Charis Goff,
Co-Executive Director of Operations
Charis A. Goff (she/her) is a dedicated advocate for youth empowerment and social justice, having spent her career fostering transformative opportunities and creating pathways for communities to lead the charge for equitable change.
Through her work with organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs, YWCA and the National Urban League, she has cultivated a strong background in program management, strategic operations, and community engagement. Prior to joining BSA, she led a resource development team for a national food justice organization. She also is a long-time Black Swan Academy community member, having served on the board of directors from 2014-2021.
Charis operates with Black joy as a priority, recognizing the importance of celebrating and uplifting Black culture and identity in all aspects of her work. She understands that joy is not just an outcome but a revolutionary act that fuels resilience and collective power. In her role as Co-Executive Director of Operations, Charis focuses on enhancing organizational systems, driving efficiency, and expanding our reach to lead with even more youth.
Charis, hailing from DC, is a graduate of Hampton University (BA) and Old Dominion University (MA) and completed the Nonprofit Management graduate executive program at Georgetown University.
Naïké Savain, Co-Executive Director of Programs
Naïké Savain (she/her) is a movement builder and advocate based in Washington, DC, who is committed to removing barriers so directly impacted people can effectively advocate for equity and justice in all areas of their lives. Throughout her career, Naïké has centered the experiences of the District's Black youth and families as she worked to co-create a community in which we all have a meaningful opportunity to thrive, not just survive.
Naïké spent seven years as a best interest lawyer for children in foster care in the District, served as a commissioner for the DC Police Reform Commission, then spent three years as the Director of Policy at a Black-led policy advocacy organization in Washington, DC. Through those roles, she witnessed firsthand the consequences of harmful public policy, forged strong relationships with community stakeholders, connected directly impacted people of all ages with the tools and information they needed to transform the District’s approach to public safety, and zealously fought to improve the lives of Washingtonians who had experienced state violence. Naïké is focused on creating new systems that welcome, rather than tolerate, meaningful participation from those who are directly impacted, especially the District's young people.
Naïké earned her JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA in Political Science and French from Amherst College.
Christiane Jackson
Middle School Program Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Irene Jacobs
Policy Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Rachelle Downs
High School Program Manager
Pronouns: she/her
Ceon Dubose
Lead Organizer
Pronouns: all pronouns
Sol Michelle
Youth & Community Outreach Coordinator; Pronouns: All
Tykirah Ellis
Middle School Program Coordinator
Pronouns: she/her
Soliyana Seyoum
Middle School Cohort Lead
Pronouns: she/her
Moet Dupree
Middle School Cohort Lead
Pronouns: she/her
Angel Cheeks
Middle School Cohort Lead
Pronouns: she/her
Brandon Tatum
Mutual Aid Coordinator & Van Driver Pronouns: he/him
London Jones
Operations Fellow
Pronouns: he/they
Samaria Short
Middle School Cohort Lead
Pronouns: sher/her
Samantha Davis,
Founder
Samantha Paige Davis (she/they) founded Black Swan Academy in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin verdict, when she was just 25 years old. She is an anti-racist organizer, trainer, speaker, mentor, and unyielding optimist. She believes that everyone has the innate ability to succeed, but they must be given the opportunity to do so. She has supported BSA’s youth-led advocacy work which has focused mostly on addressing intra-community violence, police violence, housing instability and education justice.
While building BSA, Samantha served as the field engagement manager for YWCA USA. She has developed a robust state-level advocacy initiative in which she trained 30 associations to create and carry out their own advocacy agendas. In this role, Samantha also mobilizes over 200 associations around issues of racial justice and women’s empowerment. Her leadership on a number of city-wide coalitions and as the former senior advocacy and community specialist of SOME (So Others Might Eat), has resulted in legislative and budgetary improvements for a variety of support programs including SNAP (food stamps) and affordable housing.
Samantha’s work has been recognized by Essence Woke 100, Pittsburgh Public Schools, American University and the National Urban League