Marquita Stephens

Interim President and CEO

Originally from Pittsburgh, PA., Marquita Stephens has been in the Twin Cities since 1999, working on behalf of children and families.  She was hired by Urban League Twin Cities in 2017 to serve as ULTC’s Director of Education programs.  In that position, she developed a Parent Academy, a Summer STEAM program, and deepened the Minneapolis version of the National Urban League’s Project Ready as Black Gems. She co-authored with Department of Education and Minneapolis Public Schools an Equity Framework advocating the balance of power within stakeholders in order to bring forth the best possible system of education for k-12 students.  These programs address micro and macro level change to benefit and advance equity considerations on behalf of Black people. Marquita is now charged with developing the Center for the Advancement of the Black Family.

Stephens currently serves as ULTC’s Interim President and CEO while a nation-wide search is conducted to replace outgoing CEO Steven Belton.

Marquita holds an MPA from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and a BA in Urban and Environmental Studies from Case Western Reserve University.

Ashley Burris

Director of Operations

Dr. Alvin Akibar

Director, Center for Social Justice

Dr. Alvin P. Akibar is a psychologist, researcher, and is the Director of the Center for Social Justice Research, Policy, and Advocacy at Urban League Twin Cities. Dr. Akibar’s research has examined how intersectional forces of marginalization and oppression (racism, heterosexism, cissexism) affect well-being, and informs his work advocating for equitable policy in the Twin Cities and beyond.

Dr. Barbara Doyle

Director, Workforce Development

Catrice Williams

Director, Wealth Development