Karla McCullough, PH.D

Executive Director

Dr. McCullough serves as Executive Director of the Juanita Sims Doty Foundation (JSDF) where she provides oversight and innovation in programming designed to improve outcomes for youth and families of color in the south. As a native of Mississippi, Karla is fully aware of the pronounced disparities in health, education and other social determinants that define quality of life outcomes for residents of color. This perspective drives her approach to improving these outcomes using models that are rooted in equitable systems level change that allow increased opportunities for families to thrive. Her approach to work is focused on transforming inequitable engagement, policy, practices, and procedures. She has spent the last 14 years working to build the capacity of individuals, the community, and systems to establish more equitable opportunities for people of color, particularly youth. Karla has built upon her strategic planning and management skills derived from the previous years of serving in leadership and executive positions in Fortune 500 Companies. An extension of her leadership skills is shown in her role as owner and principal consultant of the Tri-K Group, a 14-year-old consultant firm.

Karla’s innovation is evident as a sound developer of culturally responsive programming for various organizations/agencies/companies across the country. An example of this programming is in her role as Project Director of “Choose to Grow,” an after-school program that promotes educational growth and impactful engagement through community involvement of over 21 community organizations, for youth ages 11-14. Choose to Grow has 16 sites across the United States. As director and developer of the curriculum, she has aligned the goals of the program with the mission of JSDF, ensuring that youth have the tools needed to navigate a challenging world, while preparing the world to receive them. The program is intentional about youth having input in their experiences and opportunities to Heal, Grow and Thrive.

Her passion and action-oriented abilities continue to mobilize communities, bring awareness, create solutions, and increase individuals’ and organizational capacity to affirm the humanity for children of color, while addressing systemic inequities. Karla’s high-level engagement contributed to over 350+ trained individuals and groups from the community, public and private institutions, and governmental agencies nationwide.

Karla’s work has been published and recognized through numerous awards, fellowships, and opportunities to support race and health equity. She trains and speaks nationwide about ways to apply equity lens and hosts honest, fair, and effective conversations. She has trained federal agency directors and staff, college and university administrators, faculty, staff, students, and community members. Karla, in partnership with other colleagues, is creating a new framework that centers the need to address individuals with a humanity centered lens. She is currently focused on adding to the body of knowledge, research, and evidence-based solutions to interrupting inequitable systems and building places of refuge and recreation for youth in multi-generational underserved areas.