Our Team
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Community Connections Coordinator
Adriana Negrón, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, pursued her passion for theater at Sacred Heart University. Her commitment to social justice began early, as she volunteered with the AIDS Foundation. Adriana's activism continued as an elected board member of the Progressive Political Caucus in Tampa Bay. Her political art installations gained recognition across Puerto Rico, which protested against colonization, corruption, and imposed austerity measures, turning them into powerful symbols of resistance against government corruption.
In 2021, Adriana moved to Vermont, initiating the Brattleboro Community Nest Initiative. This project provides postpartum care packages to hospitals for new mothers. As a certified doula, her efforts earned her the Southern Vermont's Emerging Leader Award in 2022. At the ECDC, Adriana led the creation of the Perinatal Women's Group, connecting newly arrived refugee mothers with resources and community support.
Currently serving as the Programs Director at Vital Partnerships, Adriana has launched impactful initiatives like Pride without Borders—an art exhibit for LGBTQIA+ refugees and asylum seekers—and the SYNC (Supporting Young Neurodiverse Children and Caregivers) focusing on children aged 0-5 on the autism spectrum.
Adriana is now excited to contribute as the Community Connections Coordinator at the Root Social Justice Center. A proud mother of four and wife, she cherishes her life in Brattleboro with her family.
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Development Director
Allison is a dedicated development professional with a strong commitment to social justice initiatives. Her career in the nonprofit sector spans 5+ years, during which she has raised over $10 million. As a Non-Profit Development Consultant and CEO of Allison Smith Consulting, she has successfully managed diverse fundraising needs, including grant writing, budget creation, donor engagement planning, and development strategic planning for organizations such as Planned Parenthood of Delaware and Black Mothers in Power.
Allison's dedication to social justice is at the core of her fundraising efforts. Currently serving as the Development Director at The Root Social Justice Center in Brattleboro, VT, she oversees the development of grant programs, donor platforms, and board engagement strategies. Her role focuses on collaborating with program staff to create budgets, work plans, and essential funding documents, ensuring that the organization's mission is supported through effective fundraising strategies.
Her educational background includes a Master's degree in Leadership for Sustainability from the University of Vermont. During her studies, Allison conducted an independent study titled "Coming Back Home: Reintroducing Myself From A Black Feminist Theoretical Lens" and completed a capstone project on "Decolonizing the Nonprofit and Philanthropic Sectors: Power in the People, Not the Profits." She also holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications with a focus on Public Relations from the University of New Haven.
Throughout her career, Allison has demonstrated a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and equity, as evidenced by her involvement in various initiatives and councils. Her work not only reflects her professional skills but also her dedication to making a meaningful impact in the communities she serves. With a holistic approach to development and a focus on social justice, Allison continues to inspire change and drive success in the nonprofit sector.
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Asylum Seeker, Refugee & Immigrant Community (ARC) Program Coordinator
Bibimba Mufaume is a dedicated community leader originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As a married father of six and a Christian, Bibimba is deeply committed to uplifting others and making a difference in his community. As a new Vermonter, Bibimba is proud to serve the community at The Root Social Justice Center as the Asylum Seeker, Refugee and Immigrant Community (ARC) Coordinator.
Before coming to the U.S., Bibimba spent 22 years in South Africa. His journey in humanitarian work began back in the DRC, where he studied teaching and business management. He worked at Nundu Hospital, helping with hygiene programs and finance from 1996 to 1998, and later managed a nutrition center with Action International Against Hunger (AICF).
While in South Africa, Bibimba earned an Associate Bachelor’s degree in Theology and worked his way up from a security guard to a shop manager. In 2008, during a wave of xenophobic attacks in Durban, he was elected as a community leader for asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants. His passion for helping others also led him to start the Mama Butunga Foundation, where he volunteered to support homeless people, widows, single mothers, and orphans.
