Our Founder & Team
Meet
"I believe that one of the most influential ways in making a greater impact within local communities is by knowing the difference between helping and serving." - Shirnetta J. Harrell
Shirnetta used her social work skills to create
resources to further expand the elimination of barriers and believes in the power of being connected to others in local communities.
Shirnetta J. Harrell
The Executive Director & Founder
Shirnetta J. Harrell is the Founder & Executive Director of The No Woman, No Girl Initiative. She is a native of Nashville, NC and a 2x HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) graduate. Shirnetta graduated from Shaw University where she served as Miss Shaw University 2012-2013 and received her Bachelor of Social Work degree. Shirnetta also joined the Beta Rho Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. during her journey at Shaw University. She later graduated from Alabama A & M University where she completed the Advanced Standing Program. As a result, she obtained her Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in Community Mental Health.
Her nonprofit experience is rooted in her graduate assistantship where she interned at Harris Home for Children which is a nonprofit organization that provides full time foster care services and crisis support for neglected adolescents in Alabama. She later went on to widen her social work experience by working in residential treatment facilities, group homes, community mental health and school social work.
The No Woman, No Girl Initiative was birthed out of the need to target minority women and girls who disproportionately fall marginalized to a lack of accessibility and affordability in what they need to survive. Shirnetta desires to open a building where staff can welcome women and girls to a safe space where they can be connected to case management support, have private shopping appointments available for essentials and a place to get hope. Shirnetta is not just concerned about the basic needs of women and girls but, also their relational and spiritual needs.
At a very early age, Shirnetta knew that her compassion for women was rooted in watching her late grandmother give so radically to others in the community and her mother who is a cancer survivor and has never skipped a beat.
In her spare time, you can catch her at your nearby Homegoods, catching up with friends at brunch and participating in anything related to wellness. Shirnetta is also married to the love of her life for 6 years and they are often busy with their 2-year old son.
Read more about Shirnetta's Community Involvement here!
Board of Directors
BOARD CHAIR
Erica Burger
HR Manager at DynPro, Inc
TREASURER
Trevor Osterhaus
Associate Executive Director
at the Lucy Daniels Center
SECRETARY
Jessica Smith
Corporate Counsel
AT-LARGE
Dr. Mia Armstrong
Medical Writer/Editor, Pediatrician
AT-LARGE
Antoinyce Mathis
Certified Public Accountant
AT-LARGE
Voloria Hooker
Software Engineer at IBM
Community Advisory Board
Maggie Kane, Founder & Executive Director of A Place At The Table
Dr. Terrance Ruth, Candidate for Raleigh Mayor & Lecturer at NCSU
April Sneed, Town of Rolesville Commissioner & Financial Planner
Sharon Moe, Vice-President of North State Bank, Downtown Raleigh
Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston, Wake County 10th Judicial Court Judge
Kenneth Grissett, Director of Outreach for Vision Church RDU
Amanda Cheney, Board Chair of Band Together
Jessica Day, Mayor of Knightdale
Monika Johnson-Hostler, Executive Director of The North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCCASA) and Wake County Board of Education, District 2