MEET THE TEAM
Dr. D. Lightsey-Joseph, MEd, EdD
Founder & CEO
"As a Black woman, I choose to care for and nourish myself above all else. I find that when I take the best care of myself, everyone else benefits from my energy. My family, my team, my students...they inherit that energy too."
Having worked at both private and public institutions of higher education, Dr. Dominique Lightsey-Joseph, devoted nearly fifteen years of her life to advancing educational equity and access in college admissions. This work is a passion of hers born from her own experiences overcoming systemic barriers while on her journey to higher education. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Lightsey-Joseph earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida State University and is a two-time Trojan, having earned both her my Master of Arts in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs and her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from The University of Southern California (USC). It was at USC that she honed in on her research interests and entrepreneurial skills.
Always interested in hearing the experiences of Black women in their own words, Dr. Lightsey Joseph chose to conduct a qualitative study on Black women in administration on college campuses during her doctoral studies. In her groundbreaking dissertation entitled, A Phoenix First Must Burn, Dr. Lightsey-Joseph explored the experiences of Black women in leadership positions on college campuses and the microaggressions that made their ascension to such positions difficult. She found that many of these women, herself included, circumvented much of the negative external stimuli they experienced through tempered herstriology; a term she coined to describe the innate passing down of ethnic, feminine testimonies from one generation of black women to another as a roadmap of caution (Lightsey, 2020). Having analyzed the ways in which the participants responded to these experiences, Dr. Lightsey-Joseph formulated a professional clapback theory specifically designed for Black women. In listening to herself and the women in her study, all of whom were longing for a more supportive connection with others like them, Dr. Lightsey-Joseph felt called to create The Roaring Twenties, LLC. Through this organization, Dr. Lightsey-Joseph hopes to create a haven for Black sisterhood and a sustainable and promising future for Black women and girls in America.
Dr. Lightsey-Joseph divides her time between Los Angeles, CA and Miami, FL with her husband and daughter. Ever the voracious reader, her hobbies include reading books by and about Black women and girls to her daughter before bedtime, spending quality time with friends and family, reading political think pieces written by women of color, and binge-watching horror films on Netflix.
Brandi Junious,
MEd, LBBP
Chief Strategy Officer
“We are limited, not because of who we are, but because we’ve internalized who others say we are. We are the endless potential of the apogee of our ancestors; believe that.”
Brandi Junious has always been guided by the need to serve others. She has dedicated the last 17 years to studying the intersections of education, human behavior, and our racialized experiences in the workplace with the goal of creating more equitable outcomes for underserved communities. Her academic and professional background spans business, finance, education, and racial equity with key roles in management, graduate admissions, research administration, and strategic EDI advising. She has worked for major corporations and non-profit organizations as well as both public and private institutions of education; in each space, she created structural changes to allow for better access. Brandi centers her work on merging the efforts of those working on behalf of diversity, equity, and inclusion with the financial resources, training, and research needed to better mobilize and actualize those efforts.
As an educator, Brandi specializes in developing curriculum and teaching on the topics of strategically diversifying the workforce, embedding racial equity into HR practices, and budgeting for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her racial equity work through the USC Race and Equity Center has been featured in CUPA-HR’s Higher Ed HR Magazine and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Brandi holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Southern California, a Master of Arts in Education, and is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Professional. As Chief Strategy Officer for The Roaring Twenties, she draws upon her many experiences to help create radical programs that can materially improve the lives of Black women on a pragmatic level.
Brandi is also an internationally recognized artist and contributor to arts movements committed to centering identity, justice, and representation. Her art has been showcased in exhibitions across the country as well as in Rome, Italy, and can be purchased at BrandiJuniousArt.com. She is both author and illustrator of the environmental children's book A World Without Trees, and her art was featured on the cover of Street Sheet published by the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness in early 2020. As a Therapeutic Art Life Coach, Brandi creates curriculum aimed at helping people learn to process and become more aware of their own emotions through art.
Brandi Junious lives in Los Angeles, CA with her children and their tortoise. Her hobbies include composing music, painting, writing, meditation, caring for plants, and decompressing at the beach.
Shaquita Humphrey-Pressley,
MEd
Chief of External Relations & Marketing
"TRT embodies the spirit of black women in the 21st century as we create the change we want to see for ourselves, by ourselves; and it is a sight to see."
A deep commitment to uplifting and supporting Black women and girls has long been Shaquita’s “why.” Her educational pursuits and her career have centered on creating environments and experiences that support the success of Black women. Her past, present, and future endeavors including her work with The Roaring 20s are centered, in many ways, around this commitment.
Shaquita experienced the full breadth of higher education by attending community colleges, public schools, and private universities around the country. She began her educational journey at Highline Community College where she earned an Associate’s Degree in Philosophy. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Ethnic/Gender Studies from the University of Washington. Shaquita then went on to pursue a Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs. She attended the University of Southern California (USC).
As a student at USC, she created a nationally recognized program that provided space for Black women in graduate programs to connect with one another and to examine the academic, personal, professional, and social aspects of their lives. In her professional work, Shaquita continued striving to uplift and empower women and students of color. As the Director of Diversity at the University of Washington, she spearheaded initiatives that aimed to recruit more and enhance the experiences of marginalized student groups.
A nomadic wanderer in her own right, Shaquita has lived all over the country from Seattle, WA to Atlanta, GA where she currently resides. She also loves to travel and experience the unique cultures and communities that dot our globe. In her free time, Shaquita loves visiting parks and museums with her daughter. While she appreciates art and cultural attractions, her 9-year-old daughter enjoys science and natural history museums more.
C. Nicole Allison,
SHRM-CP
Chief of Business Operations & Finance
"Black women are the very key to ALL LIFE yet are the most unprotected in this world. I don’t know about you, but I see too much wrong with that.”
As a Human Resource professional with over 15 years of experience, Christiane is a true Californian, earning her Bachelor of Science from California State University Long Beach (CSULB) alongside credentials as a SHRM Certified Professional. Christiane has worked in fields ranging from Entertainment and Media to Public Sector Institutions of Higher Education. “At times HR is given a bad rep, looked upon as the place where you go when something is wrong or you’re getting fired. I look at HR as a support hub. This hub is where you can ask any and all-in regard to your career. This hub is where you find counsel with issues you may feel beyond your handling or too complex. HR should be a safe, warm, and collective space, where problems are solved, and progression is encouraged.”
When she is not developing inclusive and productive environments for employees, you will find her on the first thing smoking from Los Angeles headed just about anywhere (headphones in tote). Christiane is a lover of music, travel, and fun with family. With twin pre-teen daughters, Christiane is the support hub of her family and has a home life filled with love, laughter, questions, debates, and compromise.
Stemmed from a lunch conversation among sisters, Christiane has recently taken on the development of a weekly podcast properly named Her Pocketbook. Her Pocketbook Podcast appeals to women of color, young and old, that took direction from the wisdom of their elders. The pocketbook is a well-known symbol among urban society as the place where women heard, listened, and incorporated lessons from their elders (Grandmothers, Aunts, Mothers, and Sisters) about their money, their minds, and their bodies. Currently streaming on all podcast outlets, Her Pocketbook Podcast is a safe place for women of color to share their lives and their love.