THE BOARD

Pam Oxendine is a community leader, skilled in both the art of etiquette and refinement, as well as marketing and business administration. Mrs. Oxendine's career has spanned from owning a modeling school to owning a cultural event center, A Cultured Alliance. Currently, as an etiquette instructor, Mrs. Oxendine trains, equips, and empowers youth and adults with proper etiquette and social skills via a proven curriculum. Professionally, Mrs. Oxendine has spent her corporate career developing marketing and communications program initiatives and logistics and is currently an administrator at N.C. School of Science and Math. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Shaw University and an MPA in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University. Mrs. Oxendine discovered her true passion for leadership in the community, having served on boards for the Durham Regional Financial Center as Chair, Durham Committee of the Affairs of Black People as Committee Vice Chair, and League of Women Voters as Chair. She is currently a board member of the Durham County Board of Elections. Among all her accolades, Mrs. Oxendine is most proud to be the mother of the Empower Circle Founder, Nicole Oxendine and all her children and grandchildren.

Meredythe Holmes is the Principal of Holmes Consultants, a private consulting organization that provides training in workforce development, staffing and human resource management as well as community outreach services.  She was the founding Executive Director of Made in Durham, the community collaborative that works to ensure all Durham youth complete a postsecondary credential and attain a rewarding career by the age of 25. Ms. Holmes' personal and professional background demonstrates her lifelong commitment to educating youth and providing our community with employment opportunities. Ms. Holmes began her career as a public school teacher and later launched her own company, Monarch Services which for 45 years specialized in staffing, workforce management, recruitment and job placement. Ms. Holmes received a Master of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Career Counseling from Temple University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Trenton State College in New Jersey. Ms. Holmes has served on the boards of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Carolina Ballet.  She was a Trustee of the NC Museum of Art for 10 years and a board member and president of the board of the Durham Arts Council. She also spent several years on the Governor's Commission on Workforce Development and the Durham Public Schools Superintendent's Advisory Council.

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Holmes Consultants

LaManda Chestnut-Pryor thrives as a transformational educator, leader, and children's advocate serving the North Carolina and New York communities for over 20 years. Her current role as the principal at a charter school in Durham, NC has expanded her expertise as a passionate and innovative leader. Combining her educational background, years of being an administrator and teacher inside of inner city schools with her practical community, family and parental experiences, LaManda has created real life steps to address the disparity in school discipline. She is relentless in her pursuit of establishing a safe, caring and nurturing learning environment that promotes acceptance of the individual and puts the kid's needs first. By focusing on continuous improvements to the processes of conflict resolutions and developing the child's self-esteem, LaManda feels that as far as our children's learning potential is concerned; the best is yet to come.

Adrienne Massey is the Director of Construction Loan Management for Clearinghouse CDFI with 17 years of experience in real estate construction administration. Working with the Empower Dance Foundation advances her desire to impact the community, like working for a CDFI (community development financial institution). Both play an essential role in providing opportunities for the less advantaged. As the treasurer of Empower Dance Foundation, she provides advice and oversight of the Foundation's budget, ensuring the Foundation is operating with the financial resources it needs to offer programs and services to the Empower Dance Studio and the Empower Dance Store. Adrienne graduated with an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in October 2021. She enjoys reading, traveling internationally, and volunteering with her sorority sisters at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. What brings her most pleasure is spending time with her family and granddaughter. She is married to Robert Massey, the head football coach with Winston Salem State University, and is the mother of three children. She believes that God has a plan for each of us, and that plan is for us to prosper.

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Shari Hubert is associate dean of admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of

Business. She has extensive experience in the private, public, and nonprofit

sectors, and entered higher education after working as a director in the Peace Corps. 

Shari’s leadership expertise is vast and covers a variety of areas such as finance, recruitment, staffing, consulting, and development of public and private partnerships and community programs.

Shari earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from Dartmouth College and Master of Business Administration from  Harvard Business School. Shari’s work is mission driven and she is passionate about serving in leadership roles that have social impact. She is a current Board Member of the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association, where she co-chairs the Community Engagement Taskforce and sits on the Development Committee. She is also an Alumni Interviewer for the Dartmouth College Alumni Ambassador Program and an Advisory Council Member for the Forte Foundation. In her spare time, she loves fostering dogs and is an avid supporter of the Saving Grace Animal Shelter in Wake Forest, NC.

Deidra Lewis is a Durham native, attended Durham City Public schools and is a proud graduate of Hillside High School. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University where she majored in Computer Information Systems and Business Education.  

Deidra has a background in computer science and progressive career development at UPS, where she recently retired as a corporate manager responsible for new call center deployment offshore, near shore and internationally, specializing in the United States, Caribbean, Asian Pacific, Central America and the Arab Republic of Egypt deployments.

Deidra is passionate about volunteerism and developing youth to be their best selves. She held leadership roles in several civic organizations including the United Way, Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Board Member

Malcom Riley is passionate about helping organizations and people achieve their aspirations.  Over the past 15 years, he has helped thousands of people across generations pivot into exciting new careers and advance into rewarding internal roles. By combining rich coaching and industry experience, Malcom speaks to the unique challenges of the modern workplace and provides holistic solutions that empower audiences to create the career and life they have always envisioned. Today, at Ayasphere, Inc, Malcom provides executive coaching for driven professionals looking to create more fulfilling lives and delivers corporate education programs for companies invested in developing their workforce. 

Malcom earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and Master’s degree in Human Service Administration from Bradley University in Peoria, IL.  He also earned an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Laura Windley is an attorney by day at Hatley Law Office and a jazz vocalist and bandleader by night, performing with her own Mint Julep Jazz Band as well as other national swing jazz and big bands. She is involved in the local swing dance community as an event organizer, live music coordinator, DJ, and occasional instructor.

Board Member

Board Member

Juani Tyler (Administrator, Volunteer) has a B.S. in biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and an MHA from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She has 17 years of experience working in public health specializing in health education, community outreach and program implementation with a focus in adolescent health. She currently provides technical assistance and monitoring for state and federally funded programs.