Bibimba brings many gifts to his role at The Root, including skills in conflict management, business and non-profit management, leadership, and counseling.
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Families United Coordinator
Britaney attended the University At Albany where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Public Sector Economics and a minor in Psychology. Determined to effect change within the foster care system, she spent six years serving children and their families as a caseworker and a supervisor. Following the tragic death of George Floyd, she joined a racial equity work group, which ignited her passion to be an advocate for the BIPOC community. She is dedicated to providing advocacy and support around racial justice, equity and discrimination. She is an empathetic leader with sincere interest and skill in learning about and assisting others to share their stories. She believes in the value that stories bring and their power in impacting important decisions.
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Communications Director
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Derrick comes to The Root with over 25 years of experience as a Queer and Black activist, artist, designer, and communications professional.
As an activist and community worker, Derrick has worked with numerous community based and national organizations across the country, including Hetrick-Martin Institute, GLSEN, Groundswell, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Community United Against Violence, and the California Safe Schools Coalition. At the Pacific Center, one of the nation’s first LGBT community centers, Derrick was the first Youth Activities Coordinator and co-founder of the LOUD Youth Program. As Program Director for Ally Action, Derrick mobilized efforts to institutionalize trans-inclusive and gender-affirming education in San Francisco Bay Area schools. Their work at LYRIC, a center for queer youth in San Francisco, was instrumental in developing the Sequoia Leadership Institute—a workforce development program for queer youth of color.
As a communications designer, Derrick has over eight years of experience with specialization in global design research. Their portfolio includes work with global brands such as Bank of America, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Bose, Eli Lilly, Fannie Mae, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hilton, Marriott International, Pepsi, Pfizer, Shiseido Group, Subway, Valvoline, and Warner Media.
As an artist, Derrick’s creative practice delves into the intersections of trauma, sanity, identity, and community. Their work spans a range of mediums, including sculpture, installation, digital illustration, graphic design, photography, video, typography, and public art. Derrick holds a BFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute, where they graduated with highest honors, earning multiple awards for excellence in their field.
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Youth 4 Change Coordinator, BIPOC Adoptees Group Coordinator, Soul Food Sunday Coordinator
Gillian Lucero-Love (She/Her/Ella), No soy de aquí ni de allá. Soy de Peru y soy de aqui. I am a Peruvian Transnational and Transracial adoptee. Reclaiming roots and honoring heritage is both a core value and life mission. On my own personal journey of growth and healing I find that being authentic nurtures the parts of self and others that we need for collective liberation. I am proud to bring my complex identities and life experiences into both my personal and professional work of community building and healing. I’ve been a student organizer, community organizer, chef, independent researcher and more! I plan on becoming a published poet, author and being a positive role model repping Peru in the best of ways! I love connecting with others and learning about everyone’s experiences in this world. When I get more money, guarantee you’ll find me traveling the world and trying all sorts of new things!
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Youth 4 Change Coordinator
I'm Lucy Corbin, born and raised in Vermont. I come from a big family with lots of younger siblings, and I’m committed to keeping them safe in our community. As a young person myself, I want to uplift my community of young people and keep our voices heard as we pave the way for the next generation.
My passion for social justice started in middle school. In 8th grade, I joined AWARE, a BIPOC student group led by Mikaela Simms. Initially, I was looking to connect with other Black peers outside of my family, something I hadn’t really done before. Middle school was tough for me, and finding other people who faced similar struggles helped me form deeper bonds. I continued with AWARE throughout high school, where we took on bigger projects like workshops, conferences, and trips to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. This group was the start of my social justice journey and opened many doors to other opportunities.
One of those opportunities came during my 10th grade year, 2021-22, when I served on the SRO (School Resource Officer) committee with the WSESU school board. I worked with a team to interview students about their classroom and school environment, asking whether they felt we needed an SRO. After gathering all the data, my group presented it to the board, which led to the creation of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) in 2022-23. This student-led group focused on creating Professional Development workshops for staff, highlighting the importance of respecting youth and addressing adultism and unrealistic expectations in the classroom. The following year, I became chair of the SAC and continued to advocate for student issues.
