SAVANNAH, GEORGIA – JANUARY 24, 2023 – Family Promise of the Coastal Empire has announced this year’s Board of Trustees including new members who will help lead the organization in the upcoming year: Scott Cleaveland, Matthew Frazier, Aaron Higgins, Dr. Bonzo Reddick, Denise Cooper, Jennifer Brookins, and Matthew Moore.
Scott Cleaveland is the Executive Director of Urban FIX of the Urban Retreat Center of Savannah. Cleaveland served in ministry for over 20 years before becoming Executive Director at Urban FIX of the Urban Retreat Center in 2012. There he offers group housing, product supervision, logistical support and educational opportunities to churches and service-oriented organizations.
Cleaveland is also heavily involved in his community, serving on the Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy board, Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church’s Missions committee, Safe Shelter of Savannah’s Board of Directors, and The American Diabetes Association of SE Georgia.
Matthew Frazier is a Project Manager with Thomas & Hutton with 10 years experience. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2012 and worked with a small local environmental engineering firm before moving to Georgia to work for Thomas & Hutton in 2015. He has been actively engaged in the community, serving on the United Way Community Investments Panel. Matthew resides in Guyton with his wife, and their twin boys.
Aaron Higgins is the Data Manager & IT Strategist for Strategic Healthcare Partners, in Savannah, GA. He serves on the Wesley Monumental UMC Evangelism & Hospitality Committee as a junior member and on the Pooler Juneteenth Celebration Committee as the 6.19k Run/Walk Chairman. In 2019, he was elected to his first four-year term on the Pooler City Council.
Bonzo Reddick is a Family Physician at JC Lewis Primary Health Care Center, professor of Community Medicine at Mercer University School of Medicine, and District Health Director for the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Coastal Health District. In his 5 years working at JC Lewis–a federally designated Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH) site–he provided mobile medical care in the community for people experiencing homelessness. Bonzo received his B.S. degree from Morehouse College and his M.D. degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he completed his Residency in Family Medicine and master’s degree in Public Health (M.P.H.).
Denise M. Cooper is a Savannah native currently working as in-house counsel as an Assistant City Attorney, and a current member of the State Bar of Georgia, United States District Court of the Southern District of Georgia and the Georgia Court of Appeals. Prior to law school, Attorney Cooper worked with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles as a P.O.S.T. certified parole officer in Fulton County, Georgia.
With a strong passion for community service and outreach, Attorney Cooper is engaged with a plethora of community organizations/agencies including Children and the Courts Committee, Committee to Promote Inclusion in the Profession, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, Savannah Bar Association, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (C.A.S.A.). Attorney Cooper serves as a Trustee, Director of the Board of Christian Education and Formation, and Teen Church Advisor at St. Paul CME Church.
Jennifer Brookins has served as Administrative Assistant to Pastoral Staff and Media Communications at Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church since 2014.
Prior to that, she worked as Assistant Resale Manager at Reynolds Plantation Realty for over five years, and Office Manager at Marble Works for thirteen years. She has been a Chapter Advisory Board Chairman of the GC&SU Eta Mu chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority.
Matthew Moore is the Executive Director for Effingham Health System in Springfield, GA. Matt has worked with EHS in various capacities since 2012, and recently led his team to be named “Best in Cohort” of the Fall 2022 graduating class in the Chief Information Officer Executive Education program at Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Matt is a graduate of Leadership GHA (Georgia Hospital Association) and Leadership Effingham. Matt has lived in Savannah, GA his entire life and now resides here with his wife and son.
The seven new board members join Chairman Jason Crosby, Vice Chairman David London, Treasurer Sara Fullerton, and Kelvin Bryant to form the full Family Promise Board of Trustees.
“We are so fortunate to have these talented and highly accomplished individuals on Family Promise’s board,” Family Promise Executive Director Katrina Bostick said. “Their support is invaluable in supporting and equipping our team to achieve our mission of truly helping the many families experiencing housing insecurity.”
Family Promise of the Coastal Empire serves Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. The organization’s mission is to offer help, hope, and hospitality to homeless families with children in our communities. For more information about the organization, please visit www.familypromisece.org.