VILLAGE TEAM

WHO WE ARE

The four original founders of Uzazi Village (Hakima Tafunzi Payne, Mariah Chrans, Rebecca Liberty, and Tash Reed) had their first community meeting on December 9th, 2011 at the Kansas City Health Department, when community members were invited to share what their vision was regarding community-based maternity care. Uzazi Village was officially founded in May of 2012.

With the support of our community, we continue to dedicate our time to decreasing maternal and infant health inequity among Black and Brown communities.

Board of Directors

Donald C. Okonta   

Sakeena Abdul Haqq    Royce Hams   

Jill Peltzer    Dr. Danielle Jones    Janelle Barrett

CERB

Sandra Thornhill    Cecilia Saffold   

Justice Gatson    Sandra Reece Tinsley    Tiana Ford

UZAZI VILLAGE EXECUTIVE TEAM

Read Shalese's Bio
Read Kayla's Bio
Read Jannean's Bio
Read Kamesha's Bio
Read Kellye's Bio
Read Sierra's Bio

UZAZI VILLAGE STAFF

Read Nadirah's Bio
Read Tovah's Bio
Read Shiv'on's Bio
Read Temitayo's Bio
Read Lady-Charde's Bio
Read Karla's Bio

IDA MAE PATTERSON CENTER STAFF

Read Clarisa's Bio
Read D'Lita's Bio
Read Courtney's Bio
Read Rochelle's Bio
Read James Bio
Read Shafeeqa's Bio

Join Uzazi Village to make a difference for families in your community

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4232 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110  •  (816) 541-3718

WEBSITE CREATED BY LILLIAN JAMES CREATIVE

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

Uzazi Village welcomes a leader in Black Maternal Health, Shalese Clay, to Uzazi Village’s executive team. Shalese embarks on her journey as the new CEO and will play a pivotal role in driving the company’s strategic initiatives and fostering continued growth. With a proven track record in reproductive equity and creating Black spaces in her community, Shalese brings extensive experience and expertise to Uzazi Village.

Shalese is a dedicated advocate for maternal, paternal, and infant health, particularly focusing on the well-being of women of color. Through her leadership roles, such as founding Elevating My Community Inc and leading initiatives like Dope Black Dads KCK and Queens Village Metro KC, she works to create safe spaces for families to engage and influence decision-makers. Additionally, as CEO of Thirty-Eight Solution Consulting, she drives community engagement, and her work as chair of the Uzazi Village Board of Directors reflects her commitment to reproductive equity and creating Black spaces in her community.

Ms. Payne works tirelessly to make birth safer, the village healthier, and to promote anti-racist care models for African-American families. She is the subject of two documentaries, “Sister Doula” and “Pregnancy and Prejudice.”

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About Kayla
Kayla Gilmore, Executive Assistant has nearly 10 years of experience in administrative support, project management, and customer service, Kayla brings a strong background in streamlining operations, enhancing workflow, and providing exceptional support. Her career has allowed her to work in diverse roles, honing my ability to manage multiple priorities and improve operational efficiency. She is passionate about community health, particularly in underserved communities, and has a strong foundation in cultural competence and building relationships. Kayla looks forward to contributing her skills and passion to our mission of improving maternal and infant health outcomes and is thrilled to be part of such an impactful organization.

Serving as the Chief Financial Officer at Uzazi Village, Jannean demonstrates a profound commitment to community health and equity. Her 15 years of experience in prenatal care within the nonprofit sector bring invaluable financial proficiency to the organization. She guarantees the resources are managed efficiently and transparently.

Beyond her professional role, Jannean has a personal connection to maternal health due to her own experiences with natural births, supported by a midwife and doula. Her passion for advocating improved maternal healthcare and support systems for women springs from these personal experiences. She is unwaveringly dedicated to formulating financial strategies that back the clinic’s mission of providing accessible, culturally competent, and top-quality care.

Jannean is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for creativity. In her free time, she designs and creates Afrocentric jewelry, celebrating cultural heritage and empowering others through artistic expression.

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Kamesha Moore, the Grant Writer at Uzazi Village, is a distinguished professional holding a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Washburn University. With vast expertise in organizational leadership, operations management, and project management, she has made significant strides in her career.

