Dr. Chapman's Bio

Dr. Ravá Shelyn Chapman is a native of Denver, Colorado. She has 20 years of organizational development experience with a focus on program design and evaluation.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Alabama State University. She has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado, Denver. She has a Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities with a concentration in Africana Women’s Studies at Clark Atlanta University. Her dissertation titled, “In Our Mothers’ Garden”: Ethnobotanical Agency and Wellness Among Black American Women Gardeners born Between 1950-2000” highlights the importance of ecological engagement for well-being.  Dr. Chapman is committed to cultural preservation and community development. Her research interests include Africana Studies, Africana Women’s Studies, African American Studies, Black Indigeneity Studies, Biocultural Studies, Community Development Studies, Environmental Justice Studies, Ethnobotany, Therapeutic Horticulture, Institutional Research, and Sustainability. Dr. Chapman is committed to providing opportunities and solutions for individuals, communities, and organizations to experience maximum fulfillment and wellbeing. Her background as a scientific and humanistic social science scholar is the foundation for her approach to research specific to individual organizations' need for institutional development. This is the foundation to her research for positive impact commitment. This commitment is rooted in the quest for truth and that truth is the compost for growth. ​

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“The Solution is in the Soil. All things come from and return to the soil. Getting to the root of a problem implies examining the root system and the soil. And there you will often find both the problem and the solution.” ​With the core value that people and places contain for pressing challenges, the solution is in the soil.

 

She works to identify and mitigate the bad while extracting the good and greatest potential from within individuals, communities, and organizations. My work encompasses my research, program development and evaluations, strategic planning, fundraising, event planning, therapeutic gardening, and sustainable development practices. She has collaborated with various organizations on planning and evaluation projects and was introduced to program evaluation by Jody Fitzpatrick at the University of Colorado Denver. Her work with the Oakland City Community Organization (OCCO) and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) as a volunteer community garden manager and program developer has further shaped her perspective on community development and her work with HABESHA, Inc., Black Sustainability, Inc., and Peace Baptist Church has sharpened her skills around development of membership systems. It was through her experiences at Clark Atlanta University, Emory University, and Lakewood Christian Church that she developed a deep understanding of intersections between individuals' intellectual and spiritual development, community development, and wellbeing in the cultivation of a more beautiful and peaceful human existence.  It's not just about being a successful organization, whatever the means to you, she is also deeply committed supporting the development of healthy organizations. She is a fine- folk artist with creative practices in pottery / ceramics, painting, weaving, horticulture and herbalism.   She has lived in Atlanta-Decatur, Georgia for the past sixteen years.