About Us

HISTORY OF JCOLE ADVOCACY, INC.

The idea of JCole Advocacy, Inc. was conceived in 2009; however, it was officially born in August 2016. Why did it take so long to be born? The idea needed a little bit more time to incubate to truly understand what its purpose would be.

The organization’s Founder and CEO, Alicia Gosha-Page had her first experience with Autism in the Spring of 2004 when her 2 1/2-year-old daughter received a diagnosis of Autism and Speech/Language Impairment. This was her and her husband's first child. So, you can only imagine the devastation, sadness and anger they felt. They received a daunting list of resources for their child and began working on a plan to help her. As they navigated through all the resources, they experienced many road blocks, denial of resources and disappointments along the way. One of the most memorable and shocking moments that Alicia recalls is when her daughter's very first therapist said, "Consider this the first day of a lifetime that you will advocate for your child." She did not know what that meant in that moment; however, it began to make sense in later years.

By August of 2009, Alicia's second child was born. She was very vigilant at paying attention to her child successfully meeting his milestones. At about 15 months of age, she noticed he had characteristics associated with Autism. She quickly took him to a developmental pediatrician and he was diagnosed with ASD as well. Her reaction was, "How could this be??!!". She felt the same emotions she had with her first child; however, she was in a better state of mind and financial situation to enact a plan of support immediately.

It was at that point that she realized that it would have been helpful to have the support of someone as she navigated through the many resources available to help her children. She continued to have different experiences which helped create her vision for JCole Advocacy, Inc. to promote Autism Awareness and Inclusion as a community support partner positively influencing the mindset of the community and caregivers.

OUR STAFF

Alicia Gosha-Page, MBA

Founder & CEO

Alicia Gosha-Page is a native of Columbus, Georgia and currently resides is Austell, GA. She graduated from "Thee" Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and from Millsaps College with a Master in Business Management in Jackson, Mississippi. She has over twenty-five years of experience in Strategy, Program Management, Operations, Financial Management and Project Management and has worked for companies such as MCIWorldCom, General Electric, Accenture, Deloitte and SunTrust Bank.

She enjoys spending time with family and friends, participating in physical fitness, dancing and listening to music in her spare time. She is the mother of a daughter, Jasmine and son, Coleman who are on the Autism Spectrum; therefore, she has become an Autism Advocate.

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Tonia Nelson, SPHR

Tonia Nelson was elected as Chair of the Minerva Foundation in November 2016. Tonia is a native of Kansas City, Missouri and currently resides in Mableton, GA. She has worked in the field of HR for over 12 years and currently provides HRIS consulting services to the State of Georgia.

Tonia is involved throughout the community serving in various capacities in several organizations, including Chair, Pebblebrook HS School Council; Treasurer, South Cobb Youth Basketball Association and Youth Director, Shaw Temple A.M.E. Zion Church. When she is not involved in her many organizations, she enjoys spending time with her sons, Bryant and Nicholas and their dog, Phoenix.

Cheryl Hearn, Esq.

Cheryl Hearn is a graduate of Jackson State University and the University of Mississippi School of Law. She is a member of the bars of the States of Tennessee and Mississippi. Currently, she resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where she is an Assistant City Attorney with the City of Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to joining the in-house legal team at the City of Memphis, Cheryl was in the private practice of law, focusing on transactional matters, including the areas of business and corporate formation. In her work with the City of Memphis, Cheryl has served as counsel to several City boards and commissions. She is also a former board member of the YWCA of Greater Memphis, and the River City Capital Investment Corporation, among others. Cheryl currently serves on the Board of the Delta Fine Arts and Cultural Center, Inc., the 501 (c)(3) affiliate of the Memphis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Cheryl enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with friends and family.

Tonya Blache, MD, MPH

Tonya Blache, MD, MPH is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician. She attended Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and completed residency training at University of California, San Diego. She has worked as a Childcare Health Consultant and currently works at a military entrance processing center where she does comprehensive medical evaluations to determine qualification for entrance into the military. Her specific areas of interest include wilderness medicine and health promotion/injury prevention in childcare centers.

LaTrese Ferguson, M.Ed.

LaTrese leads the Workplace Learning and Professional Development team responsible for faculty and staff professional development at Georgia Institute of Technology. Throughout her career she has worked for the Federal Government (Central Intelligence Agency), a large world class consulting firm (Booz Allen Hamilton) as well as in the non-profit world (Teach for America). LaTrese has expertise in instructional design and delivery, project management, quality management, and people management. She received her education from George Mason University (M.Ed Adult Education) and Clark Atlanta University (B.S. Computer Science). When she is not in the classroom delivering engaging learning opportunities, or busy leading the WLPD team, you can find her on play dates with her little one Bethany or on big girl dates with her husband TJ.