Our Team
Jacquelyn Claiborne Webb, MPA
Board Chair and Executive Director
After spending nearly 15 years managing mutli-million dollar retail businesses, consulting, and other operational roles, founder Jacquelyn Webb realized that her passions centered around people development, community improvement, education, and advocacy for others. Jacquelyn has worked as a policy analyst and educator and has witnessed first-hand the themes that drive advocacy across sectors.
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As a Flint native, Jacquelyn has a strong sense of commitment to serving disadvantaged populations. The Michigan Center for Civic Engagement and Advocacy was birthed from a need to empower everyday people to have the tools, awareness, and supports needed to be active community members. She believes that “when working together, we can achieve more, and that with the diversity of thought, we can accelerate progress and innovate."
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Ms. Webb has earned degrees in Business Administration, Public Administration and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Education, focusing on organizational leadership and school district administration.
Micah McClendon-Smith, Esq.
Vice Chair and General Counsel
Micah earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, focusing on Law, Justice, and Social Change. She went on to earn her Juris Doctorate from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. While in law school, she served as President of the Black Law Students Association. Micah was also an American Civil Liberties Union representative and volunteered at Chicago-Kent’s Self-Help Web Center, where she assisted pro se litigants with legal paperwork and connected them with resources.
Micah continues to demonstrate excellence in her career, having not only served the people of Cook County in Illinois, and her clients, but also in her work to advance social equity in her Board service.
When Micah is not busy helping her clients or serving on the Board, she enjoys writing & performing spoken word poetry and also spending time with favorite companion, her cat Hermès. She is originally from Detroit, MI and is an avid Detroit Lions fan.
Leticia Claiborne, BS
Board and Social Media Administrator
Leticia Claiborne is a passionate member of the Board of Directors. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Western Governors University. She is proud to work in tech as a project manager. She’s wishes to advocate for others who are overlooked, falsely accused, mistreated, or simply not heard. She wants the public to know that she believes in equality and has a soft spot for education.
One of Ms. Claiborne’s favorite quotes comes from Maya Angelou, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.“
Tyshara “Shar” Lawson, MBA
Treasurer and Director of Philanthropy
Ms. Lawson, a Detroit native, accepted the call to serve on our Board of Directors formally in July 2022. She has a background that demonstrates a commitment to the service and advancement of all people socially and professionally.
Rashida Staten, BS
Executive Administrator to the Director
Rashida Staten is a graduate of Central Michigan University where she received a Bachelors degree in Personal Finance. She worked in banking for several years then took time off to be a stay at home mom.
She is currently working with her husband to start an insurance agency. Rashida and her husband reside in Burton, MI with their four children.
Mervin Webb Jr., BS
Disability Services and Access Director
Merv Webb is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He not only is a husband, and father to two daughters, but he is also a graduate of Central Michigan University with Bachelors Degrees in Engineering Technology and Industrial Technical Management. He has over 17 years of experience in the utility industry as an Engineer, and serves in his current role as a Senior DEI champion.
During his youth, he suffered the impacts being excluded, underestimated, and broad offenses due to the assumptions surrounding disabilities. Having successfully navigated those experiences, among many others, Merv has an unmatched passion for equity work. He hopes his contributions will lay the groundwork to remove barriers and improve inclusion for people of various ability-levels.
