Bios H-L.

Odessa Harper is retired (after 24 years of service) as an IT Analyst-Client Services Specialist with the World Bank Group in Washington, DC.  For many years Odessa has also operated a successful catering business.  And most recently, she provides low sodium meals to a select group of seniors.  Lastly, Odessa continues to be a long-standing Mary Kay consultant.

Odessa has traveled abroad to Nigeria and France for extended work assignments and cherished each experience because it gave her a new awareness of cultural diversity and values.  She has also traveled to Florence and Tuscany Italy with her daughter.  Odessa’s bucket list includes traveling to every state in our country with twenty-six states remaining and at least one more country abroad.

Odessa holds an Associate of Art and a Certificate in Computer Applications from Montgomery College.  She also obtained a Master’s Certificate in Information Technology Project Management from George Washington University.

Odessa has been married to George Harper for the past twenty-three years and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.  She has an adult daughter, Nicole, who is her source of inspiration.  Odessa thrives on being a mentor to others and being a support system for her family and friends.  She makes it her priority to learn something new every day and thanks her creator for the multitude of blessings in her life.

Maya Henry is a Baltimore native, performer, author, filmmaker, educator, and dancer. She  received her B.S. in Writing from Towson University, where she was awarded the Sensible Women Initiative Presidential Scholarship.

Henry has been the featured performer and guest speaker at events throughout the country. Her directorial debut, “A Black Girl’s Country,” featured in film festivals in Baltimore, MD, Washington D.C., Houston, TX, and the United Kingdom. In 2020, Henry was recognized as “Best Poet of Baltimore” by the Baltimore Magazine. Her most recent project is a collaborative collection of poetry and photography with local cinematographer, Kirby Griffin. Their book, Paper Trails of the Undying, is an illustration of Baltimore’s tenacious beauty.

As an active member of her community, Henry teaches dance and creative writing to Baltimore City youth through several community organizations. Henry is currently a Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Marilyn Patrice Hervey was born on June 23, 1972 to Huey and Marilyn Marie Hervey. She is the eldest of two daughters. Her father, Huey, is retired from the federal government, serves as the Elder over Evangelism, and does personal evangelism. Her mother, Marilyn Marie, was a school teacher, then a home maker, and served as the church statistician. Marilyn Patrice attended William Allen White, West Middle School, and F. L. Schlagle High where she graduated 9th out of a class of 247 with a GPA of 3.85. She gave the Farewell Speech to the class of 1990 during the Commencement ceremonies. Marilyn loves music, as encouraged by her mother, and played violin throughout her entire school years.
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In her professional life, Marilyn is currently the Manager of Learning and Organizational Development for Government Employees Health Association (GEHA). GEHA is a branch of Health & Human Services and administered the Pre-existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP) that was the interim insurance for those who were denied insurance until the Affordable Care Act came online in 2014. Marilyn worked on the systems implementation section of the ACA. She is now in command of readying systems for the conversion to ICD-10 diagnostic codes. She manages a team of 16 Training Specialists. Interestingly, Marilyn always wanted to be an attorney growing up, but the teaching genes from both her parents flowed heavily and after graduating from Oklahoma Christian University, Marilyn fell in love with the training profession and never looked back. Before GEHA, she worked for Hostess, travelling 90% of the time to 41 different bakeries training on a variety of subjects.
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Marilyn is currently living in Grain Valley, MO, spending time with her niece and nephew, and baking.

Nseabasi was born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa where she completed her elementary and secondary education and began her undergraduate studies. While in Nigeria, she became a Registered Nurse Midwife in 1987. She practiced her profession at various hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Since 1999, Nseabasi has been a Nurse Leader in the Progressive Care Unit at Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York. She is also a BLS Instructor for the American Heart Association as well as a Legal Nurse Consultant. She became a member of the Beta Chi Chi Sorority in 2008 and interned at the Strong Memorial Leadership Conference in 2013.
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Over the years, Nseabasi has provided volunteer health services for the Fingerlakes Health System and for various community functions. Recently, Nseabasi joined the Sensible Women Initiative (SWI) and will serve as Director of their Health and Wellness Department in addition to providing health services for the SWI Alpha Chapter.
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Nseabasi is married to Zacchaeus Ikpot. The couple has been blessed with four children – three daughters and a son. They have been further blessed by their children’s academic astuteness and achievements. One daughter will is a 2015 pre-med graduate of Cornell University; their second daughter will be a sophomore at Cornell in the fall; their son will be a senior at Saint Bonaventure University next year; and their youngest daughter, a high school sophomore, already has plans to become a doctor.