President & Chief Executive Officer
Ms. Phyllis N. Coley is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a major in Business Administration and a minor in Economics. She earned a Masters Degree from Johns Hopkins University in School Counseling with a special concentration in Urban Counseling.
Phyllis N. Coley is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and is currently a member of the Baltimore County Chapter. She has served on the Outreach, Sisterly Yours, Reclamation, and Delta Gems Committees for the Chapter.
She is a member of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church where she served as the Director and Co-Director of and on for liturgical dance ministry for 14 years serving homeless shelters, churches, and nursing homes to name a few.
Phyllis N. Coley has a deep passion for serving our youth & young adults with financial literacy, community activism, and collegiate awareness. She is the founder of Pure Potential Enterprises, a non-profit organization made up of three divisions: ClearVision, Le Pearlz, and Collegiate & Career Counseling. Collegiate and Career Counseling was designed to assist parents and students with the college application process, including financial aid and school applications. The mission is to help all students with the complex and often difficult journey into college. ClearVision works in conjunction with Pure Potential College Counseling where college students give a peer perspective of college life and experiences to younger students. Le Pearlz is comprised of young teenage girls who have a primary focus of making a difference in this world.
President, Youth Division
Ms. Delanee-Alexis, the only child of Kirby & Phyllis Coley, is a 18 year old Sophomore at North Carolina A&T State University. She was an active member of the National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Future Business Leaders of America and the Parent Teacher Student Association in High School. President of Le'Pearlz (community service, youth, and college readiness organization), a member of her church's youth public speaking ministry and choir, and a member of the Studio A dance, modeling and etiquette academy. Miss Coley has been an honor student since kindergarten and has had a quarterly GPA of 4.86 in her junior year and an overall GPA of 4.01, being in the top 10% of her class. Delanee-Alexis aspires to become a lawyer and philanthropist who advocates for under-served woman and children, double majoring in broadcast journalism and marketing and minoring in Spanish
Miss Coley most recently was nominated for the Young Woman of the Year. Delanee-Alexis is writing her second book, entitled "Simply a Young Lady with No Apologies", a guide to help teenagers take a bold and confident stance on being a young lady in the challenging 21st century. Delanee-Alexis is very excited for her future and believes that by the grace of God, her possibilities are endless.
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Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Gardea Yefehmu Jomas Christian was born in Southfield, Michigan on May, 4 1988. In school he played soccer, basketball, and ran track, as well as competed on recreational and club soccer and basketball teams. He also roller skated competitively traveling the East Coast. He participated in drama clubs and traveled with local Delaware troupes. In high school, he was involved in community service as a member of the Honor Society and Student Government Association.In 2005 he entered the United States Naval Academy (USNA). At USNA, he participated in Gospel Choir, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Midshipmen Black Studies Club (MBSC), Latin American Studies Club (LASC), and Boxing. In May of 2009, he graduated from USNA and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant (2ndLt) in the United States Marine Corps (USMC). While attending USNA, Gardea Christian joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated in the spring of 2009. After graduation from USNA, now Second Lieutenant Christian worked at the USNA Admissions Office from May 2009 until December 2009 improving admissions outreach in the Northeast from West Virginia to Maine.
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Executive Director, Expert Writing Team
Mashonah L. English was born, raised, and educated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1993, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Morgan State University and majored in English: Literature and Language. After graduation, Mashonah began serving as an English teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools. Over the years, Mrs. English has founded and advised students groups which created space for social activism and awareness, such as The Black History Club at Patterson High School (2006-2011) and the girl's group, Lewis' Lovely Ladies at Reginald Lewis High School ( 2011-2015). After many years in the classroom, Mrs. English earned her master’s degree from Goucher College in School improvement and Leadership. After 18 years in the classroom working in several high schools around the city and serving as a professional developer in Baltimore County Public Schools for 4 years, Mrs. English returned to Baltimore City
Public Schools as an Assistant Principal in 2021.
Over the last three years, Mrs. English has served as the Director of the Expert Writing Team for Pure Potential Enterprises sharing her passion for supporting scholars on their journey to post-secondary education.
