Our Staff

Qualified personnel are the key to A Better World’s success. The leadership team combines both experience and training to create a highly competent team. Ongoing professional development training insures that all A Better World staff has the training and know-how needed to excel in their work.

Leadership team:

A. Moriel McClerklin - Executive Director
Karen Cross - Program Director, Exodus to Excellence (ETE) Community Learning Centers
Linda McClerklin - Program Director, Healthy Futures Program
Vincent McKinney - Program Manager
D. Zemrah Gordon - Communications Director

A. Moriel McClerklin, Executive Director since 1997, has over 30 years experience in business and non-profit management, including project development, project management and operations, fundraising, grants writing and project evaluation, for projects in the United States and Africa. Moriel has also worked as a community planner and community organizer for various communities within the United States. He also served as the founding president for Holistic Health Inc. an employee wellness firm providing wellness education to corporation employees.
Moriel is also a national lecturer, and has spoken extensively across the United States and in Africa on such topics as, “Sustainable Development”, “Community Capacity Building”, “Health and Wellness”, Youth Development, “Effective Non-Profit Management”, and “Community Based Prevention Programs for Youth”.

Accomplishments

Developed and implemented programs impacting over 15,000 youth and adults in the United States.
Assisted in providing clean water to eight villages in Ghana.
Provided training and micro-loans to 500 farmers in Ghana.
Provided wellness programs to employees at the Gary, Indiana Steel Mill
Established a housing developed corporation to build affordable housing for families in Orlando, Florida.
Secured over 6 million dollars in grant funding over the past 8 years.

Awards

Malcolm X Distinguished Service Award
Umoja Better Family Life Inc. Leadership Award

Professional Affiliations

World Association of Non-governmental Organizations

Certifications/Training

University Missouri, St. Louis Chancellor’s Certificate in Neighborhood Leadership
Strategic Planning
Project Management

Education

M-Div: - Emory University, Atlanta, GA
BS: - University of South Carolina

Karen Cross, Program Director for the Exodus to Excellence (ETE) Community Learning Centers since 2003, has over 20 years experience as an education administrator and teacher, six years experience as a Life Skills Trainer, and sixteen years experience as an officer of the U. S. Naval Reserve, serving as an Administrative Superintendent for the General of Operations at Scott Air Force Base. As the ETE Program Director she oversees A Better World’s licensed after-school programs focused on academic and cultural enrichment and behavioral health activities for inner-city youth. Ms. Cross has written and revised curriculums, coordinated educational programs, established reading programs, organized and administered standardized tests, designed and presented in-service workshops, conducted performance evaluations, and implemented foreign language programs.

Awards

Educator of the Year Award, Storman-Stufflin School
Navy Achievement Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal

Professional Affiliations

Missouri Association for Adult Continuing and Community Education

Certifications/Training

Missouri Life-time Certification in Speech Pathology
9502 NEC – Reserve Basic Instructor

Education

University of Missouri, M.ED., Educational Administration with Emphasis in Community Education
Illinois State University, B.S., Speech Pathology

Linda McClerklin is Program Director for the Healthy Futures Program, a school, community and faith-based preventive health program designed to empower children and adults with the knowledge and strategies needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Linda has over twelve years experience implementing community health promotion and wellness programs. Her experiences include working in hospital settings, school settings, community centers and churches. Her expertise includes public health administration, strategic planning, health seminars facilitation, health assessments/screenings, counseling, health and fitness promotion, project development, and project management.

Accomplishments

Development of the Elementary Nutrition and Food Safety Program
Development and implementation of the Healthy Futures Program
Development of strong community partnerships throughout the city of St. Louis with the following organizations: American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, St. Louis City Division of Recreation, Healthy Youth Partnerships, St. Louis City Public Schools, University of Missouri at St. Louis.

Awards

American Heart Association Excellence in Partnership Award
American Diabetes Association Leadership Award

Professional Affiliations

American Diabetes Association
Chair of the St. Louis American Diabetes Association Education Committee
Co-chair and Executive Board member of the Eastern Alliance Minority Health Committee
Ferguson/Florissant Health Committee
ARCHS Health Task Force
Steering committee for Health Team at Midtown Catholic Family Services
Missouri Coordinated School Health Coalition
Missouri State Team-Action for Healthy Kids Team

Education

Doctoral Candidate, Holistic Nutrition, Clayton College of Health
Master's of Medical Social Work, Washington University, St. Louis, MO ('92)

Vincent McKinney, Program Manager since 2001, has over 15 years experience as an educator, and youth development specialist, working in both schools and community settings. In addition to his project management skills, his expertise includes serving as a Youth Behavioral Change Specialist, a Violence Prevention Specialist, and a Media Literacy Trainer. Vincent provides programmatic supervision to various projects.

Accomplishments

Supervised youth to develop a 10-minute film on abstinence
Supervised youth to develop a 60-second video PSA on non-violence
Supervised youth to develop a 60-second video PSA against youth smoking

Awards

Role Model of the Year Award, Storman-Stufflin School

Professional Affiliations

Men’s Health Coalition

Education

Northeast Missouri State University, B. S., Business Administration, emphasis in Data Processing & Management
University of Missouri, Neighborhood Leadership Academy Graduate

Certifications/Training

Youth Violence Prevention Specialist
American Lung Association Certified Teens Against Tobacco Youth Trainer
Media Literacy Trainer

D. Zemrah Gordon, Communications Director for Support A Child International has over 15 years experience working in media and communication based projects. Since 2001, Zemrah has worked with A Better World to develop media literacy programs, media production training workshops, as well as serving the areas of public relations and strategic communications for the organization. As the Director of the Youth in Media Project, she has worked with youth in Atlanta, Chicago, and St. Louis developing and instructing workshops, trainings, and projects to build self-esteem and discourage risky-behaviors in youth. Her technical expertise is in the areas of communications for social change. Zemrah is an excellent communications writer with skill sets in public, media, community, and internal relations. She is adept at creating informative, persuasive, and motivational communication pieces such as news releases, public service announcements, white papers, backgrounders, fact sheets, speeches, newsletters, feature writing, and internet copy. Her accomplishments include training youth to write and produce their own positive media messages and creating positive television and video productions.

Partnership Development

Youth Empowerment Program at the Center for Character & Citizenship – College of Education/Division of Educational Psychology – University of Missouri in St. Louis
Regional Arts Commission
Double Helix Television
St. Louis for Kids Youth Development Assoc.
Healthy Youth Partnership Communications Committee

Accomplishments

Designed and Managed Youth Media Literacy and Production programs
Wrote and designed agency publications, reports and other materials for the Divine Universal Sisterhood
Certified Television Producer, People TV, Public Access Atlanta, GA (1995)
Created, Wrote, Directed and Produced 24 segment, ½ hour, weekly television program: Eyes on Africa, 1995
Created, Wrote, Directed and Produced 7 segment, 1 hour weekly television special: Light from Jerusalem, 1994

Professional Affiliations

International Association of Business Communicators
Community Arts Training Institute
Alliance for Media Literate America
Community Service Public Relations Council

Education

Webster University, M.A. Candidate, Media Communications
Spelman College, B.A., English M. A.

Certifications/Training

Television Production – Public Access Television, Atlanta & St. Louis

Digital Video Production – New York Film Academy