Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Bertice Berry, Ph.D. graduated magna cum laude from Jacksonville University and earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Kent State University at the age of 26. The former host and co-executive producer of her own nationally syndicated talk show, “The Bertice Berry Show,” she has also been featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and “20/20.” Bertice is a best-selling author, with books including I’m On My Way, But Your Foot Is On My Head; Sckraight From the Ghetto; You Might Be Ghetto If; Redemption Song; The Haunting of Hip Hop; Jim & Louella’s Homemade Heart-fix Remedy; When Love Calls, You Better Answer; The Ties That Bind and A Year to Wellness and Other Weight Loss Secrets.

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Mark Bowen was born and raised in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. His career has primarily focused on community organizing and education in food and social justice. He has worked in these areas throughout the mid-Atlantic and South for over 20 years. He is a licensed social worker taking a career shift towards mental health with aspirations to intersect mental health with social justice and horticultural therapy. He is interested in nature and leftist politics, as well as playing, experimenting, and exploring humanity and the world that surrounds us.

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Jay Brandes, Ph.D., is a Marine Science professor at the University of Georgia, who works at the UGA – Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah. A marine and freshwater chemist, he specializes in the study of the chemistry of the oceans and conducts research on carbon and nutrient cycling in estuaries and coastal oceans and evaluates the composition of particles and microplastic pollutants. He holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington and enjoys working on new techniques that encourage innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

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Maxine Bryant, Ph.D., serves as the director of both the Center for Africana Studies and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Center at Georgia Southern University. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology. With more than 30 years of experience helping prisoners successfully reintegrate into society, she is a much sought-after resource for community organizations, city government, family members of justice-impacted persons and justice-impacted persons themselves. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Services from Walden University and is committed to changing society through her podcast Criminalized by Color and her website, The Virtual Professor, both of which focus on the U.S. criminal justice system. Additionally, Maxine writes a monthly column for the Savannah Morning News. She uses this forum to teach readers about the Black culture in the Lowcountry.

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Isai Castrejon is originally from Mexico and moved to Savannah to continue his work on educating the next generation as part of Junior Achievement, a nonprofit organization that educated young people to own their future economic success through integrated learning models focused on career readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. In his role as the director of the JA Discovery Center Experience, he oversees a facility that offers 15,000 middle school students in Coastal Georgia the opportunity to experience their futures via JA Finance Park and JA BizTown. He holds a degree in economics from Georgia Institute of Technology and plans to continue his work to prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s economy.

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Mary Dillard is a Savannah native who was born with Cerebral Palsy. She recently graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in technical writing. Currently, Mary is serving with the Americorps VISTA program, focusing on marketing and communications at Wesley Community Centers of Savannah. She is passionate about finding new ways to tell worthwhile stories and hopes to use her skill set to advocate for individuals with disabilities.

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Kyrin Dunston, M.D., is a Fellow of Anti-Aging, Metabolic and Functional Medicine who lost 100 pounds and healed herself of multiple unresolved health issues. A board certified OB-GYN, she turned to functional medicine — a practice that raises the standard of care and promotes vitality — to reclaim her health and that of her patients. Today, she hosts The Hormone Prescription podcast, provides coaching for women seeking a superior level of health nationwide at the Midlife Metabolism Institute LLC, and serves as the owner and medical director of The Hormone Club PC, an all-inclusive telemedicine solution helping women obtain state-of-the-art hormone testing and natural treatments.

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Chris Hanks became a junior firefighter in 2001, following the death of his mother. By the time he graduated high school, he had learned basic EMT skills, and the following year, he was the youngest National Registered Paramedic in the state of Georgia. With a bachelor’s degree in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University, he teaches new EMTs the techniques they can use to better serve their community. As a Fire Captain/Paramedic, he serves as the shift health and safety officer, ensuring that members of the fire department are safe during incidents. He also helps residents after fires and is the EMS coordinator, responsible for overseeing and assisting with critical calls within the city of Savannah.

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Wanda Lloyd is author of Coming Full Circle: From Jim Crow to Journalism, a self-reflective exploration of the author’s childhood in the Deep South to daring to become a daily newspaper editor. She is also co-editor of Meeting at the Table: African American Women Write on Race, Culture and Community and writes a twice-monthly column for the Savannah Morning News. She retired as the executive editor of the Montgomery (AL) Advertiser and subsequently worked as the chair and associate professor for the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Savannah State University. Wanda was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Hall of Fame in 2019 and is the co-host of the 2 Old Chicks podcast.

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Mickie McNamara was born to Guyanese immigrants in Brooklyn, New York and studied Italian, classical art history, and collage in Rome, Italy. She interned at the United Nations World Food Programme before beginning her decade-long career in finance, culminating as an Assistant Vice President at Deutsche Bank in New York. She served as a Civil Servant for U.S. Army Africa in Vicenza, Italy before moving to Savannah. She has an M.A. in Government and Politics from St. John’s University, Rome Campus, and a B.A. in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia. She is currently working on her forthcoming memoir.

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