Meet our DGEP Project Team Leads
Dionne McGee
Project Manager
Dionne McGee is the the President & CEO of DG McGee Enterprises. Speaker, and Author, with a ROAR! Dionne and her team help organizations and individuals find their road to leadership and business economic success.DG McGee Enterprises is a Woman-Owned Leadership & Business consulting firm specializing in professional development with a host of business certifications.DG McGee Enterprises is committed to excellence and creating innovative and flexible solutions for their clients. Dionne has 20 plus years of corporate experience, with a decade of those years in the executive suite, leading sales teams and generating multi-million dollar wins. She is the author of "Finding Your ROAR" and Founder of the Coaching Program, R.O.A.R University, which means to be Relentless. Optimistic. Ambitious and Results Driven. She is also an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
She leads the DGEP Project Team.
Annette Taylor
Project Chair
Annette is a civic leader, public administrator, nonprofit specialist and women’s advocate. Currently, she serves as the newly appointed Manager of Minority Business and Community Affairs at the NC Education Lottery. Annette’s background includes more than 25 years in workforce development, and the nonprofit and philanthropic arena, directing resources to organizations across North Carolina. Annette has worked at the two largest philanthropic foundations of their kind in North Carolina – the Foundation for the Carolinas and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation. Annette also led the Durham office for Congressman GK Butterfield. In 2017, Annette was appointed by North Carolina Governor to the statewide Board of the NC Council for Women and Youth, where she is currently the vice-chair. In 2020, she was appointed by the Governor to serve on the statewide Andrea Harris Task Force, which focuses on finding public sector recommendations to racial, social, and economic justice problems in the state. Annette also serves as an adjunct professor and advisory board member in the NCCU Public Administration Department. She offers wisdom and perspective to DGEP team members having been engaged in so many elevated roles of impact.
Antwain Tate Goode, Ph.D.
Proposal Lead
Antwain is a leadership architect and benchmark strategist with over 25 years in executive leadership in manufacturing supply chain initiatives for many Fortune 500 companies. He holds a doctorate of philosophy in the field of Organization and Management with a specialization in Leadership from Capella University. His quantitative research study on Authentic Leadership Theory and Moral Potency Theory provided insight to the Organization and Management body of knowledge, to share insight on executive manager subordinate relationships. To compliment his Ph.D., he holds an MBA from High Point University. Antwain is the creator of The NE3W Leadership Academy which is designed to transform the lives of communities through the three E’s = Education, Economics, and Emotion to create generational resident legacy leaders and has recently completed a unique design entitled “Developing Community College Heroes” for the North Carolina Association of Distance Learning professionals which represents the distance learning professors for all 58 North Carolina community colleges. Antwain is leading the effort to produce targeted proposals to the network interested philanthropic supporters for DGEP. His expertise in curriculum design is a key strategy for moving the learning from DGEP into the broader racial equity ecosystem.
Andrea La Mone Goode
Evaluation Lead
Andrea La Mone Goode is a Fleer Center Honors graduate from Salem College and leverages 25 years in marketing and advertising to provide the necessary practitioner perspective clients seek. As an economic cost benefit champion, Andrea analyzes issues such as consumer demand and sales to help companies maximize their profits. She is an expert in examining economic issues to help view cause and effect strategies to solve client strategic gaps. Andrea leverages her skills to help clients monitor legislation and report findings to appropriate parties. Andrea uses her quantitative and qualitative background for exploration of historical trends as vital markers to make accurate forecasts which enable organizations to view the economic impact to formulate business attraction strategies. Andrea is helping DGEP think through its community based and interdisciplinary evaluation strategies, specifically
Derek Mangum
Real Estate Development Lead
Derek, a homegrown Durham native, has embraced the hallmarks of a strong work ethic with successful career choices at Duke University Health Services System as a human resources administrator to a property manager with Ticon Properties – a Durham based residential/commercial property management company and now serving as Vice President at Maverick Partners Realty Services – a Boutique Commercial Real Estate brokerage firm in Downtown Durham. His expanded skillset includes real estate investment, development, and consulting services. Derek credits his achievements to a strong family unit alongside his wife and two young children and rarely turns down a good game of Chess. Derek is tasked with creating a proof of concept for the real estate development aspects of Fayette Place to create DGEP’s equity research and development park. These duties include leading efforts through the coordination and collaboration with architects, civil engineers, general contractors, land use attorneys, local population and businesses, organizers, and key leaders.
Shawna Cannon Lemon, Ph.D.
IP Attorney
Shawna is co-managing shareholder of Stanek Lemon. She serves as outside patent counsel to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device management teams and universities where she engages in the formulation and implementation of global patent strategies. In addition to drafting and prosecuting patent applications, Shawna assists clients with intellectual property due diligence, partnering negotiations, licensing, opinion work and she provides trademark assistance. Shawna is also an angel investor and venture fund investor and uses her experience to assist her clients. Shawna serves as the legal counsel/IP Attorney for the DGEP project.
