North Fulton NAACP Leadership
Erika Barnes Ford, Ph.D, MPA
President
Erika Barnes Ford, PhD, MPA, is a Political Strategist based in Roswell, Georgia, and founder of The Candidate’s Coach, a full-service campaign firm under Southern Solutions, LLC, specializing in candidate development, recruitment, and messaging. With nearly 30 years of experience and over two dozen campaigns, her expertise spans strategic planning, legislative advocacy, and municipal and nonprofit leadership. Dr. Barnes Ford serves on several executive boards, including the Mack Henry Brown Remembrance Coalition (with the Equal Justice Initiative), Lean On Me Cancer Foundation, the North Fulton NAACP and hold memberships in the North Fulton Area Section of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW – NFAS), the National Organization of Women (GA NOW), Junior League of Gwinnett & North Fulton (JLGNF), and the Conference of Minority Public Administrators (COMPA). A Woodruff Scholar and graduate of Agnes Scott College (BA, History/Africana Studies), she earned an MPA from Troy University and a PhD in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University.
Theresia Sims Carrington
First Vice President
& Immediate Past President
Theresia Cecelia Sims Carrington is a woman committed to improving the community and making a difference in the lives of others. She has an MBA with concentration in Accounting from California State University. Ms. Carrington worked as an executive with United Airlines, IBM, GenRad, HP (formerly Digital Equipment), and is retired from Equifax where she was a Vice President and an International Consultant. Many organizations benefit from her commitment to community service. In addition to North Fulton NAACP, she currently serves as President for the State of Georgia National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW), co-chairs the Ways and Means Committee for the North Fulton Section, and is a member of the NCNW National Health Equity Committee. Ms. Carrington is a Golden and Life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® where she has served in many capacities, including Chapter President and Cluster Secretary.
Rev. Reneatta Austin
2nd Vice President
Reneatta Austin is a native of Columbus, Mississippi and has lived most of her adult life in Sandy Springs, Georgia. She is a champion for diversity, equity and inclusion and a womanist scholar. She has served in ministry for several years and is a proud member of The United Methodist Church. She holds an MBA from Western Governors University and a Masters in Divinity from Emory University, Candler School of Theology where she is currently a doctoral candidate. She is pursuing a doctorate in ministry in the concentration of womanist discourse. She is a certified life coach and counselor who has a passion for seeing people live fulfilled and satisfied lives. She is a corporate America veteran who has helped numerous organizations with strategies for success to increase their impact, resulting in growth in sales and effectiveness. She currently serves on the Board of Ethics with the City of Sandy Springs and was nominated by Mayor Rusty Paul. She is a former inaugural fellow of The Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration, founded by Senator Raphael Warnock. She is also the chaplain of the North Fulton Section of the National Council of Negro Women.
Sheila Stallings Jackson
Secretary