The Kaleidoscope Team
Our Kaleidoscope Team
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Melissa Forde: Project Director
Melissa Forde is the Director of The Kaleidoscope Project, a community initiative that generates attention to and action around the critically important role healthy places and spaces play in social and emotional development of children and families. The Kaleidoscope Project works collaboratively to enhance the location and impact of places and spaces so that all children grow up nurtured by a positive, supportive environment, and become adults who benefit from and contribute to healthy communities.
Before joining Kaleidoscope, Forde worked as the Executive Director of the American Lung Association’s Raleigh office. She has spent the last 8 years addressing community health issues impacting the lives of children and adults. She has served as Area Director with a B.A. in Corporate Communications and M.S. in Project Management. Undergraduate work provided the opportunity to interact with multiple non-profit organizations sparking interest in non-profit work. Studied Project Management in hopes of increasing project management practices in the non-profit world. She has a passion for youth and youth development.
Melissa Forde is a graduate of Boston University and Elon University.
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Earl Callair: Advocacy & Communications Director
Earl has spent over 25 years of his life working and developing youth and young adults. Earl has been an educator, mentor, and counselor for youth and adults. Working in schools, churches, and community environments. Earl is a licensed minister and he’s trained in trauma informed care for youth. Earl is also a YMCA national trainer in Cultural Lenses, Leading successful teams, and Project Management. Earl is certified in cognitive behavioral therapy.
Earl Callair has served as an Associate Executive Director for the YMCA Arlington, Regional Program Director YMCA Greater Richmond, Sr. program Director YMCA of the Triangle. He supported the YMCA in the area of Youth Development, Organizational development and diversity and inclusion for 13 years. He has developed program, lead trainings, and served as the Chair of the African American Employee resource group. He currently serves as the Advocacy and Communications Director for the Kaleidoscope Project.
Earl also serves as an Associate and Youth Minister at Covenant Life Fellowship church and works with community partners to help them understand their place in the kingdom and the community.
Earl is a graduate of Benedict College and University of Phoenix with and B.A. degree in computer science information technology. He has also studied at Apex School of theology and Moody Bible college. Min. Earl was ordained and licensed in 2003.
Earl knows that we are at our best as a community when we are all using our God given gifts to the benefit of the community. In doing that we are the best representative of who God has called us to be. Min. Earl’s mission in life is to move people to being a community that accepts, respects, and loves all of the community members.
Earl believes that is not what you do in life that really matters, but it’s the lives that you effect by what you do that makes the difference.
Kaleidoscope Advocacy Council
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Takirah Maye
Community Representative
Takirah is a Mental Health security officer in Wake County. She has been a resident ambassador for Beacon Ridge Community for 2 years. She has a passion for community development and racial equity work. What she loves most about community work is meeting people and building relationships.
Takirah grew up in New Jersey where she attended Union County College and has an associate degree in paralegal studies. In her free time, she loves dance fitness and reading.
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Corey Branch
Representative District C
Corey Branch represents District C and was first elected to the Raleigh City Council in 2015. He is Mayor Pro Tem, a position he also held from December 2017 through January 2021. He serves as chair of the Transportation & Transit Committee and vice-chair of the Growth & Natural Resources Committee.
He earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and he is currently a service delivery manager with Kryndryl. Prior to that he was a senior technical director for AT&T.
Council Member Branch has held volunteer leadership positions in many organizations including the Raleigh Transit Authority; WakeUp Wake County; the Markkens Development Group, which focuses on education and partnerships; and the Alpha South summer Leadership Institute, hosting high school students from seven states.
Council Member Branch was born and raised in Raleigh. He is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; a board member of Lightner Y Achievers; and volunteers on the Audio Visual Team (Kerygma) at Baptist Grove Church. His wife Chandra is a teacher for Wake County Public Schools. Together they enjoy travel and time with family.
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Allison Bost, MSW
YMCA Director Of Case Management
Allison is a native to North Carolina. She grew up in Wake County and attended school to get her BSW at NC State and her MSW at UNC-Chapel Hill. Allison has experience working in community organizing, mental health, and program development. Most recently, she has worked for the YMCA of the Triangle for close to 10 years. She has provided leadership to programs that are community supported and family case management to connect individuals to needed resources and education. She has a heart for community, loves connecting with new people, feels invigorated by traveling, and spends her free time with friends and her 4 nieces and nephew.
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Ross Yeager
Director of the North Wake Regional Center
Ross has been the Director of the Wake County Northern Regional Center since its inception in 2006. In this role he has broad oversight over a number of Wake County Services and programs. He also has developed many meaningful connections and partnership throughout the communities the center serves. Additionally, Ross has organized and meets regularly with a Community Advocacy Committee (CAC). This CAC has adopted two priority areas: Food Security and Mental Health. The group has received recognition and commendations for their work in both arenas. Ross graduated from Edinboro University in PA and is a graduate of the UNC Institute of Government and the University of Virginia Senior Executive Leadership curriculum. He is currently a member of the Capital Area Workforce Development Board as well as the Wake County Cooperative Extension Board. In his time away from work, he can be found volunteering at the local community garden in Wake Forest, providing advocacy on issues at City of Raleigh Council Meetings, running, swimming, and biking. He and his wife of 33 years (Maria) have one child (Chad) who lives in Seattle. They visit him at least once each year and now consider Seattle their second home.
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Anna Traylor
Senior Architect Associate
Anna Traylor is a senior architect at Clark Nexsen with a wealth of experience in the field. Her passion lies in creating spaces that promote wellness and enhance the lives of the users. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to understanding how the built environment impacts people's well-being and how they interact with it. Anna's designs are not only aesthetically pleasing but also take into account the psychological and emotional aspects of the built environment, ensuring that occupants feel a sense of harmony and comfort within the spaces she creates.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Anna's love for wellness extends into her personal life as well. When she's not immersed in architectural projects, she can often be found spending quality time with her two children and husband exploring the serene landscapes of North Carolina Art Museum park or enjoying the tranquility of Umstead Park. Her commitment to wellness goes beyond the drawing board, making her not just an architect by profession, but a true advocate for a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle.
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Catherine Wills
Assistant Garden Specialist at Poe Center
Catherine Wills is the Assistant Garden Specialist at the Poe Center for Health Education. She received her Bachelor's degree in Agriculture Life Sciences from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 2014. Her early exposure to agriculture at family farms cultivated a love for advocating the importance of agriculture in communities. While at NC A&T SU, she developed a passion for nutritional health and community gardens. This interest heightened her goal of bridging agriculture with the nutritional health of communities. Catherine completed a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences at Tulane University in 2022. She continues to foster the importance of agriculture in public health at The Poe Center by partnering with local childcare centers to establish gardens and creating a mindfulness garden and labyrinth at Poe.
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Clarence "CJ" Morgan's passion for the arts and youth development was born in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, where he worked as a youth counselor, inspiring and motivating young people. He furthered his education by earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a master's degree in School Counseling.
During his 14-year tenure as a tenured school counselor with Wake County Public Schools, CJ employed group counseling and classroom guidance to instill personal confidence, leadership skills, and successful habits in middle schoolers. Additionally, he dedicated 12 years to coaching basketball and track.
Beyond his educational and coaching roles, CJ is a multifaceted individual with interests in sports, DJing, music, writing, and visual arts.
Today, he leads The Gifted Arts, an organization that utilizes artistic experiences to empower youth by enhancing their self-worth, confidence, and drive.
Kaleidoscope Consulting Partners
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