Meet The Team
Founder & Executive Director
Kristen Newsome, M.Ed.
Mrs. Newsome is a warrior for education, gender, and racial equity with decades of experience in programs and nonprofit management, leadership and career coaching, and mentoring success for both adults and youth. She founded MSKSI with the intent of connecting young women who have been underserved and underrepresented in STEM higher education, careers, and business ownership with mentors who can inspire them to become the next innovators, problem solvers, and leaders of this age.
Secretary
Sonya Sanders
Mrs. Sanders has 20+ years in the real estate industry and has a passion for community service, the military community, and excellent customer service. She is a believer in the importance of children having a mentor in their lives and has previously served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters from May 2016 to Dec 2021.
Treasurer
Jeri Christopher, CPA
Mrs. Christopher is a Certified Public Accountant with over 16 years of accounting experience and over 10 years of nonprofit auditing. She is a strong advocate for young women having access to opportunity and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance of Black Women Accountants.
Board Member & Program Advisor
Tumona Austin, Ed.D.
Dr. Austin brings years of experience and heart to MSKSI as one of the co-founders of the program. Her work has made an impact on domestic and international matters via strategic planning consultation, outreach initiatives, and leadership coaching. Dr. Austin is a mentor by nature and is passionate about the rising generation of young women- challenging and supporting them to lean into and manifest the best versions of themselves.
Board Member
Kristen Stez
As a former middle school teacher, Mrs. Stez had an upfront view of the realities in the modern American classroom. With a strong history in sales and marketing, Kristen is the Chair of Fundraising and hopes to help MSKSI reach and exceed goals for the coming year. Currently employed in EdTech, her desire is to contribute to greater equity and access so that underrepresented young women can successfully enter high-paying STEM careers and leadership roles.
Board Member & Program Advisor
Tolu Amele
Mrs. Amele has years of experience and a proven ability to achieve tactical and strategic initiatives spanning multiple industries bringing fresh perspec-tives and alignment opportunities with leading practices. She has the coveted ability to blend a rich mix of detail with planning and goal-setting acumen to achieve program objectives. A true mentor at heart, Mrs. Amele brings her background as an Engineer and Management Consultant to the MSKSI team.
Board Member
Kevin Pitts, MBA
Kevin Pitts is the Executive Director for the Bayou Region Incubator. He is also a seasoned leader, consultant, facilitator, and coach. Mr. Pitts was a managing director in executive education for Duke University Corporate Education and the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He was an adjunct professor at Drexel University and a moderator for Harvard Business Publishing, leading workshops and coaching executives worldwide.
Board Member
Lisa Wilson
Ms. Wilson is the National Director of Equity & Outreach for Zero to Three, Co-Founder of C.A.R.E. Coalition of Anti-Racist Education, Activist, Advocate, Educator, Consultant, Corporate Trainer, and Motivational Speaker with a strong ability to streamline practices with excellent client and project management skills. Lisa is an advocate for women of all ages, and her scope of mentoring is through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism education.
Advisory Board Member (STEAM)
Assata Moore
Assata Moore is a Chicago South Side native, educator, and author who advocates for educating young Black children, using math as the driving force. She also teaches adults how to achieve financial freedom. Mrs. Moore’s motto is “Math is the Blackest thing ever.”She uses a unique approach to enhance mathematical learning capability. As MSKSI Math Consultant and Mentor and through her “Black Math Genius” course, Assata uses a formula easy and familiar to the children that she is working with.