ voting rights to be restored. In late October 2019, Faith in Florida Board appointed Rev. Rhonda Thomas as the new  Executive Director of Faith in Florida. She made history by being the first African  American Woman to serve in this capacity

Lambright-Haynes is the Executive Director of Director of One Voice, a statewide leadership development and policy advocacy organization, headquartered in Jackson, MS. The goal of One Voice is to build leadership in an effort to address structural oppressions that show up in the institutions that are significant in the lives of families, including the public education system, voting, the environment, and the criminal justice system. Lambright-Haynes serves on the City of Jackson’s Civil Service Commission and Public Safety Taskforce and also served on the transition teams of Jackson Mayors Chokwe Lumumba and Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
She has received a number of honors including the Chokwe Lumumba Award for Advancing Social Justice (2019) the Fannie Lou Hamer Humanitarian Award (2012) and the Young Women in the NAACP Award (2008).
Lambright-Haynes is a 1994 graduate of Tougaloo College (B.A. English-Journalism) and a 1996 graduate of Jackson State University (Master of Public Policy and Administration). Lambright-Haynes sits on the boards of the Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative and Mississippi MOVE. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is also a Life Member of the NAACP, where she serves as President of the Jackson Branch. She worships at Christ The King Catholic Church in Jackson. She is the mother of an adult son, Julian Lambright and resides in Jackson with her husband,Joseph Christopher Haynes.