Taleana Williams-Hurst is President/CEO of WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do! Inc. She is also a wife and mother of twin boys who are affected by Autism and her inspiration.
She is graduate of Montclair State University, a retiree of Verizon Communications, a Public Adjuster for Metro Public Adjustment, a member of African American Chamber of Commerce, a substitute teacher for Kelly Services and W.
Taleana is the parent advocate for the organization. She is a recipient of the 62nd Year of Community Service in the Plainfield Area, where she received the “Service to Youth Award by the Frontiers International Club for the Plainfield Area for the 47th Annual Memorial Program honoring Martin Luther King Jr. in January of 2023.
She was also awarded the Shena Dance Community Service Award in May 2024 in honor of the New Jersey Association of Black Social Workers and Ms. Shena Dance and inspiration to many.
Jasnery Padilla
Jasnery Padilla is from Honduras and is the proud parent of two beautiful children, a girl and a boy. She works at Charles and Anna Booker Elementary School as a paraprofessional and is also certified by the State of New Jersey as a Substitute Teacher.
Jasnery has been a volunteer at WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do for quite some time. She first met Ms. T when her daughter, Jasmine Espinosa, was in the same class as Ms. T’s son Wallace at Jefferson School.
Jasnery loves working with the organization and enjoys serving others, especially children. She hopes to continue being a part of this great organization and prays that opportunities for growth will continue to open for WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do! Inc. and its members.
Michelle Haynes
Michelle Haynes is a visionary technology and education leader with over 25 years of experience dedicated to driving innovation and fostering growth. Throughout her career, Michelle has held key leadership roles, spearheading digital transformations, fostering innovation, and championing diversity and inclusion in the tech field.
As the President of Business Networking International (BNI) local chapter, she facilitated valuable connections among professionals worldwide. Michelle is also a sought-after speaker, sharing her insights at various tech events and conferences, inspiring the next generation of tech enthusiasts.
Most recently, she was a featured speaker at the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) Spring Symposium, addressing the intersection and inequities of minority business, technology, and financing to Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Defense (DOD) attendees. Her commitment extends beyond the corporate world to community engagement.
Michelle played a pivotal role in the creation of NJIT’s Civic Engagement Computer Center and currently develops technical programming for the NAACP MEAB Branch. She currently serves as Community Outreach Coordinator of NAACP Metuchen-Edison-Piscataway Branch and is an executive board member of Wally and Zavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do Inc.
Michelle Haynes’ multifaceted leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to excellence make her a driving force in the education and tech industries and the community.
Yolandis Alston
Yolandis Alston is the mom of two and a Supervisor for Maschio’s Foods. Yolandis is the Secetary for WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do!. She believes that all special needs kids and parents know how to self advocate.
She also loves working with the kids at her job and at Wallyn Zavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do! She helps them by trying to help them understand what is going on in the world that surrounds them. She supports all kids of all abilities.
Cheryl McKinnon
Jasnery Padilla has known Taleana Hurst for many years and is a strong believer in the organization’s mission. She actively contributes by assisting with donations and various other tasks as needed.
Her background includes personal experience as a parent of children with special needs. Professionally, she has worked with children through the Division of Youth and Family Services and an adoption agency. Currently,
Jasnery serves as an Admission Counselor, where she supports youth aged 16-24 in enrolling in the Job Corps program. This program helps them achieve their high school diploma or GED while also providing training in a trade, leading to certification and opportunities for well-paying jobs.
Rochelle V. Gray
Rochelle serves as the Dean of Students at Berryhill School in Charlotte, NC, and is the CEO of the Power Elite Male Program (P.E.M.A). As a board member of WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do!, she is dedicated to raising awareness about the remarkable qualities of children with autism and to supporting the organization’s mission to connect the community with this important cause.
Additionally, Rochelle is committed to empowering Black and Brown males to become strategic leaders and entrepreneurs within their families, schools, and communities through P.E.M.A.
Her notable achievements include being elected to the Highland Park Board of Education in 1997, where she served three terms, and founding the Power Elite Male Academy. This program focuses on helping Black and Brown males in grades 4 through 12 achieve success.
Rochelle is also a mother of two daughters, Antonaia and Caitlin, and a new grandmother. She currently resides in Charlotte, NC.
Eileen M. Marcial
Eileen M. Marcial is the founder and CEO of Wills and More, LLC. With over 20 years of experience as a Legal Shield/PPLSI Specialist, she leverages Legal Shield to offer clients affordable and high-quality estate planning documents.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she has assisted over 450 families with wills, living wills, and powers of attorney. Her motto, “Leave legacies, not mysteries; put it in writing and stop the fighting,” reflects her commitment to clarity and protection.
Additionally, her “and More” services safeguard clients’ rights, identities, reputations, and privacy through a state-of-the-art app. Eileen is passionate about providing affordable legal services to small business owners and is dedicated to raising awareness about autism and supporting families with special needs children.
