Faculty and Staff

ddrakeford@drakefordassociates.org
Derrick Drakeford, Ph.D. 
President | Professor
Business Owner- Drakeford, Scott, and Associates, LLC

Bio: Derrick is the CEO of Drakeford, Scott, and Associates LLC and President of Purpose University. He's served as a faculty member of NC Central University and Shaw University, and an instructor at UNC-Chapel Hill. He holds a Ph.D. from UNC Chapel Hill; a Masters from the University of North Carolina's School of Government; a BS from Bethune-Cookman University. Derrick also received certifications from UNC's School of Social Work and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.
prof.latasha@learnpurpose.org
La-Tasha Best-Gaddy, M.P.A.
Adjunct Professor | Start-up Coach
Business Owner- Infinity Bridges Inc. 

Bio: La-Tasha Best-Gaddy is the Chief Strategist of Infinity Bridges, Inc. (IBI), a North Carolina based consulting and training firm that provides innovative solutions to systemic economic development challenges. La-Tasha has over 20 years of experience in the Accounting, Insurance, Financial Services, and Non-Profit Industry Sectors. She is a Business Counselor with the Small Business & Technology Development Center on the campus of NC Central University where she has obtained her BBA in Finance and her MPA as well. 
charles@cc5udio.com
Charles Campbell
IT Consultant | Mobile App Developer
Business Owner: Campbell Consulting Studio, LLC

Bio: Charles has over 20 years of software development and engineering experience in a variety of development environments and platforms. He has helped startup companies deliver innovative solutions in the areas of knowledge management, search, social networking, social fundraising, e-commerce and mobile solutions.  Charles and his company have been chosen to assist Purpose University continue its mission of helping students start their purpose driven businesses by developing a mobile learning platform.
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Barron J. Damon, MM
Adjunct Professor | Start-up Coach
Business Owner: The Business of Life CC

Barron is a graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Industrial Psychology and a Master’s degree in Business Management from Webster University. He also completed post graduate work at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in Business and Public Health and is an American Express Leadership Fellow. Barron is a certified Non-Profit Consultant, a Certified Non-Profit Executive, and a
certified Professional Coach.
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Pictureamanda@drakefordassociates.org
Amanda Beatrice
Executive Assistant to Derrick Drakeford, Ph.D
Business Owner: Virtual Assisting with Amanda

Amanda is a veteran executive assistant with almost 10 years in the corporate world! Her passion for problem solving and organization is what makes her a key component to our team at Purpose University. She also has been serving on the board of a non-profit in Arizona supporting military personnel for over 10 years. 

​Pierre Stephan Barbee-Saunders
Social Media Coordinator
Business Owner: Invisionphotoworks

webmaster@learnpurpose.org

Board Members


Gabrielle Foushee
Doctoral Student at Apex School of Theology

Derrick Drakeford, Ph.D.
CEO of Drakeford, Scott, & Associates, LLC

Dr. Robert Drakeford (Former Mayor of Carrboro, NC)
CEO of Oasis of North Carolina

Atty. Saveon Grenell
Assistant City Attorney at City of Milwaukee

Dana Thompson Dorsey, J.D., Ph.D. (Ex-officio)
Associate Professor of Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh

Delvin Davis, MPA
Southern Poverty Law Center

Crystal German, MBA (Ex-officio)
Self-Help Credit Union

Karyn Wilkerson
North Carolina Central University

Marcus Tyrance
Union Pacific Railroad

Jamesena Bradley
U.S. Department of Justice

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Wanting to join our team? We have a rare opening for a Co-Principal Investigator! Use the link below to apply now.

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