Meet our people.

BOARD CHAIR

Aqui Kapend Dapaah is a trial lawyer and fierce advocate for justice. When she is not in a courtroom, she is active in various community endeavors committed to the empowerment of our community.

She is the cofounder of a non-profit called The Rise Initiative, an organization that empowers our youth, tomorrow’s leaders!

She is also an award winning real estate investor and the founder of Financially Savvy Girl: a platform that provides financial literacy and real estate tips to help millennials build wealth and one that is invested in women’s economic empowerment.

As a mentor and coach, her philosophy in life is as follows: we have two hands, one is to help yourself, the other is to help others.

BOARD VICE-CHAIR & CHAIR OF PROGRAMS COMMITTEE

Mayelle Joachim-Hivert is a passionate educator with over 10 years of teaching experience. She has taught in various communities in the Greater Toronto Area and in Ottawa. Mayelle is a Carleton University and a University of Toronto graduate having earned both a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and a Bachelor of Education degree.

Mayelle strongly believes in the power of community which is why she strives to collaborate with other professionals, organizations and eager individuals to support and empower the well-being of students and their families. After immigrating from Haiti, Mayelle spent most of her childhood in Ottawa. She is quite familiar with the opportunities and the many challenges faced by immigrants and members of the Black community. This is why Mayelle is an active member of several nonprofit organizations striving to improve and empower our community. Mayelle proudly serves Black Ottawa Connect and its initiatives as she believes it is an important support for the Black community.

BOARD TREASURER & CHAIR OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

Davene Sterling-Wisdom is a dedicated and detail-oriented accounting and tax specialist. With over 10 years experience, she has been meeting the accounting and taxation needs of corporations and individuals. Davene currently owns and operates SWF Solutions Inc., an accounting and taxation firm, where she not only prepares taxes but educates business owners and individuals, helping them to obtain all their financial solutions.

Davene knew she wanted to be an accountant as of high school. She started tutoring her peers in Grade 10, accounting class, where she saw herself excelling in class and quickly understanding the concept of debits, credits and balances. After high school, she went on to obtain her bachelor’s in Business Administration, majoring in Finance. Davene is currently pursuing her CPA.

After working for Fortune 500 companies in various financial, accounting, insurance, investments and office management positions, Davene knew it was time to make her exit and open her own firm. Her vision is to help others gain financial knowledge, so their Sterling works for them.

Davene loves helping and serving others. She volunteers as a Finance Manager for a local charity, Shelter Movers Ottawa and through a collaborated program with CRA and Revenu Quebec, helping modest income individuals file their income tax for free.

In her little spare time, Davene loves to sing, cook and bake. She recently found a new hobby - she is learning to play the guitar!

BOARD SECRETARY

Nadia McKenzie is a passionate business professional with over 15 years’ experience in the field of Sponsorship and Activation, Marketing Campaign Strategy and Program Development. Her focus is in the development, planning and activation of partnership programs and marketing strategies.

Nadia has worked on award winning and industry recognized sponsorships for CBC Sports properties, such as Kraft Hockeyville and Tim Hortons Soccer Day in Canada. She also worked on the brand side of sponsorship for Aeroplan, building partnerships within Canada's art communities.

Nadia loves to learn by reading anything she gets her hands on or is recommended. She is a certified Les Mills BODYPUMP fitness instructor.

BOARD DIRECTOR & CHAIR OF VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE

Offering more than 13 years worth of professional newsroom experience, Stefan Keyes is an award-winning journalist currently working full-time with CTV News in Ottawa. Tackling assignments with compassion, Stefan is known for being articulate with the ability to adapt to various work environments. Experience includes: news anchoring, television producing, broadcast writing, live reporting, social media journalism and appearing on national television programs as a panelist on a variety of topics from politics to lifestyle.

Stefan is a 2009 graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program where he also minored in history. He has worked and lived in Calgary where he anchored a morning show for Global News.

Born and raised in the nation’s capital to a single mother, Stefan was a teenager when he first started writing for a monthly newspaper called The Spectrum which catered to the needs and interests of the black community. While still in high school, he produced a 13-minute segment for the former CBC radio program entitled Outfront as a freelancer. He volunteered as an audio board technician for the CKCU radio program called Third World Players while completing his undergraduate degree.

Stefan was also able to launch his career with CTV Ottawa during his third-year of undergrad and has been climbing the ranks ever since. Aside from stellar reporting with a stylish flair, Keyes works diligently to give back to the community volunteering for several not-for-profit groups with a focus on youth, the arts, and the BIPOC community. Stefan’s passion for the community partially comes from the lived experience of growing up in low-income housing and witnessing the hardships that come along with it.

His talents also led him to become a vocalist and actor who has performed for on-screen productions shown around the world; and live audiences in Canada, the United States and Jamaica.

BOARD DIRECTOR Shewit is a storyteller, writer and creative brand consultant. She has an educational background in English and Communication Studies, and she has spent many years as an arts administrator and creative consultant for a myriad of organizations and companies. She turns narratives to normalize the authentic, positive, and dynamic experiences of women and people of colour, and helps shape powerful brand stories. She has delved into research on long-form storytelling, exploring themes from a rich and multicultural lens. She has many years of experience creating multimedia content for Nike, PUMA, the non-for-profit sector, media, beauty, academia, and tech. She has finished research on a documentary and is currently working into her first foray of scripted television.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR + FOUNDER

Raised in Ottawa, Meron is a Project Manager at Ontario Health, EIDA-R (Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism). Meron studied at both Carleton University and uOttawa and holds a BSc in Health Science, a BSc in Psychology, Mental Health & Neuroscience and a certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She obtained her PMP designation through the Project Management Institute in 2018.

Meron sits on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Birth & Wellness Centre.

Additionally, she is the founder of Black Ottawa Connect. She is a passionate community leader that believes in connection as the starting point for education, engagement and empowerment.

Formerly, Meron was the co-founder of Bantu, an app that connected Black women with hair stylists who can style curly, kinky and coily hair. Meron was nominated for L’OREAL’s Women of Worth, RBC Women of Influence and BYA (Businesswoman of the Year) Awards.