team

Jyarland Daniels, Esq., MBA
Founder & President

Email: jdaniels@harrietspeaks.com

Jyarland Daniels is an award-winning global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader and Founder and President of Harriet Speaks. To this work, Jyarland brings clients over ten years of executive-level leadership experience in social justice and civil rights non-profit organizations. Prior to her work in nonprofits she worked for several Fortune 100 companies in marketing, luxury branding, crisis communications, and public relations.

Her understanding of diversity also reflects having lived and studied in Japan, Germany, and having led global teams.

She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration with a concentration in East Asian Languages and Cultures from the University of Kansas, an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor, and a law degree in Civil Rights and Education Law from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan. She is licensed to practice law in the state of Michigan and is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Desirnai’ Hicks
Business Development Consultant

Desirnai’ Hicks is a development, marketing and communications professional with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. She has held leadership positions at several notable non-profit organizations in Detroit, Michigan and Washington, DC, including the Charles H. Wright Museum of African History, The Phillips Collection, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, Accordia Global Health Foundation and Wayne State University.  In 2017, she received the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Her areas of expertise include annual giving, corporate sponsorship, government and foundation grants, major gifts, membership, planned giving and special events. She is also an adept researcher.

Her interest in diversity, equity and inclusion is a result of the different cultural experiences she has had while traveling extensively throughout Africa, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean. Through these experiences, she recognized that with improved health care, access to quality education, viable employment opportunities, and the eradication of poverty, the quality of life for people in many of the countries she visited would improve immensely. 

Desirnai’ received a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University and a Master of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations from Michigan State University. She is currently completing a specialized certificate program in Social and Mobile Marketing at Central Michigan University. She is also a proud member Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Carmen Kavanaugh
Program Assistant

Email: ckavanaugh@harrietspeaks.com

Carmen Kavanaugh brings more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry to Harriet Speaks. As a program assistant, Carmen supports the team by scheduling meetings and providing top-notch service to current and prospective clients.

Kelly Young-Raymore
Expertise: K-12 Education

Kelly Young-Raymore is an educator, facilitator, and social justice leader. A public school teacher in the areas of government and social studies, she also supports several schools as a consultant by providing culturally responsive instruction trainings to ensure a safe and engaging learning environment for all students.

Kelly was recently appointed to the iCivics Executive Board, an organization started by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to advance Civic education and engagement. She is a founding member and Vice President of Not On Our Watch (NOW), an organization dedicated to stamping out racism and anti-blackness through political and social activism.

In 2017 and 2018, she was chosen for the James Madison Legacy Project to further her constitutional studies, and in 2019 she was selected for the Inaugural Presidential Academy in Washington D.C. where she earned a micro-credential in Constitutional Scholarship from the Center for Civic Education. Kelly was a longtime member and served as President of the Troy (Michigan) African-American Parent Network and a member of the Troy Alliance Against Hate Crimes.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan-Dearborn in Political Science with a minor in African and African-American Studies and History. She is currently finishing her graduate studies in Social Justice and Diversity and Inclusion.

Portia Kibble-Smith
Expertise: Diversity Recruiting (Tech)

Portia Kibble-Smith is President of PKS Executive Search and Consulting, an innovative Executive Search and Consulting Firm that focuses on MBA graduates and alumni from the top tier business schools who possess a diverse set of experiences. She also has a long career helping Fortune 500 companies identify and place diverse business leaders within their organizations. She is also the Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Karat, the world’s leader in technical interviews.

Portia is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and has a proven track record of attracting and retaining top talent throughout the country, both majority and minority. Her expertise is in diversity and inclusion, recruitment, sales, consulting, finance, business development and relationship management. Portia Kibble Smith is a Kansas City native and a graduate of the University of Kansas, where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Personnel Administration from the School of Business.