Georgia Chapter
The Georgia Chapter was chartered by Jessica Ushry in June 2016. The Georgia Chapter focuses on connections with former alumni in addition to tackling the homeless foster youth crisis in Georgia.
FCAA GA Chapter partnered with Dekalb Housing Authority to assist young adults ages 18-25 who are homeless and in need of rental assistance. As a result, 38 youth were housed through the pilot. FCAA GA continues to work with the young adults who were housed through the pilot program to connect them with supportive resources.
Leadership
President: Maurice J. Gilliard
Vice President: Raekwon Williams
Secretary: Contact GA Chapter Today
Communications: Contact GA Chapter Today
Treasurer: Contact GA Chapter Today
Maurice Gilliard, GA Chapter President
Maurice Gilliard is an Army Veteran – turned –advocate for Foster Youth and champion for his mother and wife’s story.
As an Army Officer and former Black Hawk helicopter pilot, Maurice was responsible for direction, accountability and leadership of both personnel and equipment. Maurice’s organizational leadership skills and management have proven results in the
office and on the battlefield. Supervisors and peers have spoken of Maurice to have an uncanny ability to bring a group of individuals together and mold them into a
cohesive and motivated team, regardless of the tasks at hand. Maurice is the President of the Georgia chapter for the Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA). He is in pursuit of a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) through Syracuse University, NY, and has achieved a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Austin Peay State University. Maurice is President and Co-Founder of Gilliard and Company, NPO, focused on providing services and assistance to Foster Youth in and out of Care. Maurice’s passion is working with teens and adults who have been affected by the foster care system. Maurice has first-hand seen, through his
wife and mother’s life, the magnitude of building a purposeful and thriving life with an element that he truly believes is the glue to permanency and resiliency: companionship. Maurice’s compass quote in life is “if my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it than I
can achieve it” – Muhammed Ali.
Raekwon Williams, GA Chapter Vice President
Board Members
Ebony Harris
Ebony Harris is Director of Residential programs at The United Methodist Children’s Home. Ebony has spent most of her career advocating and developing systemic programming for transition-age foster youth. Ebony previously served as State Independent Living Program Director for Georgia’s Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services from 2007 – 2012 and has over 15 years of child welfare field experience in the areas of independent living, foster & therapeutic group care, adoptions, and youth transitional services. Ebony has Bachelors of Science in Psychology from Alabama State University and a Masters of Arts in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.
Adrienne R. (Rene’) Spikes
Adrienne R. (Rene’) Spikes is the Director of Operations and COO of AHGU dba Ringer Employment Solutions (RES) and Ringer Center of Excellence a 501(c) nonprofit organization. As Director of Operations, Spikes guides RES in its critical mission – helping the unemployed become employed in a jobless and recession economy. RES’s non-traditional training methods have been proven successful beyond measures. AHGU (the parent – Atlanta Hospitality Group Unlimited, Inc.) also conducts sales and marketing training in the public and private sectors; RCE (Ringer Center of Excellence) the non-profit entity extends GED training to government aided clients. Spikes joined AHGU in January 2006 after more than fifteen years in the credit/finance industry. She is active participant in several civic organizations and religious groups. Spikes is an Atlanta, Georgia native, receiving her formal education in the Atlanta Public School System and a Bachelor Degree from a HBCU – Clark Atlanta University. Spikes is married and has one child.
Sharon L. Hill, Ph.D.
Sharon L. Hill, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor, Georgia State University, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Department of Public Management and Policy
Sharon Hill is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. She holds a BA in Psychology from Delta State University (Cleveland, MS), an MPA from the University of Illinois (Chicago), an MA in Guidance and Counseling from Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) and a Ph.D. in Public and Urban Administration from the University of Texas (Arlington).
Dr. Hill has thirty years of professional experience in government and human services in Georgia, Texas and Illinois. Positions have included Director of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budgeting, Director and Deputy Director of Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), Director of Federal Regulations and Data for DFCS which includes the Office of Quality Assurance, SHINES (Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System) and Data Analysis and Reporting. Dr. Hill worked for the Texas Department of Human Services as a Supervisor for a long term care program for the elderly and persons with disabilities as well as a Management Development Specialist. In addition, she was also an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and an adjunct professor with Clark Atlanta University.
Dr. Hill is committed to strengthening families and ensuring that all children enjoy the rights and privileges of a safe and secure upbringing. She sincerely believes that she was created to be a blessing to others. She volunteered for ten years with Big Brothers and Sisters of Arlington, Texas. As a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, she has participated in a variety of community service projects. She is currently on the board of directors for youthSpark, an organization dedicated to ending child sex trafficking and the Multi-Agency Alliance for Children (MAAC) whose goal is to improve outcomes for at-risk youth and their families in Georgia. Dr. Hill is also the academic advisor for the Mentoring Enrichment Program for foster children in Fulton and Dekalb Counties; Academic Director for the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders and serves on the Georgia Supreme Court’s Committee on Justice for Children.
News Article: Please click here for an inspiring article about Rashida Womack and the Housing Choice Voucher Young Adult Program with the Housing Authority of Dekalb County.
Questions or comments about this page? Please contact us at FCAA.GA@gmail.com
Foster Care Alumni of America chapters are comprised of volunteers who operate under our 501(c)(3) non-profit tax and legal status as well as our mission, vision, and values.
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