Each member of the Hyphens and Spaces team brings unique talents, skills sets, personalities, and lived experiences to their work. We are a deeply thoughtful and attentive team that embraces the nuances of diversity, equity, and inclusion work. We’re extremely committed and passionate about what we do and it plays out each time we partner with our clients.
We take evidence-based approaches to our work and each team member is eager to learn, collaborate, and experiment with new ideas to help our clients yield the best measured results.
Read some fun facts about each of our team members below. Also, to learn more about the Hyphens and Spaces founders click here
The Team
Abdul-Qawiy Abdul-Karim, MPA
Sr. Consultant & Facilitator
California
Measured, thorough, committed. Master facilitator, curriculum writer, and program developer, Abdul-Qawiy is a career educator. He has partnered with notable public, private, and nonprofit organizations creating programs that have reached thousands in the NYC and DC areas. Abdul-Qawiy works with clients at all professional and personal levels, specializing in team development, direct service programs, and young adult education. Abdul-Qawiy holds a (MPA) in Public Administration from Baruch College in NYC.
Dr. Ana María López Caldwell
Sr. Consultant & Coach
Washington D.C.
Genuine, Innovative, Determined. Ana María is a social scientist and leader with over 10 years of experience in education and the corporate sector. She is passionate about developing belonging and system initiatives that foster DEI. Her previous career as an Executive Director, life experience as an immigrant, and research in social inequities formed a worldview centered around belonging, representation, and access. Ana María completed a BA in Business Administration from Stevenson University and a MA and PhD in Latin American studies from Tulane University.
Asma Hashmi
Business Operations Manager
Illinois
Amiable, Connector, Tenacious. Asma is a performance consultant focused on (human) resources with experience in change management, and professional business development. She transforms organizations of all sizes and delivers results by reconnecting people to experiential learning. Asma enjoys enabling talent to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Performance Improvement from Roosevelt and a Bachelors in Psychology from Loyola.
Dr. Cammy Froude
Sr. Consultant & Coach
California
Empathetic, frank, intuitive. Cammy is a fellowship-trained medical family therapist who takes a cultural competency approach to coaching and human development. She has built and facilitated a behavioral health curriculum and trained dozens of therapists in cultural-competent techniques. Cammy earned a doctoral degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Connecticut and a postdoctoral fellowship in Medical Family Therapy from the University of Colorado.
Christen Bavero
Sr. Consultant & Facilitator
Texas
Earnest, direct and loving. Christen is a highly effective Facilitator and Executive Coach with extensive experience focused on leadership development, building organizational equity, training inclusive teams, and elevating personal performance. She’s worked with a number of large corporations and fast-growth companies who are recognized as leaders in their industry to help transform their cultures, which has measurably improved their bottom-line results.
Fatima Ashraf
Sr. Consultant & Strategist
New York
Passionate, decisive, conscientious. Fatima has nearly twenty years of experience in government, non-profit, academia, philanthropy, and community organizing. Fatima’s issue areas of expertise are public health and the criminal legal system. She is a skilled writer, negotiator, and good with numbers. Fatima believes deeply in dismantling, transforming, and rebuilding systems over reforming them. Fatima holds a (MPH) Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan.
Indira Bimont
Sr. Consultant & Facilitator
New Jersey
Authentic, Curious, Intuitive. Indira is an Inclusion Strategist, Leadership Coach, and Facilitator. Since 2013, Indira has trained and coached thousands of leaders on all management topics, including diversity, equity, and inclusion. She’s consulted with organizations on inclusion strategies aimed at transforming their cultures. She is deeply passionate about how cultures harness authenticity and inspire people to bring their whole selves to work. Indira holds a (BS) in Finance and Communications and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University and is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Jaiyana Ramelize
Chief Fun Officer
Georgia
Playful, Energetic, and Adventurous. Jaiyana resides in Atlanta with her parents, Hyphen and Spaces co-founders Samira Abdul-Karim and Yusef Ramelize. She has more than 5 years of experience with putting big smiles on people’s faces. She loves telling princess stories and working on landing her joke punchlines. She also loves to cook and one of her aspirations is to open up a restaurant. Her favorite foods are pizza, broccoli, and vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Jaiyana has recently graduated from kindergarten and holds a yellow belt in her Traditional Shotokan Karate class.
Megan Doherty-Baker
Sr. Consultant & Facilitator
California
Melissa Mondesir Miller
Sr. Consultant & Facilitator
New Jersey
Dedicated, precise, enthusiastic. Melissa has nearly fifteen years of experience in nonprofit administration and philanthropy. Melissa’s areas of expertise are project management and community building. Melissa is a skilled facilitator and strategist. Through her execution of strategic campaigns, and programs, she has raised millions of dollars for various diversity, equity, and inclusion incentives. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science (MS) in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University.
Nathalie De Los Angeles Hodge
Sr. Consultant & Strategist
New York
Adaptable, curious, diligent. Nathalie is a strategic thinker who positions organizations to think and perform “beyond what is thought possible” while centering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). For more than a decade, she has successfully designed, implemented, evaluated, and scaled portfolios, managing contracts ranging from $1.7M to $10M. Nathalie is passionate about developing customized programs and has been a leader in workforce and leadership development. Nathalie holds a (MSW) in Social Enterprise Administration from Columbia University.
Nicole Corley
Sales & Client Management Associate
Pennsylvania
Sahana Sriram
Consultant & Coach
New York
Curious, compassionate, creative. Sahana is an experienced leadership development coach, facilitator, program manager, educator and psychotherapist. Her 9 years of experience spans across education, non-profit, and mental health. Sahana draws from a critically conscious and relational orientation to foster compassion and advocacy within the spaces she designs and facilitates. Sahana holds a Master’s of Arts & Master’s of Education degree in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University.
Samira Abdul-Karim
Chief Executive Officer & Principal Consultant
Georgia
Warm, thoughtful, balanced. Samira’s work focuses on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), developing organizations, and facilitating challenging conversations for personal or professional growth. She is an Organizational Psychologist, consultant, facilitator, and coach. Through designing programs, initiatives, training, and coaching, she has helped thousands of people build more inclusive teams, organizational cultures, and communities. Samira holds a Master’s degree in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.
Yusef Ramelize
Chief Operations Officer
Georgia
Compassionate, detailed, sincere. Yusef has nearly twenty years of design and communications experience. He is very passionate and skilled at managing workflow, client relationships, and strategic branding. Yusef is also the founder and project director of Homeless For One Week, an initiative that raises awareness about homelessness in NYC. He is an award-winning designer who was also recently selected to be a Forbes Next 1000 honoree. He holds an Executive (MS) in Strategic Communications from Columbia University and a (BFA) in Electronic Design & Multimedia.