ABOUT US

Blackberry Acres Story:

Blackberry Acres, LLC was formed in 2020 when a group of friends, with diverse backgrounds and expertise, came together to support each other achieve their entrepreneurial ambitions and realize their full potential.  As team members moved closer to achieving their personal business goals, the group elected to expand to supporting other people in their communities, and afar. We are a welcoming community where ideas, ambitions, and passion come together to transcend the art of the possible. Our purpose is simple:

1) Sponsor collaborative and supportive community events with the purpose of increasing access for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences

2) Be the central resource point for individuals interested in going beyond the art of the possible

3) Be committed to providing professional supportive assistance to entrepreneurs looking for a pathway to financial freedom or looking to grow and enhance their business portfolio(s).      

Mission:

To connect with the community through services and provide holistic resources and support, going beyond the art of the possible by focusing on wellness, social justice, arts/culture, and financial freedom.

MEET THE TEAM

Kwasi Apraku-Gyau (JK)

Kwasi Apraku-Gyau was born in London and lived in Ghana before settling in Washington DC and continuing his passion in community building. Kwasi has spent more than half of his career focused on Continuous Improvements and Operations Leadership.  His career began after graduating from Ohio State University and working for the Maryland State’s Attorney’s office.

However, it was his work with public safety and justice pro bono cases that gave him the most fulfillment. In 2010, Kwasi received his Masters in Business Administration from John Hopkins University. Shortly after, Kwasi left the private sector to join the District of Columbia Government taking on leadership roles in both public health and public safety and justice that have been more fitting with his passion for servicing everyday people. In 2014, Kwasi received his Certified Public Manager Certification and Six Sigma greenbelt from George Washington University. Kwasi now serves as a Management Analyst with the U.S. Department of Health and Human services ensuring that healthcare and essential supportive services reach millions of low-income Americans across the United States and its Territories.

Former clients include: Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Google, Bank of America, King Pharmaceuticals, to name a few.

Clarey Walker, III

A native of Florida, Clarey Walker relocated to Washington DC in 2003 and boasts a diverse professional background. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of North Florida, MA in Public Administration from American University, his Ministerial License and coaching credentials. 

With a passion for development and service, he started his career teaching 3rd grade, 5th grade, and high school students. He’s served as a congressional staffer in the US Senate and as a policy advisor in the House of Representatives tackling issues from healthcare and education to housing and animal welfare.  Constantly seeking ways to empower his community, he’s also led political campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels.  

He currently works for the Department of Defense and has worked in a multitude of capacities, including adult education, leadership development, as a coach and mentor. 

Fervently seeking opportunities to empower people, Clarey launched his own adventure, which enables him to do the things he loves: lead empowerment workshops, serve as a life coach and motivational speaker, unlocking the potential that resides within us all.

Raphaelle Richardson

Raphaelle Richardson is known as an out-of-the box thinker and resourceful leader with the unique skills to activate passion and productivity with team members across multiple generations and cultural backgrounds. Over the past 20 years, Ms. Richardson has impacted well over 30,000 young adults across the United States, Mexico, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana and South Africa. Her unique ability to activate her faith and think strategically have afforded her an invitation to the White House, deliver a speech addressing youth mental health on the floor of the United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya, work with celebrities such as Dwayne Wade and Common; and author numerous resource guides and curriculum for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is the founder and CEO of MAI PEACE™  (pronounced ‘my peace’), an international wellness company designed to help youth, young adults and adults achieve success in every area of their lives using planners, calendar, journals, coaching and community events. MAI PEACE™ is an acronym for Money. Awareness of Self. Intellect. Physical Health. Emotional Health. Atmosphere. Community. Expression. 

Since 2016, Ms. Richardson has produced eight wellness festivals/events in the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Maryland and coming soon, Illinois, Tennessee and Botswana, Africa. Festivals/events aim to connect children, adults and families to essential services and supports in each area of MAI PEACE™. Her production teams have assisted well over 3,000 attendees, 200 vendors and countless recording artists.

Ms. Richardson’s life mission is to ensure those impacted by mental health and addiction are afforded the opportunity to live a life exceedingly abundantly above all they could ever ask or think. In her current role, she is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing federal public health programs in collaboration with various stakeholders and monitoring $20 million in funding.

Ms. Richardson is deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve her staff, mentees, colleagues and community. When she is not serving, she enjoys traveling the world, spending time with family and improving her gifts and talents.

