Camp Fire First Texas vice president of youth development, Jazmine Lewis, was selected by DTRHT to the program, which is supported by community partners to support Black women who are recognized as top leaders within the nonprofit sector. Women selected for the cohort offer innovative strategies and leadership, making a great impact for the communities they serve, but oftentimes passed over for new jobs or promotions in favor of others—including men of color, white women, and white men—with comparable or even lower credentials.
These challenges require a call to action where Black women can come to develop professionally and personally, build networks with one another and within the sector, and have a safe healing space that provides the opportunity for courageous conversations, as well as the ability to turn off the code switch often required to be successful in the nonprofit sector.
“I am extremely excited about this amazing fellowship opportunity afforded to me by the Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation organization,” Lewis said. “My goal is to take what I learn through this fellowship and not only apply it to my daily professional walk as a Black woman in nonprofit leadership, but to also strategically enhance the diversity, equity, and inclusion work to the transformational level that Camp Fire First Texas is so diligently striving to achieve for the next generation of emerging nonprofit leaders.”
Lewis is responsible for overseeing Camp Fire First Texas afterschool programs, school-based summer day camps, and the Teens in Action program. Prior to joining Camp Fire, she served as chief program officer and interim chief executive officer at Trinity River Mission in Dallas, where she built and oversaw the implementation of multiple programs designed to improve youth involvement in the community, self-awareness and school completion.
Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Grambling State University and is completing a master’s degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Texas at Arlington. She also carries multiple certifications including Nonprofit Management from the University of Texas at Arlington, Mindfulness Educator Practitioner from Mindful Schools California, and Mental Health First Aid from the National Council for Behavioral Health. Lewis is also a Trained Program Facilitator in Curriculum-Based Support Groups from Rainbow Days.
Additionally, Lewis is member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, Steer Fort Worth, B.R.I.D.G.E. (Black Resourceful Innovators Developing Generations of Excellence) Fort Worth, and National AfterSchool Association. She is a Leadership ISD 2016 Fellow and an AmeriCorps Alum. Lewis is a board member for The Writer’s Garret, and an advisory board member of The University of Texas at Austin’s Community Based Organizations.
