Meet our New Board Members!
Drine Paul
Board President
Qasim Davis
Director
Theresa Davis-Nathaniel
Director
Ryan Hall
Director
Iriane McCray
Director
Dr. Joakima Means
Director
Yovanny Vargas
Director
Edwine “Drine” Paul serves as the Chief Public Affairs Officer for the RI Department of Labor & Training, since March 2023. Prior to state service, she had an 8-year career as a nonprofit leader in Rhode Island. She’s managed diverse teams, managed effective program development and implementation, and thoughtfully worked alongside community members and leaders. She is very passionate about youth development, social justice, and community empowerment and advancement. Her passions have directed the course of her career and she is excited to bring her experience and dedication to Diversity Talks. Drine graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in English. Aside from her passions, Drine is an avid reader, loves to travel, and has recently taken up roller skating.
Qasim is imbued with the spirit of justice and equity-driven by love for Black people. He has spent the past 15 years working in the nonprofit sector focused on education, youth organizing, and economic equity. Qasim enjoys developing excellent teams, recruiting committed staff, and forging strategic partnerships with those with a shared community-centered vision, whether serving as the Regional Director of Playworks Louisiana, as Director of Teacher Recruitment with New Schools for New Orleans, or the Director of Partner Growth for Change Machine. Qasim has led organizations, teams, and external partners by leveraging his knowledge in capacity building and organizational infrastructure to deliver creative activism, expand profit growth, and increase program efficiency. Qasim uses his strength as a strategist as a Lead Mentor to local entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders with Propellors Impact Accelerator. He has the honor of serving as the Board Chair of a Black Creatives Guide and embraces his inner creative through photography, poetry, and film. Qasim fully adopts being a Blerd, enjoying anime, comics, chess, reading, collecting vinyl, and nerding out on the latest tech. He is a proud third-generation Harlemite residing in New Orleans with his soulmate and partner Tiye.
Theresa Davis-Nathaniel, an alumna of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, graduated with a degree in Liberal Studies. Her fervor lies in fostering social change and constructing new systems that foster liberation in communities, particularly among marginalized groups. She remains committed to advancing grassroots organizing to cultivate more equitable and progressive educational communities for minority individuals. As the Founder of Within Our Roots, Theresa is dedicated to empowering youth with innovative solutions to challenge systemic limitations, embrace their identities, and construct systems of change through her program, Beyond the Four Walls: The D.A.R.E Experience.
Ryan Hall comes to the board from secondary education as a social studies teacher from William M Davies, Jr. Career and Technical School. He believes strongly in an antiracist, holistic approach to education and in the transformative power of inclusive community building. Ryan has a Masters in Education with a focus in Urban Teaching from Providence College. As an advisor of the Davies Social Justice Club, he oversaw the facilitation of the writing of the Davies Community Cultural Compact.; a promise made to students, faculty, staff, and the entire Davies community that we are open and willing to work on issues related to equity and justice. He routinely works to provide opportunities for young people to advocate for causes they believe in. Ryan loves learning, good music, good hangouts, and his wife Katie.
Iriane “Irie” McCray is a native New Orleanian and graduate of Southern University at New Orleans with a Bachelor’s in English. She loves reading, writing, and typically all things that involve liberal arts. She published her first book, My Song, Our Song, in 2018 to aid in the support of young people who may be enduring the challenges of life which may cause them to succumb to the harsh reality of depression. As a former high school English teacher and College/Career Counselor, she believes that she is still an educator at heart, which motivated her to create a nonprofit of her own, The Writer’s Wing, which emphasizes the importance of being exposed to culturally relevant literature in order to cultivate your own story. Her work is primarily focused on the enrichment and remediation of students in ELA by promoting and advocating for national change in curriculum. She recently joined HandsOn New Orleans in 2024 as the Associate Director of Social Impact, Irie is most excited about raising awareness about the organization and building partnerships in this beloved city. She’s also committed to building a legacy in New Orleans that not only she can be proud of, but her entire lineage.
Dr. Joakima Means is a highly accomplished and compassionate licensed clinical social worker with a track record spanning over two decades in criminal justice and child welfare. She serves as a probation and parole officer specializing in managing registered sex offenders, where her exemplary skills shine. She is renowned for her commitment to creating strong advocacy networks specifically targeted at diverse and underserved communities. Dr. Means holds a bachelor's degree in clinical psychology from the University of Rhode Island, a master's degree in social work from Rhode Island College, and a doctoral degree in social work from Capella University. Dr. Means is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, an active member of the National Association of Social Work, an active board member of Diversity Talks, an active board member of Open Doors, and is passionate about serving her community, particularly empowering women of color.
Yovanny, a lifelong learner, educator and artist dedicated to community advocacy and empowerment, has 12 years of experience (and counting) working in Rhode Island’s educational ecosystem. Prior to joining the board, Yovanny has worked as a mentor, a teacher, an administrator and a state level employee all with the aim of uplifting and centering the voices of students in schools. He has a B.A in psychology and an M.Ed both obtained at Rhode Island College. When he is not thinking about education you may find him covered in acrylic paint or tinkering with a new recipe at home.
