Dr. Charles A. Harper III
Board Chair
Charles A, Harper III, D.Min. serves as the current Board Chairperson of the Paradise Community Development Center, Inc. Charles presently serves as the Lead Pastor of the Paradise Baptist Church in the Grove Park Community and has extensive experience in Real Estate and Community Development.
He is a licensed real estate broker in the states of Georgia and Florida and has served on various Non-Profit Boards in the Metropolitan Atlanta Area.
Dr. Arletta Brinson
Executive Director
Arletta Brinson, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Paradise Community Development Center, Inc. She is a respected educator and School Psychologist with over forty years of experience who holds degrees from Spelman College and Georgia State University. Dr. Brinson was the first African-American Director of Psychological Services in Fulton County Schools. In 2009 she retired as the Executive Director of the Office of Student Programs and Services in Atlanta Public Schools. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Brinson has many professional affiliations and has presented at varied local and national conferences on topics including mitigating bias in psychological assessments, crisis
management, program evaluation, and academic and behavioral interventions. She has served on varied non-profit boards. Dr. Brinson has received many commendations and most recently, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Career Girls, Incorporated. Dr. Brinson is a life member of the Association of Black Psychologists and the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and holds other memberships in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Pilot Clubs International, and Paradise Baptist Church.
Mr. Marcus McKinney
Vice Chairman
Marcus serves as the Chairperson of the Real Estate Committee of the Paradise Community Development Center. Marcus founded and is the Managing Partner of Perennial Real Estate Partners. He is experienced in full-life cycle real estate development, market research, financial analysis, budgeting and project management, advisory and brokerage services. Marcus is an alumnus of the Community Leadership Institute of Atlanta and Capstone Institute of Mortgage Finance. He earned his bachelor’s and Master of Public Administration from Central Michigan University, and Master of Real Estate Development from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, Atlanta Realtors Association, Urban Land Institute (ULI) and is a licensed real estate broker in Georgia.
Mr. S. Tarnace Watkins, Sr.
Treasurer
A well-respected member of the Paradise Community Development Center team, Tarnace Watkins is one of our founding members and has played a vital role in shaping our vision and programs. They bring years of experience in making Paradise Community Development Center a household name.
Mrs. Doris Freeman
Board Member
Doris Freeman is one of the founding boards members of the Paradise Community Development Center, Inc., has played a critical role in shaping our mission and projects. Mrs. Freeman retired from BellSouth. For over twenty years, she has served as the Financial Director of the Paradise Baptist Church. Prior to taking this role, she retired with 31 years of service with Bell South Communications as a Manager in the Order Completions Call Center. Mrs. Freeman serves on the Finance Committee of the Paradise Community Development Center, Inc., and fulfills other roles within this organization.
Ms. Tikina Funderburg
Board Member
Tikina Funderburg joined Paradise Community Development Center with the vision and drive to improve our Non-Profit Organization and make our name synonymous with social change and human betterment. Tikina Funderburg has focused on developing the organization with great integrity.
Dr. Charlyn Harper Browne
Board Member
Charlyn Harper Browne, PhD is a Senior Fellow with the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), with over 40 years of experience in research, theory development, teaching, training,
technical assistance (TA), and administrative management in academic and private sector settings. She has expertise in child and adolescent development; technical assistance in advancing racial and ethnic equity; survey design; project management; and the development of resources designed to strengthen the knowledge base of practitioners, administrators, and policy makers whose work can impact the well-being of children, youth, and families. Currently, she is responsible for contributing to various projects within three of CSSP’s initiatives: Young Children and Their Families, Systems Change, and Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. Prior to joining CSSP, Dr. Browne served as a college and university administrator and professor in departments of psychology and counseling. Her educational background includes extensive post-doctoral coursework in clinical child and family psychology after earning a doctoral degree in early childhood education. Her publications focus on promoting healthy development and well-being in children, youth, and families.
Dr. Roslyn Harper
Board Member
Roslyn Anita Harper, MSW, Ph.D., is a retired social worker, professor and community planner. She is the eldest of four siblings and mother of one adult daughter. Roslyn is a proud Atlantan who cherishes the history, development and the civil rights and social justice legacy of this City, particularly the Westside. She is a product of Atlanta’s segregated private and secondary schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, Master of Social Work (MSW) with
concentrations in Policy, Planning and Administration and Community Mental Health and a Ph.D. in Social Work Policy Planning and Administration. Additional graduate studies were done in Human Resources Development and Leadership.
Roslyn’s employment history includes 10 years as a direct service social work practitioner and supervisor, 20 years in Federal service as an Equal Opportunity Specialist, Regional Civil Rights Officer, and Community Planner, and 15 years as a professor, Director of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Program, Chair of the BSW and MSW programs and dissertation committee chair in the Ph.D. program. Roslyn is a member of Paradise Missionary Baptist Church, the National Council of Negro Women and a 53-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a Public Service Organization. Here favorite service quote coined by Shirley Chisholm, “Service is the rent we pay for room on this earth.”
Mrs. Jacquetta Watkins
Board Member
Jacquetta Watkins is the Executive Director of The Study Hall, an after school and summer enrichment program. A graduate of Clark Atlanta University, Mrs. Watkins is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. She is skilled in non-profit organizations, youth development, program development, volunteer management and public speaking. She holds a Master of Education from Strayer University. On the Paradise Community Development Center Board, Mrs. Watkins positively impacts key areas of impact, educational and youth engagement, through her experience and professional expertise.
Mrs. Samantha Watkins
Board Member
Samantha Watkins has been a resident, advocate and activist in the Grove Park community since 2015. She is a well-respected community voice serving as the Vice President of the Grove Park Neighborhood Association and is a member of the Grove Park Foundation Advisory Board. Mrs. Watkins is the Executive Director of Urban Perform, an organization focused on wellness in underserved communities. In 2017 she was a Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) fellow and in 2018 became a CCI Resident. Mrs. Watkins is a professional chef. Along with her husband she has supported her two teenage sons in the
public school system.