About Us
Our Vision
Our vision is that every Texan, regardless of socioeconomic status, has equal access to a quality education, health resources, and economic opportunity.
About Us
In 2004, four members of the Beta Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated – Patricia Wilkins (President), Mary Castleberry, Andrea Franklin, and Scheherazade Perkins – recognized the need for the chapter to establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to increase the chapter’s level of charitable giving and support for the Austin area community. That year, the members filed Articles of Incorporation for a nonprofit and AKA Association for Community Development (AKA ACD) was born.
AKA ACD was organized for charitable, educational, and community development purposes with a specific focus on serving the needs of African Americans, women, youth, and disadvantaged Texans. Since its inception, AKA ACD has been a recognized source of support for Austin and its surrounding communities. Our top priority is supporting the educational needs of the community. We prioritize funding to allow us to award scholarships to college-bound students every year.
Our signature program of service is Project GREEN (Growing Responsible Environmentalists by meeting Educational Needs). Through Project GREEN, we provide every student in each grade level at Oak Springs Elementary and Texas Preparatory School Austin with the required school supplies including backpacks, saving parents at each school hundreds of dollars per year.
In 2023, we began collaborating with Beta Psi Omega Chapter to help combat student food insecurity through our Childhood Hunger Initiative Power Pack (AKA CHIPP™) program. For some children, school lunch is their only meal of the day. Studies show that food insecurity affects a child’s ability to learn and may lead to social and behavioral problems. We are partnering with local elementary schools to provide weekend and holiday meals to students experiencing food insecurity.
Board of Directors
Lotus Douglas
Chairman
Shaila Arlee-Murray
Vice Chairman
Yolanda Holt
Secretary
Sharal Brown
Treasurer
Henri Pryor
Financial Secretary
Jacquelyn Hawkins
Financial Secretary
RoShana Adamson
Board Member
Trena Robinson
Board Member
Community Partners
Lotus Douglas
Chairman
Lotus Douglas serves as the Chairman of AKA Association for Community Development. She has 20+ years’ IT management experience and has successfully led multiple teams in delivering client solutions that companies rely on to run their businesses. Lotus is currently a Program Director at IBM where she manages strategic partnerships and technical enablement for key IBM business partners. In 2021 and 2022, The Austin Black Business Journal named Lotus one of the Most Influential Technologists. She holds a Bachelor of Computer Science degree and a Master of Business Administration. She is a 40-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,Incorporated®, whose motto “to be of service to all mankind” aligns with her passion for serving others. She is also a member of The Links, Incorporated, a volunteer service organization. Lotus is a committed advocate of breast cancer awareness. She is a member of the Austin Affiliate Chapter of Sisters Network® Inc. (SNI), an African American breast cancer survivorship organization and she serves on the Board of the Breast Cancer Resource Center in Austin.
Shaila Arlee-Murray
Vice Chairman
Shaila Arlee-Murray serves as the Vice-Chairman of AKA Association for Community Development. As Vice-Chairman she oversees the program initiatives of the foundation and serves at the pleasure of the Chairman to enhance the impact of AKA ACD.As a servant leader Shaila has a fervent desire to serve the community. She has volunteered with many non-profit organizations and served on other non-profit boards. This work is driven by life experiences and a desire to connect with people where they are. Shaila holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has worked in various industries in the private and public sector. She is currently employed by the State of Texas as a Management Analyst.
Yolanda Holt
Secretary
Yolanda Holt serves as the Secretary of AKA Association for Community Development. She is a native Texan from Houston that attended the University of Texas in Austin and graduated from the University of Houston – Downtown in Information Technology. She is a PMI Project Management Professional (PMP).
With 38 years in IT, Yolanda is a Program Manager at HPE. She held various assignments in system development, client account support, people management, technical education, university recruiting, test, and project management. Yolanda’s gifts and passions serve family, friends, church, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. A member of GMZ Baptist Church since 2010 serving small group bible study and Invitation Discipleship ministries. A 43-year AKA member, Yolanda has held past leadership positions: Recording Secretary, Connections Chairman and Graduate Advisor for the University of Texas’ AKA undergraduate chapter. Currently, she is Co-Chairman of Our Seniors committee and Secretary of the ACD Foundation.
Yolanda and her late husband John Kelly Holt raised two daughters, Rose Holt Francois, and Hannah Holt. Rose graduated from Texas Women’s and Hannah from Prairie View A&M universities. Both are AKA legacies living in the Austin area. Yolanda’s joy is her grandson Morgan Kelly Francois.
Sharal Brown
Treasurer
Sharal A. Brown Shaila serves as the Treasurer of AKA Association for Community Development. She is the owner and President of Majestic Services, Inc., a thriving woman owned commercial construction business located in Austin, Texas. She retired from IBM after thirty-one years of service. Sharal is a proud member of The Austin Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW), The Austin (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Beta Psi Omega Chapter, where she also holds an elected position of Treasurer. Sharal works diligently to oversee all incoming and outgoing financial transactions, budget planning, and financial reporting of funds. She serves as Chairman of the Travis County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Her commitment to service resonates through her volunteer work for her community and the organizations of which she is a member. She is also a servant at the Church of Christ at East Side, Austin, Texas.
Henri Pryor
Financial Secretary
Henri Pryor serves as the Financial Secretary of AKA Association for Community Development. She serves as the Network Development Business Manager with United Healthcare. With over 30 years of administrative experience in the healthcare industry, she mentors and guides younger associates in her field on ways to succeed and upward mobility. Henri is currently tasked with the delivery of 100k accounts, which requires honesty, transparency, and ethical practices for governmental entities.
As a Board member of the AKA ACD Foundation, Henri seeks to have direct influence on how nonprofits operate. She believes in upholding the highest standards of professionalism. Her expertise will be diligently applied when performing the duties as the Financial Secretary of the AKA ACD Foundation.