About Us

Kenyatta is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of POLIHIRE. Under his leadership, POLIHIRE has gained a reputation for high ethical standards and strict professional standards of performance. Building on his previous executive experience in the private and public sectors, Kenyatta brings a transformative vision for diversity and inclusion to assist clients in their executive recruitments. Kenyatta previously served as the Executive Recruitment Manager for the Government of the District of Columbia.

During his tenure with the Anthony A. Williams Administration, Kenyatta was responsible for the successful recruitment and hiring of multiple executives and senior managers, to include, the City Administrator, Deputy Mayors, Inspector General, and numerous agency Directors and Deputy Directors. Kenyatta received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds an MBA from Howard University’s School of Business. Kenyatta is an active member of several civic and professional organizations, including the National Forum for Black Public Administrators where he served on the National Corporate Advisory Council. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association, and also served on the Board of Directors for the African American Nonprofit Network.

Cindy Kupski is the Co-Founder and President of Flexwind Inc., a software and engineering services company in the government and commercial sectors focused on technology + user-experience solutions. She brings over twenty years of experience in the intelligence community and technology sector with disciplines in both design and engineering. Cindy is a proven leader and sought-after developer with a keen understanding of mission. Her expertise is in user-interface/user-experience design, and she holds certifications in User Experience (UXC & CUA) and Design Sprint Facilitation. She is also a certified ScrumMaster. Cindy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree focused on Graphic Design from the University of Akron, and an MBA from Virginia Tech, Pamplin College of Business

De’Shawn has spent over 15 years serving in senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors. Before joining POLIHIRE, he served as the Senior Manager for Public Policy at Uber Technologies. Before Uber, he was appointed by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to serve as the Deputy Secretary for Education, the highest-ranking education post in the Executive Chamber of New York State Government. In this capacity, he was responsible for developing and implementing the Governor’s statewide education agenda, overseeing an annual budget of more than $20 Billion and managing the Administration’s collaborations with the State Department of Education, State University of NY, City University of NY and the Higher Education Services Corporation.

Before joining the Cuomo Administration, Wright was appointed to the post of Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, DC where he created a citywide birth to 24 strategy that includes early education, K-12, post-secondary education. Before those roles, De’Shawn also served as Chief Policy Advisor to then-Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, New Jersey, and as Policy Analyst for former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. De’Shawn is a graduate of James Madison University and later earned a Master in Public Administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Policy.

Leanne has over 25 years of experience in management, including 15 years of Project and Program Management in direct support to federal agencies. She is an organized and detail-oriented professional skilled in managing large contracts and cultivating client, team and management relationships that deliver results professionally, as well as personally. Leanne’s studies include Business Management, Accounting, and Human Resources. She enjoys interacting with others and fostering relationships and open lines of communication.

KJ has over 20 years of experience working with social impact organizations rooted in a variety of issues – including, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ youth advocacy, Indigenous education, and racial justice – and from several angles, including nonprofit management (staff and board), organizational development/communications consulting, philanthropy, and editorial journalism. KJ is a former elected member of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Dartmouth College and a Master’s degree in developmental psychology from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Kamala is a Senior Consultant of Search Assessment for POLIHIRE. A national board-certified counselor and licensed professional counselor supervisor with more than 20 years of clinical and higher education experience, Dr. Kamala contributes her expertise to POLIHIRE’s process of leadership development and assessment. She is responsible for maximizing POLIHIRE’s use of assessment on many of our engagements. Dr. Kamala’s professional experience includes work at North Carolina Central University School of Law, North Carolina State University, Shaw University, Campbell University, the University of Mount Olive, and Durham Technical Community College. She has served in leadership roles, such as Assistant Dean of Student Development, Director of Workforce Development, Director of Career Services, and Director of Wellness. Additionally, she has conducted several professional leadership development and diversity workshops and is certified in administering the EQ-i 2.0 / EQ 360.

Additional certifications that she holds include Career Development Facilitator and Title IX Investigator. Dr. Kamala attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies. She went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Agency Counseling from Campbell University and a Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Counselor Education from North Carolina State University.

