Dee Manyama serves as Initiatives Director at Prosper, a nonprofit economic development agency committed to building the most thriving economy in the Southeast. Dee has used her experience in individual, professional, and economic development to support and guide organizational leaders to collaboratively address parity across demographic sectors and increase regional median income through job creation, preparation, and access strategies. 

A native of Bessemer, Alabama, Dee is a proud wife and bonus-parent of four, including two recent BCS graduates. She holds a BBA in Economics from Jackson State University and an MBA from UAB. A former AmeriCorps VISTA and Program Manager at the Birmingham Education Foundation, Dee is a creative at heart, enjoying pastimes of writing, reading, editing urban fiction, and anything that involves artful orchestration or visual architecture of person, place, or thing. She is driven by faith, family, and a commitment to uplifting others. [1Thes 5:11]