Full Circle

Jamese PinkstonJamese Pinkston

Community Engagement Officer

Jamese is a Charlotte native who graduated from West Mecklenburg High School in 2010. She went on to UNC-Greensboro to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. In 2017, she earned her Master’s degree in Geography with a concentration in community planning from UNC-Charlotte.

Jamese has been a part of the West Boulevard community for most of her life. As a child, she spent time at her mother’s hair salon which was located on West Boulevard. She attended West Mecklenburg High School with most of the residents who lived along West Boulevard. In graduate school, she worked with the Charlotte Action Research Project which did extensive work in Reid Park and surrounding neighborhoods. Jamese has made connections with leaders and residents alike that live along West Boulevard and taken part in numerous projects to increase capacity along the boulevard.

In her free time, she is an involved member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women. She also leads a youth group on West Boulevard.

Kia Baker

Executive Director, Southeast Raleigh Promise

Kia has over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector with organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Public Allies, and most recently, served as the Chief of Food Recovery & Distribution at a Feeding America food bank, the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Kia currently serves as Executive Director for Southeast Raleigh Promise, Inc.

Eddy Moratin

Executive Director, LIFT Orlando

Eddy Moratin is the Executive Director of LIFT Orlando, a non-profit organization founded by business leaders to partner with neighborhood residents and accelerate community transformation. Its mission is to break the cycle of poverty through holistic neighborhood revitalization mixed-income housing, cradle to career education, wellness and economic opportunity.

Othello Meadows

President & CEO, Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp.

Othello H. Meadows III is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and currently serves as President & CEO of Seventy Five North Revitalization Corp., a community revitalization and development organization. Prior to this position, Mr. Meadows was Executive Director of the Omaha Workforce Collaborative, a non-profit housed at the Omaha Chamber of Commerce, designed to restructure the workforce development efforts of the Omaha metropolitan area.

David Edwards

Chief Executive Officer, Purpose Built Communities

David Edwards has a deep and diverse background in the public, private and nonprofit sectors working on innovative initiatives addressing some of the greatest challenges facing cities around the world. AS CEO, he is responsible for expanding the number of Purpose Built Communities across the country and ensuring that they deliver transformative outcomes for families and children.