National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is an “organization of organizations,”
comprised of close to 400 campus and community-based sections and 38 national women’s organizations that enlightens, inspires, and connects 3 million women and men. Its mission is to lead, advocate for, and empower women of African descent, their families and communities. It was founded in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, an influential educator and activist, and for forty years, the iconic Dr. Dorothy Height was president of NCNW.
Today, the NCNW programs are grounded on a foundation of critical concerns that are now “NCNW Priorities.” Our organization promotes education; encourages entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and economic stability; educates women about health and promotes healthcare access, and promotes civic engagement and advocates for sound public policy and social justice.
Dr. A. Lois Keith
National Chair
Dr. Keith is a Legacy Life Member and Bethune Achiever and has dedicated much of her life to NCNW’s mission. In 2016 at the NCNW’s 57th National Convention, she was honored to serve as co-chair of this event and she was elected to the position of National Vice President.
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She has served as the National Membership Chair at the pleasure of both President’s Dr. Dorothy I. Height, and Ms. Ingrid Saunders Jones administration. In 2022, she was appointed to serve again as Vice President. Dr. Keith was a member of the NCNW Transition Team and was a co-chair of the 60th Biennial National Convention.
Dr. Keith has served as Executive Member-at-Large, member of the National Nominating Committee, member of the National Re-certification Committee, and National Assistant Secretary, co-chair of Membership and is a member of the President’s Circle. In her local DeKalb Section, she served as Chair of the Leadership Committee, President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary of the DeKalb Section and she is a charter member of the DeKalb Pacesetters Life Guild.
In addition to her service at NCNW, Dr. Keith is also a champion for equitable education. She is a graduate of Alabama A&M University where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education with a major in Mathematics and a minor in General Science. She received her Master’s in Middle School Education from Georgia State University and she also studied at Mercer University. She had a stellar teaching career with the Henry County School System for 30 years, in addition to serving as the Math Department Chair and Beta Club Sponsor. Her many accolades include Teacher of the Year 1991-92 and 2000-2001, nomination to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and the Principal’s Award 1995-1996.
Over the course of her expansive work in community service and education, Dr. Keith has received several awards and accolades including a proclamation from the State of Georgia for her service to NCNW and the community. In 2014, she was honored to have been the keynote speaker at the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at the new and first public Dorothy I. Height Elementary School in the state of Georgia. In late 2014, the DeKalb Section honored Dr. Keith as the first recipient of the Lois Keith Trailblazer Award for Exemplary Community Service and award which was named in her honor. They also awarded her the Living the Legacy Award in 2014.
In 2018, Dr. Keith received a Hidden Figure Award and she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from American Bible University. In 2020, she received the Vanguard Award of Excellence in Leadership Award from the National Women of Achievement, Inc., and on July 22, 2021, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Real Women Atlanta Magazine.
Dr. Keith is a member of the Georgia and Henry County Retired Educators Association where she served as President. She is a chartered member of the East Metro Orchids, where she served as the chartering secretary and is currently serving as 2nd Vice President. She is a member of Xi Beta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. where she serves as chaplain. Dr. Keith is an active member of the Move of God Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
She is a chartered member of the New Rock Chapter of Top Ladies of Distinction where she served as the chartering secretary, and she served as the Area IV NCNW Chair.
She and her late husband, Lonnie, enjoyed more than forty-nine wonderful years of marriage. They have one son, Darius.
Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley
President & CEO
Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley serves as the President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), marking a historic milestone as the first person to hold this title in the organization’s history. Since taking the helm in March 2023, she has led a three-million-member network into a new era of political advocacy and generational growth.
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Under her visionary leadership, the Council successfully hosted and executed the Washington, D.C. Freedom to Learn activation in partnership with African American Policy Forum, a massive mobilization dedicated to protecting Black history and educational equity against national censorship efforts. Central to her legacy is the creation of the Bethune Height Changemakers Pathways, NCNW signature program designed to bridge the gap between education and industry by providing mentorship and high-level career opportunities to collegiate Black women. Her presidency has also overseen a historic surge in youth engagement, with over one hundred active college campus sections established nationwide.
A sought-after voice on the global stage, she recently served as a featured speaker on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, where she called for a renewed commitment to voting rights and economic justice. In January 2026, she delivered the keynote sermon at the Washington National Cathedral for their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day commemoration, challenging the faith community to move from spectating to active participation in the fight for human rights.