She was appointed Vice President of the Board of Directors for WallynZavy’s Autistic Kids Can Do in January 2021 and has served as President of the Board of Directors for Salute 2 Service in New Town, PA since January 2023.
Eileen has been married to her college sweetheart for nearly 37 years, is the proud mother of two daughters, and a grandmother to Angela. A long-time member of First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey, she lives by the motto, “NBGG—Nothing But God’s Grace.”
Robbie Ligon
Robbie Ligon is a remarkable individual, embodying love, determination, and curiosity. She has dedicated herself to her community, making everyone she encounters feel valued and accepted.
As a former Community Outreach Coordinator and Special Education teacher, she was a shining example of the “No Child Left Behind” philosophy. Robbie’s commitment to serving as PTA President and her recognition as “Parent of the Year” highlight her unwavering dedication to children’s education and well-being.
Her involvement with her grandson diagnosed with autism and the Wally n Zavy’s Kids Can Do Autism foundation demonstrates her relentless pursuit of knowledge and her desire to bring people together to celebrate our unique qualities.
Steven Rhim
Being a modern time music industry Pioneer, has allowed Steven to share marketing remedies that have helped launch many successful projects.
Having been an agent of promotions, Artist management, programming, publishing, and many more experiences, has prepared Steven to be very versatile in the music industry. Many music industry peers recognized him as a go to Guy for creative solutions to troubleshooting industry problems.
Like most music industry Pioneers, Steven was associated with projects and products that have helped change the music industry game to this day.
In a newspaper article entitled “The Man That’s Makin It Happen” Steven was credited by the acclaimed number one southeastern newspaper “The Atlanta Constitution” as a key individual for cultivating the Atlanta Music Market.
Also in 1974 before that timeline Steven launched the first “Black Record Pool” in the country, which represented Black Club and Mobile DJ’s located in five different SouthEastern States.
Several years later Steven launched the first double cover regional music magazine, which featured artists on the cover such as, TLC, Outkast, Dru Hill, Da Brat, Goodie Mob, just to name a few.
Steven was a proud supporter of the “Jack The Rapper” music industry conferences day one, and he was featured in the “Mellow Yellow” as the Atlanta local industry contact to help support the many needs of major and independent record label representatives that were scheduled to attend the conference with their staff and Artist.
In the past several years Steven has been in residence in the New York area, as he continues to create more accolades for himself.
Steven was president of a New Jersey based production company that created a song for the induction of Sojourner Truth’s bust in the U. S. Capitol’s rotunda.
Steven was part of the spearhead team that organized the Iconic performances by “Dorinda Clark” and “Yolanda Adams”, for the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Michele Obama, and the “Black Congresswoman.
After that project Steven helped launch several internet radio stations, one being BKS1 Radio which at one point had 2 million viewers and listeners a month.
Steven is currently spearheading the Induction of the Iconic Dr. Bobby Jones “The GodFather of Gospel music” into the Smithsonian “National Museum of African American History and Culture”, and Steven was very instrumental in his induction into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame as a 2022 Inductee, in where Steven himself was a 2022 Inductee for his pioneering the1st black record in the country.
Just this past year Steven was chosen to be the President of the newly formed “National Black Radio Hall Of Fame” East Coast Chapter which includes, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and the City of Philadelphia.
Veronica Spruill
It was discovered at an early age that fine artist, Veronica Spruill, possessed a natural ability for creativity. Today, life experiences, cultural elements and the surrounding world, influence the content of her artwork. Through her work, Veronica’s hope is to encourage reflection, promote positivity and evoke emotions of pride.
Ms. Spruill’s art has been on display at various events in the Metropolitan area, with acrylic paint, graphite and charcoal being among her favorite mediums to work with.
She is a recurrent state and national judge for the Visual Arts category of the NAACP’s ACT-SO competition, (The Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics.) and has had the honor judging The Grammy Museum Experience, Prudential Center, Newark’s Visual Arts Competition.
Veronica was commissioned to create a portrait for A Night with Crossroads , an annual fundraising gala whose inaugural gala honored Denzel Washington, American actor, director, and producer, as the recipient of the Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee Living Legend Award.
The portrait now belongs to the estate of Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee. She again was commissioned for A Night with Crossroads honoring the renowned, late actress, Cicely Tyson.
She was also commissioned to create a portrait of jazz pianist, composer, educator and Guggenheim fellow, Geri Allen, for the 20th Anniversary of JAZZ AT BETHANY; “A Tribute to Geri Allen.” Her painting entitled, “Paul Robeson – Renaissance Man,” reflects Paul Robeson’s personal achievements and efforts during the civil rights movement.
The artwork is on permanent display in the Paul Robeson Resource Room in the Raritan Valley Community College’s Evelyn S. Field Library. Ms. Spruill hosts community art programs for both neurotypical learners and learners with autism where she teaches how to use art as an outlet of creative expression and a form of therapeutic healing.
How true are the words of Émile Zola, “If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud!