Our Leadership |
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FACDC Board of Directors
Mrs. Charlotte Caldwell
Chairperson
Charlotte Caldwell was born in Newton, North Carolina. She is the Daughter of Earl Williams and Dianne Kennedy. Charlotte was reared by her Grandparents Walter E. Smith and Lucille Smith. They both established the importance of community and hard work, which would be values that paved the way for a life of leadership and ministerial career. Charlotte is the wife of Kenneth Caldwell and mother to Banee and Monica Caldwell. She is an alumna of The Interdenominational Theological Seminary (ITC), where she received a Master’s of Divinity with a concentration in New Testament. During her education she served as the Moderator for Johnson C. Smith (2009-10) and was a fellow of The Black Women In Church and Society Fellowship.
In 2011 she answered the call and became the senior pastor of Beth Salem Presbyterian Church in Columbus, GA. During her tenure at Beth Salem PCUSA, she founded The Assemble to Serve (TATS) Food Pantry to combat food insecurity in Muscogee county. This program has grown from serving 200-300 food recipients monthly to 800-900 recipients per month. Charlotte continues to strive for true diversity in the Presbyterian Church and advocates for all churches to serve the communities in which they reside.
Chairperson
Charlotte Caldwell was born in Newton, North Carolina. She is the Daughter of Earl Williams and Dianne Kennedy. Charlotte was reared by her Grandparents Walter E. Smith and Lucille Smith. They both established the importance of community and hard work, which would be values that paved the way for a life of leadership and ministerial career. Charlotte is the wife of Kenneth Caldwell and mother to Banee and Monica Caldwell. She is an alumna of The Interdenominational Theological Seminary (ITC), where she received a Master’s of Divinity with a concentration in New Testament. During her education she served as the Moderator for Johnson C. Smith (2009-10) and was a fellow of The Black Women In Church and Society Fellowship.
In 2011 she answered the call and became the senior pastor of Beth Salem Presbyterian Church in Columbus, GA. During her tenure at Beth Salem PCUSA, she founded The Assemble to Serve (TATS) Food Pantry to combat food insecurity in Muscogee county. This program has grown from serving 200-300 food recipients monthly to 800-900 recipients per month. Charlotte continues to strive for true diversity in the Presbyterian Church and advocates for all churches to serve the communities in which they reside.
Tenagne Edwards
Secretary
For the last 7 years Tenagne has served as a Patient Advocate at Piedmont hospital ensuring the
patients receive the utmost care and treatment as well as addressing healthcare disparities. For over 30 years Tenagne has been involved in nonprofit, holding various positions. Starting
while a senior in high school Gwen was one of the co-founders of “the Afro-Experience”
summer program located on several college campus on Long Island educating and empowering
Black youth.
Even though she took time off to devote herself full time as a mother and wife she continued to service the community, as a PTA mother holding various positions as president, and treasurer, girl scout leader and developed a rites of passage program. Upon returning to the work force Tenagne entered the work force working as a case manager for kings county hospital serving people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, she went on to become the director of the EAST
New York/Brownsville HIV care network. , a program designed to coordinate the services of the many agencies throughout Brooklyn servicing people infected with HIV/AIDS.
Prior to relocating to Georgia Tenagne served as program director of “Watchful Eye” a program working with local, state and federal agencies to ensure the people in Brooklyn received their fair share of revenue. This position afforded Tenagne the opportunity to work with President Barack Obama in developing the first presidential AIDS strategy.
Coming to Georgia to “retire”, Tenagne soon realized there was even bigger disparities to be addressed and she volunteered with The AIDS Healthcare Foundation which led her to her present position.
Secretary
For the last 7 years Tenagne has served as a Patient Advocate at Piedmont hospital ensuring the
patients receive the utmost care and treatment as well as addressing healthcare disparities. For over 30 years Tenagne has been involved in nonprofit, holding various positions. Starting
while a senior in high school Gwen was one of the co-founders of “the Afro-Experience”
summer program located on several college campus on Long Island educating and empowering
Black youth.
Even though she took time off to devote herself full time as a mother and wife she continued to service the community, as a PTA mother holding various positions as president, and treasurer, girl scout leader and developed a rites of passage program. Upon returning to the work force Tenagne entered the work force working as a case manager for kings county hospital serving people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, she went on to become the director of the EAST
New York/Brownsville HIV care network. , a program designed to coordinate the services of the many agencies throughout Brooklyn servicing people infected with HIV/AIDS.
Prior to relocating to Georgia Tenagne served as program director of “Watchful Eye” a program working with local, state and federal agencies to ensure the people in Brooklyn received their fair share of revenue. This position afforded Tenagne the opportunity to work with President Barack Obama in developing the first presidential AIDS strategy.
Coming to Georgia to “retire”, Tenagne soon realized there was even bigger disparities to be addressed and she volunteered with The AIDS Healthcare Foundation which led her to her present position.
