Rebecca Bankhead
President
Rebecca Bankhead is the President of Roots for Life’s Board of Directors. She is an innovative leader with more than thirty years of experience delivering effective, progressive outcomes for young people and their families.
Rebecca’s experience includes serving as a Program Director and State Program Leader for Youth Development at the University of the District of Columbia. She is also a former business owner, experience that taught her how to work well under the pressure of deadlines in a goal-driven, fast-paced environment.
She holds a B.S. in Political Science from Grambling State University and a M.S. in Counseling from the University of the District of Columbia. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northcentral University, now called National University.
Paul Dumars, MBA
Vice President
Paul Dumars is the Vice President of Roots for Life’s Board of Directors. He brings two decades of experience in accounting, corporate finance, information technology, operations, and human resources at both non-profits and private businesses to the role.
Paul is the is the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. He also serves as Immediate Past President/Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County. Paul was appointed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott as President of the Palm Beach County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners in 2014 and reappointed in 2018. He is a financial member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and serves as Vice President of the West Palm Beach alumni chapter.
He earned a B.S. in Accounting from Louisiana State University and an M.B.A. cum laude, with a concentration in Management and Finance, from Northwood University. He was selected as a member of the 2020 class of Leadership Florida, a statewide community of leaders working for a better Florida. Legacy Magazine named Paul one of the 50 Most Powerful & Influential Black Business Leaders of 2018, and in 2016 included him on its Top 40 Under 40 for Broward & Palm Beach County Black Leaders of Today and Tomorrow.
Trevor Moe, Treasurer
Trevor Moe is the Treasurer of Roots for Life’s Board of Directors. He is a licensed attorney and government relations professional who has worked on a range of policy issues, including hunger/food security, early childhood education, criminal justice reform, international relations, poverty, and economic development.
Trevor works as the Managing Director for Public Partnerships at Save the Children. In that role, he oversees the state and federal engagement efforts for Save the Children’s U.S.-based programs, including domestic public funding. Prior to that role, he established the Government Relations office of Feed the Children, which he then led for more than five years as Senior Director of Government and International Relations. Before that, Trevor served as Chief Counsel to Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia and worked in private legal practice in Virginia.
He earned a B.A. in History, Government, and Religion from the College of William and Mary and a J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law.
Nicole Betschman, DHEd, MA, BS, CHES, Program Committee Co-Chair
Dr. Nicole Betschman is the co-chair of the Program Committee for Roots for Life’s Board of Directors. She brings her passion for health and wellness to her work.
Nicole currently serves as Director of Public Health and Health Services and Assistant Professor at Trinity Washington University. At Trinity, her enthusiasm for health has permeated the campus community in multiple ways, including creating a student-run health fair every semester and implementing several Narcan training sessions on campus. She has received a Truth Initiative grant to make the university’s campus 100% tobacco- and vape-free. Nicole has also worked as a health coach in Baltimore to help reduce hospital readmission rates for Medicare patients and served on Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Healthcare Taskforce to examine the retention of health care workers.
She earned a B.S. in Biology from Bowling Green State University, where she also worked as a peer educator. After Bowling Green, she earned B.S. and M.A. degrees in Health Education from East Carolina University and a doctoral degree in Health Education from A.T. Still University with a research focus on drug and alcohol addiction. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a Health and Wellness Coach
Crystal Pope, Program Committee Co-Chair
Crystal Pope is the co-chair of the Program Committee for Roots for Life’s Board of Directors. Her expertise in health education and communication is an asset to the organization.
Crystal works as a Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center in Columbia, Md. In this role, she coordinates evidence-based health education programs and community health screenings within Howard County. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Trinity Washington University, where she teaches courses including Healthcare Finance, Medical Terminology, and Community Health and Wellness.
She earned a B.S. in Communication Disorders from Bowling Green State University and an M.A. in Health Education and Promotion from East Carolina University. She is currently working toward a doctoral degree in Public Health.