Board of Directors
Dr. Kristee Haggins, Ph.D., Executive Director
Teah Hairston, PH.D., Board Member
Jacquelyn Ollison, Ed.D., Board President & Secretary
Guy Lamont Ollison, ED.D., Board Treasurer
Cheyennis Doom, Board Member
Jamal Watkins, LCSW, Board Member
Dr. Kristee Haggins Bio
Dr. Kristee Haggins, Ph.D., Executive Director
Dr. Kristee Haggins (she/her/sis) is a community healer, African-centered psychologist, consultant, and professor who takes a holistic approach to healing mind, body, spirit and community. Dr. Haggins received her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from the University of Southern California and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The Ohio State University. She has been dedicated to enhancing Black mental health and wellness for over 35 years.
Dr. Kristee, as she is commonly referred to in the community, is the Executive Director and Founder of Safe Black Space, a non-profit organization focused on helping Black people heal and thrive in the face of racism and anti-Blackness. She is an Associate Professor in the College of Psychology at California Northstate University and is the President of the Greater Sacramento Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists.
Dr. Kristee has had a multifaceted career as a clinician, educator, trainer, and administrator. She is a renowned speaker and consultant, providing presentations, workshops, and trainings locally and nationally to agencies, organizations, and universities on mental health; diversity, equity and inclusion; Black racial stress, trauma and healing; and trauma informed care with a racial lens; among other wellness topics.
With the variety of things she does, Dr. Kristee asserts, this is not just professional work. This is my calling. This is soul work. This is legacy work. This is my work.
Why I joined SBS:
I saw, sensed and felt a need for Black people to not only have a place to talk about the challenges we may face due to racism BUT to also have a space where we could celebrate who we are, honor our culture and experience Black joy.
My favorite self care activities:
I enjoy meditating early in the morning as the sun is rising - the quietness and silence of dawn is so peaceful and soothing. I love walking my lil dog "Coco Butter" to the Sacramento River. I appreciate preparing and eating a good meal. Anytime I can get to some water I feel renewed - ideally going to the ocean but a river or lake will do. I love planning intentional breaks from "life" and traveling. Listening to one of my music playlists - singing along and dancing always lifts my spirits and brings me joy. A good belly laugh is medicine!
Dr. Teah Bio
Teah Hairston, Ph.D., Board Member
Dr. Teah Johnson is the founder of Be Love Holistic, LLC, a philanthropic-focused business that offers holistic health and well-being programs and consulting to equip Black women with information, education, and resources intended to improve and optimize mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical
well-being.
Dr. Teah holds a PhD in Sociology, Master of Arts in Southern Studies, Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and African American Studies, and certificates from her continued education in Black Psychology and Black Feminist Healing Arts. Dr. Teah is a mother of three, community caregiver, certified holistic nutritionist, sound and sonic healing practitioner, and Black maternal health advocate. Dr. Teah is also a trained Emotional Emancipation Circle (EEC)SM facilitator through the Association of Black Psychologists and the Community Healing Network, helping Black people heal from trauma caused by anti-Black racism and reclaim their sense of identity and agency. She is also a Black women's grief and loss group program coordinator, specializing in healing from pregnancy loss, early infant death, and infertility using holistic practices (e.g. sister circles, somatic movement, exercise, energy healing, etc.).
As a self-trained athlete, fitness enthusiast and group fitness coach, Dr. Teah emphasizes in her work the mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of exercise/physical fitness, and its therapeutic value in self- and community-care. Dr. Teah leverages her personal experience combined with her diverse professional and educational background to empower Black women and Black communities using African-centered, culturally congruent, holistic approaches.
Why I joined SBS:
I joined Safe Black Space because I deeply value culturally grounded mental health support and the importance of creating spaces where Black people feel seen, heard, and understood. Being part of an organization committed to healing, community, and collective care aligns with both my personal values and my professional mission.
My favorite self care activities:
Strength training and movement, nature immersion, meditation and spiritual practice, sister circles and intentional gathering, sound healing and drumming, preparing nourishing meals, journaling and reflective writing
Dr. Jacquelyn Bio
Jacquelyn Ollison, Ed.D., Board President & Secretary
Jacquelyn Ollison, Ed.D. is an equity focused education expert whose work centers on improving teacher retention in high poverty schools by addressing educators’ compassion fatigue. She is a featured TEDx speaker on educator compassion fatigue and the author of Addressing Compassion Fatigue in Urban Schools: Strategies for Sowing Seeds of Resilience, published by Routledge. Her scholarship and public engagement are grounded in both research and lived experience.
Dr. Ollison understands the toll compassion fatigue takes on educators because she experienced it firsthand, ultimately leaving the classroom as a result. She currently serves as Director of the Center for Research on Expanding Educational Opportunity (CREEO) at UC Berkeley and instructs in the UC Merced Extension Teacher Preparation Program.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Dr. Ollison serves as a board member for Safe Black Space and the Torlakson Whole Child Institute and as an advisor to the Reaching At-Promise Students Association (RAPSA). She advocates for healing from racial trauma and promotes holistic, community centered solutions to educational challenges.