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Ms. Jennifer Ffrench-Parker
Treasurer
Jennifer Parker has lead CrossRoadsNews – East Metro Atlanta’s award-winning community newspaper – for the last 23 years. Every week, she and her small but hard-working team delivers a newsy and engaging newspaper that informs and challenges residents of South DeKalb County to be involved in their community, to demand the best of their elected leaders, and to champion the cause of the voiceless.
Before co-founding the newspaper with her husband Curtis in 1995, Jennifer was a reporter and assistant metro editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a business writer with the Charlotte Observer in N.C., and the Times Herald Record and Wall Street Transcript in New York. She also worked for the Daily Gleaner, and the Jamaica Daily News in Kingston, Jamaica.
Under her direction, CrossRoadsNews has won numerous “Excellence in Journalism” awards from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Newspaper Publishers “The Black Press” Association, and the Local Media Association which represents 2,000 community newspapers in the US and Canada.
Jennifer has a Masters Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, and a Bachelors of Arts from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. She also completed graduate studies in international economics at Oxford University in England. She is a 2001 graduate of Leadership DeKalb. She has served on numerous community boards, including the East Metro CID Board of Directors, the Saint Philip AME Church’s CDC, the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors, and Local Media Association Board of Directors.
Jennifer is a member of the Rotary Club of South DeKalb, and she is a past president of the South DeKalb Business Association. Jennifer and Curtis live in Decatur, GA.
Treasurer
Jennifer Parker has lead CrossRoadsNews – East Metro Atlanta’s award-winning community newspaper – for the last 23 years. Every week, she and her small but hard-working team delivers a newsy and engaging newspaper that informs and challenges residents of South DeKalb County to be involved in their community, to demand the best of their elected leaders, and to champion the cause of the voiceless.
Before co-founding the newspaper with her husband Curtis in 1995, Jennifer was a reporter and assistant metro editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a business writer with the Charlotte Observer in N.C., and the Times Herald Record and Wall Street Transcript in New York. She also worked for the Daily Gleaner, and the Jamaica Daily News in Kingston, Jamaica.
Under her direction, CrossRoadsNews has won numerous “Excellence in Journalism” awards from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Newspaper Publishers “The Black Press” Association, and the Local Media Association which represents 2,000 community newspapers in the US and Canada.
Jennifer has a Masters Degree in Journalism from the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, and a Bachelors of Arts from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. She also completed graduate studies in international economics at Oxford University in England. She is a 2001 graduate of Leadership DeKalb. She has served on numerous community boards, including the East Metro CID Board of Directors, the Saint Philip AME Church’s CDC, the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors, and Local Media Association Board of Directors.
Jennifer is a member of the Rotary Club of South DeKalb, and she is a past president of the South DeKalb Business Association. Jennifer and Curtis live in Decatur, GA.
Mr. Donald Phoenix
Member
Donald R. Phoenix, NeighborWorks America®, Southern District Director, is experienced in mortgage banking, housing rehabilitation and local government. Mr. Phoenix is responsible for the administration of financial and technical services to non-profit community development corporations throughout a seven state region including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Mr. Phoenix leads NeighborWorks Katrina/Rita gulf rebuilding efforts.
Member
Donald R. Phoenix, NeighborWorks America®, Southern District Director, is experienced in mortgage banking, housing rehabilitation and local government. Mr. Phoenix is responsible for the administration of financial and technical services to non-profit community development corporations throughout a seven state region including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Mr. Phoenix leads NeighborWorks Katrina/Rita gulf rebuilding efforts.
Rev. Angela Brown
Executive Director
Angela currently serves as executive director of First African Community Development Corporation. Angela began her work as a community organizer when she founded Leadership Initiative Project (LIP), a youth organization based in Franklin County, NC. Angela joined the staff of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement in Selma, AL—continuing her work and commitment to human and civil rights struggles nationally and internationally. Joining the staff of Greenpeace, USA as a toxic campaigner, her work would lead to the closing of major polluting industries targeted at poor communities of color throughout the south. Angela later cofounded the Youth Task Force, a nonprofit youth of color lead organization that helped birth the national environmental justice movement. With over 85 campus and community based organizations, it was the premier black youth-led organization during its time. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy & Religion from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Masters of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA.
Executive Director
Angela currently serves as executive director of First African Community Development Corporation. Angela began her work as a community organizer when she founded Leadership Initiative Project (LIP), a youth organization based in Franklin County, NC. Angela joined the staff of 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement in Selma, AL—continuing her work and commitment to human and civil rights struggles nationally and internationally. Joining the staff of Greenpeace, USA as a toxic campaigner, her work would lead to the closing of major polluting industries targeted at poor communities of color throughout the south. Angela later cofounded the Youth Task Force, a nonprofit youth of color lead organization that helped birth the national environmental justice movement. With over 85 campus and community based organizations, it was the premier black youth-led organization during its time. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy & Religion from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Masters of Divinity from Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA.
