About Us
An independent alumni community rooted in Panther pride and dedicated to supporting Clark Atlanta University students through scholarships, mentorship, and service.
Our Mission
To promote the ideals, traditions and principles of Clark Atlanta University.
To seek continuing support for the university.
To encourage alumni to attain success in their specific fields of endeavor.
To encourage alumni to assist one another.
To be of service to all mankind in any manner within its power.
To develop and implement programs that enhance the image of the Chapter
and amplify the programs of Clark Atlanta University.
Our History
Founded in 2025, The Panthers of Greater DeKalb is growing into a vibrant community of alumni who are passionate about supporting the current and next generation of Panthers and staying connected to our shared heritage.
The Panthers of Greater DeKalb, formerly the Dekalb Alumni Chapter, is a 7-time award winner of the "Chapter of the Year" award for the following years: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, and 2017!
The Clark College Alumni Association-Dekalb Chapter was chartered in 1984 and the first presidents were Co-Presidents Joseph Strawbridge and Bobbie Sanford.
Other past presidents included: Jesse Baskervillle, Marcia Glenn Hunter, Brenda Tolliver, Michael Adams, Henry (Hank) Johnson, Anita Hanshaw, Veverly Byrd-Davis, JoAnn Grayson, Jayan Allen, and Carla Cooper.
The first Fall Conference held in Atlanta was hosted by the Dekalb Chapter in 1987 under the leadership of Jesse Baskerville. The first alumni formal affair, the Red and Black Ball, was held in conjunction with Homecoming and the Fall Conference at the Tom Murphy Ballroom at the World Congress Center. The Red and Black Ball continued until the mid-90’s.
The request for the charter of the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association- Dekalb Chapter was submitted on January 3,1991, and was signed by 44 members. The chapter was chartered on May 19, 1991 and the Chartering Ceremony was held at the Robert Woodruff Library on the CAU campus.
The original proposed Constitution and By-Laws of the chapter were drafted by the Constitution Committee consisting of Chair, Henry (Hank) Johnson, Robert O. Davis, and Marcia Hunter Glenn.
The first "Around the Town Christmas Party", where members would travel to a member’s house for appetizers, a second house for dinner, and a third house for desserts began in December 1991.
By 1993, the Dekalb Chapter had the largest chapter in the history of the CAUAA with 100 financial members (both national and local dues). This record has not been broken.
OTHER HISTORICAL FACTS
Six of the past presidents of the Dekalb Alumni Chapter have been National Officers of the Alumni Association: Brenda Tolliver as President, Jesse Baskerville served as Treasurer, Veverly Byrd-Davis and Jayan Allen served as Corresponding Secretary, JoAnn Grayson as Financial Secretary and Carla Cooper of Alumni Representative of the Board of Trustees.
Four of the past presidents have served on the CAU Board of Trustees: Joe Strawbridge and Brenda Tolliver are former members and Bobbie Sanford and Carla Cooper are presently on the board.
The 1st Annual Spirit of Greatness Gala, an offspring of the Red and Black Ball was held in 2008. Some of the members of the original Steering Committee were past presidents of the Dekalb Alumni Chapter: Bobbie Sanford, Jesse Baskerville, Marcia Glenn Hunter and Brenda Tolliver. This year we celebrated our 10th Anniversary.
The Life Membership Program was started in July 1, 2004 and continue today. The following Dekalb Members are Life Members of the National Association: Dr. Michael Adams, Dr. Hershelle Adams Barrio, Mrs. Christine Callier, Mrs. Jamesa Rainey-Euler, Ms. Joann Grayson, Ms. Gladys Voncille Hodges, Ms. Brenda Tolliver and Mrs. Margaret S. Wooten.
The 1st Annual Prayer Breakfast, a fundraiser for scholarships, was held in 2012.
Leadership
In the 1980’s, there was only one alumni chapter in Metro Atlanta area…the Atlanta Chapter. Since there were enough residents in Dekalb County who wanted to begin their own chapter, interested alums met at the home of Porter and Bobbie Sanford, along with Mrs. Juanita Eber, who was the Alumni Director.
Meet the Executive Board
Jamyee C. Pleasant
President
Jamyee C. Pleasant believes in making things better! No matter the organization, event or the individual, Jamyee is thinking about how she can make a positive impact. Jamyee has over 20 years experience in leading small to large multidisciplinary teams, simple to complex system implementations, process improvement initiatives. She is passionate about operating in excellence, integrity
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Jamyee has coined herself “The Windy City Peach”. She attended and graduated from Clark Atlanta University with Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University with a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology. Post graduate school, Jamyee has participated in several professional development programs including completion of Project Management Leadership certification from Georgia Institute of Technology. As a Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she was trained to lead during public health crises, outbreaks and disasters. For several years, Jamyee was an independent consultant and provided services to government, non-profit, faith based organizations and emerging entrepreneurs. Mrs. Pleasant is an avid learner and has multiple certifications to assist her in transforming organizations, communities and individuals to reach their full potential.
