Nike Blue
Chief Quality Officer at Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC)
After two years leading the quality management team, Nike joined the ranks of HAWC’s executive leadership team to continue tending to excellence and quality agency-wide. Nike holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Health and Science Center and a certificate in change leadership from Cornell University. During her time at the AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH), her history with the TRUTH Project started in the beginning when it was just an idea in the Founder’s mind. Through AFH she leveraged her power to garner initial funding for TRUTH project events. Nike brings a robust background in public health and has been involved in program innovation, project management, and non-profit leadership for over eighteen years. At HAWC, she is learning to love data in new ways every day in an effort to support the organization’s strategic initiatives. Nike, a reliable leader and Houston native, has a strong passion for data driven strategic decision-making that increases equity and serves communities that are historically under resourced.
Christopher Cox
Senior IT Director
Christopher Cox is a Senior Information Technology Professional with a diverse range of experience across all IT areas and is known for developing innovative strategies and implementing solutions that drive business growth. He values the “art of the possible” and teamwork to find creative solutions to complex problems. Christopher is known for developing and nurturing deep relationships with all levels of business executives, peers and vendors. He is adept at reconciling disparate objectives within a team and leading them to common goals and outcomes.
Christopher is the proud adoptive father of two young men. There were many challenges as a LGBTQ family along with his children’s mental health issues. Navigating these issues with the support of family, friends and the community was a profound and humbling experience. Now, it’s time to pay it forward with The T.R.U.T.H Project and give back to the community.
During his leisure time he enjoys cycling, festivals, travelling, spending time with his family and real estate investing.
Michael Crook
DIRECTOR of Diversity and Inclusion
.Michael has fourteen years of experience in higher education and has worked in areas of Admissions, Residence Life, Multicultural Affairs and Campus Activities. He served as a member of the inaugural staff for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) and is currently the Interim Director of the department. He is responsible for the daily operations of the Center and student employees, oversees assessment initiatives, develops and manages academic partnerships, and supports all diversity education programs and initiatives that come from the Center. Throughout his career, he has loved working with diversity education, assessment, programming, and student leadership. He has presented at national, regional and local conferences in areas of men and masculinities, conflict management, learning outcomes for peer educators, values exploration and development, and work productivity.
He is certified as an Intercultural Consultant with the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), LLC and a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. He has served in previous roles as the interim co-director of the LGBTQ Resource Center and was a previous Vice-President of the Lone Start Volleyball Association. He received a Masters of Arts in Student Affairs Administration and Graduate Certificate for Teaching and Learning from Michigan State University ‘12 and Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Communication and a minor in Business Administration from Colorado State University ‘08.
He was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado and raised in a multi-cultural, small-business owning, military family. He loves music, running, and playing volleyball. He is passionate about building community and creating inclusive spaces; living and working so that every person can figure out who they are, who they are meant to be, and is able to reach every one of their desired life goals.
JACQUES J DAVIS
PAYROLL MANAGER
Jacques J Davis is the Payroll Manager at Newpark Resources, Inc., a worldwide provider of value-added drilling fluids systems and composite matting systems used in oilfield and other commercial markets. Previously, Jacques worked for Rowan Companies, Inc. and LyondellBasell all of which have molded his 20+ year payroll career. He graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting and Marketing.
Jacques is a founding Board Member of The T.R.U.T.H. Project, Inc. He serves as Treasurer and the Finance-Fundraising Committee Chair. He is also an active member of the Governance Committee. In his spare time, Jacques enjoys arts (visual, performance, and applied) and travel as well as bonding with family and friends. Frequent attendance at heart&SOUL, a former monthly art showcase, and at the early days of its derivative, The T.R.U.T.H. Project, Inc., was the catalyst for his induction into the governing body of the organization.
Maurice Lamb III, Esq.
Senior Tax Consultant
As a native Houstonian, Maurice has always had a heart for serving his community through volunteering at the Houston food bank and Good Gang USA. Maurice is a corporate tax consultant, who received his bachelors of arts from the University of Texas at Austin majoring in political science and minoring in African American studies. After college, he became an educator at Mabel B. Wesley Elementary. It felt like a full circle moment to teach at the same school where he not only gained a strong educational foundation, but also life lessons that he continues to use along his journey. Then, Maurice received his doctorate of jurisprudence from South Texas College of Law and a LLM in taxation from the University of Florida Law School. He was featured in Lessons from successful black attorneys. As a corporate tax consultant, he has worked at EY in the mergers and acquisitions group and indirect tax group. In his down time, Maurice enjoys reading, festivals and traveling throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Dabrina Sandifer
Dr. Dabrina Sandifer serves through arts, advocacy, education, trauma informed care, substance abuse recovery, crisis intervention, and real estate/community development with an emphasis on attainable housing. She has done commissioned poetry, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access) facilitation, program evaluation, team building, executive coaching, strategic visioning, occupational wellness, etc. for organizations throughout the country. She has been the host & producer of an arts & community efforts centered radio show via national broadcasting station All Real Radio.
Her professional background additionally includes positions in executive leadership, being a certified Mental Health First Aider, and acting as the Founding Executive Artistic Director of Esurient Arts providing entertainment for private & corporate events, curating exhibitions, producing live performances, providing professional development for youth & adult artists, and programming that merges the arts with social determinants of health. This evidence-based programming helps to decrease social isolation and increase access to the arts leading to improvements in life quality & positive psychology. With a focus on under-represented narratives, Esurient Arts has also collaborated with other arts entities and community centered groups.
LAUREN WARE
A Houston native with 10 years of non-profit experience with a passion to serve the community in which she grew up in. Lauren is a Finance Manager for one of the largest community action agencies in Texas.
Lauren joins T.R.U.T.H. Project to empower those she knows in the LBGTQ community and educate those who have friends and/or family who are a part of the LBGTQ community.