I also served on a restorative justice committee, which became one of my favorite experiences. It taught me a lot and helped me mature. It helped me realize the importance of keeping an open mind and the courage it takes to have meaningful conversations—especially having grown up being on my cell phone all the time. I believe restorative justice practices are hard to come by and deserve more attention. They have the power to transform our world.
As a member of The Root’s staff, my core values are keeping an open mind and working to teach and protect youth of all kinds. I’m still learning about myself and how to navigate the world, but I hope to be a guide for people, whether they’re younger or older. :D
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I Am Vermont Too Coordinator
Originally from New York City, Sha’an moved to the Northeast Kingdom in 1983 with her family. Her values of human dignity and potential motivated her to pursue degrees in human services and creative arts in learning.
For 40 years, she’s been a consultant, community organizer, educator, artist and co-founded the African American Alliance of the Northeast Kingdom, a grassroots organization committed to racial justice. In 2015, she received Lyndon State College’s Presidential Medal of Distinction for her work in the community; the Rutland NAACP honored her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021; and Burlington Racial, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging awarded her their 2024 Juneteenth Innovator award. Sha’an facilitates Racial Literacy a Healing Practice trainings throughout Vermont and is the equity and inclusion consultant for Discover St. Johnsbury, where she resides.
As the coordinator and photographer of the I Am Vermont Too photo-story exhibit, she is able to practice her values of agency, self-efficacy, social justice and liberation.
Her passions are grandchildren, dancing, gardening, photography, meeting new people and leading a twice weekly exercise class for seniors. Driving the roads and experiencing the beauty and grandeur of Vermont brings her great joy.
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Executive Director
Born and raised in Brattleboro, VT, Shela is the co-founder and current executive director of The Root Social Justice Center. As Executive Director she helps lead a team of BIPOC folks in centering blackness, shifting resources into BIPOC communities and honoring and celebrating BIPOC healing and joy. Shela is also a proud mom of two grown children and two young grandbabies. She enjoys spending time with her family and being in community.
Shela’s career in activism, advocacy and community organizing began at age 16 in the public health field as a committee member of the Community Planning Group. Her work there addressed disparate outcomes for BIPOC women contracting the HIV/AIDS virus. She expanded her work in this field by joining The New England Regional Minority Health Committee to address disparate outcomes for all BIPOC folks in New England.
This experience led Shela to the field of harm reduction where she became a HIV/AIDS and Hep C tester and counselor and helped run a southern Vermont syringe exchange program. This work led to the co-founding of the Windham County Turning Point, in Brattleboro.
As a mother, Shela created The Parent Advocate Program to support parents and their children in school systems, focusing on addressing harassment and meeting the needs of students with special needs. This work led to the creation of The Civil Rights Advocacy Program, where Shela advocated statewide for families in school systems, helped BIPOC and other marginalized groups hold employers and institutions accountable for discriminatory practices, and supported families impacted by the Vermont DCF system. In 2016, Shela’s DCF advocacy with families led to the creation of the Families United Program.
Shela’s commitment to racial justice in community and civic spaces has deep roots that continue to grow. She has worked as a consultant through Equity Solutions and independently to help communities address issues of class and race and create equity. She has served as Town Meeting Representative for the Town of Brattleboro and on various boards, including the Brattleboro Town School Board and the panel on Racial Disparities in Criminal and Juvenile Systems. Her work also includes the Oversight Commission on Children, Youths, and Families, where she helps oversee Vermont’s child welfare system. Additionally, Shela has been involved in initiatives like the First Step Black Wealth Redistribution Pilot, aiming to implement reparations for Black residents in Vermont, and the Children’s Justice Act Task Force, which supports policies to ensure the safety and well-being of Vermont’s children.