MEET THE TEAM

Founder

Erica Denham 

E-mail: edenham@inspiredbythee.com
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Why I started Inspired by Thee:

In June of 2006, my brother Kyle, who was my best friend and only sibling passed away in a car accident. It was as if someone had turned out the light in my life. I thought I would never smile again…but…I was wrong. Over time, I have come to realize, that Kyle is still with me, and each day I am encouraged to reach higher, push harder and accomplish more. He inspires me…to be better…to appreciate life’s blessings and to help others in their journeys. We’re still a team, and Inspired by Thee is a forum to recognize others who inspire hope, achievement and success by courageously turning life’s most challenging circumstances into triumph.

Who Inspires Me?

My brother Kyle and my mother, Linda Denham. My mother has always been my superhero. With God as the head of my life and my mother’s unwavering love and devotion, I have always believed that I could achieve anything I set my mind and heart to doing. She sacrificed everything to give me and Kyle wings to fly. I am forever grateful.

Bio:

I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. I graduated from Stanford University (Go Cardinal!) which was my dream school and built my career in marketing, sales and relationship management. I obtained my MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. I have an entrepreneurial spirit, vision and a passion for life and making the most of it!

Board of Directors

Linda Denham

Linda Denham is committed to helping young people excel academically and in life. She began her career as a staff member at the University of Michigan Speech and Hearing Clinic and worked as a Clinical Audiologist and Supervisor of graduate students in training. She later accepted the position at Romulus Community Schools to provide services for students PreK-Grade 12, first as an educational audiologist / teacher consultant for the hearing impaired, and later as a speech-language pathologist. Ms. Denham’s volunteer experiences at Romulus High School includes: liaison for Junior Achievement of Southeastern Michigan, Inc., liaison for  the Michigan Ross School of Business Enriching Academics in Collaboration with High Schools (MREACH) program and founding board member of Scholarship Opportunities and Alumni Resources for Romulus High School (S.O.A.R 4 RHS). In 2015, Ms. Denham received the esteemed Robert L. Koonce award. The award, named after the beloved founder of MREACH, recognizes individuals who have been strong advocates of the MREACH program and tireless supporters and mentors to students. Ms. Denham is a University of Michigan, Ann Arbor alumna  with a B.A in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and a M.S. in Audiology with a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-A) awarded by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Michigan Educational Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and St. Paul A.M.E church.

What Inspires Her:  “Our Creator who makes all things possible, my wonderful children Erica and Kyle Denham, students who work hard to achieve their goals but also participate in activities as change agents to improve the quality of life for others, as well as those who help students maximize their potential via mentoring, creating opportunities that foster success and supporting their efforts to serve mankind and make a positive difference in the world.” 

Autwan Fuller

With 22 years working as an IT professional, Autwan DeLaun Fuller has extensive experience in graphic design, website design and custom application development.  He has worked as an IT Consultant at IBM and is currently an IT Manager at General Motors. Mr. Fuller has earned several Delivery Excellence awards during his time in the IT industry.

A strong supporter of World Vision and the BDPA HSCC, Mr. Fuller looks for any opportunity to give back to his community and to support the education and development of young people. He spent several years as President of the IBM Detroit Black Networking Group.

Mr. Fuller views the founder and visionary of Inspired by Thee, Erica Denham, as a “little sister” and he is excited to do whatever he can to support the mission.  Inspired by Thee embodies many of the principles around education and giving back that Mr. Fuller holds dear.

In addition to being passionate about technology, Mr. Fuller is very passionate about photography, design and music.

Mr. Fuller has a B.S.E. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  When not working his 9-5 he loves taking photographs, spending time with his God kids and his beloved dog Bentley.  His mantra is:

“Love, joy, people and awesome memories are things that make up a life well lived. We are able to create these moments for ourselves and more importantly, for others. Do your part to positively impact the world around you, and take hold of the special little moments just as tightly as you grab the big life changing ones. Embark with conviction on the journey that is life. Pack love, joy, generosity, patience and your best camera…then embrace the ride!”

Jabrina Robinson

With over ten years as an attorney, Jabrina Robinson has excelled in roles that link her passion to serve with her commitment to excellence.  Most recently, Ms. Robinson joined Siena College in Loudonville, New York as an Associate Dean of Students for Student Life.  In this role, she strives to uphold the college’s strong community standards while serving as an advocate for student development.  Prior to this role, she worked as career counselor for Duke University School of Law where she provided career and professional development advising to Duke Law students and alumni.  Ms. Robinson has also served as senior associate for The Banks Law Firm, P.A., a boutique law firm serving as general counsel to public municipal corporations, real estate developers, non-profit organizations, and small businesses throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.  Within Banks Law Firm’s community and economic development practice, Ms. Robinson focused on managing commercial real estate projects, advising senior management, negotiating contractual issues, policy development and regulatory compliance.  Ms. Robinson has also served as policy counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending, Self-Help.  Her work with the Center for Responsible Lending concentrated on legislative and regulatory analysis related to abusive financial policies in mortgage, payday, and credit card lending.

A strong supporter of affordable housing and economic empowerment, Ms. Robinson served as Board of Commissioner for the Housing Authority of the County of Orange in Orange County, North Carolina and the North Carolina Housing Coalition.   Additionally, her community activities include CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor for the American Red Cross and volunteer for St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Pantry in Albany, NY.

Ms. Robinson decided to become involved with Inspired by Thee because of its founder, Erica Denham. Unfortunately, the loss of a loved one makes such a significant impact in our lives.  She was and remains inspired by how Erica has transformed her loss into an opportunity and community support system for others.  Ms. Robinson remains inspired by the resilience of the human spirit and the unwavering support she received from her parents and sister.

Ms. Robinson graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1997.  She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard University School of Law in 2004.  Ms. Robinson’s passion is travel, which includes visiting six continents and a two-year expatriate experience living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with her husband and sons (9 and 12 years old).

Panya Lei Yarber-King

Panya started her career in engineering at Motorola in Austin, Texas.

She later worked in technology and supply chain at AT&T. She transitioned to a career in education in 2006 when she joined the Houston Independent School District, where she worked for the Chief Operations Officer on operations and technology projects. In 2009, she joined Atlanta Public Schools as the Program Manager for Process Improvement, leading district-wide continuous improvement initiatives. Later she was Special Assistant to the Chief Strategy Officer, Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, and Director of Small Learning Communities.

She also served as the Executive Director of IT Strategy and Planning, where she led technology project management, enterprise applications, databases, and data quality at APS, helping to support and improve student achievement through technology.

Currently, she is Director of Vendor Management at Cox Communications.

Panya Lei Yarber-King received her Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. In addition to serving on the Inspired by Thee board, she serves on the Board of Directors at Centennial Academy, Atlanta’s newest K-8 charter school.