Our team
Mekazin Alexander
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Over the past 20 plus years Earline “Mekazin” Whitfield Alexander has been committed to ensuring that residents in the city of Chicago receive equitable services to improve the quality of their lives. Be it housing, health services, economic stability, any type of inclusion that promotes their wellbeing. She has worked in a variety of capacities as a director, manager and supervisor serving children in Head Start programs, youth, and young adults in after school programs. She has worked with adults, and seniors creating programs that closed the digital divide, job training, development, and services for the developmentally disabled.
As co-founder and executive director of BA NIA Inc., Mekazin has experience as a traditional midwife, doula, and educator for the past thirty years. She has assisted numerous people in delivering babies as well as teaching infant massage, childbirth education, prenatal and postpartum yoga, breastfeeding, and nutritional counseling. Mekazin states that “the challenge is making sure you always provide a continuum of service and to make certain that you are doing what is necessary to take people to the next level while addressing their critical needs.” In addition to being certified as a Perinatal Educator, she holds a Master of Arts degree in Human Services Administration from Spertus College.
Aquilla Graves
Co-Founder and Director of Operations
Marcella Graves has employed the tenets of best practices in the education of our children in school and community to lead her decision-making. Working in marginalized communities as a mentor and teacher, she has been in the field of education for more than 35 years. As a community advocate for change, she has worked relentlessly for the betterment of the youth, most particularly, marginalized youth on the South Side of Chicago. Not only as an educator, but also as a performing vocalist and instrumentalist from a musical family, she has used her talents and music as primary tool and force to garner change in the community as well as classroom. As a committed educator and lifelong learner, Mrs. Graves-Davis has lead learning communities as an assistant principal, lead teacher, team teacher and case manager. She has earned an Education Specialist, Ed.S in 2011; a C.A.S./Type 75 in Administration and Supervision in 2007; a BA in Special Education; and a BA in History Education. She currently has established an online tutoring and mentoring service to help close the learning gap of children impacted by distance learning.
Aurora Pozo
Fiscal Director
Aurora has 20+ years of experience working with the Department of Family and Support Services for the City of Chicago as a Fiscal Coordinator. She is a strong budget planner with extensive project and program management experience. Remaining focused and productive in challenging situations. She helped maintain a 43-million-dollar youth portfolio that included; Youth Development Afterschool Programs, One Summer Chicago, and Youth Violence Prevention Programs. She was also tasked with creating program operational budgeting and reports to help build annual program quality improvements. In addition, she was a part of the Department’s Strategic Framework team tasked with collecting and analyzing data for the Youth Division. Prior to this role Aurora was a Rapid Response Coordinator for the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. She earned her B.A in 1999 from the University of Illinois at Chicago and shortly after traveled to become an ESL Teacher in Puerto Rico. In addition, Aurora also holds a Master of Business Administration from National Louis University in Chicago. When not working on program management and budget expenditures she spends time trying out new restaurants, playing board games, and watching movies with her family.
Board of Directors
Denise Jordan, Board Chair
Denise Jordan is a retired Early Childhood Education Manager with approximately 20 years of experience working in the public sector with Head Start, Early Head Start, Child Care and State Pre-K and 10 years working in the private sector in Foster Care. Denise has experience in managing the implementation and monitoring of education and curriculum standards and she has a gift for building and maintaining client relationships. Denise holds a Master of Science in Child Development from Erikson Institute and a post-graduate advanced certificate in Infant Mental Health also from Erikson Institute.
Chinyera Moody
Chinyera Moody, is an accomplished professional with over 24 years of experience as an impactful and dynamic leader with excellent communication, strategic management, and communication skills. Chinyera champions giving voice and resources to youth, underserved populations, and valuable community organizations. Her experience with the Boy Scouts of America, the YMCA of Chicago, Little Black Pearl Art & Design Center, WVON AM1690, and now Chicago Public Schools have further reinforced her professional and personal commitment to improving systems and offering best practices in program development with focus in fostering dynamic relationships and opportunities. Chinyera holds a B.A. in English from Grambling State University, a M.A. in Training and Development from Roosevelt University, and a certificate in Project Management from DePaul University. In her spare time, Chinyera enjoys traveling, reading, working out, cooking, volunteerism, learning about architecture, and visiting the newest ice cream parlor she hears of.
Karyn Osinowo, Board Secretary
Karyn Osinowo is an Illinois-licensed attorney and owner of Karyn Osinowo Law Offices, a social enterprise and business law firm. Karyn helps her clients create solutions that change society for the better, and her practice areas include setting up the appropriate legal structure for the enterprise, corporate governance, contracts and business transactions, and intellectual property. Karyn understands the unique needs of social entrepreneurs and enjoys providing counsel to protect their businesses, ideas, and brands as well as position them for growth and long-term sustainability. Karyn also offers estate planning, business planning, and legacy planning services.
Karyn received her B.A. from Emory University and earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where she was a member of the International Law Society. She is active in her community and has volunteered as an attorney with Pro Bono Network of Oak Park as well as served as a volunteer French Interpreter/Translator for Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center. In her spare time, Karyn enjoys fine dining, swimming, traveling, and reading.
Linda Johnson
Linda Johnson is the Senior Director and Director of Housing and Senior Services. Linda is an accomplished real estate investor, with a history of community involvement. Linda is an organization guru for the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation and leads a department that manages the renowned Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors program; the Micro Market Recovery Program, as well as the burgeoning housing acquisition and renovation work. She brings to her position the patience of a teacher, and the no-nonsense approach to budget matters of a CFO.
Star August Ali
Often known as “Sister Star,” Star August Ali a mother, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), doula, and childbirth educator. She is the co-founder of the Black-led non-profit organization Holistic Birth Collective, based on the South Side of Chicago. Her mission is simple: to increase the availability and accessibility of person-centered maternity care that is evidence-based and is responsive to the needs of Black families.
Star, a descendant of a Grand Midwife who practiced in the early 1940’s, believes midwives, when empowered to work in community-based settings, are a viable solution to addressing the harrowing reality of disproportionate maternal and infant outcomes. When it became clear that current power structures in Illinois were not able to ensure equitable care for black families, she became a legislative advocate through Holistic Birth Collective with legislative bills in the Illinois House and Senate.
Making history, Star became the first Black President of the Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives (ICCPM) and, having passed the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) exam to achieve credentialing as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), Star became the first Black CPM in the State of Illinois in 2022, qualified for licensure.