TEAM
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Experience
POWR’s mission is to provide free, educational products and services to individuals that empower their development and help them better adjust to a rapidly changing world.
We envision a global society in which all people possess the knowledge and tools necessary to transcend their circumstances, discover opportunities, and participate in society as self-sufficient individuals prepared for the lessons and challenges that inevitably lie ahead.
POWR’s goal is to help people reach their full potential by meeting them where they are, both online and in person, and engaging them through technology, content and experiences.
Understand
POWR tethers products and services to information and actions that are essential in life, and are not associated with individual value choices such as political perspectives, religious beliefs, or cultural biases. Below are areas of focus:
The Team
Dax Brooks
Founder
Experienced business owner with a diverse background in various media genres, including film, music production, and marketing. Successfully collaborated with renowned clients such as NBC, Fox Searchlight, Monarch Pictures, Aramid Pictures, BET Network, Muse Ad Agency, FullScreen, and Nickelodeon.
During his volunteer work as a Content Producer for the youth video-sharing app, 8CAN, he recognized a significant gap in the availability of engaging and interactive products tailored to educate and empower underserved youth.
Motivated by his lifelong interest in media and a passion for creating opportunities for youth, he conceptualized POWR. POWR, which stands for Perspective Optimized for World Readiness, represents his commitment to developing products that inspire individuals to envision themselves beyond their circumstances, empowering them to reach their full potential.
Jabari Gray
Founder
For more than twenty years, Jabari Gray has been working in Out of School Time (OST) education and enrichment programs for children and youth, teaching, developing curricula, designing pathways, and leading administrative efforts. He is a fundraiser and youth development practitioner passionate about leveraging media and technology for the betterment of those in greatest need.
Over the last decade, Jabari has been focused on developing and resourcing strategic partnerships among philanthropic endeavors, community based organizations, local government agencies, and corporations with the aim of creating opportunities for youth of color to develop leadership and workforce skills, particularly in STEAM fields (Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/Mathematics).
Jabari has been instrumental in raising over $40M to support programs and projects that help bring voice and agency to diverse populations throughout California.
Prior to co-founding POWR, Jabari served as the Executive Director of the Peabody Award-winning YR Media (formerly Youth Radio).
Shama Davis
Board Member
Shama (pronounced shuh-mah) is the Executive Director of Programming and Operations at Y.O.G.A. for Youth, where he leads the day-to-day operations of the organization, including securing and managing program partnerships, managing staff and contractors, and facilitating
training and special programs.
Shama oversaw a massive expansion of Y.O.G.A. for Youth’s programming through a partnership with the Montgomery County Public School District that will soon serve close to
5,000 students throughout the district, and also led the creation and publishing of Y.O.G.A. for Youth’s first children’s book. Shama’s exceptional project management skills help the
organization meet and exceed its goals through his consistent economic and cultural diplomacy.
Shama’s hobbies include independent film production where he has worked collaboratively on content creation aimed at bringing more authentic representations of African American experiences to audiences.
ADVISORYCommittee
THE
TEAM
Ashleigh Kenny
Director of Development
Ashleigh has 15 years of experience in nonprofit media, working first in fundraising at two venerable policy magazines in Washington, DC. For 8 years, she led fund development at YR Media (formerly Youth Radio). At YR, Ashleigh worked closely on the team that drove the organization’s strategic growth plan, which led to a multi-million dollar annual budget increase two years in. She is currently the Director of Development and served as interim CEO at Blue Ridge Public Radio, where she leads an expanded fundraising team that comprises membership, major gifts, and planned giving. She is passionate about building and expanding tools and programs that support agency, voice, and healthy futures for young people who face the greatest barriers. Ashleigh received her degree in English from the University of Iowa, where she focused on indigenous women’s poetry.
POWR (PERSPECTIVE OPTIMIZED FOR WORLD READINESS), Inc. DBA The POWR Fund, is a California nonprofit public-benefit corporation operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, a Maryland charitable trust recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178, ppf.org/pp). Contributions to The POWR Fund are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.