Board of Directors
Dr. Tiah E. McKinney, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Director, The Equity Institute Inc. is committed to ensuring equity in health, education, and high-quality instruction for priority engagement youth to promote and sustain America’s competitiveness in the 21st century.
McKinney possesses a nearly 20-year track record of success in various facets of education and nonprofit enterprise: as an Educational Leader, Director of Education for the Detroit Science Center, a District-Level Curriculum Supervisor of Science, Acting Science Consultant for the Michigan Department of Education, and science consultant to several U.S. school districts.
She holds a B.A. in Marine Affairs (Marine Biology and Business Administration) from the University of Miami, Coral Gables; a Master of Arts in Teaching Science Education (with Distinction) from the University of Michigan; and a Ph.D. in Education Policy (specialization) and Nonprofit Management (secondary concentration) from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Scholarship and research interests include reducing health disparities and improving educational outcomes for priority engagement youth by mitigating the social determinants of health through use of effective public-private partnerships. Health equity is education equity. McKinney sees her research as praxis; in conducting it, she is deliberate about moving from theory to practice. Consequently, helping schools create healthy learning environments that support and improve student learning in STEM education is among her priorities. This means crafting and implementing effective policy as a conduit to systemically transforming schools as well as providing support and technical assistance to schools serving underrepresented groups in STEM education.
McKinney has received numerous honors and distinctions, including 2018 Business Woman of the Year, National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Inc.; 2015 Outstanding Community & Civic Service Award, Native Detroiter Magazine; 2014-2015 Southern Regional Education Board Dissertation Fellow; King/Chavez/Parks Future Faculty Fellow; Past President of Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association; and Albert Einstein “Distinguished Educator” Fellow, when she functioned as co-director of the Opportunity for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences Program, an $11 million program in the Office of the Assistant Director, Directorate of Geosciences at the National Science Foundation.
Jonathon B. McKinney-Banks, Co-Founder and Director, The Equity Institute, Inc. Born and raised in Detroit, Banks currently resides in Washington, D.C., where he established his business in 2018. He is principal owner of Royal Pups, a full-service pet company that offers an array of premium services for canines, including dog walking, dog boarding, conditioning, and behavioral correction.
As an entrepreneur, Banks is adept at developing and implementing a successful business plan – Brand Development, Grassroot Marketing, etc. He is experienced in building and fostering relationships with a diverse customer base, displays an ease in dealing with difficult situations, and has a dedication to client health and safety, all of which are keys to success and the reasons his business is thriving.
Before his entrepreneurial spirit and adventurous nature led him first to New York and then to put down roots in our nation’s capital, Banks was a recipient of the Wade H. McCree scholarship and tabbed by the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor for a four-year scholarship. He has completed 50+ credits of postsecondary education in science-based coursework. He possesses an insatiable appetite for reading, an inquisitive mind, and a high aptitude for acquiring new knowledge related to a myriad of interests spanning science, business, marketing, law, and real estate.
Banks has been an asset to the growth and success of The McKinney Foundation, both as a long-serving Board member and as a driving force on the Development Committee, since 2014. He demonstrates a strong commitment to the community, to educating our youth, and to designing strategic initiatives to combat diseases stemming from the Social Determinants of Health in order to improve the health and well-being of low-income, school-age youth.
Christian A. Fuller, Director, The Equity Institute Inc. is a legal professional who currently works for Clear Channel Outdoor, one of the world’s largest out-of-home advertising companies. She holds the position of Corporate Legal Assistant, providing support to multiple attorneys including the General Counsel and Associate General Counsel in the areas of corporate real estate transactions and litigation.
Fuller possesses a B.A. in Advertising and Criminal Justice, both obtained from Michigan State University, Lansing, Mich., where she served as an active member of the MSU Pre-Law Society and MSU Advertising Association. She is pursuing her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and has an interest in practicing Sports Law. Her anticipated date of graduation is May 2021.
She is community-minded and passionate about improving the lives of youth and families. In addition to her extensive service as a Trustee and Board Secretary for the McKinney Foundation, Fuller volunteers her time as a board member with Phoenix Women’s Sports Association (PWSA), which is a nonprofit organization that helps girls and women find their power through sports and fitness activities.
Fulleris the recipient of numerous honors and awards, among them the Ignatian Scholarship, Pipeline to Practice Foundation Scholarship, and Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) ASAP Scholar. Recently she was appointed to work on the fall 2020 issue of Annals of Health Law & Life Sciencesand tapped for the National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law Team for fall 2020.
Elihu Mason Harris, Director, The Equity Institute, Inc. is a private attorney who represents clients in the fields of education, recycling, manufacturing, housing development, and automobile repair. He is also a member of the Trustees at Patten University, the National Commission on Uniform State Laws, and the Executive Committee of the California State NAACP. He finished his master’s degree in Public Administration at the University California, Berkeley and earned his Doctorate of Law from the University California, Davis.
Harris has served as Executive Director of the National Bar Association, partner in a private law practice, California Assemblyman, Mayor of Oakland, California, member of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, member of the State of California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and Chancellor of Peralta Community College.
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