MEET THE TEAM
The Faces of Our Organization
UCHECHI TARVER
Founder & Chairperson
Chi is an experienced fundraiser, sales, marketing and travel professional, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Chi has founded several small businesses including Extra Vacations, an industry-leading online travel agency. Chi is a wife and mother of daughters who is passionate about caring for our community of daughters, sisters and mothers. She is an advocate for social justice donating time and resources to organizations that are committed to that mission. Chi never accepts lip-service for a cause about which she's passionate, and that is what motivated her to form Simplified, Period! She is dedicated to removing economic hurdles that disqualify young women and girls from seeking their full potential.
ANDREA LAWFUL-SANDERS
Vice Chairperson
For nearly 30 years, Andrea’s life’s work in Education, Advocacy, Consulting, and Communications has reflected the belief that “it takes a village” to develop both children and adults into the best version of themselves. "Muva Diva" as she is affectionately called, was birthed out of the expressed desire from her audience to live a life of passion while confronting the hard truths in between where they are and where they aspire to be...and to do so with her assistance. Ending 'Period Poverty' is close to Andrea’s heart and she intends to use her platform as an author, radio personality, and accomplished public-speaker to bring awareness to it.
ROTONYA CARR, MD
Treasurer
Dr. Rotonya Carr is a Hepatologist (liver doctor), and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a liver basic science researcher. Dr. Carr has been very active in health and educational community service organizations including serving on the boards of Education Law Center, Parent Infant Center, the HSA of Penn Alexander where her two kids attend. She is a former board member of Missouri Bootheel Regional Consortium, an organization dedicated to improving the health of women and children. Dr. Carr is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., an organization dedicated to community service and the empowerment of Black women.
HANIFA L. BARNES, JD, MBA
Secretary
Hanifa is a creative and compassionate leader who uses her legal and business training to lead change management and improve performance in non-profit and government spaces. Prior to her current role as a Chief of Staff & Operations in higher education finance, Hanifa worked in various capacities, including non-profit COO, political finance director, educator, and a professional actor.
In her spare time, Hanifa hosts a podcast that helps women discover their personal truths to disrupt limiting beliefs and elevate their performance.
Hanifa is a wife and mother to one daughter and three sons. She enjoys reading, writing historical fiction that has yet to be published, and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
AYANA HERBERT, MD
Board Member
Dr. Ayana Herbert is a full-time, board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician who works in the Atlanta metro area as well as in Texas. In Atlanta, she is a Senior Partner at Vituity which serves the Emergency Departments at Emory Decatur Hospital and Emory Hillandale Hospital. In Texas, she works at Signature Care Emergency Centers as a part-time attending. Most recently, Dr. Herbert helped to found RTW Health Services with the goal of providing access to state of the art COVID-19 testing with fast turnaround times to help get businesses, schools, and other sectors, including film/tv, safely back to work, learning, production, etc.
SUSHAMA AUSTIN-CONNOR
Board Member
Sushama Austin-Connor is a faith leader serving clergy nationwide as well as communities in Princeton and Trenton, NJ. She is the founding director of the Black Theology and Leadership Institute (BTLI) at Princeton Theological Seminary as well as the program administrator in the centers of Continuing Education and Black Church Studies. She is a wife and mother. She believes
"there is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise." (Dorothy Dandridge)
ADRIENNE KING, BSN, RN
Board Member
Adrienne is a mother of a daughter, Registered Nurse by trade, and an advocate of health by nature. This cause has been a long-time passion of hers stemming from her late discovery of the abundance of possibilities that a menstrual cup provides. As she approaches menopause, she would like to help provide menstruating people the opportunity to experience the liberation and flexibility a reusable, non-toxic, eco-friendly menstrual cup provides. She believes this is the perfect opportunity to change the negative connotation associated with menstruation.
STACEY WOODSON, MS, RD, LDN
Board Member
Stacey Woodson is a Dietitian and Nutritionist, and also the Founder of Melanated Magic Tees. As a mother of two daughters and a nature lover, she has a passion for promoting sustainable and eco-friendly living.
Stacey is a strong believer that what you use on your body (health & beauty products) is just as important as what you put in your body (food & diet).
DAHLIA TARVER
Youth Ambassador
Dahlia is an ambitious, young woman with a hunger for change. She is a poet, a writer, the Co-Founder of her high school's first Black-empowerment magazine, as well as the Literature Editor for the school's literary magazine. Dahlia believes that it is our duty as human beings to combat inequities in our society rather than using racist and sexist ideas to sweep them under the rug.
BUTTERFLY BARNES
Youth Ambassador
Butterfly is currently in her junior year at Bowie State University with a major in Child and Adolescent Studies. She's incredibly self-aware, championing everything from women's freedom to civil rights on her social media accounts. She co-founded an organization in her school called I-Define-Me.
Coming from a household where both parents hold law degrees and are politically astute, Butterfly hopes to use her upbringing and connections to advocate for the voices that haven’t yet been heard.
