Board of Directors and Leadership

Shana Wilson Anderson

Founder, President & Board Chair

Responsibilities: Vision and strategy, organizational leadership, partnerships and fundraising, public spokesperson, program development.

Shana Wilson Anderson is the Founder and President of The CLIMB Experience Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to empowering women to rise with clarity, confidence, balance, and purpose. Through leadership development, mentoring, wellness initiatives, transformational experiences, and community support, she helps women navigate life transitions and build stronger, purpose-filled lives.

A leadership strategist, certified life coach, speaker, ordained minister, and author of It Is Well, Shana brings more than 25 years of experience in leadership development, coaching, operations, organizational strategy, ministry, and personal transformation. Throughout her career, she has helped professionals, emerging leaders, and women facing life and career transitions overcome barriers, strengthen their confidence, and move forward with greater clarity and intention.

Shana holds a Master of Business Administration in Business Leadership from Ashford University and a certificate in Biblical Studies from Liberty University. Her professional experience includes senior leadership roles with national organizations, including T-Mobile and Capital One. In these roles, she led large-scale operations, developed leaders, guided teams through organizational change, and created learning strategies that supported employee and business growth.

She is also the creator of I Am Unapologetically Me® Academy, a transformational personal development program designed to help women rediscover their identity, renew their thinking, establish greater balance, and pursue their purpose without losing themselves in the process.

Shana currently serves as a Reverend at Steele Creek AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she contributes to ministry planning, leadership development, and program strategy. She also volunteers with An Image of Me, a Charlotte-area nonprofit that supports and empowers young girls.

Through The CLIMB Experience Foundation, Shana develops programs and initiatives centered on Clarity, Leadership, Inner Wellness, Mentorship, and Balance. She is committed to building sustainable programs, creating meaningful community partnerships, and expanding access to resources that help women heal, grow, lead, and thrive.

Known for her bold, compassionate, and faith-centered approach, Shana challenges women to move beyond survival, release limiting beliefs, and become active participants in the lives they desire to build. Her mission is to help women embrace what God has placed within them and rise into the lives they were created to live.

Geneva Swett

Treasurer & Board Director

Responsibilities: Financial oversight, budget review, strategic planning, process development, operational accountability, board governance.

Geneva Swett

Board Director and Treasurer

Geneva Swett is a certified Project Management Professional with an MBA and more than seven years of experience leading complex initiatives across corporate environments. Her background in project management, talent acquisition, and learning and development gives her a strong blend of operational discipline, strategic leadership, and people-centered insight.

Geneva built her project management career at a Fortune 50 telecommunications company, progressing from Learning and Development Trainer to Talent Recruiter before advancing to Senior Project Manager within the Project Management Office. In this role, she directed portfolios of 10 to 20 concurrent enterprise initiatives, managed operational launch budgets exceeding $6 million, and implemented governance frameworks that reduced project initiation delays by 30 percent and recurring risks by 20 percent.

She currently serves as a Senior Project Manager within the pharmaceutical industry, where she continues to lead enterprise initiatives with structure, accountability, and a strong focus on successful execution.

Throughout her career, Geneva has remained committed to leadership development, training optimization, and organizational effectiveness. Her ability to strengthen both people and processes helps organizations build the systems, skills, and strategies needed for sustainable growth.

As Board Director and Treasurer for The CLIMB Experience Foundation, Geneva provides thoughtful financial oversight, organizational support, and strategic leadership. Her commitment to integrity and responsible stewardship helps strengthen the Foundation’s ability to provide meaningful programs, resources, and opportunities for women navigating important life transitions.

Geneva believes strong communities are built when people are willing to serve, speak up, and use their experience to help others rise.

Shavon Jefferson

Secretary & Board Director — Patient Access Training Manager, MaineHealth

Responsibilities: Meeting minutes, governance documentation, bylaw oversight, board records, mission alignment, spiritual and ethical guidance.

Minister Shavon Jefferson is a leadership professional, educator, and minister with more than 20 years of experience in healthcare operations, training, leadership development, and organizational excellence. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management, and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry degree. As the Patient Access Training Manager for MaineHealth, she leads system-wide training initiatives, develops strategic educational programs, and mentors teams across multiple healthcare organizations to improve performance and patient experience.

Beyond her professional career, Shavon is a licensed minister with a passion for developing people spiritually and personally. She is a Certified Dean and Certified Instructor through the Division of Christian Education Accreditation and Credentials of the Sunday School Publishing Board. She also co-teaches Bible Study through the I Am Unapologetically Me® Academy, where she helps individuals apply biblical principles to everyday life and grow in faith, purpose, and spiritual maturity.

As Secretary and Board Director for The CLIMB Experience Foundation, Shavon brings expertise in organizational leadership, governance, strategic planning, and operational excellence. She is committed to helping establish strong governance practices while ensuring the foundation remains focused on its mission of empowering women navigating life’s transitions. Through servant leadership, mentorship, and a heart for helping others grow, she is dedicated to supporting the foundation as it creates transformational opportunities that inspire women to lead with clarity, confidence, balance, and purpose.

Shavon believes lasting transformation happens when practical leadership, authentic community, and faith come together to help individuals discover who they were created to become.

Rev. Terry L. Hightower

Founding Strategic Advisor

Rev. Terry L. Hightower is an accomplished faith-based nonprofit executive and community impact strategist with more than 25 years of leadership experience in nonprofit administration, fiscal accountability, community outreach, and organizational operations. As Executive Director of Antioch Urban Ministries, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, Rev. Hightower provides leadership for an organization that serves more than 1,100 individuals weekly and manages an annual operating budget exceeding $1.2 million.

Throughout his distinguished career, Rev. Hightower has established a proven record of financial stewardship, federal grant compliance, contract governance, and operational leadership — notably resolving rigorous federal HUD/HOPWA audit findings by implementing sustainable internal control systems. His background also includes early corporate leadership as a Procurement Manager and Operations Supervisor for BellSouth/AT&T, where he supervised teams of more than 80 employees.

Rev. Hightower holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University and is a Licensed Minister. He has been recognized for his community leadership, including The Unsung Hero Award from The National Community-Based Organization Network, and serves as a community partner with Morehouse School of Medicine’s Social Determinants initiative.

As Founding Strategic Advisor to The CLIMB Experience Foundation, Rev. Hightower is dedicated to helping structure the internal systems, financial controls, strategic frameworks, and organizational foundation necessary to empower women navigating life transitions to rise above challenges and walk boldly in their purpose.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” — Philippians 4:13