Join us for the continuation of the Racial Equity Dialogue Series, presented by the NC Balance of State CoC Racial Equity Subcommittee! This will be the first session of our 2022 series. A panel discussion will be followed by time for Q&A.

All are welcome! Please RSVP to receive more details. If you have any questions, reach out to sarah@ncceh.org.

Speakers to include:

Jarrod Turner is the founder and CEO of Economic Authority Group; the parent company of Authority Air, a medical courier service and Best Body, an online retailer of massage chairs and massagers. Prior to starting this organization, Jarrod was employed at the State Employees’ Credit Union as a loan officer; he also owned a real estate investment firm managing several residential properties in the Raleigh/Durham area. He is a proud graduate of Elizabeth City State University, a North Carolina HBCU, and is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Duke Divinity School with a concentration in Faith-based organizing, advocacy, and social transformation. Jarrod is a minister and pastors’ assistant at Eagles’ Christian Center International and upon graduation plans to continue to serve the marginalized in his community.

Adrian Dixon works as the Regional Manager for the Self-Help Credit Union of Northeastern North Carolina.  He also serves on his organization’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion council and as a member of the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative Workgroup.  Adrian was born and raised in Snow Hill North Carolina.  He graduated from Elizbeth City State University. 

Self-Help includes Credit Unions, a nonprofit loan fund, and a research and policy group.  Their mission is creating and protecting ownership for all especially people of color, women, rural residents and low-wealth families and communities. Self Help has Credit Unions in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Washington State, and California.  The policy group is called the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL).  This is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan research and policy organization.  CRL conducts in-depth research on the extent and impact of predatory lending, to provide useful information to consumers, community advocates, and policymakers alike. They also share their market and legal knowledge with advocates and policymakers across the nation interested in reforming lending practices and frequently respond to regulators' requests for comments on lending issues.  

Sara Miller, Policy Analyst of Hope Policy Institute, has been at HOPE since 2006 when the Policy Institute was founded.  During her tenure at HOPE she has also served as Vice President for Community and Economic Development.

Prior to joining Hope, Sara was a staff evaluator for the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee of the Mississippi Legislature.   Sara has a Master of Public Administration degree from George Washington University in Washington D.C. where she also worked at the US Health Resources and Services Administration.  She completed her undergraduate degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Tameka Gunn is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Community Link. She ensures the quality of all agency services and supervises the management team.

Gunn is a leader on housing issues in the region. She currently serves as vice chair of the Coordinated Entry Oversight Committee for Mecklenburg County. Coordinated Entry connects individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with housing resources.

Gunn joined Community Link in 2007 as a housing coordinator. Over time she has worked in all of Community Link’s Homeless to Housing services. She was also program director for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which provides free tax preparation for lower-income individuals and families.

Gunn discovered her life’s work early in her career. Following graduation from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Human Services and a minor in special education, she taught students with learning disabilities and emotional behavior disorders in Virginia and Washington D.C.

In 2005, Gunn began working for the Gastonia Housing Authority. She came to realize how difficult it is for most disenfranchised people to stay in housing by gaining meaningful access to social services. Her passion for this work is all about family and community. The lives that Community Link has changed continue to inspire her passion for service.

Gunn holds a Master of Public Administration from Strayer University. She has been married to her husband Darryl since 2007. They have one son.