Theme: Servant Leadership

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Tiffany L. LaVette is a social equity advocate, day care provider, consultant, coach, friend, teacher, and leader are few of the words used to describe the person of Coach Tiffany. Her humble demeanor draws you in, but her education, passion, and drive will keep you locked in and fully aware of her capabilities to succeed and set the standard for others to follow. Coach Tiffany currently serves as the Founder/Director of ABC Erie, a daycare that provides non-stop 24-hour care to more than 100 children per shift. Her expertise in scaling and sustaining daycare success has afforded her the opportunity to scale to be a seven-figure facility in just three years. She works diligently to develop strong teams through training, establishing clear boundaries, and creating a welcoming environment for all staff and faculty. Her urge for seeing others win, despite socioeconomic limitations, ignited an unquenchable desire to launch a national consulting business. Coach Tiffany provides training and consulting services for start-up daycares, established day care facilities, and corporations looking to establish internal daycare resources for their staff and teams. Having served as the President of her local NAACP Chapter, adjunct college staff, campaign manager for candidate for governor, trainer/facilitator for state and local licensing committees, just to name a few, Coach Tiffany is well-equipped for helping others achieve success. Coach Tiffany currently holds a MSW and BS: Human Ecology: Marriage and Family Studies.

A native of Philadelphia, Nicole attended the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in Business and Communications. Shortly after graduating, she began working as a Compliance Officer for the U.S. Department of Labor/Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).  During her 11-years of service at the OFCCP, Nicole worked on behalf of victims of discrimination, which she found extremely fulfilling.

 

In 2006, she decided to make a career change and joined Mellon Financial Corporation, now BNY Mellon, as an Affirmative Action Consultant.  In this role, Nicole was responsible for ensuring that BNY Mellon was compliant in the areas of Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity. In 2010, she became Manager of the Affirmative Action Group and is currently responsible for the strategy and direction of BNY Mellon’s Affirmative Action Compliance for 30,000+ U.S. employees.

 

In addition to being a busy mother of two and grandmother of one, Nicole is also an inventor who is currently marketing her cosmetic tool called Nikki’s Magic Wand.  The “Wand” is carried in multiple retail and online stores and Nicole appeared on air on QVC in June of 2015 and sold out.  She has since gone on to appear on QVC multiple times. Also in 2015, Nicole released her first book, focused on career success, entitled, “Here’s Your Script-Keep Your Foot Out of Your Mouth and Your Butt Employed.”

 

Nicole is a proud member of Phi Beta Kappa, as well as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. 

 

Nicole is a huge proponent of the idea of paying it forward and has actively supported various local and national causes. Through her company, Nikki’s Magic Wand, Nicole runs the 12 Months of Giving Campaign where a different family/cause is supported every month of the year. Having lost her mother to Leukemia at age 10, Nicole also supports The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by fundraising and volunteering.

Not long ago, Heather Hopson lived in the Cayman Islands and hosted a television show. Today, she’s back home in Pittsburgh writing a different type of story as the founder of Motor Mouth Multimedia, a communications and marketing firm made up of creatives and consultants of color. Using more than a decade of television news reporting experience, Heather assembles teams to tell diverse stories, provide unique perspectives and increase the visibility of important issues for clients, including Allegheny County Health Department, the Women and Girls Foundation and United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Recently, Motor Mouth Multimedia produced Single Mom Defined, a photo essay and video series that provides a more accurate definition of single black motherhood than the one society presents. Heather’s professional blogging has led to brand ambassadorships for companies, such as Little Remedies, Netflix and Playtex Baby and an invitation to the White House by former FLOTUS Michelle Obama.