August 2025, Rev. Arline-Bradley delivered a lecture at the Week Seven African American Heritage House Lecture at the prestigious Chautauqua Institute in New York. In January 2024, she was the youngest person to keynote the Martin Luther King, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Further in 2024, Rev. Arline-Bradley was one of 25 women to be named “Women Who Mean Business” by the Washington Business Journal, an honor bestowed upon women who are considered the most influential business leaders in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
Prior to leading the council, she founded R.E.A.C.H. Beyond Solutions, a strategy firm that expanded the capacity of government, corporate, and non-profit partners. Her distinguished career includes serving as Senior Advisor and Director of External Engagement during the Obama Administration for the 19th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy. She also spent six years at the NAACP headquarters, where she served as Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning and Partnerships as well as Chief of Staff.
Her community leadership extends to her roles as immediate past President and Chairman of Delta for Women in Action, Vice-Chair of the Health Advisory Board for the NAACP Board of Directors, and her work with the Oprah Winfrey Network initiative OWN Your Health. She is an active member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, The Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
A native of southern New Jersey, she earned her undergraduate degree and Master of Public Health from Tulane University. She also graduated from the Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University with a Master of Divinity and was subsequently ordained. She completed executive certificates from both Howard University and Cornell University, in addition to holding two honorary doctorates. She is a lover of sports, music, and travel, and remains grounded by her faith and her family as the wife of Andrew Bradley and mother of two children.
Team Members
Name
Title
Dr. A. Lois Keith
Chair of the Board
Dr. Thelma T. Daley
Chair, Affiliates
Dr. Alotta E. Taylor
Vice-Chair; Chair, History Committee
Artis Hampshire-Cowan
Co-Chair, Human Resources
Emily M. Dickens
Co-Chair, Human Resources
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner
Chaplain
Dr. Doreen Loury
Co-Chair, Social Justice Committee
Dr. Helena J. Johnson
Member-At-Large, Social Justice
Dr. Linda Hunt
Assistant Treasurer
Johnnie Walker
Vice Chair; Co-Chair, National Bethune/Height Recognition Program
Alicia Lewis
Chair, Bylaws Committee
Dr. Darlene Ruffin Alexander
Member-At-Large, Bylaws
Beverly Evans Smith
Co-Chair, International Affairs Committee
Chanelle Johnson
Vice Chair, YACA
Dawna Michelle Fields
Chair, National Bethune/Height Recognition Program
Deborah Tucker
Member-At-Large, Membership and Programs
Deborah W. Foster
Vice Chair and Vice Chair, Programs Committee
Diamond Butler
Assistant Recording Secretary
Rev. Dr. Angela Battle
Member-At-Large, Economic Empowerment
Gabrielle Rogers
YACA
Geralund “Gerry” Smith
Treasurer
Latisha Hazell
Member-At-Large, Resource Development
Dr. Kimberly Campbell
Member-At-Large, Programs
Kimberly Underdue
Co-Chair, Social Justice Committee
Leah D. Daughtry
Co-Chair, International Affairs Committee
Loretta Gray
Member-At-Large, Co-Chair, Membership
Loretta Tillery
Chair, Elections Committee
Rev. Dr. Michele Hagan
Chair, National Headquarters (Building) Committee
Paulette Norvel Lewis
Chair, Program Committee
Regina Majors
Co-Chair Membership
Roslyn Brock
Co-Chair, Resource Development
Vernette Moss
Member-At-Large, Programs
Tempress “Tee” Solomon
Vice Chair, Membership and Vice Chair, Affiliates
Theljewa Garrett
Parliamentarian
Willease Williams
Recording Secretary
Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley
President & CEO
The Honorable Alexis M. Herman
Senior Advisor to the Chair
The Honorable Constance B. Newman
Chair, Budget & Finance Committee
The Honorable Minyon Moore
Governance Committee
The Honorable Patricia W. Lattimore
Co-Chair, Resource Development Committee
Derrica Williams
Chair, Nominating Committee
Ariel Alford
YACA
State leaders are the coordinators of the NCNW Sections, Guilds and members within their state.
Their purpose is to convene the organizations and members together to work collectively on issues of concern to African American women, families and communities. State Organizations (including state coalitions, convener teams and state mechanisms) serve as the coordinating and convening body through which the resources, talents and skills of NCNW members in the state are channeled and focused for maximum impact.
