An institution that will not say who runs it is asking for a trust it has not earned. Names, roles, and how to reach the board directly.
Staff leadership
The people responsible
for daily operations.
Sheena Adams
Executive Director
Leads strategy, programs, fundraising, partnerships, and daily operations. Approves all external institutional claims.
Treneshia Gilbert
Chief Programs Officer
Owns program design, service delivery, and the integrity of what we measure and report.
Matt Hogans
Chief Development Officer
Owns fundraising and communications, using only results the Programs Officer has verified.
That last sentence is a structure, not a courtesy. Program results are validated by Programs before Development may use them, and institutional claims are approved by the Executive Director. The separation exists so that an accurate number cannot quietly become an inaccurate sentence somewhere downstream.
Board of directors
Governance.
The board holds fiduciary responsibility, approves the budget, and is the only body that may amend our governing commitments.
Shannon Lopez
Board Chair · Executive Committee Chair · Since 2019
A Wisconsin native and entrepreneur, Shannon owns Roots Salons, Be Better Salon Consulting, and Be Better ERC Consulting. Her expertise is financial planning, business development, budgeting, and goal setting, and she works from historical data and day-to-day trends to build financial plans that hold. She is committed to closing social, racial, and economic gaps in Milwaukee, and to helping young women build financial understanding and independence.
Davina Britt
Vice Chair · Executive Committee · Since 2025
An organizational strategist and workforce development professional with a background in talent acquisition and executive recruitment. Davina works on governance support, policy review, workforce planning, and equitable hiring systems, bringing a systems lens to board service so that strategy, structure, and people development stay aligned. Her work rests on the conviction that strong leadership and thoughtful infrastructure are prerequisites for community change.
Montessa Lee
Treasurer · Finance Committee Chair · Since 2025
Tess holds a BS in Business Management and an MBA in Finance, with more than 25 years in banking, underwriting, and risk management. She serves as an Auditor in Risk and Compliance, specializing in enterprise-wide underwriting reviews and credit policy oversight, with earlier leadership in business banking underwriting and Trust banking quality control. She has served on boards supporting survivors of domestic violence. A mother of three and a grandmother, she brings that experience to the work of helping young mothers build stability and long-term security.
Anne Deisinger
Secretary · Development Committee Chair · Since 2024
Anne has volunteered with Nia Imani for close to thirty years, beginning alongside Dr. Pittman. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, an associate in Project Management, and a master’s in Theology. Her career includes Project Manager at MSOE, Development Manager at PoSH, Marketing Manager at Rockwell Automation, and Application Engineering Manager at Square D. She belongs to the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, St. Mary’s Human Concerns Committee, the Racial Justice Committee, and Women of Faith, and volunteers at St. Bakhita Catholic Worker House.
Edward Nwagbaraocha
Director · Since 2025
A first-generation Nigerian American born in Milwaukee, Edward holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Resource Technology and Library Science from UW–Milwaukee and works as an IT Service Technician with Milwaukee Public Schools. He has volunteered with the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Southeastern Wisconsin as a Vincentian performing home visits, and with Africans in Milwaukee as Publicity Secretary. He credits his father’s work ethic for his commitment to neighborhood-based relationships that strengthen families.
Advisory board
Counsel without
a vote.
Advisory members give guidance and committee work. They do not hold fiduciary responsibility, which stays with the Board of Directors.
Sonja P. Chojnacki
Advisory Board Chair · Director 2023–2026
A Milwaukee native and Rufus King graduate, Sonja studied Social Welfare and Women’s Studies at UW–Milwaukee and began her career at Walker’s Point Youth and Family Services. She founded Apex Public Solutions, providing strategic communications and organizational consulting to mission-driven clients, and returned home from New York to work in the community that shaped her.
William Lauer
Advisory Member · Development Committee · Director 2018–2026
A local Realtor and principal owner of a real estate team. Before real estate he had a long career in the skilled trades, working on nuclear power plants, military vessels, and rocket launch pads. He is an active member of his Kiwanis club.
Steve Pogorzelski
Advisory Member · Development Committee Interim Chair
An experienced operator, donor, and longstanding supporter of Nia Imani.
How governance works here
Structure, not
good intentions.
Board meetings
The board meets on a regular schedule with documented minutes. Financial reporting is reviewed quarterly.
Committees
Executive, Finance, and Development committees carry oversight between full board meetings.
Conflict of interest
A written policy, signed annually by every board member and officer, with disclosure recorded in the minutes.
Financial review
An annual independent review, with results reported to the full board.
Annual commitments audit
Once a year the board reviews each stated commitment against the evidence it is being kept, and asks whether any has gone unenforced.
Amending our commitments
Only by the board, in writing, with the reasoning recorded. A commitment abandoned in practice must be formally struck rather than left standing.
Reaching the board
Directly, and
without going
through staff.
Some concerns should not be routed through the people they concern. Families, staff, partners, and community members may write to the Board Chair without staff involvement, including anonymously.
Mark correspondence Attention: Board Chair. Concerns involving the Executive Director go to the Board Chair by definition.
Join us
Board service
The Vice President seat is currently open. We consider new members with skills in finance, law, real estate, health, early childhood, and lived experience of the systems we work alongside. Board service here involves real work and real oversight.
