1991 Endowment Committee - Core Team

A native of Milwaukee, WI, Jerri arrived on “The Hill” in the Fall of 1991 and as a Freshman resided at McGuinn Hall.  During her time there she was active with the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) chapter, worked as a Tax Analyst for the Florida Department of Revenue and volunteered her time with local businesses near campus.  She earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Cum Laude, in 1995. She is a Life Member of the FAMU National Alumni Association and has been active with the Windy City (Chicago, IL) Alumni Chapter since 1996 serving in various leadership roles focused on alumni involvement and retention, recruitment, and fundraising. She earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Currently, Jerri is the Managing Director, Credit & Policy with IFF based in Chicago. Well versed in the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) space, her prior roles include Vice President and Director of Credit Administration for Community Investment Corporation, Senior Director and Chief Credit Officer for Seaway Bank and Trust Company, and over 9 years in leadership roles with the Lending, Underwriting and Portfolio Management Departments at the former Urban Partnership Bank (currently Providence Bank and Trust).  

Jerri is an active and financial member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  She Chairs the Economic Development Committee for the Chicago Alumnae Chapter which was recently awarded 2nd place in the Midwest Region for its efforts in educating the Chicagoland community on financial awareness and economic empowerment. She also serves as a member of the Portfolio Committee for Accion Chicago, a CDFI and non-profit that provides capital solutions to entrepreneurs in the greater Chicagoland area.

A native of Gainesville, Florida, AnneMarie comes from a family of Rattlers and a rich tradition of supporting FAMU, so she was proud to begin her own time on Hill with the Entering Class of 1991. Her Freshman year she resided at Wheatley Hall. While at FAMU, AnneMarie was active throughout campus including with Student Government Association, working with the S.A.F.E. Team and serving as a Freshman and Sophomore Senator; Presidential Scholars Association; Orators in the School of Business and Industry; the Mock Trial team; and the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In the community, she served in the Collegiate Ministry at Bethel A.M.E., the Eleventh Episcopal District Y.P.D., and volunteered as a Daisy Scout leader and driver for Meals on Wheels. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Cum Laude, in 1995. 

AnneMarie is a Life Member of the FAMU National Alumni Association. In the mid-late 90s she served as the FAMU Alumni Cincinnati Chapter president and is currently active with the FAMU Alumni Alachua County Chapter working with the marketing and the chapter’s endowed scholarship at FAMU. She also created an endowed scholarship at FAMU in her parents name, who met and married on the Highest of Seven Hills in 1963. AnneMarie earned her MBA from Rollins College, M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. in Social Ethics from Emory University, but the only school she represents and financially supports is her beloved FAMU.

AnneMarie is currently an Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and Director of their Metro-Urban Institute. Prior to entering the academy, she worked as a Brand Manager with the Procter and Gamble Company. 

AnneMarie is the founder of Sister Scholars an organization for Black women who have or are pursuing their doctorates, and the founder of the Cultivating Courageous Resisters project which builds collaborations between professors, pastors, and grassroots practitioners committed to social justice at local and national levels. She is an active and financial member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; the American Academy of Religion; the Society for the Study of Black Religion; the Society of Christian Ethics; the Association of for the Study of African American Life and History; and the African American Intellectual History Society.

A native of Enterprise, Alabama, Charlotte N. Merritt currently resides in Mobile, Alabama. She is a Senior Project Engineer for Naval Architecture Engineering division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) located in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She has the challenging responsibility for managing subcontractors, farm-out, and monitoring the budget of all contracts for six department managers to ensure that contract requirements and performance targets are met.  She conducts weekly progress meetings to compare actual performance with existing budget spreads to determine personnel forecasts, budgetary analysis trend, future Basis of Estimates (BOE), justifications and rationale for variance between costs and budget. She is currently managing $3.1Million dollars robust distortion control project. Her guidance has contributed to favorable contract performance, benefitting the company as a whole. She has over 17 years in project management professional experience and extensive manufacturing experience. 

She was recognized as a 2012 Modern Day Technology Award Winner for achievements in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) during 26th Black Engineer of the Year Award STEM Global Competitiveness Conference held in Philadelphia. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Jackson County presented Charlotte’s with a Special Award Certificate. In appreciation of her generous commitment of time served to Moss Point Outreach. In 2015, she was recognized by the Women of Color Conference as a Technology Rising Star Award Winner for her overall contributions in STEM related fields.

