Dr. Afiya Mbilishaka is an Ivy League and HBCU educated clinical psychologist, natural hairstylist, educator, and research-scientist. Dr. Afiya is the founder of “PsychoHairapy,” which uses hair as an entry point for mental health services in beauty salons and barbershops. She is also the principal investigator of the PsychoHairapy Research Lab, and she has published over twenty journal articles, ten book chapters, and two books. Dr. Afiya has testified nationally on behalf of the CROWN Act, an anti-discrimination law to protect Black hair, for which she has been identified as a subject matter expert by the Senate and House of Representatives. 

Dr. Danielle Apugo is a proud Louisiana native who professionally engages the world as a multi-talented educator and writer. Dr. Apugo co-wrote and executive produced the short film “Policing Joy” (2022), a research-based documentary about Black women and girls’ encounters with hair bias in schools. Danielle’s scholarly contributions explore critical themes throughout black women’s K-12 to College educational experience. Laid to the Side is her second book centering the educational journeys of Black women.

Brittney Miles is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She completed her PhD in Sociology at the University of Cincinnati, where she was an Albert C. Yates fellow. She has completed a graduate certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a Master of Arts in Sociology at UC. She also holds a Master of Education in Social and Cultural Foundations in Education at DePaul University. Her scholarship centers Black girlhood, specifically related to (a)sexuality, dis/ability, embodiment, and beauty. She uses interdisciplinary qualitative methods to prioritize Black women and girls’ critical subjectivities in Black feminist sociological issues.

Dr. Iyelli Ichile is a Professor of African, African American and African Diaspora History and Director of the African American Studies Institute at Prince George’s Community College. She has a PhD in African Diaspora History from Howard University, and a Master’s in African American Studies from Columbia University. Her most important education, however, took place in her mother’s home. Her work examines the ways in which culture, art, aesthetics, relationship-building and spirituality inform Black liberation. She supports political and cultural work in our community in as many ways as she can, and she is the mother of a more amazing daughter than she prayed for.

Whitney Harris Christopher (she/her) is an award-winning multimedia journalist, researcher, and voiceover artist. She currently serves as a Professorial Lecturer in the School of Communication at American University. Whitney’s expertise is shooting, writing, editing, reporting, and producing broadcast news stories for local television network affiliates including ABC, NBC, and CBS. 

Faith Armstrong is a fiber artist, licensed hair stylist and global education director under the professional products division at L’Oréal. In addition to these roles, she is a member of the Psychohairapy research lab and a certified psychohairapist, which uses hair as an entry point into mental health care.

Synia Shim is a Jamaican-Chinese American therapist, psychohairapist, and social work doctoral student hailing from Harlem in NYC. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Delaware State University, Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University, and Master of Psychology from the New School for Social Research. She is passionate and deeply committed to raising awareness about mental health and challenging the misconceptions and stigmas associated with treatment. Her goal is to incorporate hair care as a therapeutic approach within psychotherapy that can assist with decreasing psychological states of depression, stress, and anxiety.

Erin H. Maybin is an Educator and NYS Appearance Enhancement Advisory Committee Appointee. Co-founder of the Natural Hair Style & Braid Coalition(NHBC) as well as entrepreneur, licensed cosmetologist, mother of two amazing young women, and the creator of Hair S.T.E.A.M. LAB™ which explores the science & art of hair using Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. 

Ambar Johnson is an urban planner, oral historian, and PsychoHairapist. She loves creating and writing at the intersection of her favorite things: connection and culture. Sourcing her knowledge from the land, her family, and the Georgia Institute of Technology, of which she is a graduate, Ambar knows how to get to the root of any problem.

Camaron Loritts is a proud native of North Carolina. Her career includes significant roles in programs like the McNair Scholars Program and her contributions to Wake Forest’s Center for Research, Engagement, and Collaboration for African American Life. Camaron’s work focused on the sociocultural impact of Black women’s aesthetics and hair on their experiences in higher education. Camaron is the proud owner of Froxy Beauty, a social impact beauty business that empowers Black women and Black-owned beauty businesses. With two degrees from UNC Greensboro, including a Masters in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Camaron Loritts’ lifelong dedication to education, empowerment, and beauty innovation continues to inspire others on their own unique journeys.

Sherika Caliste is a Grenadian-American psychotherapist, psychohairapist, and doctoral student from Harlem, NYC. She is a social entrepreneur, and a soon-to-be social psychologist, passionate about social justice. Her interest in the intersection of hair and mental health stems from her experiences as a Howard University student, where she first witnessed new and unique forms of hair liberation.

Kernysha L. Rowe, PhD, is a Black British-born Jamaican woman who has spent the better part of her life living in the Southern United States. Dr. Rowe’s professional portfolio consists of higher education leadership roles in student conduct, restorative justice, student activities, and inclusion and equity work. Dr. Rowe’s research agenda examines race and identity within higher

education, with research interests spanning interdisciplinary topics including JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion), organizational leadership, feminism, Black aesthetics, and texturism.