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Board of directors:

Brandon Johns, Co-founder + Chief Officer of Partnerships

Christopher Brown, Board Member

Clarence Brigmon Jr., Board Member

Gabrielle Hodgson, Co-founder, President + CEO

Greg Hodgson, Board Member

Jasmin McMillon, Board Member

Jennifer M. Carter, Board Member

Khalil Bullock, Board Member

Dr. Laura A. Tolver, Co-founder + Chief Gifts Officer

A summa cum laude Howard University graduate (B.A. Communications, 2009), Gabrielle is a developer, soccer commissioner, coach, mom, wife, and entrepreneur.

Gabrielle Hodgson has extensive experience in the education and nonprofit space (10+ years) including time as a long-term substitute teacher at Camden High School before moving on to Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region and the Urban Affairs Coalition. She spent several years with the Urban League of Philadelphia managing their regional scholarship program. Responsible for over $250k in donor gifts and awards, it was there that Gabrielle led the recruitment efforts, the review committee, application management, process and design, as well as the administration of direct payments to colleges and universities. While there, and post departure, she helped students navigate the financial aid and college admissions process as a program manager for the federal grant GEAR UP through the School District of Philadelphia.

Gabrielle Hodgson

Gabrielle, Co-founder + Board President

A 10-point veteran of the United States Marine Corps who was honorably discharged in 2013. Laura is proud dog owner,  wife, adjunct professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and currently practices medicine in South Jersey. 

Dr. Laura A. Tolver, a military veteran of the United States Marine Corps began her education at Coppin State University instead of her first choice, Spelman College, where she was accepted but unable to attend due to a substantial gap in financial aid. After attaining her baccalaureate degrees she was named a Pat Tillman Scholar in 2017 and awarded a scholarship named for the famed football athlete turned army infantryman who was fatally shot in 2004. That award helped her secure her DNP (Doctorate of Nursing practice, 2019) from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. After the untimely passing of both of her parents, she became passionate about philanthropic endeavors to assist young people who may have experienced similar circumstances.

Dr. Laura A. Coles

Laura, Co-founder

A certified trainer and facilitator of "Advanced Youth Development" best practices, Brandon is a mentor, father of three, husband, and Howard University graduate (B.A. Business Marketing 2005).

For 15 years Brandon has worked in various racial equity and social justice capacities. Currently, he serves as the Program Officer for the San Francisco Foundation where he is charged with seeking out and providing funding to uplift the Black community and others in need. Prior to this role, he was the executive director of Making A New United People (M.A.N.U.P), a nonprofit mentor organization he co-founded for youth in underserved communities in the Washington, DC area; a consultant for the National Mentor Resource Center; a political analyst + junior lobbyist for the National Assc. for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) researching, advocating and lobbying for issues affecting minority communities; and served at the U.S. Congress House Judiciary Committee as a professional staffer under the Chairman, John Conyers Jr., with a criminal justice focus on the school-to-prison pipeline.

Brandon Johns

Brand, Co-founder
Student in library

Jasmin graduated Howard University (B.A. 2009) who remains active in her community, volunteering with a number of local nonprofits. When she’s not chasing after her busy toddler, she enjoys music, painting, and shopping.

In October 2021, Jasmin McMillon joined the Forman Acton Foundation as its Acorn Fund Enrollment Manager. Before stepping into that role, she coordinated the daily operations of the online academics program for The School of Business at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in Camden. Prior to that, she served as an Adult & Transfer Admissions Recruiter for the Philadelphia campus of Harrisburg University.

A native of Burlington, NJ, Jasmin began a career in fashion merchandising in Abercrombie & Fitch’s managerial training program, eventually running two of the retailer’s stores. After eleven months in that capacity, Jasmin decided to make a career pivot into higher ed. That led to her first higher education role at Camden County College overseeing the administration of two grants and working as an enrollment services associate.

Across her various positions, two things have always remained: an unyielding passion for advising students and a keen ability to translate the often complex world of higher education into an easily understandable path forward.

Jasmin McMillon

Jasmin, Board Member

An engineer and automotive technician, Clarence is a car enthusiast, gamer, and artist and Delaware State University alumnus with a bachelor’s degree in Science Engineering Physics (B.S. 2020).