As the Founder and Executive Director of The GIG Alliance Corp, she has strategically developed and implemented initiatives, built solid community partnerships, and led crucial projects like contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic and harm reduction efforts in Missouri. Her roles in operations and quality management have consistently surpassed contractual expectations.

Kamesha’s passion for community involvement and her expertise in public administration make her an exceptional leader. She anticipates assisting Uzazi Village in enhancing their impact on black and brown childbearing families and communities.

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Kellye McCrary is the Human Resource Manager of Uzazi Village. Kellye originally pursued a degree in Fashion Design with a minor in accounting but the universe had something different in mind. After running her own business for 25 years, and working in the nonprofit sector since 2002, Kellye was led to Uzazi Village in 2015, climbed the Uzazi ladder and was trained to be a Perinatal Full Spectrum Doula, Certified Community Health Care Worker, Perinatal Doula Instructor and Program Director.

Throughout Kellye’s life in Kansas City, where she was born and raised, she discovered she worked and lived in zip codes that statistically had the highest infant mortality rates. Being a single mother of one brainy and beautiful babe, Kellye knows the importance of a place like Uzazi Village in our community that supports and connects families to resources, support groups and other needs to help them through what life throws our way. Being a part of such an organization was aligned with her mission of being able to help other families navigate through pregnancy and life’s peaks and valleys.

Kellye enjoys traveling, textile upcycling, designing handbags and creating essential blends.

Sierra Gordon, a Certified Perinatal Doula and Uzazi Village Perinatal Doula Trainer, is a passionate advocate for reproductive education and rights. With a heart full of dedication, she took on her calling in birth work in 2020 and has since been empowering future doulas with invaluable knowledge and tools.
She’s a beacon of inspiration and support at the Ida Mae Patterson Center, serving as an Education Doula and a member of the Mental Wellness team.
Sierra’s commitment extends beyond just training – she believes in educating the entire family and community about reproductive health. Her mission is to fill the gap in our society’s understanding of reproductive health, ensuring everyone can navigate and take control of their own reproductive lives.
Sierra’s fervor is not just about imparting knowledge, but about nurturing a community of well-informed individuals who can educate and support their own families and communities. Her calling to train, educate, and mentor quality doulas is heartfelt and crucial, especially as the demand for trained doulas increases.
With each teaching opportunity, Sierra cherishes the chance to learn something new, demonstrating her unwavering dedication to her calling. She also carries immense pride in her heart for her husband and their son. Their presence brings an immeasurable and genuine joy to her life.
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Originally from New York City, Nadirah (Nu-deer-rah) is a dynamic professional who transitioned from a near decade-long career as a middle school English teacher to her current role as the Office Manager at Uzazi Village. She earned her undergraduate degree in Communication Arts-Media Studies with a focus in Journalism before joining Teach for America, which sparked her passion for teaching and led to her career in education. Her teaching journey has spanned New Jersey, New York, Kansas City, and West Africa, where she spent two and a half years with her family during the pandemic, including time in The Gambia.

Her path to Uzazi VIllage began in the summer of 2022 when she reunited with Mama Hakima (they initially met in 2019 at a community event in New Jersey) during one of her visits to the Motherland. This encounter, combined with learning of her third pregnancy, ignited a deep calling for her to make a different type of impact on the world. After the birth of her third child in the Spring of 2023, Nadirah decided she wanted to shift her career focus. At Uzazi Village, she serves as the first point of contact and helps to ensure that the organization’s operations and facilities run smoothly and effectively.

Nadirah’s personal connection to Uzazi Village is profound; she and her family utilized the Ida Mae Center during her last pregnancy and were deeply moved by the support and community the experience offered, which inspired her to join the team and contribute to its mission. Outside of her professional life, she is a devoted wife and mother as well as a life-long seeker of knowledge and has a diverse set of self-taught hobbies which include sewing, painting, and photography. Known for her vibrant personality, she is self-proclaimed (and proud) “Awkward Black Girl” with an obsession for the color pink, evident in her extensive collection of pink accessories. Her warmth and dedication shine through in both her personal and professional endeavors.

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Tovah Tanner, a resident of Kansas City, has dedicated her efforts towards facilitating a liberating way of life through educational and professional pursuits. Her family’s entrepreneurial heritage, her own resilience, and her progressive offspring form the pillars of her endeavors. She occupies the positions of Communications Coordinator and Community Outreach, mediating public relations between Uzazi Village and local affiliations and families. Additionally, she is responsible for the organization’s marketing strategy.

