THE SOULHAVEN TEAM

Asile (uh-sigh-yul) is a writer, facilitator, and strategic consultant from Atlanta, Georgia. As founder of Asile Strategies, LLC, she focuses on racial justice, systemic change, and advocacy for mission-based organizations, promoting internal and external freedom. Using reflection and journaling as a means for healing and liberation, Asile is the author of The Sankofa Series, a blog series embodying the adinkra symbol Sankofa, a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana that loosely translates to, “go back and get it”. Internationally, Asile researched Black business movements and social mobility in Paris, France, through Syracuse University's Paris Noir program. She was a 2020 Georgia Women’s Policy Institute Fellow, advocating for gender pay equity legislation. Additionally, Asile received the Highlander Center ‘Seeds of Fire’ grant to conduct focus groups on Georgia's political landscape. She also developed a methodology to enhance civic engagement, conducting the first study of Atlanta's Neighborhood Planning Unit system in over 40 years. Asile is a Phillips Exeter Academy graduate with a dual Bachelor of Arts Degree in African American Studies & Civic Engagement from Syracuse University. Outside of her professional work, Asile is an emerging yogi, a plant mom, a wine enthusiast, and a proud member of the #Beyhive.

Jerome B. Meadows is a full-time studio artist working in a historic Ice House in Savannah, Georgia. Originally from New York City, he’s been living in Savannah since 1997. A graduate with a BFA degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA degree from the University of Maryland, Mr. Meadows has been self-employed as a visual artist and public space designer since 1992. His focus in the arts has been in the creation of large-scale public art projects, including site layout, landscape issues, as well as the creation of sculptural components all integrated into a cohesive whole. Recently Mr. Meadows was selected from a pool of internationally acclaimed Architects, Landscape Architects, and artists to design The Ed Johnson Memorial for the city of Chattanooga, TN., commemorating the unjust mob lynching of Mr. Johnson and the two African American lawyers who boldly took his case to the US Supreme Court.  In 2012 Mr. Meadows was selected to create the Portsmouth African Burying Ground Memorial in Portsmouth, NH. This project was awarded a 2013 NEA Art Works Grant for "The creation of art that meets the highest standards of  excellence."  Mr. Meadows has been the recipient of a Brown Foundation Residency Fellowship at the  Dora Maar House in Menerbes, France, administered through the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.  His academic background includes teaching positions and residencies at the University of  Maryland, College Park, Howard University, the College of Charleston, the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Fulbright Lecture Award to the National College of Art in Lahore, Pakistan, preceded by a Fulbright-Hayes study tour throughout the country.

Teva is passionate about creating systems that support leaders in equitable and sustainable development. Her main priority is advocating with and amplifying the voices of marginalized and targeted populations as they cultivate resilient communities. Her background is in sustainable design and public health, and her work focuses on the intersectionality of design, health, social equity, climate justice and food sovereignty. In her personal life, she loves to cook for her loved ones, spend time outside near water or in her garden, and  read or paint when she has the time. Teva is based in the Pacific Northwest, in Portland Oregon, on the stolen lands of the Cowltiz, Clackamas, Cascades, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Grand Ronde, and Siletz+.

Ashley Cornelius (She/her) is the first Black Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate. She is a nationally recognized and multi-award-winning spoken-word poet, facilitator, cultural worker and keynote speaker. Her poetry focuses on her intersectional identities, ancestral connection, and revolutionary joy. Ashley Cornelius is a Licensed Professional Counselor and uses poetry as her modality for healing. Ashley has a master’s in International Disaster Psychology from DU. Ashley won the Prism Award from One Colorado, the Mayor’s Young Leader Award in Creative Industry, the CBCA EY Next Wave Leadership Award, and many more. Notably, Ashley has opened up for former U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo and performed for the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee. She is a two-time Tedx speaker. Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry719, a Black-led poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities and BIPOC folks through art. Ashley is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up and out for marginalized groups and be a voice for those who have been historically silenced.

Jenny is a curator of sacred space (commonly called a pastor), a writer and artist, a strategist, a listener and world adventurer. In college she studied intercultural studies and psychology then worked in post-Communist Europe in the 1990's to train others in cross-cultural transitions. This experience sparked a sensitivity to the many other transitions life's intersections bring. Jenny lives in California and is married to her amazing husband, Chris and they have two beautiful daughters. Jenny is currently the Senior Pastor of Valley Presbyterian, in Portola Valley, California. As a pastor, she is privileged to listen for the passion of others and seek to support it coming to life. Her favorite place is wherever my daughters and husband are.  Together, they love to travel and eat great food. She is a passionate cook, a crafter in many different media and constantly seeking wholeness of body, mind and spirit.

Jazz Holmes is a full-time studio artist working in downtown Denver, Colorado. Holmes grew up throughout the deep south, mostly in rural Black sharecropping areas that were owned by her family. She graduated with a BFA degree from the University of West Florida and an MFA from Colorado State University. Holmes launched her career as a full-time lecturer of figurative arts at multiple universities in the Denver Metro area, before going out on her own in 2023. Her focus in the arts is showcased within gallery spaces, museums, and public art murals nationally and internationally. Her works are centered upon uplifting the Black Agricultural South and highlighting the perpetual influence it has within American culture. Recently, Holmes completed a 2-year residency with Redline Contemporary Art Center (Denver), along with a 1-year residency with the Denver Botanical Gardens, called the LandLine Residency. Additionally, she has been awarded residencies in France, Ireland, Portugal, and Mexico as well as being featured in solo and group shows in these countries. Her work can be found within multiple publications including Westword, Urban Life Wash Park, and 9News. Along with being a full-time artist, she is also a contracted private chef that has worked multiple times with Soul Haven and other art events within Colorado.