Meet the Team
Alyssha Dairsow
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR| CURLY ME!
Alyssha Dairsow has engaged with the community since she moved here 10 years ago. And as the founder and executive director at the nonprofit Curly Me!, she’s passionate about helping her community see its beauty. Focusing on young Black girls ages five to 14, Curly Me! provides mentoring and hosts events that help children of color embrace their best selves. From book clubs to panels to hangouts, she’s building a village around an underrepresented community and empowering them to embrace their uniqueness.
Ms. Dairsow works to provide a platform where the voices in her community are heard, including her own. “Things will not change if I, or anyone else, stays silent,” she says, and laying the foundation for the future of the young Black girls in her community is what she believes will change Utah for the better. I personally would like to foster diversity in Utah because I would like to live in a state that includes me in major decisions are made in government, workspaces, and all the way to the services I receive in a restaurant.
I decided to be a reliable resource for parents and Black girls because I noticed there weren’t many fun and reliable resources for our girls, says Ms. Dairsow, describing where the idea for the nonprofit started. I am confident Curly Me! will continue to grow into bigger and better events and outreach that will cross state lines and country borders.
Board Members
Meligha Garfield, MPA
Board of Directors
Meligha Garfield (he/him) is the inaugural director for the Black Cultural Center (BCC) at the University of Utah—a center that works to holistically enrich, educate, and advocate for students, faculty, staff and the broader community through Black centered programming, culturally affirming educational initiatives, and retention strategies. Hailing from Rochester, New York, Garfield holds a B.A. in Government, with a minor in colonial Latin American history and Africana studies and a Master of Public Administration from New Mexico State University (NMSU) where he was previously the Programs Coordinator for the Black Programs Department.
He has implemented outreach and retention services, served as coordinator and advisor in Black programs, and managed numerous departmental programming and events while at NMSU – many of which he hopes to start at the U. He is also a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.
Ashley Cleveland
Board of Directors
Ashley Cleveland is ecologist turned city planner. As a millennial of color and new mom she has always cared about equity and what the means for the places we live. She thinks representation is key in so many important workings of our everyday life.
She serves on the board of directors for Curly Me! A nonprofit serving Black girls and their families. She is on the board of trustees for Tracy Aviary, a Governor’s Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board member, Utah’s only Outdoor Afro Leader, and she manages the Promise Program in Utah’s youngest city- Millcreek.
Abby Arellanes
Board Member
Abby Arellanes is originally from southern California but relocated to Utah for his love of the outdoors, proximity to immediate family, and growing career opportunities. Abby expects to be able to leverage his finance background, and non-profit and volunteer experience to help Curly Me! continue to pursue its organizational goals and create meaningful change.
As a son of Mexican immigrants and a child raised in diverse communities, he understands and deeply appreciates the importance of community building and equity work. “The mission of Curly Me! resonates with my passion for social change and youth outreach, and I am excited to be a part of the growing team at Curly Me!’
Please include picture labeled Abby Arellanes.
Chloe Agyin
Chloe Agyin (they/them) is the administrative assistant of Curly Me! hired through Americorps Thriving Utah program. Chloe is passionate about the work that Curly Me! does because they understand the struggle it is to be a young black person in a conservative state. In order to better pursue their passion for social justice and systemic change, Chloe received their Masters Degree in Social Work. Since living in Utah, Chloe has been engaged in social activism through working with a variety of local non-profits and currently serves as a board member and operations director for The OUT Foundation. Chloe hopes that they can continue to find new ways to disrupt the status quo.
DARNELL CRANDALL
Darnell Crandall is a Salt Lake City native whose commitment to service and community led him to join CurlyMe in 2022. Darnell works as a Public Defender with Salt Lake Legal Defender Association, representing indigent defendants throughout Salt Lake County. Darnell is a passionate advocate for defendants in the criminal justice system and a firm believer in social and restorative justice.
Darnell has served as a member of the Utah Bar Association, Access to Justice Commission and is a graduate of the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. As an adopted son, raised in Utah, Darnell understands firsthand the amazing work CurlyMe brings to our community and the incredible impact on the lives of Utah families.
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