Nikki Boyd, Executive Committee
Nikki Boyd is a Talent Acquisition Lead at Singh Management in Cary. Currently, she works as a lead recruiter for the Southeast region. Nikki has been working in human resources for the last four years and has developed a wealth of knowledge in various aspects of human resources.
Before working in human resources, Nikki worked in college access and in youth development programs. Nikki majored in Human Resources at North Carolina State University.
Ramir Woodard, Executive Committee
Ramir Woodard is a Graduate Student in Social Work at North Carolina State University. Before college, Ramir worked with the internship program when it formerly was housed at Southeast Raleigh Promise. Currently, Ramir works fulltime as a Youth Development Specialist for Neighbor-to-Neighbor while pursuing his Master’s Degree in Social Work. Ramir serves on the board as a liaison between the board and the youth in the internship program.
Melanie Hemphill, Executive Committee
Melanie Hemphill works as a High School Assistant Principal for the Wake County Public School System. She comes from a family and lineage of advocacy, education, and music. Prior to moving to Raleigh, NC in 2019, she taught Middle School English/Language Arts for the Broward County Public School system (2012-2019). In Florida, she held key roles including Equity Liaison (School/District), Violence and Suicide Prevention Liaison, and athletic director.
Over the past few years she's served as the Family and Community Engagement Coordinator (2019-2020) and Dean of Climate and Culture (2020-2021) prior to becoming Assistant Principal in her current school. Her primary focus has been to collaborate with stakeholders to solidify and extend the school's mission and vision through the establishment of Core Values. She has been trained as a Wake County Public School System Circle Keeper and uses a Mindfulness and Restorative Approach when working with students.
Christine Dicks, Member
Christine Dicks has been a social worker for over 20 years in a variety of settings, including child welfare, mental health, and employee assistance counseling. Christine is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with a Master's Degree in social work from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a Bachelor's Degree in social work from Michigan State University.
Christine has advanced training in trauma and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). She is skilled at assessing and treating a wide range of emotional issues. Christine’s social work career started in program management and development and has evolved into a full time clinical practice. Christine is co-owner of Aspire Counseling Group in Raleigh where she manages a full time clinical caseload and many administrative aspects of the practice. Christine also co-founded The Resiliency Collaborative with her Aspire business partner.
Tammy Blackard-Cook, Co-Founder & Past Board Chair
Tammy Blackard Cook is co-owner of Aspire Counseling Group in Raleigh where she manages a part-time clinical caseload and administrative aspects of the practice. Tammy also co-founded The Resiliency Collaborative with her Aspire business partner.
For more than 25 years, Tammy has worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) specializing in trauma therapy with adults. She holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago. She works interactively with clients from a strength- and resilience-based perspective, knowing that we all have gifts and insights, not just challenges.
Through her interest in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) work, Tammy got involved with youth from Southeast Raleigh. She has been volunteering with them since 2017.