Name
Position
State
Dr. Helena Johnson
President
Southern California State Coalition
Ms. Donna Wood
President
Northern California State Coalition
Ms. JoAnn P. Miller
President
Connecticut State Coalition
Ms. Gwendolyn Fields
State Coalition President
Florida State Coalition
Dr. Gloria Dodson
State President
Georgia State Coalition
Dr. Ramona James
Acting State President
Illinois State Coalition
Ms. S. Chanel Woods
State President
Indiana State Coalition
Crystal Lee
State President
Maryland State Coalition
MS. Victoria Sharpe
State President
Mississippi State Coalition
Ms. Mia Eley
State Coalition President
North Carolina State Coalition
Ms. Olivia V. Smith
State President
New Jersey State Coalition
Ms. Johnnie M. Walker
Chair, State Coalition Team
New York State Coalition
Ms. Lynda F. Bagley
Member, State Coalition Team
New York State Coalition
Mrs. Evelyn Kinsey
Member, State Coalition Team
New York State Coalition
Ms. Janice Taylor
State President
Ohio State Coalition
Ms. Tameko Patterson
State President
Pennsylvania State Coalition
Ms. Sarah Je Dean
Chair
Rocky Mountain Coalition
Ms. Ursula Gregg
State President
South Carolina State Coalition
Dr. Mollie Williams
State President
Texas State Coalition
Cypriana McCray
Chair, State Organizing Committee
Virginia State Coalition
Synovia Moss
State President
Wisconsin State Coalition
YACA Leadership
The Committee on Youth, Young Adult & Collegiate Affairs (YYACA) is a standing committee led by appointed committee chairs to further enhance and extend the impact of the collegiate, young adult, and youth members of NCNW. The committee members include young adult members (ages 25-39), collegiate section members, and youth section leaders (12-18) representing the West, Southwest, Midwest/Central, Southeast, and Northeast Regions. Through innovative training, webinars, programs and mentorship opportunities, the committee ensures that all group members are actively engaged and prepared to transition into leadership roles. YYACA is dedicated to the mission of NCNW with a particular focus on the development and advancement of its future leaders.</span
Purpose:
To provide strategic planning and initiatives for inclusion of youth, young adult and collegiate members within the organization, and participation in planning national events and programs.
Objectives:
To implement strategies aimed at attracting, engaging, recruiting, and retaining our youth, young adults in NCNW, and collegiate transition to community-based sections.
To ensure intergenerational growth, participation and organizational longevity.
Gabrielle Rogers – Chair, Young Adult Liaison
Chanelle Johnson – Vice Chair, Youth Liaison
Ariel Alford – Vice Chair, Collegiate Liaison
Nancy Augustin – Florida A&M, STEAM & Education Lead
Kaadiana Barnes-Padilla – Manhattan
Tiffany Bryant – Delaware Valley
Jailyn Burks – Univ. of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Carys Carr – Metropolitan Women’s Network
Temera Cowsette – Delaware State
Kennedy Deveaux – Georgia State, Collegiate President Advisor
Samauria Eason – Xula
Iyanah Forbes – Florida A&M, Social Justice Lead
Diandra Grinage – Manhattan
Jasmine Hamilton – Lorain County
Zanobia Ibrahim-Watkins – Athens Westmont
Charli Jackson – Clark Atlanta
Iraca Jackson – Xula
Tiasia Jones – Morgan State
Jasmine Jones-Howard – Morgan State
Victoria Juste-Henry – Brooklyn, Leadership Pathway Co-Lead
Te’ara Marshall – GA Southern, Training & Compliance Co-Lead
Kendall McClammy – N.Carolina Central
Sherelle McQueen – Kean, Branding & Culture Lead
Makayla Mitchell – Greater Atlanta
Kyli Ross – Morgan State, Health Equity Lead
Nikita Singletary – Co-op City, Leadership Pathway Co-Lead
Frantzcesca Sterlin – Brooklyn
Alliyah Talton – N.Carolina A&T
Ashley E. Tanksley – Detroit
Asia Tilghman – Lincoln Univ. of PA
Justine Wallace – Spelman
Kehniah Watts – N.Carolina A&T, Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Lead
Taylor N. Weathers – Chicago Central, Training & Compliance Co-Lead