Jamyee has served on several executive boards which currently includes President of the CAU Dekalb Alumni Chapter Executive Board, Henry County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Her leadership extends to her community where she served as President Treasurer and Secretary of her homeowners association. Her past board experiences encompasses the Clark Atlanta University Board of Trustees as the SGA Undergraduate President, ECO Action, My Sister’s Keeper Foundation and Beyond the Four Walls. As a lifetime member of the former Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association, Jamyee remains committed to extending her “P.A.W.S.- Passionate Action & Willingness to Serve” CAU students and support CAU alumni who operate in integrity, reflect a more inclusive community and seek to achieve common goals for the greater good of CAU. As past Financial Secretary, Jamyee worked with the CAU Dekalb Alumni Chapter Treasure to establish procedures and policies to advance fiscal operations of the chapter. She was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc .in 1988 at Sigma Chapter of Clark Atlanta University. Jamyee is an active member in the Henry County Alumnae Chapter (HCAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc where she serves as Chair for the organization’s Leadership Excellence Advancement and Development Program and supports various committees and chapter initiatives.
Jamyee considers herself a foodie with a palate that ranges from gourmet popcorn to patee. Married for over 20 years and mother of an aspiring female chef who happens to like digital design, Jamyee enjoys time with her family and close friends, which include her two demanding Maltese.
-
Valerie R. Reese
Vice President
Valerie is a Georgia native and graduated from Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work, BSW 1991 and MSW 1996. She is an active member of the CAU DeKalb Alumni Chapter where her role has evolved from serving on the membership committee to now being a part of the Executive Board. She has held positions as Treasurer, interim Treasurer, Financial Secretary, and Sergeant at Arms.
Valerie is a proud Lifetime member of the Clark Atlanta University National Alumni Association (CAUAA) and supports initiatives at that level. And one of the First 100 members of alumni affiliate Women of CAU. She is a dedicated and energetic alumna prepared to offer time, enthusiasm, commitment to serve and assist with bringing support to the Clark Atlanta University (CAU) collegiate family.
Valerie works as a Public Health Advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control and has been with the agency for over 25 years, and the mother of one son.
-
OPEN
Recording Secretary
-
Crissa G. Marshburn
Corresponding Secretary
Crissa grew up in rural Georgia, 45 miles west of Augusta. She graduated from Clark College (CC) in 1983, with a B.S. in Health Information Management, and as a transient student during her senior year through CCs relationship with Emory University, earned a Certificate in Health Information Management. She later earned a M.S in Health Care Policy and Administration from the Stetson School of Business—Mercer University, and a Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) from Capella University.
This is Crissa’s second term as Corresponding Secretary of the CAU DeKalb Alumni Chapter and as a proud alumna, carries the legacy of excellence, resilience, and innovation that CAU instilled in her. Crissa is also a Lifetime Member of the former Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association.
Crissa is currently employed as Sr. Director, Global Privacy Office, at McKesson Corporation. Her health care career encompasses the areas of health information management, utilization and quality management, regulatory and compliance, data analytics, and data science. Crissa has two adult sons. Crissa is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and serves the community at large through the Chi Tau Omega Chapter in the Conyers/Covington area.
-
OPEN
Treasurer
-
OPEN
Financial Secretary
-
Johnny Brown
Chaplain
Johnny Brown is a 1980 Graduate of Clark College with a degree in Mass Communications. Brown came on a Baseball Scholarship as it was his life’s dream to play professional Baseball. After graduating with honors, Brown tried out for some professional teams but never got drafted. Brown played Semi Pro Baseball and took a job at Kroger temporarily! 44 years later Brown is still at Kroger working in the Corporate Office as Kroger Personal Finance Manager! Working at Kroger Brown was able to serve the Community as he opened both stores on Cascade Rd, and also serve at Philadelphia Baptist Church for 46 years. One of his many honors was being inducted into the CAU Hall of Fame in 2001! Brown lives by the motto: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”! Brown has been married for 39 years to Regina and they have 2 sons and 4 Grandchildren! He often tells others that he spent 4 of the best years of his life at Clark College!
-
Mark Fields
Sergeant-at-Arms
Mark Fields, Class of 2000 from the School of Business, is the Owner of Vision 2000 Hair Products (27 years) and Bee Unique Apparel (15 years). He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and is very involved with his church (Impact UMC East Point, GA) and serves on many teams there. He currently resides in Southwest Atlanta Ga and is married (Chandra), two children (Kashira and Bianca) and grandchild (Amari).
-
Tyrone Cox, Jr.
Immediate Past President
Tyrone Cox, Jr. is the Past President of the CAUAA DeKalb Chapter (2022-2024) . Tyrone has 20+ years of healthcare operations and value-based care experience. During his career, he has served in various local and national leadership positions. He is a founding member of Sage Health, where he serves as Vice President of Operation. Tyrone is a graduate of Clark College (’89) B.S. Medical Technology and holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Policy and Administration from the Stetson School of Business, Mercer University. He is graduate of Leadership Georgia and has served in numerous civic organizations i.e. Rotary Club of South Dekalb (President) and Board Member of South Fulton Senior Services. Tyrone is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and strives to continue to model his fraternity’s motto “Culture for Service and Service for Humanity.”
-
Kimberly Roberts
Historian
Kimberly Roberts, CMP, CSEP is an accomplished double certified Global Event Manager with a diverse background in global event operations and marketing. With a BA in English from Clark Atlanta University (1996), and an MBA in Marketing from Strayer University, Kimberly has successfully produced large-scale events from The Maldives Islands, Dubai, and Hungary to across the continental United States. Her event production has touched various industries, including finance, technology, and education. Kimberly is also an entrepreneur, running the Graduating College Students Job Search Academy, where she helps young professionals navigate the job market. Kimberly is passionate about community development, particularly in education, and is actively pursuing certifications as a Women's Owned and Minority Owned Small Business.