About Us » Staff

Since 1998, Kristina Marshall has been advancing Winning Futures to be a top-rate school-based mentoring program. In fact, in 1994, Kris was in the first student group to participate in Winning Futures in the Warren Consolidated School District and Sam Cupp, the program’s founder, was her personal mentor. Kris has made the organization her life's mission.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Oakland University, is a graduate of Leadership Macomb and of the Michigan Nonprofit Association's Executive Leadership Fellows. Kris has received numerous awards including the 2005 RARE Foundation “Everyday Hero Award, the 2006 International Athena Award from the Macomb Business Chamber for her dedication to the community and providing leadership development to women, and Crain’s “40 under 40” award in 2008.

Kris speaks nationally about mentoring, implementing youth development activities that focus on life skills, goal setting, and career planning, and the importance of creating corporate mentoring programs to develop your employees.

Laurie Tarter – Program Director

Laurie has been with Winning Futures since 1997. She leads efforts to design the program curriculum and implement the program into our schools. Combining enthusiasm with an energetic speaking style, Laurie is a motivational and inspirational facilitator specializing in goal setting strategies, lessons on the importance of PMA (positive mental attitude), and character education. With more than 20 years of business experience in sales, marketing, customer service, training, educational instruction, and the talent industry, she creates a dynamic spark of audience participation wherever she speaks.

Taquaryl Franklin – Program Facilitator

Taquaryl is facilitating our ninth grade program at Pontiac High School and our middle school academic program. She is also leading all of our support programs for partners across the country that are using the Winning Futures curriculum. She served two-years as an AmeriCorps Member (assisting in the Winning Futures' Oak Park Business and Education Alliance partnership program) and completed an internship with the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility. Taquaryl has received multiple recognitions for her outstanding efforts, "Who's Who among American Women", "Who's Who among College Students" just to name a few. Taquaryl is also a member of the NAACP youth council and the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). Taquaryl is completing her undergraduate degree in Human Services.

Bryan Howard – Program Facilitator

Bryan is leading programs in Harper Woods and Detroit with our high school students. A graduate of Detroit Central High School, Bryan had an exciting 20 year career as a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy and later transitioned into the role of Career Information Program Manager for all medical facilities in the state of Washington. His Navy highlights include willingly jumping out of helicopters, having personally met two presidents, visiting 20 countries, living in Japan, and being the first Sailor in history to win the 1st Medical Brigade, Army “Silver Knight” Senior Non-Commissioned Officer award while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait.

Bryan brings a wealth of experience and education to the Winning Futures team. He has a BS in Information Technology Management from the University of Phoenix, and an MBA from Trident University in Entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining Winning Futures Bryan worked as the Process Excellence Manager for Powerlink Facilities Management Services for 4 years. During his tenure he specialized in organizational development, employee relations and training.

Shernitha Gray – Program Coordinator

Shernitha started working with Winning Futures in October 2007 as a full-time AmeriCorps member. AmeriCorps is a federally funded program that pays full-time volunteers a small stipend to assist non-profit organizations in our communities. Today, she is a full time staff member! Her role is to support the mentoring and classroom sessions along with coordinating our events and workbook sales. Shernitha has received an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts, and is currently attending classes for Medical Billing and Coding.

Michele Karl – AmeriCorps VISTA

Michele has been an AmeriCorps VISTA with Winning Futures since August, 2009. Prior to that, she was a long-time mentor. In 2006, Michele was recognized as Winning Futures’ Mentor of the Year. She is a 47 year member of Grosse Pointe Theatre. She is a director and actor of the adult theatre productions as well as extending her directing skills to the newly organized Children’s Theatre group. Michele is the recipient of 16 theatre awards. She worked as a consultant in the Grosse Pointe High School system working on the fall and spring programs for several years. Adding to her busy schedule she is also an usher at her church, St. Joan of Arc of St. Clair Shores.

Joan Mantini – Marketing Coordinator

In 1999, Joan participated in Winning Futures as a high school senior and received a Winning Futures scholarship. She then worked for the program throughout college. Over the years, Joan has been a lead facilitator for our mentoring and workshop programs. Today, Joan leads all of our marketing efforts as a way to bring greater awareness to Winning Futures, our students, and mentors. Joan is also working to promote Winning Futures nationally to marketing our workbooks to other non-profits and schools. Joan has an MBA from Baker University and a Bachelor Degree in Communications with a Public Relations Focus from Oakland University.

Ericka Burrell – AmeriCorps VISTA

Ericka began as an AmeriCorps Vista in November 2010. She has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration from Oakland Community College and is currently a business student at the University of Michigan in Dearborn. In high school, she was a member of numerous after school organizations that developed various fundraising programs, both locally and internationally. She has worked with various programs that assist in the overall economic development of the community. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, serving with Winning Futures, Ericka now assists with the capacity building initiatives designed to build programs that provide motivation and direction to our youth.