Meet the 1619 Team

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

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Founder/CEO/Executive Chair

SHERYL MALLORY-JOHNSON

Sheryl Mallory-Johnson is the Founder and Visionary of 1619NCBW and serves as CEO/Executive Chair of the Board. With her unwavering dedication to celebrating the strength and perseverance of women of the African diaspora, Sheryl rallied an exceptional group of women Together, they successfully paid tribute to the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first African captives in colonial America, uplifting and educating Black women and girls about their extraordinary ancestry.

A retired Child Protective Services Worker, Sheryl worked as an Adjunct Humanities Professor at Springfield College where she passionately taught graduate and undergraduate courses. Early in her social service career, she developed and supervised the operation of a state funded lunch program, which provided 7,000 meals daily to underprivileged kids throughout San Diego County.

Being a Psychotherapist, Sheryl remains a resolute counselor and advocate for children, youth, families, and the disenfranchised.

She is novelist and a playwright who enjoys writing heartfelt stories about the human condition.

Co-Founder/ Secretary/Executive Board

PAULA JONES OWENS

Paula Owens is a Co-Founder of 1619NCBW, serves as Executive Board Secretary, and on the Social Media Committee. Born and raised in a small town in Louisiana, Paula moved to California with her late husband, who was serving in the US Navy. She is also the proud mother of two beautiful children. Paula received her bachelor's degree in business administration from National University in 2010. She has worked as a Senior Patient Service Rep for a local medical group for nearly three decades where she also acts as a Preceptor to new employees. In her downtime, she enjoys relaxing at home, learning TikTok dances with her kids, and volunteering at her child’s school events where she also served as Parent School Site Council Member.

When asked to help with the 400th year celebration of our ancestor’s arrival in this country, Paula was on board, no hesitation. As black woman, she believes our resilience, power, and courageousness to the Civil Rights and Women’s Movements can never be overlooked or forgotten.

TREASURER, EXECUTIVE BOARD

JULIA MORRIS

Julia Morris serves as Executive Board for 1619NCBW as well as on the outreach committee. She was born in Calhoun, Georgia, and graduated from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. Julia has more than 25 years of experience empowering youth, parents, dependent adults and older adults, and has served on committees such as Qualification Evaluation Committee (QEC), SDSU’s Advisory Committee, School Attendance Review Board (SARB), the Southern Indian Health Council (SIHC), and East County Domestic Violence Committee. Julia has been a frequent guest speaker at the V&B Bible Institute’s Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. She developed a curriculum “Habits of Character: The Nature of Vice and Virtue” that is biblically-based. Julia teaches this curriculum to girls ages 10 to 17. Ms. Morris enjoys traveling and has traveled throughout the Caribbean, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Brazil, Spain, Greece, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, Croatia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Julia Morris lives in San Diego CA.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Honorary Co-founder/Local Outreach Chair/ Fund Development Chair

ALYCE PIPKIN-ALLEN

Alyce was born in Mississippi, raised in San Diego and has been civically engaged in public service and grassroots nonprofits advocating for the advancement of women, students and low-income communities of color, particularly Black communities for the majority of her adult life. Alyce began her activism in community nonprofits Neighborhood House Association, Black Federation and Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation performing and managing workforce development activities. She later joined the County of San Diego’s Human Resources Department retiring as a Human Resources Professional. Since her retirement, Alyce has focused on grassroots lobbying, advocacy, and activism as Vice-Chair of the Black American Political Association of California, San Diego Chapter (BAPACSD) and other nonprofits and Giving Circles. She ran for office in 2016 and since that time has dedicated herself to educating and informing people of color about the importance of registering and voting in Primary and General elections. She is the mother of two sons, grandmother of five, a great-grandmother of one, and a family member to many.

Co-Founder/ Event Chair

JACQUELYN SHERMAN-RUSTIN

Jacquelyhas guided over 900 young people through the challenging years of high school to become professional, ethical, compassionate young adults. Her stewardship of the prestigious Aaron Price Fellows Program (APF) creates a legacy of youth development that will have a positive impact for generations. Sherman-Rustin served as Executive Director of APF for 20 years. Before her position with APF, she worked for approximately ten years behind the scenes of various local officials. She served as council representative for former 4th District Councilman William Jones and served as policy analysis for former San Diego County Supervisor Susan Golding, and Director of Community Outreach for former San Diego Mayor Susan Golding. After retiring from APF, Sherman-Rustin accepted a job with Neighborhood House Association, first as the Director of Community Affairs and later as the Director of Development.

Co-Founder/ Marketing/Promotions Chair

ALICE KENNEDY

Alice Kennedy is the Program Manager for the Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS), and the Leaders in Action (LIA) executive leadership development program. SACHS is a county/university partnership, which provides a forum for county human services directors to strategize collectively, plan, and respond to the complexities of public human services, i.e. statewide policies and practices, fiscal planning, social equity, legislative strategy, and staffing/executive development. Alice’s role is to convene, facilitate and guide SACHS and LIA toward established goals and outcomes.

Formerly the Assistant Director of the County of San Diego, Child Welfare Services (CWS), Alice has 30 years as a social welfare practitioner and administrator. She currently serves as a part-time lecturer in the graduate program within the School of Social Work at San Diego State University (SDSU) and also provides independent consultation and training on culture, race, and disproportionality. Alice holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work from San Diego State University (SDSU), with an emphasis in Administration.

During her career in Child Welfare, Alice was appointed as the Ombudsman, Civil Rights Liaison, and Secretary of the San Diego County’s Child Fatality Review Committee. She established an Administrative Case Review (ACR) process to examine operational practices and guide system improvements in high-risk/fatal child abuse cases. She also successfully implemented the Department of Justice (DOJ), Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) Grievance Hearing process, which established an avenue to remove persons wrongfully listed in the CACI.

