Meet Our Team
Carlisha Williams Bradley, Founder & Executive Director
Carlisha Williams Bradley is an award-winning executive, best-selling author and high-performance women's leadership coach. Carlisha lends her spirit, expertise, and voice as an advocate for women and girls worldwide as the founder of Women Empowering Nations and Amplify for Women.
Under Carlisha’s direction, Women Empowering Nations has already had a transformative effect on the globe, having created measurable leadership development opportunities for over 9,000 girls in 23 countries. Carlisha’s groundbreaking work with Women Empowering Nations has made her one of the most sought-after social enterprise and international education programming experts in the country.
With her business, Amplify for Women, she accelerates the path of women to executive leadership. Through executive coaching, public speaking training, and professional branding, her work is a catalyst for a new era of inclusive leadership by cultivating a generation of women of color who fearlessly break barriers as influential executives.
Additionally, Carlisha served as the Congressional District 1 representative on the Oklahoma State Board of Education from 2019 to January 2023. As a State Board member, she was responsible for determining policies and supervising the PK-12 public school system of Oklahoma impacting over 700,000 students and over 500 school districts.
Carlisha has served as a trusted voice and advisor to various international aid organizations, non-profit agencies, schools, businesses, and diplomats around the globe. She has been recognized for her work and continuous commitment to change with numerous awards, including the 2024 Charles V. Willie Advocate Award from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, BMe 2024 Vanguard, 2021 Dan Allen Social Justice Award, 2020 Tulsan of the Year, 2020 Journal Record Woman of the Year, 2020 City Year Champion of Student Success, 2017 Oklahoma Magazine 40 Under 40, and more.
Carlisha received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Venture Management and a Bachelor of Arts in African and African American Studies from the University of Oklahoma. She also received a Master's degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She and her husband, Adrian, reside in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, raising their three children.
Garica Sanford, PsyD, Program Director
Dr. Sanford is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 20 years of experience providing therapeutic services to children and families. As a mental health professional, Dr. Sanford has expertise in complex trauma including racial and generational trauma, complicated familial systems, couples and family therapy, and child and adolescent psychology.
Dr. Sanford has worked across various sectors including the public school system, the child welfare system, prison system, residential treatment, inpatient psychiatric hospital, nonprofit organizations and private practice. In addition to providing direct service to clients across the lifespan, Dr. Sanford served as a Training Director for an internship program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) for more than ten years.
In addition to her role as a psychologist, Dr. Sanford provides executive coaching to powerful, high-achieving leaders across varied sectors committed to impacting community and social change.
Jeanne’ Spencer, Tulsa Service Year Fellow & Program Coordinator
Jeanne' Spencer is the Tulsa Service Year Program Coordinator for Women Empowering Nations (WEN). She was a 2023 GLOW girl before stepping into her current role, where she received mentorship, exposure to different cultures, and personal/professional development to accelerate her path to executive leadership. Now, Jeanne' manages the Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) Tulsa program, overseeing operations, curriculum development, and volunteer training, while creating partnerships with community organizations to further WEN's mission.
Previously, as a Student Success Coach at City Year Tulsa, Jeanne' collaborated with 8th-grade students to enhance their academic performance and interpersonal skills. She designed individualized learning plans and facilitated workshops for students' social and emotional development.
Jeanne' leverages her marketing expertise to grow her personal platform. Outside of her role at WEN, she is a food content creator on Instagram, where she shares easy and delicious dinner ideas for those who are new to cooking or find meal planning challenging. Her engaging content and strategic approach have grown her page from 400 to 110K followers in just one year!
Destany Story, Program Director
Destany Story is an accomplished educator and women’s advocate who serves as the Program Director of Women Empowering Nations. She has educated over 300 students, recruited to fill much needed positions in Memphis school systems, and led transformational nonprofit projects showcasing her passion for youth advocacy, women’s leadership, and education reform.
In her role at Women Empowering Nations, Destany works to provide exposure, development, and mentorship to accelerate the path to executive leadership for young women of color. Destany is a member of the 2022 Leaders of Color class, 2021 Memphis 20 Under 30 Recipient, and served as a keynote speaker for Governor Bill Lee's 2019 Charter School Growth Funding Dinner.
She enjoys trying new foods, listening to podcasts and spending time with her dog, Coco.