Possessing over two decades of experience in the healthcare sector, Tovah has amplified socio-economic growth and boosted financial stability, particularly in historically underfunded communities. Her passion for health and wellness has led her to make significant transformations in gardening, mental and physical wellness, homeschool education, and financial literacy.

Tovah Tanner has taken conventional sayings and phrases such as “you can do whatever you set your mind to” from a redundant string of words to a vibrant statement of potential and progress.

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Kansas City’s very own Shiv’on Bullock has devoted over a decade of her life to uplifting her community. She’s the driving force behind the Show Me Shoes Foundation and Hashtag Lunch Bag, two non-profit organizations making a real difference. Recently, she’s taken her passion for service into the world of marketing, working with Habitat for Humanity. Shiv’on’s commitment to community, entrepreneurship, and the betterment of humanity truly sets her apart.

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Temitayo Ologunorisa is a driven advocate for community welfare with a focus on social justice. As the Perinatal Doula Training and Certification Coordinator at Uzazi Village, Kansas City, she is responsible for organizing and conducting training courses, overseeing administrative tasks, updating curricula, and coordinating the certification process. Her dedication to social justice and health equity is reflected in her substantial contribution to nonprofit organizations. Temitayo is a flexible and effective team member committed to instigating positive change.

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Lady-Charde Lenoir-Howard, a devoted wife, mother of three, and a friend to many, has always had a nurturing heart. Her personal journey through motherhood ignited a passion for becoming a Doula, recognizing that each pregnancy is a unique miracle and life-changing event. In her leisure, she indulges in baking, reading, and writing poetry, bringing warmth and creativity into her home.
Her commitment to serving her community is both humbling and inspiring. Lady eagerly assists families to feel confident, empowered, and valued throughout their birth experience. She strongly believes that effective parenting, which begins with pregnancy and birth, has the power to better our world.
As a birth doula, her joy lies in witnessing women become confident and ecstatic about the birth and early parenting of their children. She encourages parents to confront their fears and anxieties, empowering them to make choices that feel right for their family. As Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, you do better.” This philosophy guides Lady’s work, helping parents create realistic expectations for their birth and parenting experiences. She truly believes that happiness blooms from meeting these realistic expectations.

Karla Sevilla, a native of Los Angeles, CA, has dedicated her life to serving the Hispanic and Latinx community. Her early experiences as her mother’s interpreter ignited a desire to contribute to healthcare. Despite becoming a mother at a young age, she successfully pursued education, earning her GED. Her previous roles as a Medical Assistant and Medical Interpreter further honed her skills. As a Community Health Worker (CHW) today, she specializes in assisting individuals facing language barriers. She is thrilled to announce her acceptance into a nursing program commencing fall 2024, where she’ll focus on educating women about pregnancy.

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Clarisa Evans is a highly dedicated Senior Student Midwife working at the renowned Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness. She’s been involved in various local midwifery practices, offering her expertise and support. Clarisa’s prior experiences as a full spectrum Doula, a patient care specialist, and a childbirth educator have armed her with the skills and knowledge to emphasize the importance of ongoing midwifery care. She’s a firm believer that this critical care can lead to better birth experiences and can make the journey to becoming a parent much smoother.

In addition to her professional commitments, Clarisa is a vehement defender of black maternal health and infant mortality issues in the United States. She’s taken it upon herself to shed light on this significant matter, dedicating her time and energy to educate her community about the different choices they have during pregnancy, within or beyond a hospital environment.

Away from her impactful work, Clarisa is a devoted wife and a mother to three children. She greatly enjoys the tranquility offered by the great outdoors, often spending quality time with her family in nature’s embrace.

