Meet Jade

But first, meet her mom. 

Her name was Michal. If you knew her well, it was Mikey. 

She was an accomplished psychotherapist, beloved by friends and family, and Jade’s absolute best friend.

After fighting a lengthy and courageous battle with stage IV colorectal cancer, she transitioned in 2016.

Jade was devastated, but not defeated. She felt this was her moment to pivot, to pursue something greater, and to carry on her mother’s legacy. 

At the time, Jade worked in clinical research.  She resigned immediately and got to work. 

Throughout Mikey’s treatment, Jade was right by her side. This is where she recognized the many challenges patients and family caregivers face during cancer treatment. She saw a need for more comprehensive support programs, and knew she could get it done. 

Four months later, Mikey's Miracle Foundation was born.  As founder and executive director, Jade carefully built her team from the ground up and within the first year clinched 501(c)(3) status, raised more than $60k from individual donors, garnered media attention, built a strong network of more than 30 volunteers and board members, and secured partnerships with various organizations throughout Baltimore City. 

Knowing the struggles of starting a non-profit all too well, she launched J. Merritt Consulting in 2020 to focus on advising aspiring and current leaders in the non-profit sector. Her belief? No one should let paperwork get in the way of their purpose.

After closely studying and experiencing systemic issues faced by African-American executive directors, she also founded The Black Executive Director Network, a membership-based community designed to empower Black Executive Directors as they navigate the systemic challenges in the nonprofit sector by providing access to community capital, and equitable growth opportunities. 

Jade owes her success to her unrelenting faith and work ethic. In 2020, she received her Nonprofit Management Executive Certification from Georgetown University. She previously earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Temple University, and her master’s in biology from Towson University.

She’s also a graduate fellow of the Institute for Islamic Christian and Jewish Studies, the Warnock Foundation and has penned several pieces for The Huffington Post and Medium.