Charlotte holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Florida A&M University. Since becoming a FAMU Alumni member, Charlotte has held numerous positions on the local level, including founder and President for Gulf Coast Alumni Chapter. Aside from being a Life Member of the FAMU National Alumni Association, a member of Investing in Champions, and a longtime time football and basketball season tickets holder. During her Freshmen year at FAMU she participated in Engineering Concept Institute (ECI) a program to allow students to get a glimpse of engineering from the beginning of your study at FAMU/FSU College of Engineering. Charlotte is also an active member of SWE (Shipbuilder Women Engineers) where she serves as past president. For the past several years, she serves on Employee Recourse Group Board of Directors for Shipbuilder Women Engineers (SWE) and African American Shipbuilding Association (AASA) with Huntington Ingalls Industries.

La Taasha Byrd is an author, speaker and special needs advocate from Monticello, FL  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Agricultural

and Mechanical University and a Master of Science degree from the University of Central Florida. She speaks at national conferences and advocates for the special needs community, frequently working with local and state non-profits in the areas of cultural outreach and inclusion. She is a proud family legacy FAMUan, with three generations calling The Hill home. She now resides in Orlando, FL. 

Bresha Shaw Franklin is a College of Pharmacy Graduate 1997, Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. She currently resides in Alpharetta, Georgia where she is a member of Antioch A.M.E. Church, and works as a Clinical Pharmacist and Certified Diabetes Educator at Kaiser Permanente. A small Business owner and community service advocate, Bresha currently serves as a Board member for Community C.A.R.E.S Foundation and she was a previous Board member for several local non profit organizations (ie. Chamberlain School of Nursing, American Diabetes Association, American Kidney Foundation, Kaiser Community Engagement Project, Worship in Pink Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta). A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. she serves both locally and Regionally. 

Bresha is a member of several professional organizations and community based organizations including NCNW, NAACP, NKF, ADA, AHA, and ASHP. Life Long FAMU supporter, she is a member of FAMU Broward County Alumni Chapter and a FAMU National Alumni Association Life member. In 2020 Bresha was honored by the Broward County Alumni Chapter, as the highest fundraiser for their Calendar sales in support of FAMU.

A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Audrey K Starks Lane is the founder and CEO of Lane Equity Enterprises, a management consulting firm with expertise in the areas of non-profit leadership, strategy, leadership development, talent pipeline development, and project management with a focus on understanding and implementing solutions that lead with equity, diversity, and inclusion. Most recently, Audrey is influencing the landscape of Charleston, SC’s public education system by co-founding E3 (Educate, Empower, and Elevate), an organization with an intentional focus on creating high quality educational options for Black and Brown students with the desires and needs of parents and families at the center of this work.  Prior to launching Lane Equity Enterprises and E3, Audrey was the Chief of Access & Equity for the SC Public Charter School District (SCPCSD), served as the Executive Director of the Royal Foundation, the 501(c)3 affiliate of the Royal Missionary Baptist Church of North Charleston, and was the Deputy for Human Capital Development for the Charleston County School District (CCSD).  Before relocating to Charleston, Audrey was a Business Development & Commercial Coordinator with BP North America in Warrenville, IL, Product Development Leader with International Paper and began her career in Rochester, NY as a Mechanical Engineer with Xerox. 

Audrey began her time at FAMU in the summer of 1991 at the Engineering Concepts Institute (ECI) and took up residence in McGuinn Hall and stayed there through her freshman year.  While at FAMU, Audrey was a Presidential and FGAMP Scholar, officer and member of the world renowned FAMU Gospel Choir (Altos run the world), President and Vice President of the National Society of Black Engineers, member of Bethel Baptist Church as well as the Collegiate Choir, and member of the Society of Women’s Engineering.  Audrey is a proud Mechanical Engineering graduate of FAMU and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from DePaul University in Chicago, IL and is a 2010 graduate of the Broad Residency for Urban Education.  

She makes the time to be involved in her local community as a member of the Health Advisory Committee with the Trident United Way, the Charleston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Social Justice Racial Equity Collaborative,  and after all these years still loves a good Sunday School class.  

Although she is extremely dedicated and focused on the work that she’s been blessed to do-her greatest joy comes from being a wife, partner, and friend to Martin and the mother of Moses and Micah.