Who We Are
Craig Brumfield
Craig was born and raised in Columbia, MO and graduated from nearby William Woods College in Fulton. Craig and his wife of 33 years are strongly committed to their community by volunteering with numerous organizations with a special emphasis on literacy and hearing impaired causes.
Lots of time is spent with their two adult children and two beautiful granddaughters. Craig and his wife are huge fans of the University of Missouri Tigers and try to attend as many sporting events as they can, especially football and baseball.
With more than 20 plus years in the banking/lending industry, Craig enjoys helping people achieve their financial goals. For the past 11 years, he has been a loan officer for Veterans United Home Loans and has had the pleasure of providing help to our service men and women. He firmly believes the American dream involves owning a home and takes his role in that process very seriously.
Christopher Perry
Christopher Perry born in St. Louis, MO is a cyber security professional currently seeking to get his masters degree at WGU. He recently graduated from Columbia College with his bachelors' degree in cyber security. After spending 4 years working for IWG Regus he now works for the city of Columbia as a IT specialist. Christopher spends most of his time with his family teaching his young children values to help them become best versions of themselves they can be. He also coaches his son baseball team in the Diamond Council and helps out when he can with his other children sports as well.
Christopher loves to workout, read, play video games and give back to his community any chance he gets. Christopher lives by this slogan by ET The HipHop Preacher “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful.” Christopher believes in that quote so much because he knows that nothing is unattainable and if you willing to work for it then you can achieve it.
Christopher wants to see the next generation to have the tools and resources necessary to succeed. He loves to serve his community and do what is needed in order to ensure that the future is bright for the next generation of kids looking to make a difference for not just them but their family for generations.
Blake Willoughby
Blake Willoughby has been a Columbia Public Schools Board Member since 2019 and works as the Director of Education at Missouri REALTORS®. Prior to joining Missouri REALTORS® in 2023, he was an instructor for three years at the University of Missouri in the College of Education and Human Development teaching future K12 teachers on culturally competent pedagogy. He also was the Associate Director of the Center for Applied Theatre & Drama Research (Columbia, MO) from 2016-2020 and Assistant Artistic Director of Mosaic Theatre Company (Auburn, AL) from 2014-2016 where he helped to create new theatre and performative facilitated trainings that focused on issues pertaining to underrepresented community narratives, social justice, inclusion, and juvenile arts-based education in prisons.
Nikki Carter
Nikki is a visionary leader serving as the Director of Belonging and Community Impact for MU Health Care, a premier academic healthcare institution located in Columbia, Missouri. In her role, Nikki spearheads the organization's comprehensive approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), making a profound impact across its vast network of hospitals and clinics. Before joining MU Health Care, she held the esteemed position of Director at the Inclusive Impact Institute, where she pioneered the community's first-ever comprehensive organization dedicated to driving innovation, strategy, and solutions for issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.
With a proven track record of success, Nikki approaches her role with humility, recognizing that the journey towards fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the healthcare industry is an ongoing process. With a steadfast commitment to creating a sense of belonging and driving meaningful community impact, Nikki strives to contribute her expertise and leadership to inspire positive change.
Nikki's holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Columbia College, Columbia, MO, and has further honed her skills through a dual Master's degree, comprising a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Arts in Human Resources Development from Webster University, St. Louis, MO. Currently, Nikki is pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Missouri, where she aims to bridge the gap between her academic research and her efforts to effect transformative change within healthcare. Nikki believes that true change is a collaborative effort, and her role is one of facilitation, learning, and adaptation.
Alisha Squires
Dr. Squires grew up adjacent to traditional Western medicine. Since her mother was a nurse, most of her ailments were managed at home, and as long as there was no blood or broken bones, she did not go to the doctor. At the age of 17, Dr. Squires experienced her first episode of low back pain. She felt something in her spine “shift,” her legs gave out, and she fell to the floor. Her nurse mother instructed her to schedule an appointment with the family doctor for an evaluation, because “back pain in young kids is never normal.” Without knowing the difference in types of doctors and their specialties, she scheduled an appointment with an old-school DO (doctor of osteopathy), and after one spinal manipulation, her back pain was gone!
