Meet NBA’s 2026 SENT Cohort Members!

Leadership development, healing spaces, and empowerment for Black men, women and girls of African American, Indigenous, and diasporic descent; access to sensory-centered STEM opportunities and products designed for hard of hearing youth; financial literacy to combat online predatory debt—these are just a few of the impactful services provided by the members of NBA’s 2026 SENT Cohort.

“Entrepreneurship is not meant to be done in isolation,” said Rev. Darnell Fennell, NBA’s Director of Social Entrepreneurship. “We need accompaniment—people who listen deeply, encourage faithfully, and challenge us lovingly. I’m excited about how this cohort community will enrich the lives of leaders and strengthen the work they are called to do.”

The SENT Cohort is a 12-month journey where new faith-rooted social entrepreneurs are brought together to be a part of a community of support and growth as they work through an active process of formation and conversation led by NBA’s Social Entrepreneurship program. The 2026 cohort, the sixth iteration of the SENT Cohort initiative, consists of fifteen members whose social enterprises offer a variety of services across the country:

• Rev. Dr. Lynel Beaty, She Kept Living, Indianapolis, IN
• Tait Brooks, Brother Breathe, Decatur, GA
• Nesha Brown, PurposeMint, Tulsa, OK
• Dr. Janell Harvey, Quantum Visionary Foundation, Merrillville, IN
• Braden Hirsch, Moving Ministries, Eugene, OR
• Ime Holland, Bethesda’s Pool, Dresher, PA
• Rev. Dr. Anastasia Holman, Looks Like Hope, Indianapolis, IN
• Demetrius Irick, InnerCoded, Atlanta, GA
• Deborah Jackson, Heart to Soul Becoming Whole, New Orleans, LA
• Jia Johnson, Freedom to Flourish, Chicago, IL
• Joi McCreary, A Heart’s Key Communal Care Alliance, Indianapolis, IN
• Wes Parks, QueerQuest, Ft. Worth, TX
• Rev. Zane Ridings, Moving Ministries, Eugene, OR
• Lakendra Laverne Smith, M.Ed., The HomeGirl Huddle, Maryland
• Dr. Carolyn Treadwell-Butler, Haven of Hope, Germantown, TN

During their time in the program cohort members will participate in four multi-day huddles, two in-person and two-virtual. These huddles allow members to connect and learn from each other. In addition, they will receive specialized coaching to help and strengthen their organization and have access to ongoing learning and networking opportunities through NBA, including the annual SENT Seminar.

Learn more about our newest SENT Cohort members and their projects, and watch their pitch videos, at our 2026 SENT Cohort page.