Water your Seeds.

Kenya Joyce Hatch is a Visionary Leader, Bridge Builder and Experienced Educator with over twelve years of experience instructing elementary, middle and high school students, securing community resources, successfully operating the admissions process, marketing, and student recruitment, and implementing effective programs for students and families from urban and rural communities. Born and raised in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's west side, her professional background also includes three years teaching overseas in Singapore, London, and Ghana. Kenya graduated with a Bachelors degree in Family and Child Urban Studies with an International Emphasis from Northern Illinois University. She founded Beautiful Seed as a positive outlet for young girls of color, collaborating with several educational institutions, including KIPP Delta Public Schools, Noble Network Charter Charter Schools and Girls, Incorporated of Huntsville.

Robin Johnson is a Chicago native who has been serving her community since she was old enough to do so on her own. Much of her experience includes working with our most vulnerable populations (i.e. homeless youth, LGBTQ, intellectually disabled/mentally ill, young mothers, etc.) Going through some very traumatic experiences that included losing her mother at the age of 7, Robin allowed that to fuel her passion for helping those who need it most. Growing up without a maternal figure, she knew at a young age that she needed to be to young girls what she never consistently had from a woman, guidance and support. This directed her right into social services. Robin serves as a mentor to young ladies at her church and is currently in progress of completing her MSW/MBA with the goal of being able to provide more resources to people of color. In the Wellness Seed program, girls will be able to dive into the conquest of wellness and develop skills and strategies on how to maintain wholeness.

Janelle Miller serves as the Global Seed Director for Beautiful Seed. She is currently the Academic Dean of Providence-Englewood Charter School and focuses on improving and monitoring the academic health of the school through student, teacher, and parental support. After graduating from Tufts University with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Janelle earned her Master’s degree in Teaching from Dominican University, her M.B.A from Loyola University, and her Master’s degree in Math Education from Illinois Institute of Technology. Through the Global Seed program, girls will be able to learn about the importance of community service and also take advantage of study abroad opportunities to develop global awareness.

April serves as one of the Faith Seed Directors for Beautiful Seed. Growing up in the Austin Community, April has a Masters Degree in Organizational Development and Leadership. April knows first hand of the phrase it "takes a village" from being a teenage mother. April has learned that life is all about having a great team and support system around you. As the Faith Seed Director, her saying is "if you tap into your inner beauty, you will find that life is about love, sacrifice, and service to others, and once you tap into that, GOD will allow your GREATNESS TO FLOW!!!!" Girls will have the opportunity to discover and nurture their faith through Faith Seed's "Girl, Let's Chat' sessions, which happens every third Saturday.

Zulmarie serves as the Study Seed Director of Beautiful Seed. She is currently the Associate Director of Programs for iMentor and has worked tirelessly in college counseling for the past 7 years, helping secure resources for young people in urban communities to attend college. In the Study Seed program, girls are exposed to a sustainable college counseling program that equips all students with the academic skills, intellectual habits and character traits to succeed in college, strengthen their communities and change the world. At the heart of our work is the belief that income, race, and zip code should not determine educational outcomes. Therefore, the objective of this program is to graduate 100% of our girls within 6 years of high school graduation.

Monika serves as the Leadership Seed Director of Beautiful Seed. She graduated with honors with both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a first-year, elementary school teacher with the Chicago Public Schools. In the Leadership Seed program, Beautiful Seed partners with middle and high schools throughout Chicago to implement and coach girls on the value of civic education and social justice. Girls are eligible to earn co-curricular credit through participation of this program.

Estella serves as the Volunteer Coordinator and one of the Faith Seed Directors of Beautiful Seed. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and Women's Studies, a Bachelor/Masters Arts dual degree in Biblical Counseling and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Biblical Counseling at the Master's International University of Divinity. Her goal for Faith Seed is to Empower, Encourage and Educate the lives of young women through communications (Girl's Let Chat), awareness, and love.

Jessica Jones serves as the Finance and Operations Director of Beautiful Seed. She studied Business Management at Robert Morris University where she is currently pursuing an MBA in Finance. Jessica currently works at The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as the Finance and Operations Coordinator. She also serves as Head of Finance at New Mount Pilgrim Church and Fiscal Manager of the MAAFA Redemption Project. Jessica’s goal is to ensure that the participants are financially literate in their youth so that they can pursue purpose-driven lives without the financial worry or restraints.

Meet Mari Taylor, the Social Media Relations intern for Beautiful Seed! She is currently a Nursing major and honors student at Western Illinois University and graduated at the top of the Class of 2017 from Christ the King Jesuit High School in Chicago. She embodies every part of what Beautiful Seed stands for and we are so proud to have her as a part of our team!