THE TEAM

Anthony Ray, Founder/Chairman

Anthony Ray is a former United States Naval Intelligence Officer with over four decades of experience in Mass Communications, Public Affairs, Marketing, Ministry and Entrepreneurship with an emphasis on civic engagement, relationship development and coalition building, which has resulted in access to an extensive network of key government, higher education administrators, non-profit and corporate leaders.

In his role as the Founder of The HBCU Nation, and Creator, Producer and Host of the nationally syndicated HBCU Nation Radio Show, Anthony continues to be a staunch advocate for our nation's HBCUs, cultivating relationships with Presidents/Chancellors, policy makers, students, alumni and major stakeholders, in an effort to preserve and strengthen these incredible incubators of innovation and excellence.

In his new role as Founder and Chairman of Be Prepared America, Anthony is committed to partnering with municipalities, businesses and organizations seeking to advance and improve the effectiveness of America's workforce development programs, by providing insights and strategies developed from his decades of personal and professional experiences, spanning the military, business, nonprofits and government, that enhance community centric workforce readiness, with the goal of helping communities reach full employment for its residents.

Most notably, he is a seasoned high-energy, transformational servant-leader that specializes in transforming broken and under-performing teams, departments and organizations.

Anthony is the Founding Pastor of Millennium Church and has pastored churches in Ohio and Tennessee and is highly sought out for counsel as a Church Growth Strategist.

Sonya Worrell, MBA, MCyberSec

Sonya Worrell is a passionate, transformational servant-leader with over two decades of demonstrated leadership in mass communications, marketing, public relations, and entrepreneurship, emphasizing civic building, engagement, relationship development and coalition building, that has resulted in access to an extensive network of key political, government, higher-education administration, non-profit and corporate leaders.

In her role as Co-Founder and President of The HBCU Nation’s Marketing Division, Soror Worrell developed and leads the organization’s advocacy efforts and capacity-building initiatives that strengthen and help to persevere Historically Black Colleges and Universities nationwide. The former IBMer, armed with a B.S. in Computer Science and a Master’s in Cyber Security from Norfolk State University, she created, developed, and launched The HBCU Nation’s Digital and New Media Platforms - HBCUiRadio and HBCU Smart TV, serving as Chief Content Officer and Programs Director.

In her new role as Founding Partner of Be Prepared America, she created, developed and launched the organization’s Registered Apprenticeship Programs, that provide pathways for career opportunities in Information Technology for women and minorities typically under- represented in the industry, earning U.S. Department of Labor Approved certifications in Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Healthcare Information Technology. Sonya is also an Instructor of Practice at Johnson C Smilth University and teaches Computer Networking and Computers in Society.

Sonya Worrell also holds an M.B.A. in Human Resources from Strayer University.

Dr. Trina L. Coleman

Dr. Trina L. Coleman is a STEM thought leader, entrepreneur, information technology expert, HBCU advocate, mentor and public speaker. Her passion for education drives her to focus on finding ways to bolster STEM proficiency in K-12 and post-secondary students.

Dr. Coleman is the founder of Coleman Comprehensive Solutions, LLC, the creator of the STEM Skills online course platform (get.stemskills.online), the persona behind the Academic Blue Blood brand, the host of Beyond the Classroom with Dr. Trina Coleman on HBCUSmartTV and HBCUiRadio, and the author of the upcoming Mathguistics series of books. Presently, Dr. Coleman is back in the classroom as an adjunct professor to provide academic support in physics and other STEM courses at Virginia Union University. She believes in devoting time and resources toward improving skills in math and the sciences while providing mentorship opportunities. This formula will ultimately equip students to become the new technological and scientific workforce. It is also her goal to help find solutions for closing the STEM race/gender gap.

As a scholar and former academic administrator, Dr. Coleman crafted a diverse professional portfolio. From post-doctoral researcher and faculty member, to executive director, assistant provost and CIO, her experience ranges across a broad spectrum. Her professional journey includes: educating high school and postsecondary students in physics and astronomy, conducting unclassified research sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency, and spearheading enterprise initiatives as a member of the Howard and Hampton University administrations.

Successfully completed projects include: working singlehandedly with the District of Columbia to provide fiber connectivity from Howard’s remote sites back to the main campus, project lead for integrated databases to streamline ID card provisioning and services (Howard); Microsoft365 rollout, expansion of the wireless network in the dorms and key public spaces, including an outdoor wireless canopy, streaming media platform implementation (Hampton).

Dr. Coleman is currently faculty at Virginia Union University in the Department Natural Sciences.

Dr. Coleman is formally educated as a Ph.D. physicist, with a doctoral degree in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from Hampton University.