Meet THE TEAM

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Lekesa Whitner

Northside Development Group
Program Director

  • "Lekesa Whitner has dedicated the past decade to empowering families, entrepreneurs, and residents through her steadfast leadership at the Northside Development Group (NDG). She began her NDG journey overseeing Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Services, helping longtime Northside homeowners complete critical home repairs that preserved housing stability and improved neighborhood quality. During this time, she also played a key role in the compassionate relocation of 98 families from the former Oakview Apartments, ensuring every household was supported in finding safe, affordable housing options. Her early work in NDG’s Neighborhood Revitalization and Housing Initiative helped countless residents gain access to homeownership opportunities, Individual Development Accounts, and financial literacy resources that continue to strengthen the community today.

    As her impact grew, Lekesa advanced to Director of Community Programs, where she has led NDG’s education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development initiatives across the Northside. Under her leadership, Start:ME Spartanburg—a micro-business accelerator—has supported more than 120 local entrepreneurs and infused over $300,000 in small business investments into the community. She also oversees NDG’s Family Academy, a cradle-to-career program that equips families to support student success through partnerships with local schools and organizations. Lekesa has been instrumental in designing and launching programs like Build:ME, Start:ME Junior, Mentor:ME, and Inspire:ME, expanding NDG’s entrepreneurship pipeline and leadership development opportunities for youth and adults alike.

    Today, Lekesa is recognized as a trusted connector, mentor, and advocate whose vision continues to shape the Northside’s transformation. She manages key partnerships and funding relationships with regional and national institutions—including Truist Foundation, TD Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Park National Bank, and the Spartanburg County Foundation—ensuring NDG’s mission remains strong and sustainable. She also represents NDG on several boards and advisory councils, contributing her voice to regional efforts that advance equitable education and economic opportunity. As NDG prepares to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Start:ME Spartanburg in 2026, Lekesa’s leadership is guiding the program’s evolution into its own 501(c)(3) organization—cementing a lasting legacy of empowerment and community-driven change."

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Khala Hawes

University of South Carolina Upstate
Program Coordinator

  • Khala Marande Hawes is the wife of Terrance Hawes, mother of Grayson, Victoria and Jaxons and serial entrepreneur. For the past seven years, she has served businesses of all sizes by helping to build, elevate and market their brands through her branding and marketing company, Agency24. She co-owns alongside her husband and partners, Oak and Ave Property Group, a real estate brokerage and development company in Spartanburg, SC. She also serves as the founder of Mom Got Goals, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping mothers reach their goals. And, is the program coordinator for Start:Me Spartanburg. 

    Khala received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina Upstate where she studied a combination of Education, Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Administration and her Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing from East Tennessee State University in December of 2021. 

    Khala’s mission is and will always be to help people tell their stories, whether in business or personally. As the parent of a special needs child, she is an advocate for female entrepreneurship and providing women with the tools necessary to be successful, create freedom and build generational wealth. 

INTERNS

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AMIYA TOLBERT

Amiya Tolbert is a business student at Clemson University with a minor in Legal Studies, expected to graduate in 2028. She has been recognized on the Dean’s List for the full academic year and currently serves as an executive officer for Clemson’s Student Funding Board, where she helps oversee the allocation of student organization funding. Amiya has gained hands-on marketing experience across several industries, including food and hospitality, real estate, trucking, and wellness, where she has contributed to brand development, social media strategy, and promotional campaigns. She is passionate about combining business and law to drive impact across industries.

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Godwins Tuyishime

Godwins Tuyishime is a Wofford alumnus and Data Fellow at the Wofford College Career Center. He is passionate about sharing his love for entrepreneurship and helping young people see the value of their ideas. Through Start:ME Junior, Godwins hopes to empower the next generation of leaders to dream big, take risks, and create positive change in their communities. Outside of mentoring, he enjoys running, playing soccer, and traveling.

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Cecil Elikem Asimenu

Cecil Elikem Asimenu is a recent graduate of Wofford College with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Business Economics. He currently works as a Career Development Specialist in the Career Center in the Mungo Exchange, Wofford College. In this role, he focuses on achieving measurable outcomes, including engaging first and second-year students through targeted programming and individualized career guidance. He leverages data insights to optimize outreach strategies, ensuring equitable access to career resources while improving students’ use of career resource platforms. While in college, Elikem led his team to win the coursewide pitch competition for the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management course. He went on to compete in Wofford College’s annual pitch competition, The Terrier Startup Challenge.

Through the Paragon One, now Extern, program, Elikem worked on investment research on hybrid work startups with HP Inc.’s corporate venture capital arm, HP Tech Ventures, as a nascent venture capitalist. In this role, he analyzed hybrid work startups’ differentiating factors and selling points, evaluated them for investment and partnership opportunities, honed his deal-sourcing skills, and executed investment pitch presentations.  He is a Big Ideas person and enjoys watching comedy, listening to podcasts on finance and the AI revolution, vlogging on Instagram @lifeofaghanaian, playing tennis, and listening to Afrobeats in his free time.

Jequasia Burney

Jequasia Burney is a Southern Wesleyan University student pursuing her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing and a proud alumna of Greenville Technical College, where she was recognized on the Dean's List. She is passionate about entrepreneurship, creativity, and helping small businesses grow through hands-on work with a cleaning service and boutique. With a background spanning marketing, human resources, and small business management, Jequasia is a versatile professional who brings both creativity and strategy to everything she does. Through Start:ME Junior, she hopes to inspire young people to recognize the power in their own ideas and take bold steps toward building something of their own. Outside of business, she enjoys graphic design and bringing brands to life through art.