The work of Our Village United is grounded in a theory of change that focuses on building strong, resilient communities through the delivery of culturally-competent training and business solutions.

Our core belief is that by serving the whole business, the entire community prospers economically and holistically.

Welcome to The Village

During the past four years of building community within this unique entrepreneurship ecosystem, our team has observed that taking the time to cultivate community through strategic gatherings and positioning microbusinesses to share essential backend resources (e.g., master classes and accounting services) has helped address many of the obstacles that microbusinesses face in trying to grow and thrive in Atlanta.

When microbusinesses are afforded help in the business development arenas where they lack expertise these businesses move one step closer to becoming thriving job creation engines in the community capable of directly impacting economic inequality and wealth building.

Our Mission

We support the growth of solopreneurs and microbusinesses by delivering targeted technical assistance and shared professional services that empower business owners to grow their operations and scale their businesses. Dedicated to serving the whole business, we not only focus on the health of the business, but also the health of the business owner by partnering with licensed wellness coaches and mental health practitioners to serve as mentors to small businesses. Our core belief is that by serving the whole business, the entire community prospers economically and holistically.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Meet The Team

Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon

Executive Director

Dr. Key is our visionary! Bringing big vision and execution!

M. Cole Jones

Small Business Champion

M. Cole is the heavy-weight small biz champion equipped with the entrepreneurial experience and passion necessary to coach each solopreneur to elevate, compete and win!

Ashley DeFlanders

National Director of Programs

Ashley, a facilitator who is fully vested in the success of small businesses, brings cultural understanding, strong leadership skills, and excitement to each program.

Sydney Thomas

Administrative Assistant

Adding ease to the ELEVATED, ELEVATE Mississippi, and ELEVATED Cities business owner’s process of elevation by ensuring access to the resources needed.

Dr. Joy Beckwith

Wellness Champion

In a culture that values results over rest and hustling over health, our Village recognizes that healthy people build healthy businesses, and I lead CEOs in balancing as they build to avoid detrimental entrepreneurial burnout.

Najwa Ahmed

Program Manager

Najwa brings streamlined processes and emotionally intelligent problem-solving skills.

Lucian Culver

Program Manager

Lucian is the ultimate connector of resources, and bringing her wealth of knowledge, communication skills, and passion for all things community to the team.

Lauren Gibson

Executive Assistant

Lauren is an exceptionally motivated and meticulously detail-oriented Executive Assistant, characterized by a profound dedication to supporting and empowering professionals in the pursuit of their objectives.

Kris Smith

Small Business Champion

Kris is one of the Small Business Champions. She brings truth, good energy, and technical/business knowledge.

Ranada Robinson

Program Evaluator

Ranada is our data queen, and she ensures that we’re proactively collecting and analyzing what we need to understand, improve, and communicate our impact.

Kimberly Knight

Program Manager

Kimberly brings her creativity and problem solving abilities, as well as vast connections at all levels of government.

Asya Rainey

Project Assistant

Asya is a dedicated and innovative Project Assistant, driven by a unique blend of creativity, visionary thinking, and resourcefulness, all aimed at facilitating the advancement of our community.