Keisha Williams
Media Lead
Upon graduating from UNC Greensboro, Keisha began her professional career at General Electric as a Sales Reporting Specialist. From there she transitioned to the Campbell’s Soup Company where she successfully facilitated corporate directives and managed accounts for various geographic territories. After receiving her Master of Business Degree from Elon University she joined a design group in New York City where she held the role of Director of New Business Development and Account Manager, then directed business development and consumer behavior for Catalina Marketing in New Jersey. She currently serves as Director of Marketing/Communications for NCCU School of Business. She has developed internal and external creative, copy and strategy that engages stakeholders in strategic and operational objectives. Her greatest joy is having the opportunity to integrate the skills she has acquired through her corporate experience with the planning and execution of various initiatives in academia. Keisha helps to ensure that DGEP’s media vendors capture the essence of the effort’s messages, allowing for a stronger connection from all who are exposed to and engage in our work.
Valonda Calloway
Media Consultant
Spokesperson, TV host, and actor — Valonda Calloway is always energetic and camera ready. She started in media as a writer and reporter for the Voice Of America radio in Washington, D.C. She then transitioned to television as a news anchor and reporter in North Carolina, including years as weekday morning anchor at WRAL-TV in Raleigh. Valonda honed her hosting chops as host of My Carolina Today/Talk on WNCN in Raleigh. Now, Valonda is an in-demand, freelance, on-camera personality. Valonda coordinates the media strategy for DGEP.
La-Tasha Best-Gaddy
Engagement Team Lead
La-Tasha Best-Gaddy is the Chief Strategist of Infinity Bridges Inc and Business Transfers Program Manager at Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI). La-Tasha has over 25 years of experience in the Accounting, Insurance, Financial Services, and Non-Profit Industry Sectors. La-Tasha is a passionate thought leader and entrepreneur. She supports her two teenager’s business ventures. She is active within the community and serves on multiple committees and boards. La-Tasha serves as Chairman of Black Business Alliance for Chapel Hill- Carrboro, Facilitator of Durham COVID 19 Collaboration, Board Treasurer of The Collaborative, Board Treasurer and Former Board Chairman of Self-Help Credit Union, Executive Team for City of Durham Small Business Advisory Committee, Treasurer & Co-Founder of NC Employee Ownership Center, and Treasurer of Rebuild Durham. She is a lifelong learner and has multiple certificates and certifications. La-Tasha coordinate the community engagement for DGEP ensuring the community voice is central to the DGEP vision.
Anita Neville
Community Programming
Anita Scott Neville is a Durham native who has served the community since her teenage years. As a member of the first class of students to graduate the “forced integration school system” she made civic history in Durham Public Schools by being the first Black student to cross racial barriers in positions she held in the predominantly white school she was assigned. Simultaneously, Anita shadowed her Father who was among the business owners in the historic Hayti District; specifically on Pettigrew Street. Since graduating from UNC Greensboro, Anita’s career has been rooted in public service in professions in local and federal government and community development. Currently, Anita serves as Restorative Practices Coordinator and Equity Champion in the Durham Public Schools system. Her passion and belief in the “science” of restorative practices led her to become a licensed trainer and to complete graduate certification from the International Institute of Restorative Practices (IIRP). On a broader field she serves families and faculties in her role as a trainer on the Peaceful Schools’ Staff Development Team. Additionally, Anita serves on the Community Engagement Team of Durham Global Equity Project (DGEP) and experiences maximum gratitude in this opportunity to revitalize and restore. Anita is also the founder and principle of CommYUnity Matters, LLC, a non-profit collective whose goal is to work with individuals and groups in support of their efforts to address issues that affect their ability to be of maximum service. Having served in local and federal government in service to a wide variety of constituents, Anita brings to her work an appreciation for the broad scope of community needs that could benefit from a restorative practices platform. Service to groups and families that comprise the core of the community is her primary focus. Anita’s self-reflections honor the spirit of “Ubuntu - I am because you are” and her awareness that community matters.
Zakiya Smith
Senior Researcher
Zakiya recently obtained her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from North Carolina Central University. Her passion for innovating economic development in her hometown, Durham, NC, led her to explore new opportunities in development and redevelopment for multiple counties in North Carolina. Zakiya spent the year following graduation teaching English and leading projects in Morocco. When Covid-19 forced her to return to the states, Zakiya was hired as part of the research team at the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School to craft and deliver strategic thinking related redeveloping low-income, rural black communities in North Carolina. The bulk of her research is centered around innovating education, housing, and employment policies that promote economic progress for people of color. Her research continues alongside the pursuit of her master's degree from UNC Kenan-Flagler. Zakiya eagerly joined DGEP as a Senior Research Analyst. She's compiling information and data regarding Durham and Hayti's history and producing content for DGEP's project site to ensure that the DGEP messaging can adequately scale as the project scales.
Micah Council
Junior Researcher
Micah, a Raleigh, North Carolina native, is a senior studying Economics at the University of Miami. Micah is interested in economic empowerment and social justice and plans to eventually pursue a law degree. Micah serves as Junior Researcher for DGEP. He is aiding on multiple aspects of the project including website development, and conducting research on corporate commitments to equity. Micah also brings a Generation Z perspective to racial equity, which is critical to the intergenerational nature of the project.
