Black Excellence: Standouts in Education & Nonprofit

SUNRISE, Fla. -- In celebration of Black History Month, the Florida Panthers will be commemorating the second annual 'Celebration of Black Excellence' series recognizing South Florida community members making a difference.
From Black executives and educators to those in the culinary field, healthcare workers, media members, and more, the Panthers 'Celebration of Black Excellence' program will recognize individuals nominated by their peers, colleagues and families for the positive impact they are making in South Florida and beyond.
Honorees' stories and achievements will be highlighted throughout Black History Month at FloridaPanthers.com and via Panthers social media platforms @FlaPanthers and @FlaPanthersCARE.
In the final week of "Celebration of Black Excellence," the Panthers are proud to highlight four standouts in education and nonprofit.

Andrea Hall

Executive Director, Shak's Hope Foundation
Andrea Hall hails from Kingston, Jamaica and spent her early years between the Caribbean Island nation and Brooklyn, New York before moving south to settle in South Florida. Her passion for travel ended up being her career, a position she has held for over 25 years, incorporating that love for travel with fashion and culture wrapped around. In 1986 while pregnant with her first child, Andrea learned that she carried the Sickle Cell trait, and the baby would have full-blown Sickle Cell disease. Faced with the decision of giving birth to a child who doctors warned would not live past the age of 13, Andrea chose life and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Shakira Martin. Despite her odds, Shakira lived her life to the fullest, accomplishing one goal of being crowned Miss Jamaica Universe 2011 and being a beacon of hope for others in her shoes. In January 2016, Shak's Hope Foundation was established with a mission to build awareness and education while providing services to improve the quality of life for those affected by Sickle Cell Anemia. Since Shakira's passing in August 2016, Andrea has worked alongside the Shak's Hope Foundation Board Members to continue the legacy. Shak's Hope Foundation hosts events across South Florida and Jamaica in order to raise awareness, collect resources, and deliver gifts to those suffering with the disease, including their Annual Holiday Toy Drive, Treat, Shak's MVPs, Treasures, and Islands of Hope Brunch.

Kenasha Paul

Founder & CEO, Black Professionals Network
Kenasha Paul is an award-winning social entrepreneur and business professional who has dedicated her life to building thriving pathways lined with access points, opportunities, and resources for systematically excluded communities. Her experiences leading the Black Student Union in undergrad at Florida International University inspired her to launch the Black Professionals Summit Conference in 2014 while in law school at Nova Southeastern University. The Summit later evolved into the Black Professionals Network (BPN) in 2016 as a non-profit social learning organization serving all of South Florida's Black professional community. In 2022, the organization expanded nationwide and currently has chapters in Miami, Broward, Chicago, and Los Angeles with more markets on the way. Her success in building social capital across private and public sectors caught the attention of the venture and tech community. As of December 2021, she was announced by the City of Miami's Mayor Francis Suarez as the Director of the FIU-Venture Miami Opportunity Program, housed in FIU's Office of Community and Public Purpose as part of the novel partnership between the City of Miami and FIU. She serves as a critical connector, alongside the Venture Miami team, by connecting women entrepreneurs of color with investors, venture capitalists, and resources in #MiamiTech.

Kiesha Edge

Director of Education Operations, Anti-Defamation League
Kiesha Edge began with ADL in 2016 as the Education Director of the Florida Region building relationships with school districts that resulted in anti-bias/diversity programming in several counties. She has since been promoted several times, even serving as Interim Vice President of Education. In her current role, she oversees Education Operations, the team responsible for providing policy and procedural guidance to Education staff members, facilitators and contractors in ADL's 27 U.S. offices. She effortlessly led the transition of the Education department into the Salesforce CRM and SAP Concur expense management system when the company was forced to work from home during the pandemic. Prior to her tenure at ADL, Kiesha served as Program Director for the Florida Department of Health in Broward County leading a youth prevention program. Additionally, she has shared her talents with Florida State Legislature as Legislative Aide to several members including Former Senator Frederica Wilson. Kiesha is an alumna of Florida A&M University and Boston University. When not working, she is a doctor, secretary, chef, housekeeper and much more to her creative and ambitious 9- year old son, Kyson, and her fur baby, Domino.

Dr. Malou Harrison

Executive Vice President & Provost, Miami Dade College
Dr. Malou Harrison is the Executive Vice President and Provost of Miami Dade College. Throughout her tenure, she has led the establishment of many high-impact partnership initiatives at the College that have furthered equitable student success and educational excellence. Dr. Harrison led the start of the College's first U.S. Department of Education Trio Student Support Services Program now in its 18th year of charting excellent student outcomes in students from under-resourced backgrounds. She recently led the February 2021 launch of Miami Dade College's Rising Black Scholars Program, which enrolls 300+ recent high school graduates and provides holistic resources and support services, including financial assistance for tuition, fees, and books, leading to an Associate Degree. In addition, Dr. Harrison, a prolific writer on higher education issues, authored two book chapters, one of which focused on Black male student success.