He previously sat on the board of The God Brothers of Delaware State, which is a nonprofit dedicated to community service initiatives - everything from campus clean ups to goods donations to providing clothing for the homeless. As the corresponding secretary, Clarence was tasked with event promotion, flyer creation, records keeping and internal member communication. Outside of his work with The God Brothers, back in his home state of New Jersey, Clarence, with the help and support of his mother, organized a back to school drive providing much needed school supplies and backpacks to families in the community. His guiding principle is to help young adults aiming for degrees in the field of engineering achieve their goal because he understands, first hand, the barriers to entry in this field as well as the personal sacrifice one must make to be successful.

Clarence Brigmon Jr.

Clarence, Board Member

A graduate of Mercer County Community College with an associates degree in communications, Jennifer lost her father in 2019 which propelled her to pour herself into her faith and being an amazing mother. Her guiding principle is, “Find something that you are good at, and do that thing well.”

Logistics administrator by day, creative event planner by night, Jennifer is creative, crafty, and strategic in all that she does. Mother to an amazing, handsome young man, in her free time Jennifer loves to organize, build and plan events.

With her focus on Christ, creativity and community, she shifted from a structured career with the state to one that fed her soul and allowed her to cultivate her talents and passions while still being able to go to football games and build Legos with her son. Jen is now continuing her higher education pursuit by actively obtaining her bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations, while functioning as the leading administrative manager of a multi- million dollar organization that allows her an opportunity to keep Christ first and her creative juices a close second.

Jennifer M. Carter

Jennifer, Board Member

After graduating from high school, Chris applied and was accepted to Hampton University in Virginia. However, he was unable to attend due to cost. When he is not working, Chris gives back to the community serving as: an active member of B.O.S.S. Mentoring, Inc. which provides support for young men ages 8-18, as a host of the podcast ‘Complicated Simplicity,’ and a curator of what one should consider good music.

When he couldn't attend at Hampton, Chris instead stayed in New Jersey where he enrolled at William Paterson University, a time that was short-lived due to a continued gap in aid forcing un-enrollment. Even still, the seeds of education, social awareness, and spirit of charity had been planted and continued to serve as guides for his life, which is why he is so passionate about helping students navigate their way through the post-secondary process.

 

Christopher currently works as a consultant for a telecommunications company.

Chris Brown

Chris, Board Member

After graduating from Swenson Arts & Tech high school, Khalil initially went away to Baltimore for college but had to come back because his parents couldn’t afford the tuition. The gap in aid forced him to transfer to the Community College of Philadelphia where he graduated with his Associates before taking those earned credits to Temple as a non-traditional student. 

 

While at Temple, Kahlil took on a lot of responsibility, including full-time employment which caused him to navigate college at a slower pace, and graduate at the age of 27. Since then, Khalil’s professional experience spans corporate, government, agency, and nonprofit sectors including a stint with Tierney Agency as well as the Urban League of Philadelphia. In his current role as the public relations and communications specialist at YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, he manages the school’s marketing and communications efforts. A background in public relations and a love for storytelling has allowed Khalil to serve as a positive voice for his clients on a local and national scale.

 

Khalil is also a proud brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Zeta Omicron Lambda Chapter, who is always looking for good vibes, volunteer opportunities, and ways to give back to his community.

Khalil Bullock

Khalil, Board Member

Greg used his personnel and training background in a different corporate setting when he took on the role of Operations Coordinator for Target Corp. shortly before stepping into an HR capacity as Training Specialist. He has previous experience serving on a local community board whose efforts were focused on resources for the community youth, and is currently a non-traditional student at Wilmington University.

Over the past several years Greg Hodgson has worked in various operations and logistics capacities with experience spanning different industries. As a 1st Generation American, Brooklyn-style and Jersey-raised, Greg’s speciality is personnel management.

Son of Nicaraguan parents, husband, father and dog’s best friend (American Bully), Greg can be found watching "Cesar Millan: The Dog Whisperer", "Star Wars", traveling or making memories with his family.

Greg Hodgson

Greg, Board Member
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