Three remarkable leaders have recently joined SCLT’s Board of Directors: Mariama Kurbally, Shane Lee, and Sherri Gibbs. You may have encountered them at our annual year-end community celebration in December 2025, where they mingled over a potluck of international cuisine and participated in our lively raffle alongside farmers, gardeners, staff, fellow board members, families, and friends. Shane also joined us in November for our annual Board and Staff Racial Equity/Social Justice retreat at Open fArms Retreat in Cumberland, hosted by Board member Andraly Horn. It was a day of collaborative work and meaningful discussion, a chance to get to know one another beyond titles and credentials. That’s exactly who these three are: leaders grounded in real community connection.
Mariama Kurbally brings two decades of institutional transformation experience to the board. As Chief Executive and Program Officer of E2 EMPOWERED, a strategy consulting firm with offices in Dallas and Providence, she specializes in helping organizations operationalize systemic change. Her background spans school and state-level impact work, where she’s coached executives through equity-centered redesigns that center historically marginalized and disinvested communities, exactly the communities SCLT serves.
A first-generation graduate of Rhode Island College and the University of Michigan with a master’s in Educational Leadership, Mariama has trained teams across fifteen states and served as an international trainer in equity-centered and liberatory design practices. Her expertise in strategic communication and data analysis for systemic transformation will help SCLT scale impact and communicate our work authentically. As a Black immigrant woman, she brings lived experience to our commitment to centering equity in every aspect of our organization.
Shane Lee is the director of training and special projects at the Nonviolence Institute. Born and raised in Providence, he understands firsthand the challenges our neighbors face, like poverty, violence, and limited access to opportunity. His Level 3 certification in Kingian Nonviolence, earned through training with legendary civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr., grounds his approach to community change in principles of dignity and collective liberation.
Shane’s work spans non-profit, medical, law enforcement, education, and corporate sectors both nationally and internationally. He helps community members recognize how they can use what they have, through art, education, and economic development, to create better futures. A reverend, devoted father of five, singer-songwriter, and board member of The Avenue Concept, a public arts organization in Providence, Shane embodies the integrated approach to community transformation that SCLT champions. His belief that sustainable change is possible even in the most challenging times mirrors our own.
Sherri Gibbs brings four decades of experience as an educator, community leader, and wellness practitioner. For nearly two decades, she led elementary school operations with the East Providence School Department. Before that, she taught special education in New Bedford and spent eight years providing educational services to inmates at Bristol County Correctional Facility, work that reflects her deep commitment to meeting people where they are and creating pathways forward.
Her community involvement extends across multiple decades and sectors. She coordinated NAACP Youth Councils in New Bedford from 1983 to 1990, remains active with the NAACP Providence Branch and the National Association of Professional Women, and since 2015 has operated Creating Community Awareness of Spirit & Energy, a holistic healing practice rooted in Reiki and wellness. She’s also worked as a Human Resources Consultant and as Program Coordinator at the Multicultural Invocation Center, supporting high school students in career development and financial literacy.
As we move into 2026, these three bring exactly what we need. Mariama’s systems transformation expertise, Shane’s deep roots in Providence and commitment to economic justice, and Sherri’s decades of dedication to education and whole-person wellness strengthen our board and deepen our capacity to serve. We’re building something that requires all of these skills, all of these perspectives, all of this heart.
Welcome to SCLT, Mariama, Shane, and Sherri!
