Dr. Karla L. McCullough was raised in Jackson, Miss., and serves as executive director of the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation, where she is the executor of its goals and objectives and provides direction and leadership applicable to the realization of the organization’s philosophy. The foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children of color and the overall health and wellness of the family through youth development, mentorship, education and advocacy.
Karla serves as the project director of the Ambassadors of the Evers Academy for African American Males, or A-TEAAM, a mentoring program for young males of color, in partnership with the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute. She is a co-developer of the A-TEAAM initiative, which is carried out by a consortium of 21 community organizations who serve as mentor villages for the character-education and leadership-development mentoring program.
Karla also serves as co-project director of the Empowering Scholars through Education, Engagement and Mentorship program, or E-STEEM, for girls and continues to mobilize communities to bring awareness, create solutions and increases individuals’ capacity in the disparate systems that children of color inhabit. Karla uses her writing, speaking, researching and community-building to help children of color have the equitable opportunity to grow and thrive in a safe, supportive and just society. She is one of 20 Forward Promise Fellows from around the country that works to ensure BYMOC heal, grow and thrive.
