| CHANDRA R. THOMAS, Co-founder, President |
 Chandra R. Thomas is an award-winning staff writer for AtlantaMagazine. She was named Journalist of the Year for 2007 by Region III of the National Association of Black Journalists for a body of work she produced in 2006, including a feature story about Hurricane Katrina victims
in Atlanta and the first in-depth account of the controversial Genarlow Wilson case, which helped contribute to a change in Georgia law prior to his release. In 2007 she was named Print Journalist of the Year by the Atlanta Press Club. She is currently completing a Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship through the Atlanta-based Carter Center. Her freelance work has appeared in Essence, Ebony, People, Newsweek and Upscale magazines. Prior to joining the Atlanta staff, the Clark Atlanta University graduate served as an associate producer for Fox 5's Good Day Atlanta program. When she’s not coordinating TalkBLACK, which she co-founded in December of 2003, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, traveling and debating with co-founder Godfrey Fuji Noe. |
| DR. GODFREY FUJI NOE, Co-founder, Advisory Board President |
 Godfrey Fuji Noe is a social and behavioral scientist. A graduate of Oakwood College and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, his background is in economics, anthropology, and medical sociology. An avid reader of protean interests, he currently researches educational and social dynamics for an agency in the state government of Georgia. Previously, he worked as an institutional researcher for Morehouse School of Medicine. An educator at heart, over the past 10 years Godfrey has taught sociology and mentored young people. When he’s not pontificating about the state of the Black race, he enjoys watching NFL football, obsessively playing video games, software development, exercising and expanding his knowledge of the biological and physical sciences. |
| GLENNIS CURRY |
Glennis found TalkBLACK in 2005 while performing a regular internet search on things to do in and around Atlanta. "When I first heard of TalkBLACK, it was exactly what I wanted to be involved with: real people talking about real life, at locations I probably would not otherwise frequent. It was perfect."
Glennis works in public relations for Atlanta City government and as a freelance writer and editor. He is also studying toward a master's degree in public administration. His other involvements include the Atlanta Urban League Young Professionals, Antioch Baptist Church North, and the Auburn University Minority Alumni organization. He enjoys sports, volunteering, good food, discoveries of all kinds and weekend excursions. |
| MATTHEW GARDNER |
Matthew Gardner works as an independent tax accountant while maintaining a 9-to-5 tax gig at AT&T. Throughout his professional life he has successfully worked inside and outside of corporate America and academia to ensure that he promotes practices that uplift the business community. He has sought to amplify all that is of integrity within the not-always-so-ethical world of accounting and finance. Most importantly, he has been blessed to be the father of a beautiful little girl who finds new antics every day to keep him perpetually happy. When he’s not consumed with being
a dad, he serves as yet another philosophical adversary of longtime friend and TalkBLACK co-founder, Godfrey Fuji Noe, who
keeps him more than occupied in debates! |
| AILEEN HARRIS |
 Aileen Harris is the publisher and co-founder of GoDeKalb.com, an interactive news website covering the news, events and people of DeKalb County, Georgia receiving more than 500,000 page views a month.
As publisher of GoDeKalb.com, Aileen has lead the production of more than 50 free business and community oriented events, including a business breakfast series, business seminars, networking mixers and other special events.
Aileen is especially proud to have had GoDeKalb.com produce: GoForward: DeKalb Solutions Forum in June 2006. The day-long event convened policy making and policy expert individuals from such entities as the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, DeKalb Board of Education, MARTA, City of Decatur, Atlanta Regional Commission and Emory University, among others, to discuss transportation, development and education solutions.
In September 2006, GoDeKalb.com was named a finalist in the DeKalb County Office of Economic Development’s first annual Innovative Concepts in Business Award.
In April 2007, GoDeKalb.com launched “Aileen On The Go,” an Internet Talk Show hosted by Aileen and featuring guests from the business, political and community arenas.
As a journalist, Aileen has written about DeKalb County for more than 11 years, interviewing leading newsmakers in the political, entertainment and business fields. She worked first as a reporter with the Champion Newspaper and later as the editor of the Community Review, DeKalb Journal and The Story-Central DeKalb newspapers. She has also written for the Atlanta Tribune, Southwest AtlantaMagazine and Atlanta Goodlife Magazine.
Aileen currently serves on the boards of the South DeKalb Business Association and the Greater Lithonia Chamber of Commerce.
She is a 1993 summa cum laude graduate of Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with a degree in Communications. A native of Buffalo, New York, Aileen has lived in DeKalb County since 1993. |
| CHRISTY NIXON |
This University of Georgia graduate has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations in the greater metropolitan area. The aspiring entrepreneur who currently manages Evans Family Medicine on the Piedmont Hospital campus, spends her spare time volunteering at her church home, Impact United Methodist, practicing yoga, reading, singing and traveling. |
| CHARISSE PRICE |
Charisse Price is a New Orleans native who has lived in Atlanta for the past three years. She currently works in Marketing and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Georgia. The University of New Orleans grad is a member of the Atlanta Urban League Young Professionals, the National Black MBA Association, the Georgia Music Industry Association and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta.
Charisse spends her free time catching up on sleep, reading, hanging out with family and friends and writing songs. Some of her favorite pastimes include rooting for the New Orleans Saints, watching Law & Order every day, eating at Piccadilly Cafeteria and quoting lines from The Color Purple and Coming to America. Geaux Saints! Go DAWGS! |
| JABARI BUTLER |
Jabari Butler has a passion for equipping and empowering people to pursue their God-given dreams and goals. He is an entrepreneur with successful businesses across a number of industries.
Always on the forefront of technology, Butler delivers technology solutions including software development, support, networking services and enterprise consulting to a variety of companies. Butler has a wide range of experience including work with Fortune 500 companies, government entities, non-profit sector and academic institutions. Aside from having volunteered with the City of Atlanta's Mayor's Office for Community Technology several years ago, a most notable accomplishment came during the time he spent in Iowa. During a brief summer at the University of Iowa, he was a part of the #1 ground vehicle simulation team in the world at the time, working on a virtual environment project known as the Iowa Driving Simulator (IDS) as a NASA Ronald E. McNair scholar. Butler has also been an integral part of project teams whose contributions in the field are published in Bill Gates’ book: Business @ the Speed of Thought.
Butler holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Morehouse College and a Masters of Divinity from the Interdenominational Theological Center. He was recently awarded the honor of being selected as one of the 2009 Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. He is also active in civic leadership in the areas of public speaking, public health awareness and business skills training. He has earned the Advanced Toastmaster-Silver and Competent Leader titles with Toastmasters International and was Coca-Cola's 310 North Toastmasters President and Vice President of Education for several terms. A native of Oakland, CA, Butler currently resides in Atlanta, GA and serves as a Minister at the Ray of Hope Christian Church and a consultant for the Institute for Faith-Health Leadership as well as the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care. |
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