Frank Bailey, Jr.

Frank Michael Bailey, Jr is the President and founder of Grow Orlando, a 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to use Plant Cultivation to teach valuable life skills such as stewardship, self-worth, work maturity skills, and financial literacy. His program includes a work-study program that hires students as employees for gardening, farming, landscaping, etc. for financial stimulus and vocational credit towards graduation!  He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Winter Garden Community Garden, a member of the East Winter Garden Alliance, and the first recipient of the East Winter Garden Collaborative.
An Orlando native, Frank has lived in Holden Heights, Metro West, Gotha, Winter Park and is currently residing in Winter Garden. His passion is to change the world and the future, and the best way to do it, he believes, is through providing youth opportunity and experience. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance and Conducting from Rollins College, is currently the choir director for the Presbyterian Church of the Lakes and has just been appointed East Winter Garden’s Trans-generational Choir Director.

Dylan McCain Allen

“Having a heart for the poor isn’t hard, we all have that. But having a mind for the poor, that’s the challenge.” – Michael Fairbanks of Harvard University

No singular person or entity can solve any major challenge of humanity without the strategic, systemic collaboration of others. Collective impact connects all the dots in a community to make lasting, positive change.

Dylan grounds community leaders in the importance of educational access and attainment, economic opportunity and equity, individualized belongingness, and reverence to a community’s history(/herstory) and assets. He strives to perfect the efficacy of change-makers in Central Florida. Living every moment for others, ceaselessly learning, and embracing challenges with ferocious vivacity all drive Dylan to greet every sunrise with the confidence that it will always be brighter than the last.

Dylan is the a former Chair of the Board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Orlando (YNPN Orlando). His skills in strategic planning, impact management, technological integration, resource cultivation, research, and partnership development build personal, organizational, and community peace, prosperity, and resiliency. He is also a loud advocate for underrepresented identities in leadership and entrepreneurship.

 

 


Chantel Aquart

Chantel Aquart’s journey is a testament to her dedication as a single mom of 3 working to help other moms. Blending spiritual gifts like discernment and empathy with professional strengths in corporate consulting and coaching ignited her mission. Her business Amazing Life Consulting offers training and events to break barriers to success for moms. She’s assisted community organizations as a board member and grant winner. Her education is in neurolinguistics and kinesiology; she’s a community champion and influential speaker who fosters all partnerships to uplift her community. Committed to empowering others, Chantel always seeks sponsorships, mentorship, and collaborations to grow and implement her robust support systems for a life of limitless potential.


Elshan Asadi

Elshan Asadi believes all people deserve affordable housing. The problem is the stakeholders that can make the biggest impact are not collaborating in the most effective ways. She is working to bring academia, government, and charity-based organizations together to address this epidemic.

Elshan moved to Central Florida in 2010 with a degree in architecture engineering. She received her Master of Architecture at the University of Florida’s College of Design, Construction and Planning, and she works full time in architecture field. She is currently an architectural accessibility consultant with JensenHughes.


Sade Adeyemi

I’ve always known that I’m meant to change the world. My passions include learning, growth and art. My interests change as I explore everything I’m able to, and so I graduated from the University of Central Florida Spring 2018 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies – Journalism and Psychology, and a Minor in Digital Media. During my last semester in college I interned with Playground City, a nonprofit focused on making education playful, and accepted a position as Program Director months after. Working with Playground City has shown me the importance of learning and growth and has kickstarted a passion for education. I believe if we change the way people learn, in and out of schools, we can change the world. I am so thankful for this opportunity to work with my community to become the best me I can be, and push others to do the same!

In 2019, I took a position with KIPP Colorado Schools in Denver as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Facilitator. I founded The Herbal Alchemist in 2021 as a side hustle from my Denver studio apartment. In 2022, I took a leap of faith to build my business full time and relocated to Oakland California. I’m constantly astonished by how The Herbal Alchemist has transformed! This has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life.

 


Christopher J. Cuevas

We live as a shared humanity and every single person is deserving of dignity and honor. I don’t want to live in a world where anyone is left behind. So, why not lean in?

A lifelong peace practitioner, educator, and community organizer, Christopher leads their work for cultural transformation by centering the unapologetic and unwavering power of radical love. A child of immigrants and a transgender person of color, Christopher interconnects their lived experience and drives the necessary heart work of building a culture of peace, compassion, and change through advocating for racial, gender, and economic justice movements.

Through their work with state, national, and transnationally recognized initiatives and organizations, Christopher has led conversations and facilitated education campaigns specifically addressing structural racism, health equity, and LGBTQ+ issues. In acknowledgment of their commitment to social equity and LGBTQ+ justice, Christopher was honored by Equality Florida as their 2017 Voice of Equality honoree, in 2018 by the Public Broadcasting Station as an American Graduate Champion, in 2022 by the Contigo Fund as their inaugural Legacy Award honoree, and honored by POZ Magazine on their annual POZ 100 list of advocates making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In 2016, following the horrific massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, Christopher co-founded and served as the executive director of QLatinx, a racial, social, and gender justice movement working toward the advancement of intersecting LGBTQ+ Latinx issues. Under the direction of the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Christopher led efforts to address health disparities, and introduce comprehensive measures directly supporting communities living with HIV in the US South. Empowered by the auspice of the Trans Justice Funding Project, the nation’s largest transgender led philanthropic initiative, Christopher has worked to drive nearly $1 million dollars to transgender led and serving initiatives across the US, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.

An avid peacebuilder, Christopher served on the Board of Directors for the Peace and Justice Institute, an internationally recognized center for peace education. Appointed by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer in 2019, Christopher served on the Advisory Board for the City of Orlando’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, working to highlight and address the needs of the City’s growing multicultural community. Christopher previously served as a trustee for Philanthropy Southeast, the premier philanthropic network focused on the American South and U.S. Caribbean territories, where they led efforts to champion equitable and trust-based practices in Southern philanthropy.

Christopher most recently lead the LGBTQ+ Equality grantmaking program for the Laughing Gull Foundation, the nation’s largest Southern funder of LGBTQ+ initiatives, where they managed a $2 million dollar grant portfolio in support LGBTQ+ organizations working at the intersections of racial, gender, and economic justice throughout the U.S. South.

Christopher is the Principal and Founder of Colibri Consulting Group, a movement-centered capacity builder and strategy center, strengthening the leadership of those at the forefront of racial, gender, and economic justice movements.