Board of Directors

 

Brittany Baines

 

Brittany Baines, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Phenomenal I Am, Inc., is a native of New Haven, CT. Brittany serves as the Project Manager of Mentoring and Prevention Program Providers and Co-Chair of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership Greater New Haven Mentoring Collaborative, 2nd Vice President of The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club (NANBPWC), New Haven Club and a host of other professional networking groups. Brittany earned a Bachelor’s Degree from The University of Connecticut in Human Development and Family Studies with the concentration in Families and Relationships: Services and Counseling and a Master’s Degree from Quinnipiac University in Organizational Leadership with the concentration of Non-Profit and Public Service. Brittany is dedicated to her adaptive leadership capabilities as she gives back to her community. Brittany has acquired skills and experiences that have equipped her to be an effective and efficient leader, with the specialty of designing, developing, implementing, and monitoring quality-based youth services.

Brittany’s passion is to educate, empower and improve the overall well-being of youth and families. Brittany believes that every girl is phenomenal in their own right and decided to do the work necessary to help them to see just how phenomenal they are. Brittany believes mentorship is empowering and is inspired to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloudy sky because….

 

“When you learn, teach… When you get, give….”. ------Maya Angelou

 

Tomi M. Veale

 

Tomi M. Veale is the Program Coordinator for Youth@Work at the City of New Haven where she is responsible for ensuring the success of the Youth@Work initiative to provide summer and year-round employment and career exposure to youth of New Haven. She also works at Gateway Community College as an adjunct Professor of Sociology in the Social Services Department. Prior to working at the City of New Haven, Tomi was the Alumni College Dean for Amistad Academy where she provided college support services to postgraduate non-traditional students and students transitioning from two-year to four-year colleges through the college application process. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Central Connecticut State University and later earned her Masters of Public Administration degree from the University of New Haven.

 

Tomi is an active member of the Order of Eastern Star and chairs her chapter’s scholarship committee along with being the State Youth Director. She lives in New Haven where she was born and raised.

 

Chanel Rice

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Chanel earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut, double majoring in psychology and

individualized in children at risk. As a result of her summer work with New Haven youth through LEAP (Leadership, Education, Athletics in Partnership) during her undergraduate tenure, Chanel decided to pursue a Master of Arts in school counseling from Fairfield University. Chanel has served as a

school counselor for New Haven Public Schools and just completed her 13th year as the lead school counselor at James Hillhouse High School.

 

Due to her passion for her field, Chanel also serves as a licensed professional counselor (LPC) at her own private practice in the New Haven area. Chanel mainly services children and adolescents but has worked across all age groups. She genuinely enjoys helping inner-city youth to ensure academic and personal success in difficult environments. Due to this work, Chanel returned to embarking on her own educational journey and completed her 092 administration certification and 6th Year Certification in SEAL (Social-Emotional and Academic Learning) at Sacred Heart University, where she earned the Dean’s Leadership Award in 2021. Due to her passion for this work, Chanel is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in SEAL as well at Sacred Heart University. Her future dissertation area of interest is racial disparities in student discipline. Chanel is a member of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), American Counseling Association (ACA), and Connecticut School Counseling Association (CSCA). Chanel truly loves her work and enjoys being able to work both within the mental health field and educational field. In her free time, Chanel is the varsity assistant for the girls’ basketball team at James Hillhouse High School as well. 

 

Lakisha Jordan

 

LaKisha Jordan services as Director of Programs for NewAlliance Foundation. She partners with the Executive Director to execute and fulfill the foundation’s grant-making mission to support organizations advancing literacy, build communities and dismantle systems that perpetuate poverty and racism. Mrs. Jordan has over twenty years of experience in financial services, including regulatory compliance, strategic  

partnerships, and charitable portfolio management. She has led DEI advancement  efforts throughout her career—including developing diversified hiring initiatives and  intern recruiting strategies, establishing broader recruiting networks to attract diverse  talent, helping to implement DEI training for leadership teams, and organizing events  and campaigns that addressed civic engagement, social justice, and equity in the  workplace and community. 

Mrs. Jordan received her MBA and Bachelor’s degrees from Southern Connecticut State University. She earned a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certification from the University of South Florida and completed the McKinsey Management Program for High-Performing Managers. Mrs. Jordan’s community involvement is extensive. She serves on several boards— including Gateway Community College Foundation, the Shubert Theatre (CAPA) in New Haven, The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, and Phenomenal I Am. She also serves on Southern Connecticut State University’s Business Advisory Council and the President’s Community Advisory Board. Jordan also is a member of several professional and social organizations. She resides in Hamden with her partner and three children. 

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Jamie Boussicot

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Jamie Boussicot earned her Bachelor's degree in Business from Bay Path College in 2003 and graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2007 earning her Master's in Business Administration (MBA).  She was born and raised  in New Haven, CT.  Jamie lived in Boston for 10 years where she worked in Housing and Judicial Affairs at Mount Ida College and transitioned to Wheelock College as the Director of Multicultural Affairs. While at Wheelock, Jamie was the founding director of the Multicultural Center, created a student leadership position that solely focused on issues related to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in addition to serving on various Institutional DEI committees. 

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Jamie also previously worked in College and Career Success Counseling at Achievement First Amistad High School (AFAHS) in New Haven, CT.  In September of 2021, Jamie left AFAHS to pursue her dreams of owning her own business.  She is currently a full time Loctician, owning and operating Boussie on Loc, LLC and is the co-owner of Loc Fusion. In addition to that, she is also a Doula and enjoys the work she does around Black Maternal Health & advocacy. 

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Jamie currently sits on the Board of Directors for Phenomenal I Am, Inc., for Sacred Heart Academy, serving on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion subcommittee, and serves with the Black Caucus of Hamden. 

Jamie is passionate about college access and success for urban scholars, youth advocacy, serving her community, committed to fighting social injustices, and a proud member Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is married to Rousier Boussicot and they have 3 beautiful children: Madison, Maxon and Marley, ages 19, 10 and 5. 

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Yvonne Temple

 

Yvonne Temple is the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Stratford Public Schools where she is able to implement her passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in every aspect within her position. She works diligently within her local community and with the Connecticut State Department of Education to promote the educational field as a viable profession for those in the BIPOC community. She is a graduate of Southern CT State University with a BA in English Literature and Sacred Heart University with a MS in Human Resource Management.

 

Yvonne is the wife of Christopher Temple and mother of three to Crystal, Christopher, and Caitlyn. In her spare time she likes to listen to Autobiographies/Memoirs on Audible and work on creating a journal to publish and sell soon. 

 

 

Yakeita Robinson-Board Member