Get to Know Our Directors

Our team is made up of some really incredible people. Today we'd like to start of introducing you to our YWEA directors and our Founder!

Empowering the next generation of young women isn't a job for this group of women... It's a calling, a passion, a duty!

If we are going to make this world a better place, we had better start with the children!

Meet our Founder, Lisa Lickers-Ricks

Lisa Lickers-Ricks founded the Young Women’s Empowerment Academy in July of 2017. Lisa draws on her own experience to equip today's young women with the tools they need to become women of purpose. Her passionate and proactive commitment is reflected not only in what she has done in her own life but in the ongoing contributions she continues to make in her community. Lisa N. Lickers-Ricks began her career in human services after graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Buffalo State University and a master's degree from Liberty University. Lisa has several years of experience in serving marginalized populations as a manager for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 2019, Lisa decided to translate her skill sets into a role that allows her to work with families to create a lasting financial breakthrough in their households and on an individualized basis as Financial Services Professional with New York Life. In Aug 2021, Lisa was promoted and is now the Partner of a Fortune 100 company who is cultivating a team of professionals looking to make great impact in the community. She holds several certifications and licenses, including, but not limited to, "Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Human Trafficking Crisis Advocate." Lisa was a teen mother of two beautiful daughters before graduating from Hutchinson Technical HS with honors, fueling her passion to taking a proactive approach to mentoring young queens ages 7-18 across the country. Lisa is committed to educating, empowering, and equipping each of her clients with the knowledge to create greener grass for themselves. She has helped mentor teen mothers and has also worked diligently with the youth in her community to provide the tools and resources they need to be successful. Lisa has turned her pain into purpose, from a single teen mother to a successful business owner. As a certified life coach, she partners with amazing organizations instrumental in the success of the community. Lisa has developed a strong partnership with Project Mona's House in Buffalo NY that opened the FreeTHEM center which provides a safe space for young women to thrive and grow. Fifteen of their students became authors during the global pandemic and continue to make significant accomplishments. Lisa is committed to training up future educators and global leaders.

"People thought that since I was a teen parent I'd never amount to anything. Good thing that 'people' don't have the final say over our lives!" -Lisa Lickers Ricks

Meet Selina M. Morgan, Director Lynchburg, Virginia

Selina M. Morgan is a graduate of an HBCU, Virginia University of Lynchburg, where she majored in Sociology and minoring in Criminal Justice. She is a mother of 4 with 2 beautiful bonus children and two foster children giving she and her husband, Correy a joyful home filled with 8 beautiful future leaders.

Giving birth to her first child at age 15 was greatly frowned upon in her family, so much so, she was told that her life would be ruined. Selina was determined to provide the best life possible for herself and her child. After she completed high school in Atlanta, GA. she moved to Lynchburg, VA where she finished her degree.

There she realized her purpose. She was called to be what she needed as a child... A MENTOR, someone who would create space and opportunities for girls like her. She helped to open the Ramp Early Learning Center, an affordable child care center that focused on faith, fun, and academics. Selina later became a mentor for R.E.T.R.O., a program for young girls, and finally decided to open a chapter of the Young Women's Empowerment Program in Lynchburg, VA which is housed at The Ramp Church International.

Selina is the epitome of how persistence can pay off. She serves with love and empathy, and leads with courage. She was bold enough to realize that being a teen mom was going to make growing up a lot more challenging but not impossible. She has a story that will encourage people of all ages, and according to Mrs. Morgan she's "just getting started".

"Being who I needed as a teen to these young women is not an option for me. It's a mandate. I have responsibility to the next generation to show them that even with the card stacked against you, the entire deck is yours... pull from within to to"- Selina Morgan

Meet Kelly Diane Galloway, Director Buffalo, New York

Kelly Diane Galloway is the founder and president of Ramp Global Missions, a Christian Humanitarian organization that serves the needs of the broken, impoverished, exploited, and hurt around the globe.

Since an early age Kelly always had a passion for helping people. Her service to the community began when she was only six years old. Alongside her parents she helped prepare and serve meals to those experiencing homelessness in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. She worked in local clothing closets, community centers, and at the age of nine, she converted a room in her childhood home into a tutoring center for neighborhood children who were having difficulty in school.

Her heart has always been to help and fight for those who may be considered the underdog, disadvantaged, or forgotten.

Today, she oversees orphanages and safe houses for children in need of families in India, Nepal, and Guatemala, and those exploited as labor and sex slaves in the United States. When asked, her most heart breaking encounter was when she rescued four girls, the youngest of which was four years old from the garbage dumps of Guatemala. They were being sold to garbage truck drivers for the first/best pickings.

She has opened long term restoration homes for women who have been victims of human trafficking in the United States--- Mona's House.

Kelly is an award winning and highly sought after international speaker, humanitarian, author, philanthropist, and abolitionist; however her greatest achievement in life is to be known as a servant of God, and mankind. When she takes her last breath, her only goal is to have died empty, giving this world all she had to give.