Tiah E. McKinney, Ph.D. Executive Director
The McKinney Foundation, Inc. (Ex-Officio)
Tiah E. McKinney, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, The McKinney Foundation Inc., is committed to ensuring equity in health, education, and high-quality instruction for priority engagement youth to promote and sustain America’s competitiveness in the 21st century. She founded The McKinney Foundation in 2010, and The Equity Institute at The McKinney Foundation in 2020.
McKinney possesses a nearly 20-year track record of success in various facets of education and nonprofit enterprise: as an Educational Leader, Director of Education for the Detroit Science Center, a District-Level Curriculum Supervisor of Science, Acting Science Consultant for the Michigan Department of Education, and science consultant to several U.S. school districts.
She holds a B.A. in Marine Affairs (Marine Biology and Business Administration) from the University of Miami, Coral Gables; a Master of Arts in Teaching Science Education (with Distinction) from the University of Michigan; and a Ph.D. in Education Policy (specialization) and Nonprofit Management (secondary concentration) from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Scholarship and research interests include reducing health disparities and improving educational outcomes for priority engagement youth by mitigating the social determinants of health through use of effective public-private partnerships. Health equity is education equity. McKinney sees her research as praxis; in conducting it, she is deliberate about moving from theory to practice. Consequently, helping schools create healthy learning environments that support and improve student learning in STEM education is among her priorities. This means crafting and implementing effective policy as a conduit to systemically transforming schools as well as providing support and technical assistance to schools serving underrepresented groups in STEM education.
McKinney has received numerous honors and distinctions, including 2018 Business Woman of the Year, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Inc.; 2015 Outstanding Community & Civic Service Award, Native Detroiter Magazine; 2014-2015 Southern Regional Education Board Dissertation Fellow; King/Chavez/Parks Future Faculty Fellow; Past President of Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association; and Albert Einstein “Distinguished Educator” Fellow, when she functioned as co-director of the Opportunity for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences Program, an $11 million program in the Office of the Assistant Director, Directorate of Geosciences at the National Science Foundation.
Jerry Dale, Chairman, The McKinney Foundation Inc., is a transformative leader who serves as a strong voice in the metropolitan Detroit community. He champions the fight for civil rights by putting a stop to abusive banking practices that foreclose on the poor and vulnerable members of our society. Dale has also successfully performed key leadership functions in the community as a political activist, community advocate, and music pioneer. Currently, Dale is a radio co-host on the Pastor Mo show (FM 910) and A&R on WJZZ and WDDS.
He graduated Frank Cody High School, Detroit, in 1987 but began his recording career at age 14. In high school, he worked as a studio apprentice at Sound Suite Studio, where he learned from such talented artists, producers, and engineers as “Was not Was” (Don Was), award-winning producer David McMurray, Sir Harry Bowens, Norman Brown (world renowned jazz musician), Chocker Campbell (Stevie Wonder), Arnell Carmichael (co-lead singer with Ray Parker Jr.), Roger and Zapp, George Clinton, Detroit Drum School (the late great Charlie Banister), and countless others. He adeptly mastered electronic instruments replacing studio musicians and soon made a name for himself as an “engineering juggernaut,” consequently moving up the ranks to top-tier musician, engineer, and producer in rap music.
An “untold story” pioneer of Detroit’s hip-hop scene, Dale also – still in high school – founded Detroit’s first hip-hop and rap recording studio, Def Sound Studio, in 1985. He is credited for changing the format of musical recording in Detroit from analog to digital. He produced many of Detroit’s first rap records and developed an A-list clientele that included Don Coleman & Associates, George Clinton, Kid Rock, D-12 (Eminem), Amp Fiddler, Vickie Winans, Mario Winans, Marvin Winans, Fred Hammond, Commissioned, Detroit Talent Review, and Arnell Carmichael. This creation was the lifeblood of all hip-hop coming from Detroit, given the fact that no one wanted to record rap music at the time. Additionally, it was Dale’s creative genius that first injected hip-hop into gospel on a major record label, MCA Records, as well as into recorded national commercials for AT&T and Western Union.
Dale has received the Hip Hop Legends Award (2005), was featured in the Detroit MetroTimes article “An Instant Lesson in the History of Detroit Hip-Hop” (2016), showcased in the Decipher Exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts (2017), and is featured in the film documentary The Untold Story of Detroit Hip Hop (2018). In 2020, Dale is included in the upcoming Exhibit The History of Hip Hop at the WGPR Television Historical Society. Previously, he was featured on the cover of Crisis magazine and made a guest appearance on the Jerry Springer Show to expose police brutality. He once went to jail as a high-schooler for speaking out on political corruption at a Tom Barrow rally.
Jerry Dale, Chairman
The McKinney Foundation, Inc.
