The People Behind the Mission
Our Team & Leadership
Neighbors in Need is powered by dedicated leaders who live in, love, and are committed to communities across the Greater Puget Sound region, including King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties — every single day.
Charrita Tatum
Charrita Tatum is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC), community advocate, entrepreneur, and the driving force behind Neighbors in Need. Based in Federal Way, Washington, she has dedicated her career to building systems of support for individuals and families navigating poverty, violence, trauma, and inequity across communities across the Greater Puget Sound region, including King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
Charrita's professional journey spans coaching, childcare, youth development, and nonprofit leadership. Her early involvement with the Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement — first as a 4C program mentee, then as a staff member with their Rising program — planted the seeds for her belief that mentorship and wraparound support are transformational forces, not just services.
As founder of Excellence Learning Pod, a licensed Family Child Care Home in Renton, WA, Charrita has ensured that working families have access to quality, nurturing early childhood care. She reclaimed and relaunched Neighbors in Need — an organization originally incorporated in 1987 — restoring its Washington State standing and rebuilding its governance infrastructure from the ground up. Under her leadership, NIN now operates across seven program areas including gun violence intervention, youth mentoring, wraparound services, and mental health navigation.
Charrita's approach is relentlessly human: she leads with presence, builds with trust, and refuses to leave anyone behind. Her mission is simple — every neighbor deserves a neighbor.
Our board of directors brings together dedicated community members who govern Neighbors in Need with integrity, accountability, and deep commitment to communities across the Greater Puget Sound region, including King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties families.
At just 21, Donald Tatum is one of the most accomplished young leaders in communities across the Greater Puget Sound region, including King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. A licensed real estate broker, financial advisor, and youth mentor with National CARES Mentoring Movement, Donald brings sharp financial acumen and a deep commitment to economic empowerment to his role as Treasurer of Neighbors in Need. He ensures the organization's resources are stewarded with transparency, precision, and purpose — modeling for the youth he serves that financial literacy and community service go hand in hand.
Finance & Real Estate
Justice Tatum is a multitalented community servant with a heart for people and a gift for making every space she enters better than she found it. Owner of JT's Catering, accomplished singer, mentor, and nanny with 15+ years of experience nurturing children and families, Justice brings warmth, creativity, and deep dedication to the NIN board. Her life's philosophy — to always leave everywhere you go better than when you arrived — is woven into everything she does, from the meals she prepares to the lives she shapes.
Community & Family Services
Michelle Tatum is a dedicated educator specializing in special education and elementary education, with a deep commitment to students who face the greatest barriers to learning. She brings trauma-informed expertise and classroom experience to the NIN board, championing educational equity and wraparound support for youth impacted by gun violence and systemic inequity. Michelle bridges the gap between school and community — ensuring every child has the foundation they need to thrive.
Education & Youth Development
Ronisha Kelly is a mother, skilled grant writer, and fierce advocate for children living with disabilities. She brings both professional expertise and personal conviction to the NIN board — understanding firsthand the barriers that families face when navigating systems that too often overlook their children's needs. Ronisha channels that experience into action, helping the organization secure funding and build programs that are truly accessible, equitable, and responsive to every child and family it serves.
Grants & Disability Advocacy
Alvin Noble is a devoted husband, father, and community advocate whose motivation is deeply personal: he wants to make this world a better, safer place for his children, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren to grow up in. That vision — rooted in family and fueled by love — drives his commitment to the work of Neighbors in Need. Alvin brings a grounded, community-first perspective to the board, reminding the organization that every decision made today shapes the world the next generation will inherit.
Community Advocacy
Delana Brown is a mother, outreach coordinator, and passionate advocate for children who believes every child deserves to feel safe, seen, and supported. She brings creativity, compassion, and community connection to the NIN board — working to build and sustain environments where children can simply be kids, free from fear and full of possibility. Delana's outreach work puts her directly in the community, meeting families where they are and helping to bridge the gap between those in need and the resources that can transform their lives.
Outreach & Safe Spaces
Alreace Bolar is a powerful force for change in the lives of young people who need it most. A dedicated mentor to at-risk youth, incarcerated youth, and those re-entering society after incarceration, Alreace meets young people where they are — without judgment and with unwavering commitment. Known for his strong leadership and high expectations, he consistently challenges the youth he works with to pause before every decision and consider the impact it will have on their future. Alreace brings that same conviction to the NIN board, grounding the organization's work in the realities faced by the community's most vulnerable.
Youth Intervention & Reentry
Lazarus Bolar brings joy, warmth, and a fierce commitment to inclusion to everything he does. Fun-loving and deeply caring, Lazarus is driven by a core belief that no child or family should ever be turned away from the help they need because of a disability. He champions full and equal access to all NIN programs, ensuring the organization remains welcoming, accommodating, and truly open to everyone — regardless of ability or circumstance. His presence on the board is a constant reminder that community means all of us.
Inclusion & AccessibilityInterested in Joining Our Team?
We are always looking for passionate volunteers, mentors, and future board members who share our commitment to communities across the Greater Puget Sound region, including King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties. If you believe in this work — reach out.