Our Team

Melissa has cultivated a robust network across ~40 countries of business and philanthropy executives, youth leaders, government officials, and market influencers in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas. She has advised 400+ institutions, brands and their leadership on effective forecasting of fast-moving trends, responding to shifting paradigms, and leading transformative collaborations that revolutionize communities for sustainable growth.

As Senior Director of Global Programs at the Africa-America Institute, Melissa sets program strategy to support institutional development and capacity building of higher education ecosystems through scalable and sustainable programs across the African continent. She launched the AAI Student Summit, a student-led multi-disciplinary convening which hosted 8 universities from Senegal, Niger, Nigeria and Ghana for a leadership and policy development forum. She has also led production of State of Education in Africa (SOE) conferences in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Mozambique. In partnership with African governments, including a first-time opening address by a Head of State, and hosting several Ministers of Higher Education, the conference welcomes hundreds of stakeholders to examine Higher Education in Africa through a lens of collaboration on research, strategic financing, global-competition and demand-driven skills training for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Melissa has worked as a philanthropy consultant, launching her own firm, Social Impact Design Studios, to support education, business and community development initiatives for several clients. As a consultant to Ford and W. K. Kellogg Foundations, she helped develop communities of practice to partner with federal and local government agencies and improve on risk-tolerance levels towards social justice outcomes. At The ELMA Philanthropies, she also managed a $5 million education program portfolio supporting 9 countries across the African continent. As a member of the Global Manufacturing team at Pfizer Inc., she received international recognition for leading the packaging systems redesign across European and American supply chains.

The Council on Foundations recently selected Melissa as a 2020 Career Pathways Fellow. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA). Melissa earned an MA in Migration and Diaspora Studies from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She has earned an MBA, BS in Business Administration and BA in Spanish from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU). She is passionate about identity topics and building bridges among seemingly disparate ideas. Melissa lives in Philadelphia, PA, yet carries home in her heart to the many countries she travels to annually.

Kandace has specialized expertise in global marketing/brand management, strategic planning, policy/program development, capacity-building, youth development, communications, business development, and international programs.

Kandace is committed to extending her expertise toward the progression of educational and economic outcomes in Black communities in the U.S. and throughout the African Diaspora. She has successfully facilitated more than 100 multi-year, multi-level initiatives that built state and local government capacity to implement and scale up systemic reforms and evidence-based practices, using processes such as root-cause analysis, capacity assessment, logic model development, impact evaluation, stakeholder engagement, communities of practice, and guidance on the implementation of evidence-based programs and practices.

Prior to entering the public sector, Kandace worked in marketing for Fortune 100 corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Forbes Magazine, and Time Warner. Kandace has worked in marketing for Fortune 100 corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Forbes Magazine, and Time Warner. At P&G, she initiated and developed their first line of organic Fair-Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified coffee products, partnering with farmers in Central America, South America, and Africa. She is passionate about remaining current on the latest online marketing and engagement strategies, and continuously monitors new developments to support building sustainable online communities and loyal consumers/brand advocates for her social impact clients.

Currently, Kandace serves as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Anansi Ventures, investing in and providing strategic business advisory services for social entrepreneurs and established ventures committed to developing products and services with a social impact bottom line. She also leads the US Department of Education funded Region 8 Comprehensive Center, where she oversees a $16M contract to provide capacity-building service delivery to state, regional, and local education agencies.

Kandace holds an MBA and BS in Business Administration, with a minor in Marketing, from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She holds a certificate in Advancing Youth Development from the Center for Excellence in Youth Development as well as a certificate in Intermediate Spanish from Don Quixote Language School in Madrid, Spain. She was also a member of the highly-selective Broad Residency in Urban Education’s 2008-2010 class. Kandace is an avid traveler, and has had the pleasure of visiting 38 countries, and counting. She is also a published author, life coach, and wellness practitioner.