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D’Lita “Dee” Parker, APRN WHNP-BC, is not just a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at the Ida Mae Patterson Center, but a professional with an impressive decade of experience in her field. Recently, her career journey has taken her to the doors of Uzazi Village, where she’s been offering her expertise for the past three months.
Beyond her profession, Dee is a genuine person who greatly values her roles as a mother and a healthcare provider. Her commitment towards her job is evident in the compassionate care she provides to women. In her leisure time, Dee is an adventurer at heart, often found exploring uncharted territories on international trips. Additionally, she relishes spending quality time with her loved ones, indicating her strong family values.
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Courtney Pauley, a registered nurse at Ida Mae Center, has a deep passion for women’s services. She noticed a significant gap in the services provided to breastfeeding mothers, which ignited her determination to learn more. This led her to Uzazi Village’s lactation internship, where she was mentored by Melissa Jackson RN IBCLC, a respected professional in the field. Through unwavering dedication and commitment, Courtney earned the prestigious IBCLC certification, which greatly enhanced her ability to provide high-quality support.
What fuels Courtney’s drive is her heartfelt desire to restore and disseminate essential ancestral breastfeeding knowledge, particularly in the underserved communities of the KC metro area. She believes that this overlooked knowledge, especially relevant to black and brown families, is a vital resource that needs to be revitalized and shared widely. Courtney’s mission is to address the systemic neglect of this knowledge that spans a century, and passionately strives to bring it back into circulation.
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Rochelle Evans, formerly the Administrative Doula at Ida Mae Patterson Center, now serves passionately as a Village Doula. Her mission is to unlock the divine potential and healing within everyone, particularly People of Culture, enabling them to live empowered lives, free from constraints. Her family, including her husband Morrell, their son, Morrell II, and beloved pets, Demo and Mekka, fuel her dedication.
Rochelle’s calling to birth work began in childhood, caring for her siblings and supporting friends through the transformative journey of pregnancy, birth, and loss. The realization of her role came upon her own pregnancy, leading to a deeper understanding of the disparities faced during childbirth.
Embracing her thirst for knowledge, Rochelle found Uzazi’s program during her 2017 pregnancy and enrolled in 2020, juggling a demanding 50-hour work week. A layoff during training was seen not as a setback, but an opportunity, leading to her full-time role as a Village Doula.
Rochelle encourages you to see your reflection in the care she provides. She is committed to empowering your family towards the birth and postpartum experience you deserve. She views each birth as sacred, each journey unique as a baby’s fingerprint, and considers it a privilege to serve families in such a special time.
Rochelle is a Certified Full Spectrum Doula, Community Health Worker, Hypnobabies Certified Hypno Doula, and Reiki Master. She is currently working towards Prenatal Yoga and Cannabis Doula Certifications. In her downtime, she explores photography, new restaurants, cooking, travel, and cherishes time with her family and friends.
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James, a native of Detroit, Michigan, comes from a large family of twelve siblings. His early exposure to a bustling household environment, along with being an uncle to over 20 nieces and nephews, naturally steered him towards a career in birth education. James is a trained birth doula, having completed his training through the National Black Doulas Association. His journey into birth education became deeply personal and a clear calling during his wife
challenging pregnancy with their son, which involved complications like oligohydramnios and preeclampsia. The situation highlighted the critical importance of adequate prenatal education and preparation for unexpected challenges. Motivated by his experiences, James founded the nonprofit organization Fathers Assisting Mothers. His mission through this initiative is to educate and empower expectant fathers, equipping them to provide essential support to the mothers in their lives during this pivotal time.

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As Uzazi’s Community Life Wellness Coordinator, Shafeeqa Small is able to introduce essential foods and alternatives, fostering a love for food through hands-on cooking demos, tastings, and food preparation advice. For two decades, Shafeeqa has developed methods to enhance food relationships, serving not only as a Holistic Facilitator but also as a chef, earth mother, beekeeper, and food advocate and educator.
The power of food to nurture and heal was evident in Mama Hakima’s dedication to Uzazi Village and its unique focus on nutrition. Recognizing the need for a nutrition-centric role, Mama Hakima and Shafeeqa both realized that solely relying on licensed nutritionists could dismiss the significant importance of our traditional food practices, heritage, and a non-judgmental perspective towards healthy food relationships, the essence of our village.
At Uzazi, Shafeeqa offers mothers and families more than just meals; she presents food as a cognitive stimulant, address food insecurity, and challenge societal stereotypes. The mission is to reinforce the restorative, life-sustaining power of food, beyond mere nutrition. Uzazi Village, for Shafeeqa, is not merely a place; it’s a nurturing sanctuary where she’s prospered and continue to serve passionately.
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