AAMRL Advisory Council

Elsa Blanco-Bridgen is a philanthropy professional and community advocate with more than 17 years of experience in development, community engagement, events planning, and grantmaking. As Grants Manager at Quantum Foundation, she helps shape grantmaking systems and strategies that advance the foundation’s mission. Elsa brings a spirit of thoughtful stewardship and collaboration to her work, while being deeply committed to fostering strong relationships with grantee partners and stakeholders.

Previously, Elsa advanced donor engagement and fundraising at Kids In Distress, where she served as Special Events Manager and later Director of Events & Engagement, and chaired the organization’s Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Committee. She has also held roles with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County and co-owned Simply Kismet Weddings & Events, blending leadership and creativity to deliver meaningful client and community experiences. Her career has spanned every facet of project design and implementation, giving her a strong understanding of how to turn vision into impact.

Her commitment to advancing equity and celebrating culture is reflected in her philanthropic involvement. She is a member of Philanthropy Southeast’s Janine Lee Learning & Leadership Collaborative (Class of 2025), ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, and the Norton Museum of Art, and serves on the advisory board of Art Prevails Project.

Elsa’s dedication to uplifting cultural narratives and building collaborative systems and spaces informs her professional work and reflects her belief in the power of community to drive lasting change.

Charlene Farrington manages and oversees the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, Inc., (Spady Museum) a non-profit organization established to preserve and share black history. The Spady Museum is located in the West Settlers’ Historic District of Delray Beach, Florida and its mission is to preserve and share the rich cultural experience of Black Communities.

Under her leadership since 2012, the museum has implemented a consistently high-quality exhibition schedule, strengthened relationships with stakeholders in the government and private sectors, increased revenue and redefined its cultural programs and events.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) is a non-profit organization established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1925. Dr. Woodson is considered the father of Black History Month. The Spady Museum is a charter member of the local branch of ASALH South Florida and through museum exhibitions and programming, the Spady Museum is leading the way in charting a course to realize this mission of both the Spady Museum and ASALH South Florida with Charlene as current vice-president of the local branch.

As a result of her passion for her work that she pours into the operation of the museum, in 2014 the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum was awarded the prestigious Muse Award: Chair’s Choice, presented by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and the Florida Preservation Award for the “preservation of Florida’s rich history” presented by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.

Charlene believes in continuing education and is constantly seeking opportunities to increase her capacity as an organization leader. Charlene earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Mercer University in Georgia in 1985. She continued her education in museum and non-profit management with the following courses:

• 2002 Measuring Program Outcomes from the Non-Profit Resource Institute
• 2005 Collections Management Training from the American Association of Museums
• 2010 Museum Management from the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network
• 2010 Care of Manuscript Collections from the Society of American Archivists
• 2011 Museum Education 101 from the American Association for State and Local History
• 2018 Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
• 2021 21st Century Innovative Leader Certification from Carolina Christian College

Memberships:

• Treasurer of the Delray Beach chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. 2022-Present
• Vice-President of South Florida Branch of Association for the Study of African American Life and History 2024-Present
• Member of the Palm Beach County Public Art Committee 2022-Present
• Member of the Florida Atlantic University History Department’s Advisory Board 2022-Present

Awards and Recognitions

• 2019 Women of Excellence Award for the Arts, Delta Foundation

• 2020 Judge James R. Knott Historical Contribution Award, Palm Beach County Historical Society

Charlene has two adult sons and is the daughter of Vera Farrington, former Palm Beach County educator and founder of the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum.

Kirra V. Kelly is a native of Palm Beach County whose roots in West Palm Beach have profoundly shaped her values and professional path. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and has built her career around designing and delivering curriculum that fosters critical thinking, strengthens communication, and inspires a lifelong love of learning. With a specialization in writing, she is passionate about guiding others in developing their voice and honoring the enduring power of storytelling.
Deeply connected to the history of her community, Kirra is committed to preserving and amplifying the narratives that define its cultural heritage. She served as an educator in the Palm Beach County School District, where she supported students’ academic and personal growth through innovative and purposeful instruction. Alongside her work in education, she is also an entrepreneur with experience in business planning, marketing, and customer service.