Her personal journey involved a transition from classroom teaching due to compassion fatigue. This journey informs her advocacy for viewing educators as first responders deserving of sustained support and reverence. Dr. Ollison’s insights on this topic have been shared on the TEDx stage with over 16,000 views and have resonated widely through her publications and keynote addresses.
She resides in Northern California with her husband, children, and dog, Séo. Her pronouns are she/her/hers.
Why I joined SBS:
Our community needed support, and Safe Black Space gave me a way to show up and serve. At the same time, it helped me, too. At Safe Black Space, I learned that “we are each other’s medicine,” and I carry that with me.
My favorite self care activities:
I like to do things that let me focus on something else for a bit and just breathe. Cooking helps me slow down and be present. Binge-watching a good show gives my brain a break. And tending to my personal care, like getting my nails done, helps me feel grounded and refreshed. Those small rituals really help me relax and reset.
Dr. Guy Bio
Dr. Guy Lamont Ollison, Ed.D., Board Treasurer
Guy Lamont Ollison, Ed.D. is a Founding Board Member of Safe Black Space and an educator with more than 25 years of experience in K–12 education. He currently serves as a Science Educator with BSCS Science Learning, where he leads professional learning initiatives that support inquiry-based, culturally responsive science instruction across the country.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ollison has been deeply committed to advancing equity, expanding educational opportunity, and strengthening systems that support historically marginalized youth and communities. As a founding member of Safe Black Space, he is dedicated to cultivating healing-centered spaces that affirm, empower, and sustain people of African ancestry.
Why I joined SBS:
I joined because I am committed to the vision of enhancing Black Wellness and having a space for people of African ancestry to address issues we face within our communities.
My favorite self care activities:
My favorite self-care activity is meditation. I sit in a quiet space and focus on my breathing to relax.
Cheyennis Doom Bio
Cheyennis Doom, Board Member
Cheyennis Doom is an Optimal I-O Psychologist and cultural strategist with nearly two decades of experience supporting individuals and organizations through leadership transitions, culture repair, and systems change. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from USC and integrates ancestral wisdom to support values-aligned leadership, ethical decision-making, and sustainable change. She is the creator of CultureROOTS, a regenerative organizational culture intelligence and diagnostic platform, and co-creator of Savvy WizDoom, a space focused on resilience, reinvention, and grounded self-leadership for systems impacted women navigating complexity and transition.
Why I joined SBS:
I joined Safe Black Space because I believe deeply in the necessity of spaces where Black people can be held with care, honesty, and humanity, without the unnecessary performance or justification. SBS represents the kind of community-centered healing and protection that allows us not just to survive racial stress and trauma, but to restore ourselves and one another in meaningful, sustainable ways. We are each other’s medicine!
My favorite self care activities:
Dancing and listening to music have been my go-to practices for reconnecting with my body, my joy, and my self-expression.
Jamal Watkins Bio
Jamal Watkins, LCSW, Board Member
Jamal Watkins, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker committed to the healing, empowerment, and liberation of Black individuals, families, and communities. He earned his B.A. in Social Work from San José State University and his Master of Social Work from Florida Gulf Coast University. Jamal currently serves as a mental health therapist in private practice and is licensed in both Florida and California.
His work focuses on supporting people navigating racial stress, trauma, and burnout, particularly those engaged in service, leadership, and caregiving roles. Jamal brings a clinical and systems-informed perspective grounded in a Maʿat-centered approach, recognizing that truth, justice, balance, order, harmony, reciprocity, and compassion are essential to transformation and sustainable community well-being. In addition to his clinical work, he is a certified California Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) Administrator and aspires to open a wellness center that provides culturally relevant, affirming care for elders in his community. He approaches service to his people with relentlessness, resilience, and a deep regard for collective well-being.
Why I joined SBS:
I joined Safe Black Space after a period of searching for community and alignment. While my path included spaces where my Blackness and enthusiasm were not fully valued, I remained committed to finding a place rooted in authenticity and care. Through connection and word of mouth within the Black community, I was introduced to Dr. Kristee Haggins, the Executive Director. Her genuineness, approachability, and clear dedication to the work signaled that I may have found my village.
That sense was affirmed when I met other members and participated in a community healing circle. In a country that consistently dismisses the harm and violence enacted against Black people, the cumulative impact can be deeply draining. Safe Black Space stands as a reminder that we, as Black people, are our own medicine. SBS is a place where healing is collective, intentional, and rooted in our shared humanity.
My favorite self care activities:
Listening to music, meditating, taking walks, sharing meaningful conversations with people I care about, enjoying stand-up comedy, and daydreaming about The Revolution.