Davyda Hammond Ph.D., Vice-Chairman
The McKinney Foundation, Inc
Davyda Hammond Ph.D., Vice-Chairman, The McKinney Foundation, Inc. is the group manager for the Safety and Security Culture Program at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). In this role, she directs the planning and execution of ORAU’s safety and security culture evaluations for federal and commercial customers that provide nuclear operations to support our nation’s defense and energy delivery missions. Prior to joining ORAU, she served as a tenured Professor and Department Chair of Engineering at Germanna Community College in Northern Virginia.
Dr. Hammond is a subject matter expert in environmental health exposure data collection and analysis. She has 15+ years of experience in environmental health research, exposure assessment, worker safety studies, the monitoring and analysis of health and pollutant exposure data, and receptor modeling of ambient and personal exposure data. She has led several project teams to characterize environmental concentrations of fine and ultrafine particulate matter, criteria pollutants (ozone, carbon monoxide, lead, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide), heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, diesel particulate, near-roadway pollutants, and pesticides. She worked for 5 years with state and local public health organizations on the validation of air quality measurement data and regulatory compliance plans; and, 4 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on research to support environmental exposure standards and address environmental health policy concerns from lawmakers and citizens.
Dr. Hammond obtained her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering with a focus on air pollution control from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, M.S. and B.S., from the University of California, Irvine and Auburn University, respectively. She also completed postdoctoral work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, focused on using community-based participatory research methods to improve the quality of exposure assessment studies and the communication of health risks and exposure regulation data to research partners in Detroit, MI. Dr. Hammond has published over 15 peer-reviewed, scholarly articles on environmental engineering and environmental exposure assessment.
In her spare time, Dr. Hammond serves as an adjust professor at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, TN, and has taught several environmental education courses in the past. She is passionate about increasing the environmental consciousness of the average person, and, in particular, increasing excitement among historically under-represented students in pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics (STEM).
Christian A. Fuller, Board Secretary, The McKinney Foundation Inc., is a legal professional who currently works for Clear Channel Outdoor, one of the world’s largest out-of-home advertising companies. She holds the position of Corporate Legal Assistant, providing support to multiple attorneys including the General Counsel and Associate General Counsel in the areas of corporate real estate transactions and litigation.
Fuller possesses a B.A. in Advertising and Criminal Justice, both obtained from Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich., where she served as an active member of the MSU Pre-Law Society and MSU Advertising Association. She is pursuing her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and has an interest in practicing Sports Law. Her anticipated date of graduation is May 2021.
She is community-minded and passionate about improving the lives of youth and families. In addition to her extensive service as a Trustee and Board Secretary for the McKinney Foundation, Fuller volunteers her time as a board member with Phoenix Women’s Sports Association (PWSA), which is a nonprofit organization that helps girls and women find their power through sports and fitness activities.
Fuller is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, among them the Ignatian Scholarship, Pipeline to Practice Foundation Scholarship, and Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) ASAP Scholar. Recently she was appointed to work on the fall 2020 issue of Annals of Health Law & Life Sciences and tapped for the National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law Team for fall 2020.
Christian A. Fuller, Board Secretary,
The McKinney Foundation Inc
Cedric G. Fails, Treasurer,
The McKinney Foundation Inc.
Cedric G. Fails, Treasurer, The McKinney Foundation Inc., is Founder and Managing Partner of C.G. Fails & Associates LLC, located in the city of Southfield, Michigan. Founded in July of 1992, the firm is dedicated to high-quality accounting services and tax preparation/planning for its growing client base.
Fails, a native Detroiter, was educated in the Detroit Public Schools System, graduating from Cass Technical High School. He continued his education at Howard University’s School of Business and Public Administration, in Washington, D.C., completing his accounting studies in 1988.
His work experience began at First Federal of Michigan with a staff position in the Mortgage Servicing and Tax Escrow departments, and Marine Midland Bank, N.A. in New York City as an analyst for middle markets in the Direct Investment Finance and Wall Street departments. In 1990, he joined the music publishing firm Del Von Music Incorporated, in Detroit, as their senior corporate accountant of Publishing and Royalty Recoupment. In 1991, Fails was promoted to Controller of the corporation and stayed in that capacity until starting his own accounting firm.
Over the years, C.G. Fails & Associates has gained a wealth of expertise in the areas of accounting, taxation, small business consulting, business plan support, and other special concerns required by the firm’s entrepreneurial client base.
Dr. Tyra S. McKinney, M.D., Trustee, The McKinney Foundation Inc.,
Dr. Tyra S.
McKinney, M.D., Trustee,
The McKinney Foundation Inc.,
Sheba McKinney, RN, Trustee,
The McKinney Foundation Inc
Sheba McKinney, RN, Trustee, The McKinney Foundation Inc., is a healthcare professional who works as a Nurse Manager for Hawthorn Center, a Joint Commission–accredited hospital for the intensive inpatient psychiatric treatment of emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children and adolescents. In addition to providing clinical nursing and mental health care to patients, she holds supervisory responsibilities for the child care unit to ensure adherence to established policy and procedures.