Troy Edler

Troy "Sol!” Edler, a native Washingtonian, grew up singing in church with his mom and listening to his dad’s old soul records while simultaneously falling in love with comicbook media. After acquiring a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Communication Art from North Carolina Central University, he returned to the nations’ capital to teach Fine Arts in the public & charter educational sectors before taking the leap into becoming a bonafide solo recording artist. Since then, he's released his debut cd, "Song of Solomon, Book I", produced by Reg Jones & Kutimack of Zwei/BolaMarge Ent. and has hit the stage with dozens of artists from Mint Condition, to Eric Roberson, to Lalah Hathaway, and many more. Providing supporting vocals for a myriad of  artists including Maysa, Phil Perry, & Ángela Winbush, Sol’s new sophomore release entitled "Upfront", with Producer/jazz percussionist Ernest "EC3" Coleman is available right now & You can catch his classic single "Step Further" on WHUR 96.3 FM, WEAA 88.9 FM, and numerous radio & streaming formats internationally. Currently “Sol!” busies himself not just as a staff writer/vocal producer for EC3Vibe Recordings, Talent/House Vocal Coordinator for Thursday Bliss Ent., and Writer/Arranger/Performer/Teaching Artist with WAMMY Award winning A Capella group, Reverb but also cultivating Trouble Comics, his original comicbook media imprint. 

Troy “Sol!” Edler believes his artistic gifts to be sacred and endeavors to use those gifts to both enrich the world around him but also to inspire the artist in everyone, just as great artists have inspired him.  Follow him everywhere at @SolEdler 

Brian Christopher Mayfield-Pharr

A native Washingtonian who has spent over two decades in multiple roles with various bureaus at the U.S. Department of State, Brian Christopher Mayfield-Pharr is a Management Analyst with a strong background in Communications and Customer Service. 

In 2008, Brian discovered his passion for Massage Therapy and attended Potomac Massage Training Institute in Maryland to obtain a Massage Therapy certification. In 2009, Brian completed the MBLEX (Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination) and obtained his Massage Therapy License in both Washington DC and the state of Maryland.  Brain enhanced his craft as part of the VIDA Fitness team, in multiple locations in the District of Columbia, for six years. 

In 2015, Brian developed B-Pharr-From-Stress LLC, a massage therapy business with the aim of helping everyday people become stress free through the power of massage therapy. Brian has a large following of clientele and is currently working to build a Mobile Massage Therapy program and establish B-Pharr-From-Stress franchises.

Akua Gyau

Akua Mfum-Gyau is a results-driven professional who holds a Master’s degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Health Care Quality from George Washington University. Akua is an experienced Regulatory Policy Analyst/Project Manager at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During her tenure at the FDA, Akua has strategically managed and led the substantive review, execution, coordination, and tracking of thousands of Federal Register rulemaking and guidance documents for various centers within the Agency. Akua also holds an undergraduate degree in Health Care Administration from Kent State University, where she led various Health Campaign Programs in which she promoted peer education to her counterparts on campus; as well as conducted research and needs assessments with countless student organizations.

As a native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Akua has been involved in many volunteer programs throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. In 2014, Akua mentored for College Bound, Inc., where she provided tutoring, academic and career guidance to high school students in the Washington D.C. to meet their post-secondary educational goals. As former member the Distant Relatives Project, Akua provided aid to underserved communities by creating opportunities and access to resources through community outreach and engagement in the Washington D.C. area and West Africa.

Dorothy “Dotti” Bell

Dorothy “Dotti” Bell is a devoted civil servant with almost 15 years of Federal and local government experience. Dotti has led an array of diverse teams in the functional areas of performance/budget, policy, and internal communications. The opportunity to affect and effect valuable change and optimal success is a guiding principle in how she leads. Dotti‘s ability to establish positive working relationships within and outside an organization is one of her many attributes. Knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas is a professional practice of hers, and she believes in the alignment of enabling entities such as innovative technologies, efficient human capital practices, and systematic budget formulations are all critical to ensuring effective decisions yield intended results.

