Amber Sims
Amber Sims is a founding member of The Imagining Freedom Institute (The IF Institute), and the CEO of Young Leaders Strong City, the longest running racial equity platform in Dallas-Fort Worth working to educate, equip and activate a community of youth to realize their vision for racial equity. Sims’ writings, lectures, and training focus on utilizing historical analysis and equity frameworks as methods of change toward reimagining a more inclusive future.
Sims has expertise in the history of Dallas and preserving history through intergenerational collaboration. She is the author of a series chronicling the history of Black schools and educators in Dallas in collaboration with the national nonprofit journalism entity, Press On and local newspaper, Dallas Free Press and the Summerlee Foundation, titled Dallas Forgot. The work intersects community storytelling, equitable housing and education policy and historical preservation. In 2022, Sims was recognized by the City of Dallas as being a Racial Equity Pioneer. Currently, Sims is a fellow for New Schools Ventures Fund Racial Equity portfolio and an Independent Sector Bridging Fellow. She is an alumni of the Op Ed Project, Aspen Institute Dallas Economic Opportunity Fellow Institute and Leadership ISD.
Caazena Hunter
Caazena Hunter is the Director of Program Design for Young Leaders Strong City. She holds a dual B.A. in Spanish and Sociology, with an International Studies Certificate, from the University of Tulsa, and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of North Texas.
She co-authored Race and Reciprocity: Inter-household Exchanges in a Multiracial Neighborhood. She completed the Black Women in Nonprofit Leadership cohort and wrote a chapter in I Said What I Said: An anthology of Black women in Nonprofit Leadership.
Chandra White
Chandra White is currently serving at Young Leaders Strong CIty as the Director of Operations Administration. Chandra attended Dallas College as well as a proud Grambling State University attendee. During her time at GSU, Chandra majored in psychology while minoring in social work.
Chandra is inspired in her current role as the mission statement for YLSC and the implementation of the mission is something that she strongly stands behind. Chandra is eager to grow in the non-profit sector. Helping youth realize their vision and use their voice is something that she strongly believes in.