Mashonah English is a married mother of 3 children.
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Executive Secretary
Camille Grant has a very diverse academic background. She completed her undergraduate degree at The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) where she studied Public Health, Natural Sciences with a minor in Africana Studies. During her time there, she was a research assistant in the Office of Academic Advising where she co-designed the JHU Academic Advising webpage and worked directly with Academic Advisors on a variety of tasks. After completing her bachelor’s degree at JHU, Camille completed two years teaching high school science (Biology, Chemistry, and Earth Systems) as a member of Teach for America (TFA). Concurrently, Camille pursued her Masters in Teaching (MAT) specializing in Secondary Science Education, Broad Field at The Georgia State University (GSU). Camille is a highly qualified teacher whose degree specifically caters to students in grades 6 through 12. After completing her MAT and time with TFA, Camille transitioned out of the teaching field back into another area of her passion—Public Health. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) where she received her Masters in Health Care Administration (MHA). Camille is currently working in the field of Health Care Administration.
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Executive Director, Youth Division
Ms. Keonna Crump is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) with a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services minoring in Business Administration, and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling. Keonna is a Resident in Counseling currently working in Outpatient Mental Health Services. Over the past 11 years Keonna has worked diligently in the public service field serving in many areas. Particularly working with youth and adults in the community. Keonna understands the importance of youth engagement, career development, and guidance towards success and post-secondary education. Keonna has been a member of PPE since 2010 and serves as the Executive Director of the Youth Division, the Director of Pure Persistence College Initiative, and a member of the Expert Writing & Mentoring Team. Keonna plans to continue volunteering and working within her passion to help as many people as she can and to encourage youth that anything they set their mind to is possible.
Executive Administrator
Ms. Jenell Harris is one of two children of John and Celestine Harris, in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her primary education from Baltimore County School District, graduating from Milford Mill Academy in 2000. She later received her Bachelor's of Science degree in English from Coppin State University in 2006. Upon graduation she worked in Baltimore City School Systems and is currently working at The SEED School of Maryland as an Instructional Support Teacher with nine years of service.
Jenell is currently working toward her Master’s of Education in School Counseling (May 2018). She has always had a passion for young people, helping them to find their interest in life. Jenell is an active member of Destiny Christian Church where she serves with the praise and worship team. She also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and traveling.
Director of Youth Scholarships & Compliance
Ms. Kennedi Riley was born in Baltimore, Maryland on April 14th, 1995. She has always been involved in extra curricular activities throughout her development.This includes being on sports teams, mentoring programs, organizations, community service events, and school programs. After graduating from Western High School in 2013 she continued her studies majoring in Kinesiology at Hampton University where she graduated with Honors in May of 2017. While at Hampton University, Kennedi remained on the deans list every semester throughout college graduating with a 3.4 GPA. She was also a member of the Beta Kappa Chi National Honor Society. During her time at Hampton she was a Liaison for the Student Government Association’s Student Relation Sector, treasurer of the Kinesiology club, and a member of College Girls, Young Adults Advocating Change, Woman’s Caucus, Onyx 10 Community Service Committee, and a College Workshop Presenter. Soon after graduating Kennedi began a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program to pursue her passion for Physical Therapy and health sciences.
Kennedi is devoted to community service and in addition to her own “Between Us Girls” seminar that was inspired by her work with Pure Potential Enterprises, Inc. She works with Goal Diggers the Sankofa project mentoring program sponsored by Johns Hopkins, volunteers at Studio “A” Dance Studio, moveable feast, Univerity of Maryland rehabilitation and Orthopaedic institute, and the Secret Service’s family day. In addition, Kennedi has volunteered 6 weeks abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica working at Centeno Guel, a special needs school in the local community.
Chief Marketing Officer & Lead Publicist
Sharon Mills is a New Jersey native with a professional background in Public Relations, specializing in Event and Experiential Marketing. Sharon is a 2019 graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and a proud advocate for all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 1890 Land Grant Institutions. She is also currently studying for a Master of Arts in Organizational Communications at Bowie State University.