Having oversight of countywide departmental operations, hiring and staffing, and foster/adoption programs, Alice routinely partnered with the California Dept. of Social Services (CDSS) to implement numerous initiatives affecting families, communities, and the workforce.

Ms. Kennedy’s strategic and solution-focused leadership drives her commitment to equip a new generation of human services leaders, advance racial equity, and strengthen families within their communities.

Co-Founder/ Event Coordinator.

CYNTHIA KEEVE

Cynthia Keeve was a public servant for 30 years and retired as a paralegal analyst. She is a current California Ambassador for AARP and educates the aging community on healthcare, wellness, fraud prevention, and caregiving in San Diego. As a member of New Life Baptist Church and a certified spiritual counselor, she facilitates spiritual growth classes as a part of the Outreach Ministry. Through her work as a member at large for the 1619 National Celebration of Black Women, she empowers Black women and young girls to know their history and celebrate their excellent contributions to American culture.

Local Outreach Co-Chair, Fund Development

SUSAN PEINADO

Susan is the current Vice President of the External Democratic Women's Club of San Diego, Co-Founder, and former President. Susan also formerly served as president of the Point Loma Democratic Club, where she is the current membership chair. She formerly served as an Executive Board member of the CA Democratic Party in California's 78th State Assembly district and was the Trustee at the San Diego History Center. A retired educator at Duval County Public Schools, Susan earned her BA from Stetson University and certification in Fund Raising and Development from UCSD.

Creative Consultant

LEAH GOODWIN

Leah is President & CEO of Leah Goodwin Creations – Where Art and Soul Meet. Leah has a diverse background that includes small business development and fundraising, marketing and communications in the areas of cultural, community, and public relations. Her exemplary career in the arts encompasses everything from public arts management to visual and performing arts program development and consultation, to creation and implementation of award winning arts in education and arts in hospitals programs. Currently, she also serves as:• San Diego Regional Consultant providing Event Coordination, Fund-raising and Community BuildingUnited Negro College Fund• Faculty for Urban Leadership Program, Special Event CoordinatorRISE San Diego• Vice-ChairSan Diego County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls• Co-Chair, Event Manager and Fund-raiserSun and Sea Festival in Imperial BeachIn 2015, Leah created the San Diego Experience of the Civil Rights Movement, an exhibition of banners which has been displayed in many venues around San Diego. The display contains a series of panels that acknowledges the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as honors San Diego’s leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. Leah is an accomplished and published poet and writer, including significant contributions to the book by Merryl Goldberg entitled, “Teaching English Language Learners through the Arts.” Her recent honors include receiving a 2017 MOXIE Award from MOXIE Theatre for being a Woman of Grit and Determination and being one of the selected featured women in the “Beautiful, Brilliant and Brave: A Celebration of Black Women” exhibit for her work in arts and culture.

Outreach Coordinator/Marketing

ROSA BARR-WILLIAMS

Rosa Barr-Williams is a seasoned professional with a comprehensive background in higher education. HBCU raised and bred, Rosa’s love of ‘her” cultural started when she attended Virginia State University from 1994 to 1998, majoring in Health and Physical Education K-12. Currently, Rosa serves as the Recruitment and Outreach Officer and Coordinator of Strategic Partnerships at California State University San Marcos, bringing over 18 years of valuable experience in various facets of higher education. In her role within Student Affairs at CSUSM, she plays a pivotal role in recruiting a diverse student population. Her multifaceted experiences and dedication to education continue to make meaningful contributions to the academic community at CSUSM

Originally from Upstate New York, Rosa now resides in San Diego with her retired Military Veteran wife, Sharyn Williams, and their two children. In her leisure time Rosa enjoys running with Black Girls Run San Diego, jumping with 40+ Double Dutch San Diego, and being a part of the NBWC 1619 San Diego. Rosa lives by her quote, " walk into any room, with confidence and know that you belong.

EVENT COORDINATOR/MC

SHARYN WILLIAMS

Sharyn Williams is a retired Business Manager from the Port of San Diego, an Internal Consultant at the City of San Diego, and a Navy Veteran. With a M.A. in Organization Development, she specializes in enhancing leadership competencies with a focus on values-based decision-making.

Sharyn is currently designing workshops to support multicultural teams and empower women to thrive in today's diverse workplace.

ADVISORY BOARD

BEA KEMP, ESQ.

An Associate IIDA, Allied ASID, Bea was a successful business and corporate attorney for 35 years before deciding to pursue her passion for interior design. Equally logical and creative, she brings extraordinary knowledge from her extensive experience representing contractors, developers and owners in commercial real estate and property development matters - and a well-honed design aesthetic that is functional and elegant.

Her many years managing business and people in the corporate sector equips her to efficiently and effectively manage large scale, complex design projects. With her knowledge of the importance of time and budget, and keen eye for adhering to the bottomline, Bea consistently brings projects in on time and on budget.

In addition to Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate degrees, Bea is an honors graduate of San Diego Mesa College's Interior Design program.

CATRINA JOHNSON-GREEN, ESQ.

Catrina Johnson-Green serves on the Advisory Boar and as an Outreach Coordinator. Catrina is a seasoned Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with extensive experience in crisis intervention, life management counseling, and various therapeutic practices.

With a Master’s degree in Counseling and Guidance, a Law Degree from Trinity Law School, and multiple certifications in specialized therapeutic areas, Catrina brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the organization. She is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and groups navigate life's challenges and improve their mental health and well-being.