Board of Directors

Alexis (Lex) Dailey began her work in high school as an intern for Memphis’ Infant Mortality Public Media Campaign. While earning her Bachelor’s in Instructional Curriculum Leadership from the University of Memphis, she developed a love for technology as the Senior Technician in the IT Department at her school. Learn More

As an educator for nearly 7 years, she focused on bringing high quality educational and social experiences for youth in resource neglected communities. Her work as a Doula, and and a professional reproductive justice advocate fed her calling to educate the public on maternal health and comprehensive sexual education. She has practiced as a Certified HIV Counselor for various POC, women, and LGBTQ centered organizations. Since graduating from Arizona State University with a Master’s of Sociology, she has sharpened her focus on health disparities and Epidemiology outcomes in centered communities. She currently works as a Health Education Specialist II for rural Indigenous tribes of California.

Raised in Memphis, TN, Lex now lives in Sacramento, CA with her partner and her Great Dane mix, Sansa. She loves Ethiopian and Deep South food. She identifies as a Slytherin.

Djuana Stroud is a public health professional that is a native of Decatur, Georgia. After graduating with honors from high school, Djuana attended Tennessee State University where she majored in biology with a pre-medicine concentration. After graduation, Djuana began to work for the DeKalb County School District where she taught biology and human anatomy to high school students. Learn More

As a teacher, she partnered with various county and state agencies to bring awareness of STDs, HIV, and teen pregnancy to her students. While she was teaching, Djuana earned her MPH from Walden University. While also working as a science teacher, she completed her internship with the Infectious Disease Office with the Georgia Department of Public Health. She then joined the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Hospital where she worked as the Public Education and Outreach Specialist for four years. Djuana believes in empowering her community through education and giving people access to the necessary resources for them to maintain health. She has a passion for mentoring young girls and introducing them to various careers within the healthcare field. She currently serves as the Breast Cancer Impact target co-chairman under the health promotion target for the DeKalb county chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Ms. Stroud is a fall 2017 graduate of the United Way of Atlanta VIP Board program. She is enthusiastic about serving as a board member for the Her Initiative because it gives her the opportunity to lead and fund programs that positively impact the lives of Black girls and women.

Ashley Cyrus is a determined individual that wants to create change in various health areas. She is passionate about health promotion, prevention, evaluation, policy, and administration. Ashley is motivated by her passions to understand issues, execute plans, and create solutions in healthcare. Learn More

Ashley received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Georgia State University, where she studied health psychology, health behavior, and public health. She studied health and healthcare on a global and local level giving her a broad perspective. She has developed clinical and non-non-clinical skills from working in nursing homes, hospitals, laboratories, federal health services, and other healthcare corporations. Her education in psychology gives her a background in science, math, health, and data analytics. She has experience working on governance boards for health as well as experience putting together and managing health-related events for her school and community.

Ashley is currently a student at Georgia State University, completing her Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. She is learning the business side of healthcare, where she will be able to lead and have an impact. She is also the founder of Health Helpers, a Non-Profit Organization where they aim to provide the tools and resources people need to make better health and healthcare decisions.

C. Joy Turner seizes every opportunity to improve someone’s way of life. Throughout her career Turner has played a key role in developing outreach programs and activities for various nonprofits and educational institutes. Turner has forged partnerships with key community organizations and stakeholders to create opportunities to positively impact the lives of the students and families in the Memphis community. Learn More

Originally from Jackson, TN., Turner brings a unique outlook to region and has been able to focus her attention on showing others the true treasures of Memphis and the numerous opportunities for young professionals to make a difference in this community. Turner has worked with young professionals through her roles as Programs and Communications Coordinator for MPACT Memphis (2009), as the Membership Co-Chair for the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals (MULYP) (2011-2013), and as an active member and current Co-Chair of Young Women Philanthropists of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis. She is a Leadership Memphis (Fast Track, Fall 2008) and New Memphis Institute (Fellows A15) alumnae. She also serves as a member of the Connect 2 Protect HIV/AIDS Coalition for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Her dedication to making Memphis a better city is also reflected in her work with area youth. Turner is the Co-Founder of Brown Girl Dreams (Formerly GirlTalk Memphis) a mentoring program for high school girls that she and Lori Spicer Robertson developed in 2010 that aims to empower self-esteem, promote leadership skills and cultivate volunteerism in our youth through community service and enrichment programming.

Alexis (Lex) Dailey

Djuana Stroud

Ashley Cyrus

C. Joy Turner

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