LearnServe Virtual Gala

LearnServe Gala Honorees & Chair

Entrepreneurship Awardee Malachi Byrd came to Princeton University, a young D.C. boy full of theories. Through the juxtaposition of his suburban and urban experiences in the DMV area, Malachi discovered his passion for discovering and attacking institutionalized racism in all of the overt and covert ways that they perpetuate. Whether in educational opportunities, healthy food access, or police brutality, he is committed to the battle against anti-Blackness. A long-time rapper and spoken word artist, MalPractice, has always believed in the intersection of art and activism. From the mix of his African-American studies degree and Creative Writing certificate to being selected as Washington D.C.’s inaugural youth poet laureate (2015) to publishing his dually named book and mixtape, Crowning Too Early (2017), he displays in his artwork where his research interests lie: fully interrogating the evaporation of Black childhood. Malachi can’t even pinpoint a particular profession that he is striving for – other than becoming the first Senator of Washington, D.C. (Vote Byrd 2032) – but he knows to whom and where he wants to dedicate his life to uplifting.

Global Perspectives Awardee Ginea Briggs has been a proud member of the School Without Walls (SWW) High School community since the 1997-98 school year. She began teaching at SWW after graduating from Lincoln University (PA) with a BA in English Communications and University of Maryland, College Park with an MA in English. During her years at Lincoln University, Ginea became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

At School Without Walls, she sponsors several groups in the school including the BOMB Squad (the Hip Hop dance team), and the SASS Club (Sister Action, Sister Strength) sponsored by the DC Rape Crisis Center, the National Honor Society. Additionally, she has been a LearnServe Fellows advisor since 2009. In 2009, she also chaperoned her first LearnServe abroad trip to Zambia and repeated the trip in 2010. She was honored to become a trip leader with LearnServe Jamaica in 2011, 2012, and 2014 and again with LearnServe South Africa in 2017. In 2015, Ginea spent four months in Hyderabad, India as a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching Recipient. There she studied school communities and their effects on girls and self-esteem.

In her spare time, Ginea enjoys dancing with KanKouran West African Dance Company, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

This year, we honor The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington with our Civic Champion Award.

The Catalogue for Philanthropy is the region’s only locally-focused guide to giving and volunteering. They believe in the power of small nonprofits to spark big change. Their goal is to create visibility for charities, fuel their growth with philanthropic dollars, and create a movement for social good in our region.

Co-Executive Director Matt Gayer will accept the award on behalf of the Catalogue.

Gala Chair Richard Perez, originally from Texas, resides in the Washington, DC area (Northern Virginia) and has spent the majority of his career growing businesses, either in-house as a Revenue/Growth Executive or as an advisor and consultant to large corporations, early-stage businesses, and startup organizations. 

Richard worked in Development while at the University of Texas at Austin where he helped raise millions of dollars for the University. In his professional capacity now, he focuses on Go-To-Market Strategy support, sales, marketing & customer success strategy, and operational improvement. He advises large and small organizations around the world through a Private Equity firm he works with as their Go-To-Market Practice lead. Richard has worked at start-up organizations, early-stage businesses, and large corporations, including the CEB (formerly the Corporate Executive Board, now Gartner).

One of Richard’s key interests is developing the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs, which is what has brought him to LearnServe. He has served as an advisor at the Halcyon Incubator for several years and learned about LearnServe and the mission of the organization and has worked on the Development Committee for the last couple of years.

Master of Ceremonies

Master of Ceremonies Aaron “AJ” Jenkins is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Partner for North Star Strategies LLC, an equity consulting practice that provides services in public policy and root cause analysis, strategic planning, and training. He has over two decades of experience in advocacy, community organizing, racial justice, interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue and education and unconscious bias training. He is a servant leader and advocate who has worked in the non-profit, local, state and federal sectors.

A fourth generation Washingtonian, Aaron is an associate minister at New Solid Rock Church Ministries. As a first-generation college student, K-12 and collegiate education is extremely important to Aaron. He honors this commitment by serving as the President of the Abramson Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Based in Washington, DC, the ASF is a non-profit organization that provides critical scholarships and comprehensive mentoring to first generation college students from the District of Columbia Public and Public Charter Schools. He is a graduate of Williams College with a BA in Political Science.

Special Thanks to our Sponsors and In-Kind Supporters!