Community Engagement &
Philanthropic Leadership
Dionnia Brown’s community engagement work operates at the intersection of higher education, philanthropy, and nonprofit leadership. She partners with foundations, scholarship organizations, and cross-sector coalitions to strengthen educational access, institutional alignment, and sustainable funding pathways for students navigating college affordability.
Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem
National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)
National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW)
Cross-Sector Scholarship Partnerships
Governance & Board Leadership
Dionnia partners with nonprofit organizations advancing college access, financial aid literacy, and student persistence initiatives. Her work supports strategic program design, scholarship navigation systems, and alignment between community-based initiatives and institutional processes.
She is committed to ensuring that students from economically diverse and historically underrepresented backgrounds have access to clear guidance, sustainable funding pathways, and coordinated support infrastructures that extend beyond individual transactions.
Provides strategic leadership advancing economic security, education, and opportunity for women and girls.
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Executive Board of Directors
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Research, Education & Advocacy Committee Co-Chair
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Grants Committee Member
Elevates and amplifies a broad coalition of voices committed to educational access for students from under-resourced communities, kindergarten through college.
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Partner & current member of 13 years
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National Conference Presenter where I facilitated workshop sessions advancing national dialogue on college access strategy and financial aid navigation for first generation students.
Advocates on behalf of black women and girls to promote leadership development and gender equity in the areas of health, education, and economic empowerment.
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Partner and previous member of 5 years
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Education Committee Co-Chair where I led education-focused initiatives advancing college access, scholarship awareness, and policy advocacy.
Building and stewarding strategic partnerships with national scholarship and nonprofit organizations to align institutional funding strategies with community-based access initiatives. These collaborations strengthen cross-sector relationships, and expand sustainable scholarship support for students.
National Scholarship & Advocacy Partners
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Thurgood Marshall College Fund
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United Negro College Fund
Regional & Community Based Partners
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Road to Hire
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Belk Scholarship Foundation
Corporate-Aligned Initiatives
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Future of Stem Scholars Initiative (FOSSI)
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Corning Scholarship Program
Community Impact in Action
Educational Access & Outreach
Public Dialogue & Changemaking Platforms
Throughout her career, Dionnia has built and led sustained college access efforts across high schools and community settings, ensuring families receive clear guidance on FAFSA completion, financial aid processes, admissions strategy, and scholarship navigation.
Her volunteer leadership has includes building sustained partnerships with local schools to ensure students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds have access to clear, practical pathways toward postsecondary opportunity.
She has also facilitated professional development workshops for high school faculty and staff, equipping educators and counselors with the tools to better support students in navigating admissions processes, financial aid systems, and scholarship opportunities.
Through these efforts, she strengthens the bridge between secondary education, families, and higher education institutions—ensuring access is not accidental, but intentionally structured and supported.
Dionnia has been invited to present and facilitate workshops and panels that elevate public discourse on expanding access and community systems that support educational and economic equity.
She contributed to community research and advocacy efforts through her leadership on the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem’s Research, Education & Advocacy Committee, including advancing the Through a Gender Lens report. This is a community research initiative that examines local data on the economic security and opportunity structures affecting women and girls. This work has informed dialogues on systemic barriers, structural inequities, and policy-oriented community solutions.
Her work centers on translating research-informed insights into practical pathways that expand opportunity while preserving structural coherence across institutions and community systems.
Featured Speaking Engagements
Power With Purpose Discussion Panel - REACH Women’s Conference (2026)
As a panelist for Power With Purpose: Reshaping Systems, Access, and Safety, Dionnia joins leaders across sectors to explore how women are reshaping leadership through expanded access to capital, shared governance, and psychologically safe organizational cultures.
Her contribution draws from her work in higher education, where financial aid systems, scholarship infrastructure, and equity-centered policy implementation directly shape access and mobility. The conversation reflects themes also explored in her publication, which examines how institutions can expand opportunity while maintaining long-term integrity and sustainability.
Beyond Community Engagement
Her public and nonprofit engagement extends her institutional leadership into community systems that shape opportunity and access.