Yolanda is committed to the needs of our adolescents and youth. She is shaping and approving the foundation’s strategies, for all youth. Yolanda has worked in the education field for over twenty-two years’ experience in Elementary, Middle and High school.

She has seen first-hand that empowering of our youth and can bring transformational improvements in the health and prosperity of families, communities, and societies. Her work has led her to increasingly focus on gender equity as a path to meaningful change.

The first of two children, Yolanda grew up in Houston, Texas and attended school in Aldine I.S.D.. She received a bachelor’s degree Interdisciplinary Studies of Education from University of Houston in 2002 and a certification with behavior management from HISD. Working for Houston I.S.D. for twenty -two years, she distinguished herself as a leader in the development of education and was later awarded Special Education Teacher of the Year in 2010 and 2014.

Yolanda loves to work with children providing them a choice for good decision making. Yolanda has two children Ashley, an RN, and Cameron, a United States Marine Veteran who lives with her in Houston, Texas. She also has one granddaughter, A’Myra who’s in the 10th grade.

Yolanda loves to travel and experience education in other countries such as Dubai, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Ghana. Her grandmother, Oma Johnson, raised her and her brother taught them to help others in need and to strive to be a positive influence on society. She has named Oma’s Place in remembrance of her grandmother.