Dr. Sharonlyn Harrison
President/CEO at Public Research and Evaluation Services
Dr. Sharonlyn Harrison, is the CEO of Public Research and Evaluation Services, Inc. The firm has provided strategic evaluation and support services for over 20 years to federal, state, local and philanthropic funded organizations. Dr. Harrison has a doctorate degree in education evaluation and research and has served as an Associate Director of Research, Evaluation, and Information Dissemination for the Developmental Disabilities Institute (now known as the Center for Excellence in Disabilities), Wayne State University (WSU) (10 years) and as the Director of Research and Evaluation at Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (3 years). Dr. Harrison also has extensive experience coaching and mentoring evaluators through the Expanding the Bench Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity (LEEAD) initiative. She is adjunct faculty at American University, where she teaches culturally responsive and equitable evaluation. Dr. Harrison is also adjunct faculty in the department of pediatrics at Georgetown University, where she leads many of the evaluation projects related to cultural and linguistic competence. She is a former adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University where she received the Excellence in Teaching Award.
Hilary J. Trudell
CEO, Just Communities of Arkansas/Executive Producer, The Yarn Storytelling
Hilary Trudell is a facilitator, manager, educator, and story coach with more than 18 years experience in the field of public service and the arts. She specializes in facilitation, strategic planning, team building, story coaching, production and creating a space for productive collaboration. Her past and present work includes leading teams through strategic planning, leadership development and team building sessions; developing curricula on the topics of fundraising and advocacy through storytelling; coaching groups and individuals on how to tell their stories; and guiding teams of graduate students through field work projects.
Hilary currently holds two roles: Chief Executive Officer of Just Communities of Arkansas and Executive Producer of The Yarn Storytelling. During the workweek, Hilary facilitates workshops for corporate and non-profit clients centering on creating inclusive cultures that celebrate diversity. JCA’s aim is to create an Arkanas where every voice is heard, every person is valued, and everyone has a fair chance to succeed. Hilary and her team support this mission through workshops, cultural assessments, storytelling, and youth leadership programming.
In her spare time, Hilary serves as the Executive Producer of The Yarn, a community-based storytelling initiative that emphasizes partnership and sharing lived experiences in an effort to break down barriers and form stronger communities. Since 2017, The Yarn team has produced twenty (20) shows and partnered with over 20 organizations, including most recently The Diversity Booth, Arkansas Peace and Justice Memorial Movement, and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. To date, Hilary Trudell has coached over 300 storytellers on ways to deliver their unique narratives with impact.
Salma V. Torres
Director of Education and Youth Advocacy, Central California LGBTQ+ Collaborative
Salma V. Torres serves as the Director of Education and Youth Advocacy for the Central California LGBTQ+ Collaborative, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the Northern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada foothills. Their passion lies in education as a tool for social movement and change that should be accessible to all. As the child of blue-collar immigrant parents from Mexico, Salma intimately understands the struggles of coming to terms with one sexual orientation and gender identity while navigating a cultural space where that often isn’t easy. They employ cultural sensitivity and trauma-informed lenses in their advocacy to ensure that an entire individual is being honored and not just a singular facet of their identity. When not bringing about change, Salma can be found writing prose and poetry, attending live music concerts, and petting their loveable dog, Littles.
Toria Turner
Community Engagement Coordinator for Sisterfriends Detroit, Detroit Health Department
Toria Turner is a community advocate and community organizer. She has been working in the Maternal Infant health arena for over 10 years as a breastfeeding counselor and over 8 years as a community doula. Currently she works as a Community Engagement Coordinator for the Detroit Health Department. She has her certification in Diversity Equity and Inclusion from CADIA and attended Harvard University, becoming certified in Reducing Racial Disparities in Healthcare. Toria currently does work as a moderator in implicit bias microaggression training for 1st and 3rd year medical students at Wayne State University. She is a community advisor for Cardiovascular Health Equity Association Council at Wayne State University. She is a community advisor for Health Equity Action Network. She is a mother of 2 and feels that her purpose is to be a warrior and mother to those that are helpless. Her legacy is important to her because she wants her family to continue the work of people and for the community in love and integrity long after she is gone.
Dr. Joyvin Benton
Senior Gift Officer at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB)
Dr. Joyvin Benton is a social justice warrior with a passion for building equitable spaces. Her passion for justice and equity was stoked in 6th grade when she and her twin sister led a petition and sit-in to protest girls not being allowed to play on the basketball court during recess!
Dr. Joyvin Benton is the SR. Gift Officer at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), where she oversees the cultivation and engagement of Major donors. She works closely with the Vice Chancellor of Advancement to cultivate and steward major gifts and partnerships with corporations and foundations. Dr. Benton received her PhD from Rutgers University where she studied systems and policy, with a focus on education policy. During her tenure at Rutgers, she honed her evaluation skills, evaluating several local, state, and national programs. Joyvin believes that research and evaluation are the keys to solid organizational infrastructure. She works with several local nonprofits and organizations, helping them strengthen their evaluation plans.
Before joining the UAPB Advancement team, Joyvin was the Development Director at the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, where she created and implemented all fundraising efforts, from large grants to grassroots donations. This was a great learning experience however, she honed her skills and developed a love for the nonprofit sector as the director of operations for the W.E.B. Dubois Scholars Institute at Princeton University.
In 2017, she was named one of the top 20 emerging nonprofit leaders by the Little Rock Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, and in 2018 she had the honor of being one of twelve emerging leaders from across the country selected for the Independent Sector, Next Generation Fellowship. This fellowship provided her with greater insight into the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors and expanded her network of professionals in the field. In 2019, she was selected to participate in the American Express Leadership Academy Global Summit. Participating in the Global Summit allowed Dr. Benton to interact with and learn from leaders worldwide. In 2020, She participated in Leadership Arkansas, a unique program designed to take a comprehensive view of the state’s economic and political challenges.