MEET THE TEAM

Pure Professionalism

VICTOR DURRAH, JR.

President & Executive Director

A native of Cowpens, Victor Durrah, Jr. is a non-profit leader and has been recognized on numerous occasions for his community work.

Victor earned an Associates Degree from Spartanburg Methodist College and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Non-Profit Administration and Management from the University of South Carolina Upstate. Victor has worked in the non-profit sector for more than 15 years focusing on youth development.

Victor started his career with the Palmetto Council Boy Scouts of America in September 2010 serving as the Director of Multi-Cultural Markets. During his 10-year tenure in the Youth Development profession, Victor has been recognized as a graduate of the Grassroots Leadership Program, Black History Maker of the Upstate (2012), BSA PDL1, PDL2, PDL3 certified employee, and received the Mary L. Thomas Award for Civic Leadership and Community Change.

Victor served as Community Services Chairman for the Gaffney Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. In his spare time Victor serves as the A.I.M (Athletes In Ministry) youth advisor for Born Anew Church located in Spartanburg. Victor co-founded Brothers Restoring Urban Hope, Inc. -- a non-profit organization that focuses on group mentoring for young men.Victor received the Talented Tenth Award from the Urban League for his work in the African American Communities.

Victor is currently attending Clemson University and plans to receive his Masters in Public Administration. Victor currently serves as Executive Director of Brothers Restoring Urban Hope, Inc.

Victor currently serves on the board for Habitat for Humanity. Victor has been recognized two years consecutively as a top young professional in the non- profit field by the Chamber of Commerce.

Victor has completed the 30-hr Fundamentals for Youth-Serving Providers Certification.

Victor is married to the beautiful Jeanice Durrah and they have a beautiful daughter, Victory Durrah.

JUSTIN KELLY

Director of Programs

Justin Kelly is a native of Cowpens, SC. A former student-athlete at Broome HS and Tusculum College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Justin has a back ground in education, hospitality, sales and non profit. He returned to Spartanburg, SC in 2018 and became actively involved in the community. After his return, Justin joined with fellow community leaders to found The Community Group and OneMentor. OneMentor was founded for the purpose of collaboration with the primary focus being youth and community.

Justin has always been a hard worker with great determination. He was a state champion for high school track and part of Tusculum‘s South Atlantic Conference championship team.

While in hospitality Justin was recognized as IHG Guest Services manager of the year for North and South America.

Justin has completed the 30-hr Fundamentals for Youth-Serving Providers Certification.

Justin is looking forward to joining boards to impact the community by engaging with community leaders and organizations. He is currently the Program Director of Brothers Restoring Urban Hope and is looking forward to seeing it's continued growth.

Shayne Kinloch

Director of Administrative Strategy

Shayne Kinloch, M.A., OCL, is a consultant, empathetic leader, trainer, writer, and facilitator with over a decade of nonprofit operations experience in program management, multiplatform communications, anti-racist, and REDIB guidance, board governance, strategic engineering, complex collaboration, and brand strategy. She has great proficiency in engaging with, and mapping strategic relationships to influence decision-makers, equity embedders, community partners, and aspirational leaders to support their organizational goals.

In-depth knowledge of community efforts and issues, especially within Black, IPOC, and rural communities has positioned her as a sought-after speaker, consultant, and instructor. She is well versed in social cohesion, collective action, and cultural responsibility methodology. Shayne has built a reputation as a knowledgeable and respected thought leader on nonprofit trends, rural nonprofit leadership, philanthropic intricacies, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness practices.

Shayne earned a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and a master’s degree in Organizational Change & Leadership from Columbia College, where she currently serves as a Professor of Arts & Humanities.

In her downtime she can be found near a body of water with her husband and four children, enjoying creation.

Daniel Cooper

Community Engagement Director

Born and raised in sunny Florida, Daniel Cooper is a public health
practitioner, researcher, and grant writer.

Daniel earned an Associates Degree from College of Central Florida, a
Bachelors of Arts in Health Services Administration from Florida Atlantic University, and a Master of Public Health with concentration in research from Nova Southeastern University. Daniel is both a Florida Bright Futures Scholar and TRIO Program scholar.

Daniel began his career at College of Central Florida where he assisted
over 28,000 primarily low income and first time college students from
2008-2010 with registration and retention strategies as a student advisor.

In 2011 Daniel transitioned to Boca Raton, Florida where he focused on
developing community programs while working at Broward County Health Department and Habitat for Humanity as a research analyst. During this time Daniel identified systematic methods to link social determinants of health to infrastructures of opportunity in marginalized communities.

In 2015 Daniel assisted the development of a Federally Qualified Health
Center (FQHC) in is home town of Ocala, Florida through a $750,000
Health Resources and Services Administration grant. In 2018, Daniel
relocated to Greenville, South Carolina to serve as Director of Strategic
Initiatives for the Department of Housing and Urban Development Upstate Continuum of Care program. In this role he oversaw the housing, grants, and homeless assistance of a 6,200 sq/mi area of Upstate, South Carolina.

In 2019, Daniel served as South Carolina state captain at the National
Alliance to End Homeless Conference in Washington D.C. where he
lobbied for U.S. Senate bill: S. 2613 and U.S. House bill: H.R. 1856.
Daniel currently provides research and grant writing services to non-
profits.

Adrianne D. Mallory

Connected Scholars Staff Member

A native of Duncan, SC, Adrianne Mallory is a dedicated youth advocate and mentor with a passion for entrepreneurship and making a difference.

She graduated from Winthrop University with a BSW and MSW in 2015 and 2017. During her studies, she dedicated herself to understanding how the school to prison pipeline affects students of color and how mentoring programs can serve as a tool to prevent youth imprisonment and encourage them along the path to success. In 2015, She created a program called “Keeping It 100” with a group of middle school boys that focused on personal identity, emotional health, professionalism, and educational advancement, leading to her receiving the BSW Field Excellence Award for going above and beyond her internship requirements. She then served as a school social worker at an alternative school where she continued her crisis management work and prepared students for life after high school.

Adrianne has served her community as a Youth Development Professional with the Boys & Girls Club of York County, and after school & summer camp counselor with various programs, and a youth minister for almost 15 years. She has also served as a mentor for the James F. Byrnes High School Football Team. She is currently the 1st-grade student support advisor for an online public school.

Alongside being a youth advocate, she is passionate about entrepreneurship and using it as a tool to make a difference. On January 1, 2021, she assisted former Clemson & NFL player Ben Hall in organizing the Inaugural Men of Vision Summit, an event dedicated to giving men the space to receive encouragement and inspiration to map out the vision for their lives.