Sharon is a retired Executive with over 37 years of Federal Service. She retired from the General Services Administration in 2011 from her position of Deputy Chief People Officer and Director of the Office of Human Capital Management. She has served in various leadership capacities throughout her Government service and she has received numerous awards for her outstanding accomplishments.

She also served as Acting Regional Administrator for one of GSA’s largest Regions, the National Capital Region (NCR) where she was responsible for over 93 million square feet of leased and owned space in the metropolitan area as well as a comprehensive end-to-end telecommunications service that supported over 90 Federal agencies with more than 750,000 customers. During her tenure, she oversaw implementation of the largest amount of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funded construction projects for the NCR. She led the Agency during the Presidential transition and inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2008. Sharon is a native of North Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Columbia Union College. She is a Harvard University SES Fellow and holds a Masters Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University’s School of Business.

Retired Police Commander Jennifer Greene is a 29-year veteran of the Metropolitan Washington Police Department. She commanded the 5th Police District which included 420 sworn and civilian employees. She also served as the Interim Director of the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and as Director of the District of Columbia Office of Unified Communications (911 and 311 call center). Jennifer earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is also a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the Senior Management Institute of Police (SMIP); and the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Municipal Management.

Angie has been a solid contributor to POLIHIRE since 2011. Before joining POLIHIRE, Angie served in several roles from HR Manager to Senior Recruiter. She has become a leader with valuable organizational skills and the ability to authoritatively identify the strongest candidates based on experience, skill sets, qualifications, and interests. Angie has held board positions for several non-profit organizations. She is currently serving on the board of Survivors United, an organization dedicated to serving individuals who have been sexually assaulted by US military service members. Angie is a graduate of Radford University.

As the inaugural Commander of U.S. Africa Command, General Ward oversaw the establishment of the nation’s newest geographic command responsible for all U.S. defense and security activities on the African continent and its island nations. Before taking this position, General Ward was the Deputy Commander of the U.S. European Command, U.S. Security Coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and NATO Force Commander in Bosnia. Since retirement from the United States Army, General Ward has served as the President, SENTEL Corporation, Strategic Adviser, Vectrus Systems Corporation, and permanent member, Council on Foreign Relations.

Freddie Fuller has spent his entire professional career in the public transportation industry. For more than 23 years, Freddie has utilized his education, expertise, and relationships to engage and connect organizations and individuals within the transit industry. He is currently a Vice President at Jacobs, leading new business capture for transit and rail pursuits in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Canada, with a focus on electronic payment systems. Also, he has been asked to serve as the liaison between Jacobs and several political organizations including African American Mayors Association, Community Leaders of America, International City/County Management Association, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, and US Conference of Mayors.

A private-sector consultant and public servant, Freddie currently serves on boards as the National Chair of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) and as Secretary/Treasurer of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Freddie earned an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, two Masters degrees from Georgia Tech in City Planning and Civil Engineering. He also completed coursework towards a doctorate degree at Virginia Tech in Planning, Governance, and Globalization.

Dr. Marc A. Love is the VP of National Provider Contracting and Strategy for Kaiser Permanente in Georgia and Mid-Atlantic States. In this capacity, he is responsible for partnering with leaders across the regions to develop and implement the vision for care across the continuum and to create systematic opportunities for Kaiser Permanente to continue to develop and lead as a community health system.

Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Marc was the State Chief Operating Officer for WellCare of Georgia. Prior to its acquisition by Centene, WellCare was the largest Medicaid CMO in Georgia and the 4th-largest Medicare Advantage plan. At WellCare, Marc was primarily responsible for Health Plan Operations, Network Management, and Member Experience. In addition, he was responsible for driving financial performance, improving quality outcomes, and managing the relationship with the plan’s government partners.

Prior to joining WellCare, Marc held the positions of Vice President of Managed Care Operations for both PHP, a Medicare Advantage HMO, and PHC, a Medicaid Managed Care HMO in Florida, and Manager in the Actuarial and Business Consulting unit of Deloitte.

