Vernon Resident Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad Elected to Board of Urban League of Greater Hartford

Vernon resident Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad, the Chief Operating Officer of My People Community and Clinical Services, was elected as a new member of the Board of the Urban League of Greater Hartford at its 2026 Annual meeting in June. The local affiliate of the National Urban League is beginning its 62^nd year of continuous service providing education, employment, housing, and health programs while fighting for social justice.

The Officers of the Urban League of Greater Hartford for the 2026-2027 fiscal year are: Chair: Wes Alexander, J.D., Vice President of Workforce Solutions, Travelers; Vice Chair: Angelo Adams, Owner/Operator, Grip Hands; Treasurer: Cathy Velez, Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region; Secretary: Teshia Levy-Grant, Senior Managing Director, Inclusion and Belonging Officer, Webster Bank; and President: David J. Hopkins, Chief Executive Officer, Urban League of Greater Hartford.

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In addition to Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad, the Urban League’s new Board Members are: Barry Camara – Area Director of Operations, Starbucks Coffee Company; Zillah Matare Fluker, PhD. – Founder of activate|elevate, LLC powered by Martin Loyd, Inc., where she leads Higher Education, Leadership and Philanthropy Strategy; Princeton Jennings – Talent Acquisition Partner, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast; Bishop Maurice S. Porter – Pastor and Founder, IMPACT CHURCH in Hartford; Alex A. Toribio, J.D. – Head of Global Litigation and Government Investigations at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. in New Britain; and Cathy Velez – Executive Vice President and Director of Retail Banking for Beacon Bank’s Springfield, Mass. and Hartford, Conn. region.

Those new Directors join the existing roster of dedicated At-Large Members who are: Brenda Dinnald, Senior Project Manager, Aetna/CVS; Erika Goldstein, VP Field Operations, Asia Pacific, Otis Elevator Co.; Jeffrey F. Hines, M.D., Vice President of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Connecticut and UConn Health; Pamela Hippolyte, Assistant Vice President, Affordable Mortgage Loan Officer, Dime Bank; Nicole Hughey, senior director of the Office of Colleague Opportunity & Engagement, Hartford HealthCare; Patrice Y. Wood, retired SVP, Senior Audit Director, Bank of America Corp. Global; and Luz Holmes-Padgett as the President of the Urban League of Greater Hartford Young Professionals (YPs) Auxiliary.

►Vernon resident Dr. Dayeshell P. Muhammad is a systems strategist, youth transition expert, and organizational leader with more than 20 years of experience designing programs, building partnerships, and strengthening the systems that support young people, families, and communities. Dr. Muhammad is the Chief Operating Officer of My People Community and Clinical Services, a dual-entity organization that provides community-based programming, mentoring, supportive housing, life skills and transition services, and behavioral health support throughout Connecticut. She has led organizational strategy, program development, quality improvement initiatives, staff development, and community partnerships while helping grow My People into one of Connecticut's most established youth-serving organizations.

A first-generation college student whose educational journey began at community college and culminated in a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Performance Improvement Leadership, she has dedicated her career to helping young people navigate the transition into adulthood. She is the creator of SEE360™, a conditions-based youth insight framework, founder of FutureDaye Consulting, and architect of the FutureYOUth Initiative (FYI), a statewide effort engaging, young people across Connecticut to better understand how they experience readiness, belonging, support, and transition.

A recipient of the NAACP of Greater Hartford Award, the 100 Women of Color Award, and multiple community leadership recognitions, Dr. Muhammad is known for translating complex challenges into practical strategies that strengthen people, programs, and communities.

“We are excited to welcome the expertise and vision of our officers and our new Board members as our organization enters a new year of empowerment,” reflects David Hopkins, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Greater Hartford. “I am excited to work with all of them and our dedicated staff as we conclude another decade of the agency’s legacy of impact.”

Urban League Board Chair Wes Alexander will lead the group of 18 in planning for the annual Board Retreat in August where they will conduct orientation for the new members, set the governing agenda for the year, and finalize the 2027 budget.

Proceeds from the support of corporations, foundations, and individual donors help fund Urban League programs and operations. Donations are welcome and can be made at: www.ulgh.org/donate. Institutional Partners include Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, M&T Bank, Webster Bank, United Way, Comcast, Verizon, Beacon Bank, Lincoln Financial, Liberty Bank, OTIS Elevator, Robinson & Cole, LISC, Coca Cola, Stanley Black & Decker, Bank of America, Eversource, UCONN Heath, Hartford HealthCare, Barnes Group, Inc., Hartford Steam Boiler, Dalio, Audacy, and National Urban League.

The Urban League of Greater Hartford is a community-based, not-for-profit 501(c)(3), established in 1964 as the National Urban League’s 66^th affiliate. Its mission is to promote racial equity through economic empowerment programs in the areas of youth development, adult education, workforce development, housing, personal financial management, community health, and social justice, impacting more than 3,000 individuals and their families every year. For more information about the Urban League of Greater Hartford, visit www.ulgh.org or https://linktr.ee/ulgh64or call 860-527-0147. Follow us on social media @ulgh64.