Leadership

Guiding Team

  • Kenisha Burke, Ed.D

    Nashville State Community College

  • Greg Gabis

    GUIDING TEAM CHAIR

    DATA GOVERNANCE / OUTCOMES & REFERRALS CO-CHAIR

    Catholic Charities, Diocese of Nashville

  • Bridget Golden

    Belmont University Fast Forward Program

  • Erin Keafer

    LEARNER ENGAGEMENT CO-CHAIR

    Tennessee Language Center

  • Bob Obrohta

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Tennessee College Access & Success Network

  • Douglas Stewart, Ed.D

    DATA GOVERNANCE / OUTCOMES & REFERRALS CO-CHAIR

    TCAT Dickson & Clarksville

  • Ally Thomas

    Nashville International Center for Empowerment

Working Group Leaders

  • Kirsten Albritton

    COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CO-CHAIR

    C.A.P.E. at Meharry Medical College

  • Pam Bryant

    SUSTAINABILITY & RELATIONSHIPS CO-CHAIR

    Begin Anew of Middle Tennessee

  • Marnie Huff

    LEARNER ENGAGEMENT CO-CHAIR

    Volunteer

Backbone Staff

Ameshica Linsey, Ed.D

Associate Executive Director

Ameshica is a self-motivated and progress-driven leader with an extensive professional background in education, leadership, and non-profit management. She takes delight in striving to achieve long-term systemic change in the many broken systems of our society, which is motivated by a great desire for educational justice. Ameshica truly believes everyone, regardless of race, economic status, or background, deserves access to high-quality education and life-altering enrichment experiences. She is a graduate of Fisk University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and completed the teacher certification program, pre-k through 6th grade. Ameshica furthered her studies at the Collegiate School Teaching Institute in New York, NY, and conducted National Science Foundation Applied Psychology research at Clemson University with training in human factors and organizational psychology. With these experiences, she served as an elementary school teacher for eight years. Additionally, Ameshica holds a Master of Education in Supervision and Administration from Tennessee State University and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University. Before joining GOAL Collective, she served six years as the executive director of East Nashville Hope Exchange, a nonprofit organization with the mission of strengthening children's literacy through the exchange of knowledge and support among families and the East Nashville community to affirm the right to read for all.

Bonnie Matthews

Senior Operations Manager

Bonnie grew up just north of the Tennessee border and graduated from Russellville High School. A NOVA documentary on PBS featuring the restoration of the Sistine Chapel ceiling encouraged her to study art history in New York and Italy. She received a B.A. in Fine Arts (Art History) from New York University, where she later earned her M.A. in History. Her graduate research focused on racial reconciliation in the modern Pentecostal church. She was worried about leaving “the most diverse zip code in the U.S.” to move back to Nashville, but to her delight, Nashville neighbors come from all over the world, too! Bonnie’s career has spanned a wide range of non-profit roles, from fundraising and financial management to community engagement and professional development. She enjoys building systems with empathy for the people they impact. Before joining GOAL Collective, Bonnie supported the craft art community for five years at Tennessee Craft, most recently as Director of Programs & Community Engagement, where she led the staff in DEI initiatives and expanded the statewide network of craft enthusiasts. She currently serves on Tennessee Craft's Community Engagement Committee and is a Co-Director of the ‘Crafting Blackness Initiative.’ Bonnie was named the 2016 East Nashvillian of the Year for volunteer work within her local community. Her greatest delight is connecting partners to bring their dreams to life.