Meet Our Team

The Right Kind of Black Girl is proud of the outstanding leadership and invaluable contributions made by members of our board and our team.

Our Board of Directors

Shambria Williams, MSW
Board President & CEO

Emma Riascos
Board Member
Entrepreneur

Ashley Sailor
Board Member
Southern California Gas

Gwendolyn Priestley
Board Member
Public Relations & Brand Consulting

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?

If so, there are many ways and levels for you to work directly with TRKBG, from volunteering, to mentoring, to getting your company involved or attending events. Serving on our Board of Directors is a special opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with a group of dedicated professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who are contributing to the movement and cultivating funds and providing strategic leadership and planning. Our high functioning Board delivers executive level vision and guidance as TRKBG continues to grow and evolve. On our Board, you can make a high level, long term impact on everything from growth and capital campaigns to marketing, HR and policy making.

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Our Team

Hoover over our photos to learn more about our dynamic team

​SHAMBRIA WILLIAMS, MSW
PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“You are worthy. You are everything your ancestors dreamed you would be and could be. Believe it and honor it, know that the solution is not outside of you." -Anonymous

Shambria is a natural advocate. From fending off bullies as a child to leading organizational change in college, she has never been one to passively complain. A true changemaker, she sees conditions that trouble her spirit, and she shifts seamlessly into generating ideas for change. Shambria is the founder and CEO of The Right Kind of Black Girl. Born and raised in southern California, she has spent over five years as a director of a nonprofit. In this role alone, she has helped over 100,000 California kids receive eyeglasses to achieve classroom success. Shambria grew up in a community littered with injustices—from witnessing her own family struggle with incarceration, poverty and substance addiction to witnessing gang violence and extreme homelessness in her neighborhood. Shambria graduated with a bachelors in sociology and psychology with an emphasis on law and society from California State University, Los Angeles. She went on to graduate with honors from the University of Southern California with a masters degree in social work with a focus on community organization and business innovation.

Ashley Sailor
Board Member

Ashley Sailor is a board member on The Right Kind of Black Girl. Ashley is a native of California and has volunteered in the Los Angeles community working with multiple nonprofits for several years. Ashley holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership.

Ashley Sailor is a Product Advisor at Southern California Gas Company where she has worked for 8 years. Before working at SoCalGas, Ashley worked in multiple industries in the administrative capacity including Management Consulting, Real Estate, Fashion and Entertainment.

In her spare time, Ashley enjoys hiking, Pilates, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Emma Riascos
Board Member

"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. -Audre Lorde"

Emma was born in Buenaventura, Colombia and immigrated to the US at the age of 7.  Emma is a passionate advocate for social justice and equality, with a particular focus on empowering Black women. Serving as a Board member of The Right Kind of Black Girl, Emma brings a wealth of experience in community organizing, policy advocacy, and strategic planning to help guide the organization's work.
 
With a background in Sourcing and Diversity, Emma has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by Black women in our society and has worked tirelessly to address these issues both personally and professionally. Emma's commitment to social justice has led her to serve in several organizations and committees, including serving as the inaugural President of the Black Employee Resource Group for one of her employer’s. 
 
As a Board member of TRKBG, Emma is dedicated to advancing the organization's mission of empowering Black women and promoting racial and gender equity. Through her leadership and support, Emma helps to guide the organization's strategies and programs, ensuring that they are effective, impactful, and responsive to the needs of the community.
 
Emma is deeply committed to the work of The Right Kind of Black Girl, and to the broader movement for social justice and equality. Through their tireless advocacy and leadership, Emma is helping to create a more just and equitable world for all.

BERYL HARRIS
CHAIR, BOOK COLLECTIVE​

“The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet.” -Mohadesa Najumi

Beryl provides administrative support to The Right Kind of Black Girl and serves as Co-Chair of the Book Club Committee. Beryl has almost a decade of banking experience, where she has focused on operations, compliance, and risk management. Beryl was raised in a fun, loving, and hardworking military family. Although she moved around a lot, she was very involved in her community. Not only was she an active member of the Boys and Girls Club of Scott Air Force Base, where she played various sports and was a member of the Torch Club, but she also served as a mentor for Freedom Arts Education Center in St. Louis, Missouri. In the various places she called home, she spent her free time tutoring young Black children and serving as a positive role model. After relocating to Los Angeles, Beryl sought community engagement by volunteering with Forgiving For Living, Inc., a nonprofit that restores the self-esteem of at-risk teenage girls by providing tools for a more fulfilling life. On the weekends, Beryl enjoys spending time with her grandparents and exploring Los Angeles. Beryl received her BS in Business Administration and Marketing from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville.

FAITH ANUMBA
CHAIR, DIVINE WELLNESS

"The function of freedom is to free someone else.” -Toni Morrison.

Faith is a somewhat native Angeleno raised in LA and born in Nigeria--and is a graduate of UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology. She joined the TRKBG while going through a journey of spiritual awakening and mental wellness after splitting with a long time significant other. Since then, she has developed a passion for helping black women reach their own personal spiritual divinity. Her goal for Divine Wellness is to develop a sisterhood of women who seek to transform themselves emotionally, intellectually, and physically for the better. Her interests comprise of yoga, meditation, writing, hikes, conscious healthy eating and regular exercise, as she is also a member of the Fit for the Culture committee. She currently works as a medical device representative and is pursuing a side career in personal training.

CONNIE FREEMAN
CHAIR, ENGAGEMENT

“Iron sharpens iron; So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” -Proverbs 27:17
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Connie is a contract compliance professional in the transportation industry. She has also been an entrepreneur for the past 13 years in the fields of tax preparation, insurance inspection and contract compliance administration. Connie began her corporate career in her early twenties, and she was always that one Black person in the department. This drove her to always do her best on every assignment and to confidently take on additional responsibility without hesitation. As the Chair of Hey Queen Hey, Interim Chair of Queen Be You and an active member in TRKBG, Connie encourages others to exude confidence in all that they do. Connie expects members to wake up with a positive attitude and ready to accept any challenge that may arise. Connie attended Regis University where she earned a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting and Morgan State University (Business Professional Studies) where she obtained a certification in Contract Compliance Administration. Connie’s motto is: “If you have a problem, don’t complain about it without presenting a solution.”