The communications and marketing professional is dedicated to enhancing agriculture in higher education. Mills currently serves as the Assistant to the Dean for Recruitment, Retention, and Experiential Learning at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), where she spearheads flagship programming like the Maryland Youth Institute and the Maryland JR. MANRRS Leadership Institute. She also serves as the External Communications Manager for DREAMBEACON – an organization focusing on student achievement and career success.
Expert Writing Team Coach & Executive Director, Junior Cohort
Ms. Angela Fleming is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her education background includes: Morgan State University '05, B.S. Psychology; Trinity University '09, Advanced Professional Certification in Special Education ; Bowie State University '11, M.Ed School Counseling; Towson University '16, Certificate of Advanced Studies- Organizational Change. She currently works as a Special Educator for Mastery Charter Schools; and aspire to be an Assistant Principal in Special Education and Instruction.
Expert Writing Coach
Jacqueline “Jackie” Smith is a Chicago, IL native graduating from Michele Clark High School in 2012 and months later enlisting in the United States Navy. After just a few short years of serving, Jackie decided she wanted to take her naval career to the next level by advancing in the ranks and attending a 4-year military school. Jackie graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2020 and immediately commissioned in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. She now resides in Norfolk, VA works for not just one ship, but all the ships in Norfolk, Mayport and Rota, Spain. She is currently working towards
obtaining her real estate license in the state of Virginia.
Jackie has been a member of PPE since 2019, serving as one of PPE’s expert writing coaches. She has
helped many of our scholars accomplish their post-high school goals. After years of being a member, she
plans to continue this service for helping others and hopes to one day be the founder of her very own
organization.
Former Staff
Executive Director, Youth Division
Ms. Danielle Jordan has worked over eight years in higher education assisting student populations in varies academic settings including middle and high schools, college admissions, and TRIO programming. Ms. Jordan has recently transition to serving students in K-12 education as a school counselor in Montgomery County Public Schools. Ms. Jordan graduated with a Masters of Science in School Counseling at Johns Hopkins University this past spring. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Notre Dame of Maryland University in May 2012. During this past year, Ms. Jordan had the opportunity to assist students in her counseling role in Baltimore City and Baltimore County Public Schools including Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women, Woodlawn High School, and Dulaney High School. In addition to school counseling, Ms. Jordan was also an admissions counselor that assisted high students and their families with the college process, scholarships and financial aid. She has worked and dedicated her time to the CCBC Upward Bound TRIO program for over five years where she has served in varies roles as the Assistant Residential Director for the summer academy program, Academic Program Assistant, and college prep teacher. In her volunteer experiences, Ms. Jordan dedicates time often volunteering for youth and community outreach organizations and programs. She is also an active member of her church parish serving in various roles. Ms. Jordan is a member of several organizations including the American School Counselor Association, American Counseling Association, and Maryland School Counselor Association. Ms. Jordan joined the Pure Potential Enterprises family in 2014 and serves as Co- Director of Youth Initiatives.
Assistant Media & Scholarship Specialist
Ms. Shekara Brooks is from Baltimore, MD. She received her primary education through Baltimore County Public School System. Shekara earned her Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship from Hampton University in 2017. She will be graduating from Bowie State University in May 2019 with a Master of Business Administration. Ms. Brooks has a diverse background in marketing and data analytics. She is currently working as the Marketing Program Management Associate for Freddie Mac. nds, and traveling.
Chief Marketing Officer
Ms. Melody Miller was born April 23, 1982, in Washington, DC. She attended Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University as a Chemistry Major and matriculated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture in 2005. She holds a Dual Masters Degree in Non-Profit Management and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Maryland University College in 2014. Melody uses her education and talents working in the Labor Management and Employee Relations Department of D.C. Public Schools as a Coordinator, her team works in tangent with the Office of General Counsel to ensure the students of the district are safe, and the D.C. Public School employees are able to work in an environment where they feel valued and have a strong support system. Melody is a creative at heart. Growing up in a musical family she is able to read and write music, has played several instruments and is now studying the Cello. She enjoys spending quality time with her husband and son who support her unwavering dedication to her community involvement.