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David Sharp 

Managing Partner, Chief Program Designer

David is the founder and CEO of Urban Advisors and has been an active impact investment consultant for the past fifteen years.  Prior to Urban Advisors, David was the investment manager for Wells Fargo Bank's community development investment group, where he grew the investment portfolio from $40 million to $100 million over a 3-year period.  The portfolio consisted of private equity funds and direct investments, real estate funds and direct investments, fixed income investments and CDFI investments. David has served as a Leveraged Finance vice president, Mergers and Acquisitions analyst, and as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Navy. David is a Morehouse College alumnus and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance.


 

Tawruss Sellars

Chief Strategy and Operations Officer

Tawruss manages Urban Advisors’ strategy and infrastructure efforts for projects and engagements.  Prior to Urban Advisors, Tawruss was a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, and began his career underwriting senior debt with Wells Fargo Bank’s Loan Syndications group.  He also served as a Vice President with Urban Advisors before attending business school, and worked towards chartering a NC-based community bank.  Tawruss, an alumnus of Morehouse College, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. He also holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

 
 

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Jordan Whitfield

Strategy & Operations Analyst

Jordan combines financial analysis, process improvement and executive leadership skills to improve the business performance of Urban Advisors projects and engagements. Jordan has over 30 years of business experience and was an adjunct professor at Johnson C. Smith University for 15 years. An alumnus of Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, he also holds an Industrial & Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

 
 

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Senemeht Olatunji, MSW

Impact Officer

Senemeht develops approaches to manage and create impact across Urban Advisors’ projects and engagements.  A licensed Social Worker, Senemeht previously worked with homeless women and families and domestic violence and sexual assault survivors. She facilitated group and individual therapeutic and psycho-education interventions. A graduate of Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, she also holds a Master of Social Work from Howard University.


 

Sanyakhu-SHeps Amare

Business Advisor

Amare co-founded and operated the oldest African American online company in the country for 15yrs in the early 80’s, before the web. His experiences covers the formation of many companies, as well as providing consultation advisory services in CED to non-profits, business teams, and small entrepreneurial companies. He assists in taking ideas from concept to implementation through strategy team development and operations. Amare holds a Masters in Community Economic Development (CED).


 

Zakiya West

Project Manager

Zakyia West is the Project Manager at Urban Advisors, where she leads the execution of major initiatives and ensures seamless coordination across teams. Known for her organized leadership and results-focused approach, Zakyia oversees project timelines, stakeholder engagement, and team performance from concept to completion. Her work ensures that every project at Urban Advisors is delivered with excellence, efficiency, and impact. Zakiya holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology at University of North Carolina of Greensboro..


 

Radea Crawford Sharp

Marketing Manager & AI Specialist

Radea Sharp serves as the Marketing Manager and AI Specialist at Urban Advisors, where she combines strategic communication, data-driven insights, and emerging technology to elevate the firm’s impact investment work. With a sharp eye for storytelling and a strong foundation in automation and analytics, she helps position Urban Advisors at the forefront of innovation in capital deployment and community engagement. Radea holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Science from Superman College.


 

S Y Mason-Watson

Chief Administrator Officer

S.Y. serves as the UP Community Fund’s Chief Administrative Officer. She is responsible for managing legal documentation and identifying and addressing borrower legal and background issues that may negatively impact access to capital. S.Y. has over 16 years of civil and criminal law experience, practicing as a sole practitioner, an equity partner in Mason-Watson, Obiorah & Singletary, PC and an Assistant District Attorney in Mecklenburg County.