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Kia JarmonFacilitator-in-Residence
Kia Jarmon’s purpose is to help people live and lead an impeccably designed life. She believes life should be full of hearty laughter, taking up all the space your arms can touch, and celebrating the freedom her ancestors weren’t always able to enjoy. It is in these experiences that Kia learned her identity is more than labor and is instead measured by how much peace she can experience and share with others.
Her peace and freedom often looks like rebellious joy - disruptive energy that encourages women and Black people to take up and reclaim space. For the past several years she has modeled this in her professional work, advocating for and facilitating intentional safe spaces for Black and brown leaders. In those spaces she co-designs communities - online and offline - that support members as they decolonize their lives, center joy, lean into grace, embrace pleasure, and experience divine alignment. The bridge that connects her personal life with her professional work are two distinct truths - she centers history and uplifts humanity. A born entrepreneur and professional truth teller known as “Kiss With a Fist”, Kia challenges the status quo and uses candid care to guide uncomfortable conversations. She provides support to leaders, organizations, and systems seeking to improve the quality of the human experience. Her professional work is long tenured spanning close to 20 years working in areas such as affordable housing, education, healthcare, technology, youth development, justice reform, water conservation, greenways, community infrastructure, economic development, and much more. Her days are spent wearing multiple hats: she leads boutique communications and community engagement consultancy, MEPR Agency; she is the founder and visionary for the Nonprofit Equity Collaborative; and she serves as Philanthropy Advisor for Give Black, Give Back (housed at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee) the first effort from the Black Philanthropy Initiative in Middle Tennessee. She speaks, trains, consults, and serves as a strategic thought partner in efforts that intersect across culture, communications, crisis, and community. In all that she does, her greatest joy is her eight year old son, Teddy who also doubles as her personal photographer and comedian. For more information visit www.kiajarmon.com or www.mepragency.com. |