This experience would stick with her for years to come: That one time she saw a doc that used his hands to fix a problem. No meds, no expensive imaging, no weeks of therapy…just one adjustment. It was then she learned that when it comes to your health, you have options.
Dr. Squires began her academic journey pursuing a B.S. in Exercise Science from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. During her last semester as an undergrad, she completed an internship working in a pain management clinic under the direct supervision of a chiropractor. She witnessed first-hand the effects of chiropractic care and the tremendous impact it has on patients that would otherwise find themselves prescribed medication indefinitely. She loved working at this clinic so much that she stayed on after graduation and worked full-time as a chiropractic assistant for 2 years. When she out-grew working as an assistant, she decided to pursue her interests further at Logan University in Chesterfield, MO to obtain her Doctorate in Chiropractic. In March of 2020 Dr. Squires moved to the Columbia area where she was welcomed into Family First Chiropractic & Wellness Center with open arms.
Shortly before graduation, she married her now-husband, Zach, and they can frequently be seen enjoying the best restaurants of the area and live music, of which Dr. Squires is a devout follower of the St. Louis-based band, Ludo. When she’s not jamming out to her favorite musicals or singing karaoke, Dr. Squires enjoys binge-watching her favorite shows and dabbling on the piano.
Miles Gibson
As a seasoned strategic leader, Miles has a proven track record of spearheading impactful projects across diverse sectors. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Missouri and ongoing pursuit of his master's degree, Miles combines a strong academic foundation with practical expertise in administration, business, project and program management. Miles is the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Redefined Writing Services, a writing and business development agency focused on positioning people, entrepreneurs, and businesses for success.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Miles is deeply committed to community service, volunteering as an Administrative Specialist with the Source Summit Global, Administrative Coordinator with Urban Empowerment Ministries, and Board Member with P.E.A.C.E. – People Embracing Another Choice Effectively. Through Miles’s multifaceted roles, he has demonstrated exceptional organizational skills, leadership acumen, and a passion for making a positive impact.
Miles is known for his ability to foster collaboration, leverage technology for process optimization, and deliver business strategies to diverse entrepreneurs and small businesses. While utilizing a versatile skill set encompassing project management, communication, and business development, he is poised to drive innovation and success in any endeavor he undertakes.
Julian Jackman
When Julian Jackman, Executive Director of P.E.A.C.E. was in prison he turned his attention to creating a non-profit with a mission “to reach into our communities and help the process of healing from hurt that was caused by criminal behavior. To educate young people on how their choices can either destroy or bring us together in the future. To work side by side with criminal justice agencies to help break down barriers with at-risk individuals and communities.” He had spent 17 years of his incarceration preparing to lead a mentorship and training program for vulnerable young men, preparation that began shortly after he arrived, when he attended mandated “Impact of Crime on Victims Class”. The peer-led workshops were good, but Julian also saw ways they could be better.
In his second year, having seen his style as he rose to lead peer facilitator, the MDOC administrator office asked if he had input on how to improve the curriculum during an upcoming rewrite. He worked and reworked the material: adding specificity, cutting anything superfluous, deepening the conversation, and adding workbooks to give students more time and more privacy in what they were learning. Julian’s curriculum, his teaching, and his facilitator trainings, drew people in. Within a few years, word had gotten around beyond his institution and Restorative Justice offices across the state requested his help with training and materials. The curriculum he helped develop is still in use today.
As this was happening, Julian watched the yearly churn of new prisoners and increasingly asked himself how he could help slow that stream of young men that are justice impacted. He wanted to go back home and face what he had done and who he had been. And he knew that in Columbia, MO, his name still rang in places few other service providers were not able to go. He knew he had to go back home and give back to his community what he didn’t get as a youth.
Julian is also the owner of Agents of Change, LLC and Co-Owner of R.I.S.E. Initiative, LLC. He is also a Certified Trauma Informed Community Specialist in ACE’s & Domestic Violence Awareness, and an Ordained Minister. Julian also sits on The Worley Street Roundtable board.