OUR TEAM
CHANDRA COOPER, MS, LPC-IT
Founder and CEO
Chandra Cooper is multi-talented entrepreneur and community advocate with a wealth of experience in media & public relations. She is an experienced network affiliate, on-air television reporter & producer, youth and women's advocate with community engagement experience, and has experience working in the area of youth social services. Cooper holds a B.A. in Marketing Communications from Columbia College. She has a credential in Child Care Administration from the University of Milwaukee. She is a facilitator for First Aids Arts which is a trauma-informed care, expressive arts curriculum-based, and evidence-based program. Lastly, Mrs. Cooper has her Master's Degree in Professional Counseling from Concordia University and holds a Wisconsin counselors training license. In June of 2021, Ms. Cooper attended Harvard Business School and obtained a certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management.
Ms. Cooper currently owns several businesses in the Milwaukee area. For more than 10 years she has operated Bright Beginnings Children Center, a community-based commercially licensed daycare center where she provided training and hires women in the community. She is the CEO of Mojo Communications Group a boutique multi-media agency that serves nonprofit, business, and entertainment entities. Through this agency, Cooper does freelance producing work for Black Nouveau TV, on Milwaukee’s PBS station, and other production companies and networks. Mojo Communications Group is currently helping with marketing, PR, and the development project of the legendary blues singer Muddy Waters house he lived in, in Chicago, IL. McKinley Morganfield is known as aka “ Muddy Waters” he is Ms. Cooper’s Great Grandfather. In 2019 Ms. Cooper founded the “Muddy Waters Mojo Museum” and is working directly with the city of Chicago on this landmark project.
Chandra Cooper is also the Founder and Executive Director of Grateful Girls, Inc. established in 2009. Grateful Girls is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing inspirational, motivational, and enrichment services for youth and women. In 2015 Grateful Girls opened Milwaukee county’s first specialized group home for young
girls affected by human trafficking called “Grateful Girls Safe Haven”. The organization is a social service agency with a community resource center building in the heart of the city of Milwaukee. The community resource center offers an array of services for youth and women. The organization is growing and acquired in 2016 an assessment shelter center for high-risk youth girls in the Milwaukee area. In 2017 the organization opened its 2nd specialized Safe Haven home for sex trafficking and mentally disabled youth. The organization is committed to helping girls and women internationally. In the summer of 2016, the organization created a platform and sustainability programming to serve this population in the country of Kenya. In 2018 the “Queens Closet” was opened. It’s a resale shop that provides job training to youth and women in the community.
In 2020 Cooper partnered with the Department of Children and Families and created a COVID19 shelter for out-of-home youth in the Milwaukee area. She also created an LGBTQI facility for transgender youth through a new social service agency called Grateful Girls Youth & Family Services, LLC. She also consultants with businesses and agencies to create dynamic youth community programming within this entity. She is currently working with American Family creating programming for youth.
Cooper is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Incorporated sorority. She is a school board member for Holy Redeemer Christian Academy. Cooper is the NAACP WIN Chair for the State of Wisconsin and for Ozaukee County. She is also the State Operations Director for the Women’s March of Wisconsin and a former board member for Susan G. KOMEN WI. She collaborates with The Human Trafficking Taskforce of Greater Milwaukee, and she is a member of A-Lego (African American Women Empowered to Grow Opportunities).
Cooper is also a member of two local Milwaukee women’s organizations, TEMPO, and Professional Dimensions.
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
& ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Angela Kates,
Board President
Strategic and analytical financial professional with over 10 years of success in financial reporting, analysis, and project management. Angela has a straightforward approach that has proven successful along all stops in my career that includes data science, operations, product, sales and marketing, diversity & inclusion, communications, logistics, environmental services, business development, and philanthropy.
Angela has committed her life to equip women of all ages to live more genuine lives. In Angela’s leisure time she enjoys traveling domestically and abroad. Angela currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Ericka K. Rush,
Board Member
Ericka K. Rush is a passionate advocate for minority youth, serving as a mentor and role model through various community programs. She owns The Hattie Daniels-Rush Institute LLC, providing educational and professional consulting, and is the Scholar Service Coordinator at HR Educational Complex, managing student enrollment and academic records. Additionally, Ericka owns Hyssop Diagnostic and Treatment Center, promoting mental health. With a Master's in Organizational Leadership and Administration from Marian University and a Bachelor's in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Ericka's leadership is recognized through her roles in organizations like the Christian Business and Professional Alliance, Grateful Girls, and the Boys & Girls Club of Milwaukee. Her commitment to community service and youth development is unwavering.
Megan Schwan,
Chief Financial Officer
Megan Schwan is the CEO & Founder of Sidekick Accounting Services. When she was a freshman in high school she discovered a passion for accounting. Megan went on to graduate Cum Laude with a Bachelor's in Accounting from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Her first job at the age of 15 was in accounting and now has over 15 years of experience. As a mother of four, her family is the driving force behind her business. She is proud of her several-year relationship with WWBIC, and partnerships with NARI, Scale Up MKE (SPARC), StartUP Wisconsin and several local chambers.
Portia J. Gregory,
Secretary
Portia J. Gregory, Sr. Account Executive for Clear Channel Outdoor of America. She received a Bachelor's in Mass Media Arts with a concentration in Public Relations from the Clark Atlanta University. She later continued on in receiving her Executive Masters in Business Administration Management from Cardinal Strict University m. Portia enjoys chairing as Secretary for a nonprofit that is impacting the lives of our young girls and boys every day.
Katie Meylink,
Executive Administrator
Katie Meylink has been working in non-profit management for more than 15 years in the City of Milwaukee. She is a lifelong resident of Milwaukee and graduated from Marquette University with a degree in advertising and marketing. Katie is passionate about the health and safety of the city’s most vulnerable children and finding ways to empower the improvement of their quality of life.
Amelia Sanders,
HR Coordinator
Amelia Sanders has more than 25 years working in the healthcare industry and with direct floor personnel. She is committed to ensuring that positive human relations and training is essential to the operation and overall success of the organization.
