Founders

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Kezia Williams

Kezia M. Williams is a community leader, young philanthropist, and social entrepreneur, who has experience working in the fields of nonprofit management and organizational development. She has used her skills to benefit local and national nonprofit organizations to include companies in major cities such as: the District of Columbia, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.

Currently, Ms. Williams serves as Chair of Chair of Capital Cause, which is a DC-based nonprofit dedicated to getting young professionals involved in giving back to their communities. Her work with this organization has included growing the organization from five vested members to over 3,000 young professionals influenced by the Capital Cause message of employing young philanthropy to affect real change. Through managing and working with a team of ten committed volunteers, Williams has oversaw the planning of nearly 10 successful events that yielded grants for local nonprofits, worked collaboratively to increase membership by over 50%, and directed efforts to continuously brand Capital Cause as a nonprofit of choice for young professionals searching for a creative ways to invest in their communities.

Ms. Williams’ achievements have been recognized by Envest Foundation who selected her as one of the 2010 National Capitol Region’s Top 40 Under 40 Young Professionals. She was also featured as a speaker for the One National Rally and delivered remarks about public service to nearly 250,000 people.

From 2005 – 2008, she served as the youngest member on the City of Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission, and from 2005 – 2007, she served as the first Director of Political Engagement for the Northern Virginia Urban League, Young Professionals Network. In 2008, she raised $150,000 for Young & Powerful Group in less than ninety days and starting with a zero dollar budget.

Ms. Williams is proud alum of Christopher Newport University, and is a native of Richmond, Virginia.

Follow Her: @keziamw

Camille Smith

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Raised in the Atlanta area, Camille Smith received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from DukeUniversity. She currently works for MPR Associates as an engineering consultant. 
 
Early in life, Camille exhibited a keen interest in a broad range of topics. This interest manifested itself through her strong commitment to academics and her participation in a plethora of extracurricular activities. Upon graduation from high school, she attended DukeUniversity where she continued to constantly learn and stay engaged. Despite her academically challenging schedule, she was able to stay active on campus and participate in a diverse range of activities, understanding that staying connected in her community was equally as important as making good grades. While there, Camille participated in Future Is Now (a mentoring program that paired female Duke students with female children in the area), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Alpha Kappa Alpha Society, Inc., and Student Organization Finance Committee (a division of Duke Student Government that allocated funds to student groups). She held leadership positions for two years in both Future is Now and NSBE and worked to make both organizations more active and sustainable on campus.

After leaving Duke, Camille ventured up to Washington, DC for professional reasons but believed being in our nation’s capital would provide lots of opportunities for growth. Once arriving in her new home, she struggled with how to become plugged into DC. She got active in her sorority but tried to figure out new ways to get involved. She sees Capital Cause as the organization that will give her that chance since it gives young professionals ways to engage in their community through financial contributions and in public service.

Britney Whaley

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A native of Las Vegas, Britney Whaley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Howard University in 2007. She made a conscious decision after witnessing disparities among people of African descent, women, and children to dedicate her life and career to progressive social and political change. While attending Howard University she published an award winning article on the ideological foundation of black politics and cultivated her interest in policy, research, and black diaspora politics. Realizing that policy transcends every area of public life, she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree at George Mason University. Since attending GMU, she has conducted research on asylum laws for abused women, the cultural lenses used to dissect female genital mutilation, and ethics and public policy. Ms. Whaley currently serves as a guest author for race-talk.org where she writes on women issues.

Believing in the power of collective action, Ms. Whaley works diligently through various organizations to promote positive change in the lives of minority communities. She currently serves as the Regional Representative for the National Black Graduate Student Association where she is responsible for producing a regional research conference, managing the organization's Northeast State Representatives and increasing membership in 11 states as well as the District of Columbia. She also serves as President of the GMU Black Graduate Student Association, Project Coordinator for Greater DC Cares, and volunteer for Women for Women International.

 
Ms. Whaley loves to travel and learn about different cultures. She has traveled to Argentina to research political and social movements in the Afro-Argentinean community and recently participated in the GMU study abroad program where she attended the University of Pretoria and University of Cape Town to learn about political, social, economic, and security challenges in South Africa. Upon receiving her MPP degree, she plans to take a year off to explore more of the world!

Daya Washington

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Daya Tennille Washington, a well versed professional in executive management in the legal and international community, is employed as the Senior Program Assistant for the Rangel Program, responsible for management and finance issues, among many other tasks, for the Program. She is a native of Long Beach, California and proud alumna of Howard University, earning her degree in Political Science (concentration: Pre-Law, Public Administration); Communication & Culture. Interested in politics, she worked for the Adrian Fenty Washington, DC mayoral campaign. After graduation, she embarked on a substantive legal and domestic policy career with the U.S. Government while further pursuing a career in political management by volunteering with the Barack Obama presidential campaign in over seven states. She then worked part-time in policy development for the Presidential Transition Team. Honored to return to HowardUniversity, Daya accepted a position at the RalphJ.BuncheInternationalAffairsCenter and combined her background in political science, law, and education with her management and communication skills.

Daya Tennille Washington is an internationally focused professional ready to embark on a full time career in the Foreign Service, prepared to learn skills that will allow her to draft resolutions at the United Nations, incorporate her strong moral convictions and faith-based background to influence and promote tolerance within the world peace campaign of international relations. She hopes to continue to foster positive, professional relationships throughout the international community to champion human rights and serve as a change agent.

Letitia Tajuba

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Letitia Tajuba is a teacher in Washington, DC, born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. Ms. Tajuba comes from a household where she was raised by seven strong black women (grandmother, aunts, sister, and mother) who have had a major influence on her decisions to focus on consistently improving one self and taking up the challenge that there is more to life than living in Wichita. Known for following the beat of her own drum, Ms. Tajuba always tried to reinvent herself and utilize her talents in the best way possible. This helped her in not only the field of Fine Arts, but in Athletics, Social Studies, Community Service, and Government.

Ms. Tajuba attended KansasStateUniversity, where she was a member of the Pride of Wildcatland the Kansas State University Marching Band where she played the Sousaphone for three years, and passionately promoted more diversity within the Music Department. During her first year, she was approached by a group of young black freshmen to attend the Black Student Union, one of the oldest running organizations on campus. Little did she know that her first few meetings that she would be inspired to study History to promote a more diverse educational experience, and get involved with issues that pertained to the multicultural student community. Upon her graduation in December 2007, Ms. Tajuba accomplished more than what she expected when she first walked on campus at KansasStateUniversity.