Brian Knowles

Cora Studstill-Perry is a long-time resident of Palm Beach County. She resided in Pleasant City for several years prior to relocating to the Westward Expansion with her parents and siblings. She now resides in Riviera Beach.

She attended public schools, Pleasant City Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary and the Historic Roosevelt High School, graduating in 1965. She furthered her studies at Palm Beach Junior College, graduating with an AA degree, now Palm Beach State College. Continuing her education at Florida Atlantic University, she earned a BA degree in Social Work.

Studstill-Perry was employed with the Department of Children and Families, retiring after 30 years of service. Since retirement she has continued to work in the community, becoming a foster parent, volunteering as a teacher’s helper at Dr. Mary Bethune Elementary School and recruiting families to adopt or foster children who are in foster care through the One Church One Child of Florida Program, where she also serves on the Board of Directors.

After graduating from Roosevelt High School, her graduating class, like others, has annual celebrations. She is also honored to be the president of Industrial and Roosevelt national Alumni Association.  

Finally, Studstill-Perry serves the community at Greater Antioch Missionary Baptist Church as a Missionary.

Debbye G. R. Raing is a well-known educational consultant, teacher, researcher, writer, trainer
and presenter who shares her insights and beliefs on the African Diaspora, African American
History, cultural diversity and areas of social justice.

Debbye earned a B.S. in English and Education with a minor in Journalism from Savannah State
University; a M.S. in Administration and Supervision from Nova University; and a M.Ed. in
Multicultural Education and Educational Foundations from Florida Atlantic University. She did
post graduate study in African American History at Florida A & M University. During her tenure
with the School District of Palm Beach County, Debbye was a Teacher, Assistant Principal, Staff
Development Program Planner, and the first Manager for the Office of African and African
Studies. She co-wrote the African and African American Studies Curriculum. She also served as
Adjunct Professor at Palm Beach Junior College and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Debbye researched and co-authored with Ineria Hudnell A Timeline for African American
Education in Palm Beach County for the 50th Commemoration for Brown vs Board of Education.

Debbye is quite active in community and public service including: President of the PBC African
Diaspora Historical and Cultural Society; The African American Museum and Research Library
Advisory Council in partnership with the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin
Counties; the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc.; Vice President of The Delta Heritage Foundation; Docent for African American
History Tours; Coalition for Black Student Achievement; Martin Luther King Coordinating
Committee; NAACP; Northwest Community Center Advisory Council – Salvation Army; Planning
Board – City of West Palm Beach; Bethune-Cookman University Alumni Association; American
Legion Auxiliary Unit 199; Charter Member of National Museum of African American History
and Culture; African American Research Library and Cultural Center of PBC; Industrial/Roosevelt
Alumni Association.

Her heart is deeply invested in the renovation of the Historic Roosevelt High School that will be
transformed into a world-class state-of-the art museum and library and rival other national
cultural and educational centers.

Favorite Quote: Until the lions have their historians, the tale of the hunt will continue to glorify the hunter. African Proverb 

A native of West Palm Beach, FL, Jermaine Scott attended Suncoast Community High School where he, along with other students and community leaders, got an African American History elective to be offered for the first time in the school’s history.

Later, he received a B.A. in History at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and a PhD in African American Studies from Northwestern University.

Dr. Scott also served as the Assistant Director for the Schomburg-Mellon Humanities Summer Institute from 2016-2020 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York.

He is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University where he teaches courses on African American History, African Diaspora History, and Sports History.

His forthcoming manuscript to be published by Columbia University Press is titled, Black Soccer: Football and Politics in the African Diaspora, and is a racial history of soccer across the African Diaspora that reveals how Black footballers have historically used the game as a site of Black politics.

His writings have been included in the Journal of Sports History, the Journal of African American History, the African American Intellectual History Society’s Black Perspectives, and ESPN’s Andscape.

Sterling Shipp