McKinney earned an associate of science degree in Nursing from Wayne County Community College District, in Detroit, in December of 2012. During the nursing program, she was selected to participate in a study-abroad program in Costa Rica (2012) and was the recipient of a nursing scholarship from the Health Resources and Service Administration (2011). Prior to her current role, McKinney practiced in oncology and GI/GU gastrointestinal and genitourinary.
She continues to be a dedicated and long-serving Board member who actively assists behind the scenes in a number of key functions, particularly with logistics for The McKinney Foundation to ensure successful implementation of major events, signature expos, symposiums, and fundraisers.
Knowing the power of education firsthand, McKinney is a strong advocate for all youth. Her simple but impactful belief is, “We do better when we know better.” McKinney’s passion for her community spans many years from volunteer work at her own children’s various athletic or arts programs as a parent liaison, team mom, or chaperone. Besides these various volunteer roles, she has also served her local community as an AmeriCorp VISTA.
Jonathon B. McKinney-Banks, Chair, Development Committee, The McKinney Foundation Inc. Born and raised in Detroit, Banks currently resides in Washington, D.C., where he established his business in 2018. He is principal owner of Royal Pups, a full-service pet company that offers an array of premium services for canines, including dog walking, dog boarding, conditioning, and behavioral correction.
As an entrepreneur, Banks is adept at developing and implementing a successful business plan – Brand Development, Grassroot Marketing, etc. He is experienced in building and fostering relationships with a diverse customer base, displays an ease in dealing with difficult situations, and has a dedication to client health and safety, all of which are keys to success and the reasons his business is thriving.
Before his entrepreneurial spirit and adventurous nature led him first to New York and then to put down roots in our nation’s capital, Banks was a recipient of the Wade H. McCree scholarship and tabbed by the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor for a four-year scholarship. He has completed 50+ credits of postsecondary education in science-based coursework. He possesses an insatiable appetite for reading, an inquisitive mind, and a high aptitude for acquiring new knowledge related to a myriad of interests spanning science, business, marketing, law, and real estate.
Banks has been an asset to the growth and success of The McKinney Foundation, both as a long-serving Board member and as a driving force on the Development Committee, since 2014. He demonstrates a strong commitment to the community, to educating our youth, and to designing strategic initiatives to combat diseases stemming from the Social Determinants of Health in order to improve the health and well-being of low-income, school-age youth.
Jonathon B. McKinney-Banks,
Chair, Development Committee,
The McKinney Foundation Inc
Joscelyn Andrews
Chair, Media and Public Relations Taskforce
Joscelyn Andrews, Chair, Media and Public Relations Taskforce, has successfully performed in several key leadership positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors, as well as in consulting roles, responsible for effective systemic planning, corporate communications and organizational change strategy. As a management consultant, Ms. Andrews has worked effectively with large and small organizations to plan and execute comprehensive change strategies that align operations with organizational mission, define the relationship between the organization and its publics (both internal and external), and result in bottom-line increases and savings for the organization.
As Director of Strategy in 2004, Ms. Andrews led a strategic framework process resulting in the legal consolidation of United Way Community Services and United Way of Oakland County with a combined operating budget of $65M and 120 employees. Subsequent to the successful merger, Ms. Andrews served simultaneously in two distinct roles for the new entity, United Way for Southeastern Michigan: as Director of Community Investment and Partnerships, providing operations leadership for the Oakland, Wayne and Macomb county offices; and Co-Chair of the regional Alliance for Economic Inclusion, alongside the FDIC and Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, on an initiative designed to bring the region’s unbanked population into the financial mainstream by aligning financial education and customized financial products and services with under-banked communities in the region.
Prior to joining United Way, Ms. Andrews was the Investor and Public Relations Manager for Fortune 500 Company, Valassis, wherein she served as liaison to the Securities & Exchange Commission, investment community and international news media. She has also served as principle of Hermes Communications in Phoenix, AZ, a corporate communications consulting firm, and as corporate communications manager of Centre Reinsurance Companies of New York, Bermuda, Dublin and London.
Ms. Andrews is a graduate of The University of Michigan and University of New Haven, where she earned BA and MBA degrees, respectively. She currently serves in the following community roles: Women’s Commission for Oakland County, Economic Autonomy Committee; Leadership Oakland, Board of Directors and Chair of the Inclusion & Diversity Committee; and the Avondale School District Strategic Planning Team. She spent several years on the adjunct faculty of the University of Phoenix, where she received outstanding student and administrative reviews teaching undergraduate business courses in Marketing, Organizational Change and Public Relations.