Dotti is a proud graduate of Howard University and Bowie State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications Management with a minor in Economics and Master of Arts in Organizational Communications with a focus in Public Relations, respectively. Dotti is the Founder/CEO of Familiar Faces, LLC, networking, and event planning company, which prides its establishment on bringing people together to share life’s precious moments. The company’s mantra is, “A familiar face is hard to forget!”. Dotti currently resides in Prince George’s County, Maryland, where she enjoys time spent with her family and friends. In her spare time, Dotti enjoys a routine workout regimen and providing service in and around her community.

Dr. Darnell A. Lee

Dr. Darnell A. Lee has over 16 years of experience managing human resources and organizational strategy functions.  He is currently the Deputy Chief HR Officer for Strategy at the U.S. House of Representatives in the Chief Administrative Officer's Office (CAO). The CAO is a non-partisan office that provides support services and business solutions to Members, Committees, Officers, and staff across the House. In his capacity, Darnell leads the implementation and development of services, programs, and capabilities to execute organizational mission effectively. He is known for his ability to "connect the dots" by facilitating engagement that inspires staff, builds commitment, and communicates a shared sense of purpose. In addition to his legislative experience, Darnell has worked in the federal and private sectors, focusing on human resources, strategic planning, change, talent development, and engagement.

Darnell holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. In 1999, he earned a Master of Arts focusing on human resource development from the George Washington University's School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD).  Darnell continued his academic work at GSEHD and received a Doctor of Education in Human and Organizational Learning in 2020.

Finally, Darnell's motto in life is "your attitude creates the situation you imagine," which he weaves into his work and interactions with others.

He is a native of Philadelphia, PA, and currently resides in Maryland. He enjoys travel, exploring new and exciting locales, running marathons, and engaging in social and political advocacy activities. 

Corey A. McDougle

Corey A. McDougle is a Partner/Principal at Ernst & Young, LLP (EY). He has over 16 years of experience in IT transformation and leads high-performance, cross-functional teams sourcing and implementing complex operational and IT-based projects for multinational and domestic-based banks and FinTechs focusing on improved customer experience and banking operations. Additionally, he has led multiple internal and community-based initiatives focused on expanding DEI at EY and externally through targeted strategy development/ execution, partnerships, board membership, recruiting and training. As a member of the EY Social Justice Fund Committee, he helps the firm make impactful decisions for the benefit of marginalized communities to address the root causes of social injustice and inequities – specifically focusing on education, technology, health care, environment and economic empowerment.

Prior to consulting, Corey served as a Captain in the US Air Force, focused on cybersecurity and information assurance at the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, MD for almost 10 years. A Louisiana Creole at heart and the first-born child of two military veterans, Corey has lived and worked in 8 different countries. The first in his family to attend college, Corey obtained his MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland and has a BA in Political Science and a BS in Mathematics from Tulane University. He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Although he now resides in Dallas, TX, Corey lived in the DMV area for over 5 years and is passionate about continued local community enablement. A father of a toddler (Grayson) and partner to Anthony, Corey enjoys global travel, cooking anything from scratch, shopping, reading, spending quality time with friends and family, physical fitness, exploring his heritage, mentoring the next generation of leaders, and supporting the arts.

Tawana Stewart

Tawana has more than 15 years of grants administration and management experience within the non-profit, Federal and Local government sectors. In her day-to-day role, Tawana serves as the Deputy Director for Justice Grants with the District Government’s – Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG); where she is responsible for the administration, management of Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance federal grant funding to the District of Columbia for Reentry, Community Corrections, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, and Prison Rape Elimination Act programs and services; and supervision of a team of grants management specialists, program coordinator and training specialist.

Previously, Tawana has served as the Program Coordinator for the District Government’s - Justice Grants Administration (JGA) – DC Department of Corrections (DOC) Women’s Reentry Pilot Partnership. In this role, she was responsible for the identification and oversight of grant funded community-based organizations that provided pre-and post-release reentry support services to clients within the DOC Correctional Treatment Facility-women’s reentry unit and in the community. 

When Tawana is not working to address and resolve issues of those who have or will be returning to the District after a period of incarceration; she is the President and Founder of 4Ward Focus Consulting LLC which focuses on non-profit capacity building, grants administration, resource development and strategic partnerships.

Terence Wiles

Terence Wiles aka Richie Skye, formerly of Bravo’s Stripped, is a television and news personality who specializes in Reality TV and pop culture. His digital streaming show, Reality Talk with Richie Skye, garners an average of 1.4 millions views per month. He is a staple commentator on Fox 5 DC’s Good Day DC & Like It Or Not, and has been featured on Oprah Winfrey’s Own Network as well as outlets like Entertainment Tonight, Bravo TV’s Watch What Happen Live (WWHL) and more.

