Meet Our Team
CHAIRMAN:
The Arika Trim Foundation was born thanks to her vision and conviction to honor her daughter’s legacy. Donna is a mom to four children and has experienced the pain of having to say goodbye to her only daughter Arika due to postpartum complications. She is now taking care of her grandson who one day she’ll have to answer the question “what happened to my mommy?”. Her experience has opened her eyes and heart to the reality that too many of our mothers die due to lack of care and attention post-birth. As such, she has expanded her voluntary spirit to ensure that mothers make it through this crucial stage of motherhood. She is no stranger to reaching out to others to make life a better place, as her charity experience includes establishing a space for children to have additional tutoring and resources to attain education via EARC foundation, as well as providing provision of supplies to victims of natural disasters such a floods in her home country Trinidad and Tobago. She continues to be a blessing to her community through humanitarian efforts and outpouring of motherly love and care for others.
DONNA TRIM-STEWART
Ariel Bowman is a Quality Specialist for a Life Insurance Agency originally from Miami, Florida and now residing in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her Bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Lee University, and a Masters of Business Administration in Public Administration from Ashford University. Her first near encounter with Arika was at the Church of God General Assembly in Texas where she saw her representing her church in the international competition. She did not know then that in just a few short months their paths would cross again at Lee University and that she would become an integral part of her college experience and ultimately her life. Ariel writes,
“In the fall of 2008, we became best friends and that friendship carried on for almost 12 years. It is now my honor to share with the rest of the world the beautiful light that is Arika. She began a work in her 29 years that I am humbled to be able to continue.”
SECRETARY: ARIEL BOWMAN
TREASURER: CEDRICA PIPPENS
Cedrica serves as the treasure of the Arika Trim foundation. She is a native of Georgia currently residing in Nashville, TN. Cedrica holds a RN degree from Columbia State and a B.S., Health Sciences from Lee University. She is a postpartum nurse at the busiest women’s health hospital in Tennessee. Her years working in Women’s Health has shown her how quickly things can escalate for a postpartum mother. Having an attentive nurse and strong advocate can mean the difference between a near miss event and a serious postpartum complication. Knowing Arika from college, her untimely death struck all too close to home for Cedrica. She quickly realized that mother’s not only need advocates in the hospital setting, but also in the days and weeks at home as they continue their postpartum Journey. Her addition to this board brings with it crucial knowledge about the postpartum period insight on how family members can continue to act as advocate for new mothers.
BOARD MEMBER:
MAURICE HUGGINS JR
Maurice Huggins Jr., known as Mo, was born and raised in Connecticut. Currently he serves as the Lead Pastor at Mountain West Church in the suburbs of Atlanta. Mo is married to Tiana and they have two sons Maurice III and Maverick. Their family currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia. Mo writes,
“I met Arika in college and we became fast friends. She was my sister, one who told me the truth even when I didn’t want to hear it but always showed love especially when you needed it most. She was and is a bright light in the world, I am excited to be a part of continuing her legacy of making a difference in the lives of others.”
BOARD MEMBER: KARIEN GREEN
Karien is a resident of Connecticut. She is a credentialed minister and evangelist in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN). She is a member of the Rehoboth Church of God under the leadership of Bishop Jonathan Ramsey, Jr., and serves as a member of the Southern New England Regional Youth Board. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Lee University (Cleveland, TN), and Masters of Divinity at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary (Cleveland, TN). Arika Trim became one of Karien’s best friends when they met in 2008 while attending Lee University, which is also where their “best friend trio” was formed. Karien writes
“ We were infamous around the campus for the genuine friendship that God had undoubtedly joined together. She impacted my life in an immeasurable way, and now it is my pleasure to be able to carry on her legacy and continue to impact the world.”
A dedicated servant leader, Pesante Haughton is a founding Board Member of the Arika Trim Foundation. She is also an Ambassador for the Greater DC Diaper Bank, a volunteer leadership position to collect diapers, wipes, formula, feminine hygiene products, and other necessary mother-baby items for families throughout the DC, Maryland and Virginia region that need them most. She previously served on the Board of The Hill Preschool, the oldest continually operating early learning institution on Capitol Hill. She is a proud Mother Member of Jack and Jill of America, Inc, where she currently serves on the executive board of the Nation's Captial Chapter.
Pesante Haughton was born and co-raised in Brooklyn, New York, and has roots in Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Puerto Rico. She lives in D.C. with her husband and their two young daughters.
BOARD MEMBER:
KIARA PESANTE HAUGHTON
Kiara Pesante Haughton is an award-winning communications and political strategist and justice advocate. She is currently the Chief of Communications and Advancement at Dēmos, the think tank for the racial justice movement, where she is the executive leader overseeing the organization’s narrative change, marketing, brand-building, and fundraising strategies. She has also served in leadership positions at BerlinRosen, Civil Rights Corps, the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, and in various roles at the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic National Convention, D.C. Government, Edelman Public Relations, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and WSB-TV in Atlanta.
DR. JONISHA BROWN, MD, MPH
BOARD MEMBER:
Dr. Jonisha Brown, MD, MPH is currently a Family Medicine Assistant Professor with Wake Forest School of Medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as a health policy consulted. She completed her undergraduate degree at UNC Charlotte, receiving a BA in Biology and BS in Psychology, and subsequently attended Wake Forest University Bowman Gray School of Medicine for medical school. Dr. Brown completed her medical residency at Atrium Health, formerly known as Carolinas Medical Center, in Charlotte, North Carolina, during which she also served as Chief Resident. Most recently, Dr. Brown completed her Master of Public Health Degree from Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy. Dr. Brown's interests and professional goals include addressing racism and implicit bias in medicine, ending black maternal health disparities, and supporting diversity and inclusion in medicine. She actively advocates for these interests through varies writing and public engagement opportunities.
BOARD MEMBER:
DR. ANGELIQUE CYNTHIA LYNCH-JILES
Dr. Angelique Cynthia Lynch-Jiles was born and raised in Washington, DC, where she has had aspirations to become a doctor and serve her community since childhood. After completing her undergraduate education and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia, she matriculated to the Howard University College of Medicine, where she received her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2015. She then obtained a Master of Public Health degree, with a concentration in Community Health and Health Behavior, from the University at Buffalo in 2016. She went on to complete her medical residency training in Family Medicine at the University of Virginia in 2019, and has been a practicing board certified Family Medicine physician, specializing in Obstetrics, Women’s Health and Pediatrics, since then. Dr. Lynch-Jiles currently serves as the Family Medicine-Obstetrics Lead Physician at Unity Health Care, a federally qualified community health center in Washington, DC. In 2022, she was also appointed as core faculty for the National Family Medicine Residency Program, DC, the Wright Center, as the Maternal-Child Health Curriculum Director. Dr. Lynch-Jiles is passionate about educating her patients, and the next generation of doctors, about how to combat maternal-child health inequalities in minority communities. She is also a proud wife and mother to a 4 year old son.