Sherida V. Morrison a sociologist, nonprofit executive, and social entrepreneur with over 25 years’ experience in the philanthropic sector-advocating for gender and racial equity. A Chicago native, Sherida is the Founder and former CEO of Demoiselle 2 Femme, NFP, (French for “Young Ladies to Women”). Demoiselle 2 Femme (D2F), is a nonprofit organization with a rich history of providing prevention, education and college access programs to girls on the far south side of Chicago as well as the south suburbs for over 25 years. In fulfilling its mission, D2F has served over 7,000 girls, supported over 1,000 girls to become first-generation college graduates, and awarded over $56,000 in academic scholarships. The success of D2F has been featured in several news outlets and has been described by Ebony Magazine as “a girl-serving organization making an impact in Chicago.” Under Sherida’s leadership, D2F founded the Coalition on Urban Girls-Chicago to advocate for the health, safety and wellness of girls as well as the HOPE Network of Schools and four other social impact organizations. The vision of the Hope Network of Schools is to open the Katherine G. Johnson S.T.E.A.M. (STEM+ARTS) School for Girls as the first, K-8, STEAM school for girls in the state of Illinois by Fall 2022.

Sherida Morrison currently serves as President and Senior Strategist at Sapientia Consulting Group, LLC where she implements DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice) training and development, Design Thinking, and Human-Centered Design to inspire innovation, org development and change management for corporate and nonprofit clients. Sherida currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at DePaul University where she teaches sociological courses in Race & Ethnicity, Multiculturalism and the Social Determinants of Health. Sherida obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from her beloved HBCU, Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a Master of Arts in Sociology from DePaul University, and a Master of Science in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University. Sherida has published manuscripts and reports and presented research on adolescent development and youth violence at local and national conferences. Her latest article, “Girls and Trauma: Performing Socio-Surgery through a Gender-Responsive Lens” is featured as a chapter in “Violence, Trauma, and Trauma Surgery- Ethical Issues, Interventions and Innovations” published by Springer. Sherida has received numerous awards, commendations, and serves on several boards including the Advisory Board for the University of Chicago's Trauma Center where she serves as Chair of the Maternal and Child Health Committee, and she is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Sherida is committed to leaving a legacy of hope which equips and empowers youth and emerging adults to transcend walls, eradicate barriers and build bridges of access for future generations.