Patterns and Consequences of Segregation in Dallas

Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Froswa’ joined the State Fair of Texas in 2016 as director of community affairs and strategic alliances and was promoted to vice president in 2019.  Prior to joining the State Fair of Texas, she was national community engagement director for World Vision – US Programs, responsible for a team across the US including staff in North Texas. Froswa’ is responsible for the development and implementation of the State Fair’s philanthropy as well as the department’s community and educational programming. She is responsible for the creation of several State Fair signature programs including the Cohort for Concessions, Fairs and Expositions (CFFE), Community Engagement Day Convenings, and NXT FEST. She is also the Co-Founder of HERitage Giving Circle, the first African American Women’s Giving Circle in Texas.

Froswa’ has been quoted in Forbes, Ozy, Bustle, Huffington Post, and other media outlets around the world. In addition, she is the author of three workbooks for women: Fly Away: A Mother’s Loving Legacy of Life Lessons (2019), Ready for a Revolution: 30 Days to Jolt Your Life (2016), and Rules of Engagement: Making Connections Last (2013) as well as a weekly advice columnist for professional women on the global platform Business Woman Media. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Oklahoma City University, and a PhD graduate of Antioch University in Leadership and Change with a focus on social capital, change management, and relational leadership.

Booker-Drew has received many honors for her work and involvement which include: 2019 Dallas Business Journal Women in Business Honoree, 2017 and 2018 Who’s Who in Black Dallas, 2014 Global Big Heart Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., 2012 Outstanding African American Alumni Award from the University of Texas at Arlington, 2012 Diversity Ambassador for the American Red Cross and 2009 Woman of the Year Award by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.   She has served as a workshop presenter at the United Nations in 2013 on the Access to Power and was a part of the documentary, Friendly Captivity, a film that followed a cast of 7 women from Dallas to India.

Dr. Booker-Drew has completed training in Relational Cultural Theory, facilitator training on Immunity to Change based on the work of Kegan and Lahey of Harvard and Equity Based Evaluations through UNICEF. Froswa’ has taught at several universities including Capital Seminary and Graduate School, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of North Texas at Dallas and was a post doctoral fellow at Antioch University.  She will begin teaching at Tulane University Fall 2020 in the Master’s of Public Administration program.  When she’s not working, Froswa’ enjoys spending time with family and friends, writing, reading, and listening to music.

Shannon Walker, Director of Nu Transgender Movement, Inc born & raised in Dallas, TX is an advocate for the transgender community. Shannon works within Texas communities to create policies and facilitate training to ensure a diverse and inclusive environment. Shannon is the first Transgender Woman of Color to develop and implement a Diversity Training on Gender Identity and Gender Expression for the Dallas Police Academy. Shannon lives in the Dallas area with Benson the Labrador.

Hosanna Yemiru is a local electoral and political organizer,  and a student at the University of Texas at Dallas. Having worked in multiple political campaigns over the past few years, she has zeroed in on a focus on youth participation in electoral politics, grassroots mobilization, and community engagement with elected officials. She currently serves as the President of the UTD Democrats and is managing a State House race in Dallas.

A native of Durango, Mexico, and resident of East Dallas, Texas, Maria Yolisma is a first-generation Mexican-American immigrant who has used her personal experiences to fight for those in her community. An alumna of the University of Texas at Arlington she studied public relations and emerging media and uses her skillsets to continue to elevate the stories of others and uplift online campaigns. During her time at Woodrow Wilson High School, she wanted to further advocate for her undocumented and migrant peers to ensure they had college access. This brought her to become a part of the North Texas Dream Team to which has served as a platform for her to lead in large scale DACA clinics from 2015-2017 while also rallying alongside the team to fight for just policy locally and nationally. She stood at the forefront of ensuring that undocumented Texan students receive fair tuition treatment by speaking to elected officials and testifying in committee hearings against policies made to repeal in-state tuition.