Richie Skye | TV Host, Vlogger, Content Creator

As seen on Bravo, CW, Fox and Entertainment Tonight

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/djrichieskye

Follow On Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/djrichieskye

Find Out More: http://www.richieskye.com 

Jerome Johnson

Jerome A. Johnson, a 4th generation Washingtonian and lifelong resident of the District of Columbia, has been professionally active in public administration and contract management for more than 25 years; serving as a contracting professional for four District of Columbia Government agencies. For example, Jerome served as Commodity Manager and Supervisory Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer for the Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP), Chief Contracting Officer/Co-Chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee for Finance and Administration, Associate Director of Grants and Procurement for the Department of Employment Services (DOES), Agency Contracting Officer for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and Management Analyst for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). In these positions, he has worked with and advised agency directors, managers, supervisors, procurement personnel, elected officials, Federal and State government executives, international government leaders, business community stakeholders, non‐government organizations, and District residents on myriad issues and topics related to public purchasing.

Jerome is not only recognized as an expert in statutory, regulatory, and policy authorities governing public purchasing and grant making at the federal, state, and local government levels, but also as a competent public administrator. For example, as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer for DOES, he oversaw the day‐to‐day functions of human resources, risk management, agency policy development and implementation, fleet management, mailing services, asset management, security and credentialing, document management, information technology, labor economists, federal and local youth programs and customer service. He also established functional relationships between DOES and domestic and international partners (eg. USAID, US State Department, United Nations, the People’s Republic of China, Republic of South Africa, the Smithsonian, etc.) in furtherance of workforce development initiatives in the District of Columbia. He helped to establish the GlobalKids program in the Mayor Barry’s Youth Leadership Institute, which exposes District youth to international issues and cultures, and facilitated the selection of three youth to travel to Beijing, China to represent the District of Columbia at the Chinese Youth Federation’s Annual Youth Conference.  While serving as the Director of Partnerships and Development for the Department of Parks and Recreation, he established fundraising protocols that produced record quarterly fundraising gains and set the stage for future fundraising efforts.  Additionally, he established Cookery202; the first robust culinary arts program in the DPR inventory of programs for east of the river residents. 

Harold McKelvin

With over 10+ years in the software industry, Harold McKelvin is an experienced Software Product Owner specializing in identifying and delivering successful products to achieve product-market fit. His Product Owner philosophy is premised on a practitioner's ability to recognize and deliver the synonymous requirements between stakeholders and customers throughout the Software Development Lifecycle. From prototypes through implementations, Harold remains steadfast as the voice of the customer and incorporates qualitative and quantitative research to design products. Prior to becoming a Product Owner, Harold has held positions as a Tech Lead, Scrum Master, and Software Engineer - providing him a unique set of skills to manage a product from inception to delivery. 

Harold is a native Washingtonian and currently serves as a Software Director for a Fortune 500 company. He oversees high business value implementations and serves as a liaison between customers and software engineers to deliver scalable products.

Adrienne R. McElhaney

Adrienne McElhaney is an experienced Senior Management Analyst for the Federal government sector for over 20 years. She obtained her BA in Management from Catholic University of America in 2011 and continues to soar professionally while helping to contribute and promote a high-quality work environment.

Not only does Adrienne have a passion for management and operations, she also has a passion for health and wellness. Adrienne has been an advocate for healthy living for over 20 years. Also a fitness enthusiast, Adrianne is an All Natural, world class bodybuilder and has been competing for 7 years. She holds the Organization of Competition Bodies (OCB) Professional Bodybuilding card as well as a Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) Pro card. In the fall of 2019, she earned the title of 4th Place in PNBA’s All Natural Olympia competition in Las Vegas, NV where she competed against the best of the best in the world. Adrienne has received over 20 awards and monetary awards during her bodybuilding career. She is actively bodybuilding as a National Physique Committee (NPC) competitor in the Wellness division. Adrienne’s ultimate goal is to continue to educate her community of the importance of healthy living.

Adrienne currently resides in Hyattsville, MD where she currently works for the Department of State. She also enjoys hobbies such as singing, providing boot camp classes for the community, and is currently focusing on Fitness & Wellness coaching opportunities to help serve her community.