Marc serves as Finance Committee Chair on the Board of Trustees of his undergraduate alma mater, Talladega College. He is also on the Board of Directors of national home health company Accessible Home Care.

In addition to his B.A. from Talladega College, Marc earned an MBA from Howard University and a Doctor of Business Administration from Florida International University.

Nana is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified Project Management Professional with over 20 years of experience in people and project management. Before joining POLIHIRE, she held various leadership roles overseeing the development and operations of service-delivery teams. Nana spent the last decade in the workforce staffing industry, collaborating with private and public sector clients to fulfill their personnel needs. She routinely guided human resources functions, including hiring, onboarding, compliance, employee relations, and performance management.

Nana started her career in social work, spending ten years as a leader of health and human service programs. With a focus on quality improvement and team development, she most enjoys mentoring and training early career professionals through workplace interactions and organizational changes. Nana holds a Master of Social Work degree from the Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the Project Management Institute (PMI), and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).

Monique Stevens is a leadership coach and organization development consultant with more than twenty years of experience enhancing the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. Her background encompasses a wide range of programs and initiatives that support individual development, team building, organization transformation, and process facilitation.

Monique believes that the workplace should be one that nourishes, develops, and inspires all team members to grow and thrive – and all great teams start with great leaders. She has dedicated herself to helping leaders create meaning in their personal and professional lives through fierce conversations that spark enhanced self-awareness and a willingness to try out new ways of being. Her passion is working with leaders at various points in their career – emerging leaders, new leaders, mid-career, and experienced, from a broad range of professional areas of expertise and industries.

Monique earned a B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University, an M.S. in Organization Development and Change from American University, and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. Monique also holds the following certifications: Associate Certified Coach, Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Emotional Intelligence EQ-i 2.0/ EQ360, and Change Style Indicator®/Change Navigator®.

Palencia Mobley, P.E. is an established authority on storm water, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure. In 2006, she became one of the youngest women of color ever to attain licensure as a Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan. In 2016, she was appointed Deputy Director and Chief Engineer of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). Palencia also led negotiations on behalf of the city to establish the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA).

In her 20 years of planning, designing, and constructing water and wastewater infrastructure, Palencia has worked to change the way stormwater is managed and improve water and sewer infrastructure across the country. She co-authored a budget proposal to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that resulted in $8.9 million in discretionary funds for the City of Detroit in 2015. In 2018, Palencia was appointed by the governor to the Michigan Infrastructure Council.

Palencia earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Wayne State University. She is a graduate of the 2020 Water Environment Federation Water Leadership Institute; Vice Chair of the Sinai Grace Guild Community Development Corporation; Co-Chair of the Water Infrastructure Task Force (2022) for the Southeast Council of Michigan Governments; Board Member of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters (2022); and Duke University Water Innovation and Leadership Fellow (2022). She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Alpha Rho Omega Chapter.

Stephanie D. Nellons-Paige’s career spans the public and private sectors with a focus on improving outcomes for cities through infrastructure building and partnership development. She is the Chief Executive Officer and Board Vice Chair of the Nellons-Paige Group, Inc. (NPG), a strategic consulting firm, which she co-founded with her husband, Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005). The firm provides business development expertise to the private sector, infrastructure investment entities, foundations, school districts and higher education institutions and cities, and also advises clients on diversity and economic inclusion.

Stephanie is a member of the Board of Regents of Texas Southern University, an Executive Board Member of the Houston Fund for Social Justice and Economic Equity, and Chair for Governance and Nominations of the University of the Potomac’s Board of Directors. She was also an advisor on NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Education Transition Committee.

A servant leader and philanthropist, Stephanie has raised more than $30M for organizations and institutions that support education, economic equity, and justice. Stephanie was recently named to the Motown Museum National Legacy Council, where she is actively raising funds to support the expansion of the museum in Detroit, Michigan.

Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies and a Master of Science in Transportation Management from Morgan State University.