We’re working, playing, and building our way toward a healthier, more equitable future for Black women.
Founded in 2018, Women of Color Collaborative began as an intentional, restorative space for women of color to mitigate the impact of generational and societal trauma. Our nonprofit, community-based work centers the lived experiences of Black women through leadership development, youth employment, and community-based storytelling, creating identity-affirming, intergenerational spaces rooted in communal liberation.
With deep expertise in facilitation, adult learning, and organizational strategy, we’ve guided both grassroots initiatives and large institutions through strategic planning, communications analysis, board and volunteer development, and evaluation processes. We design inclusive, results-driven engagements that align teams around shared values, elevate stakeholder voice, and translate collective insight into actionable roadmaps. Our approach is grounded, generative, and rooted in authenticity, collaboration, and a deep belief in the power of lived experience.
Our Guiding Principles
Rejection of white supremacist & misogynistic theory, practice and embodiment
Restoration of autonomy over our physical, spiritual and emotional health
Unapologetic embrace of indigenous and edifying practices, understanding, thoughts, and processes
Reclamation of our time, talent and treasure
erika r. burnett
erika is the heavy-hitter you want on your team when it's time to bring it all home. She enjoys serving as a master trainer, consultant, and facilitator across a variety of topics including volunteer management and engagement, youth development, team building, leadership exploration, and generational differences. She is a proud AmeriCorps and Nashville Emerging Leader alum who has been committed to Nashville’s nonprofit community for over 15 years. She's all about increasing civic engagement of marginalized people, restorative justice, and radical self-care.
In addition to serving as Vice President of Community Development at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Chair of the Metro Action Commission, Erika leverages her expertise in board engagement, sector-wide collaboration, and strengths-based team alignment to guide large organizations and cross-sector cohorts through both episodic and scaffolded learning experiences focused on leadership, equity, and systems change. Her facilitation portfolio includes exploring systemic oppression and power dynamics (The Teachers Project), the impact of race and policy on community outcomes in housing, education, and health (Urban Housing Solutions), and navigating implicit bias and microaggressions in professional relationships (Delta Dental). Erika has also served as an equity consultant for United Way of Greater Nashville (2020–2022), Urban Housing Solutions (2022–present), and Park Center (2021), and has designed and facilitated three national leadership fellowships for over 60 educators across eight regions, aligning local innovation with national strategy and leadership pipelines.
nicole m. kemp
nicole is a writer, designer, and strategist who builds tools, experiences, and systems that help people move with clarity and intention. With a background in nonprofit advancement, donor engagement, strategic communications, and program design, she blends creativity with structure to help mission-driven teams work smarter and with greater impact. She has a way with words, a strong appetite for knowledge, and a deep desire to take things apart to make them better. She's all about exploring possibilities outside of established boundaries, and making sure Black people are informed, creative, and intentional about the future.
Rooted in the belief that informed, creative people can shape a more just future, Nicole approaches every project with curiosity and care. She has led projects in curriculum design, grant writing, digital strategy, and inclusive narrative building for organizations including public media, philanthropic initiatives, and issue-based coalitions. Her work often combines stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and data analysis with program and graphic design, producing everything from field research and strategic communications to DEI plans for the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga (2021), All Children Excel Nashville (2024), and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (2024).
Erika + Nicole consult to bring WOCC’s theory of change to life through collaboration with community partners and mission-aligned organizations.
we pursue projects or partnerships that:
are collaborative — serving as a platform for our individual collaborators to flex their professional expertise
are aligned with our guiding principles — redirecting funds and shifting organizational cultures to support women of color everywhere we are
capitalize on our magic — allowing us to curate spaces and opportunities to work, play, and build
and feel good to us.