Meet Our HYPE Staff

Founder / CEO HYPE

Life Coach
Motivational Speaker
Youth Empowerment Specialist

Wendell Byrd

John Wendell Byrd is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HYPE Movement Engagement, LLC. HYPE – Helping You Prepare for Excellence is a mentoring, coaching, and peer counseling program whose mission is to empower clients to live with purpose and develop healthy lifestyles. For over twenty (20) years, John has been making a difference in the lives of students, parents, families, and men. 

John has extensive experience in mentoring adults, students, and parents as a motivational speaker and life coach. Previously, he worked as a Behavioral Aide for The Social Empowerment Center which provides supervised visits for custodial parents who are seeking reunification with their child or children. He worked as a juvenile probation officer for the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) for eighteen (18) years. Lastly, he piloted the school-based probation officer at the following schools: Winder-Barrow High School, Apalachee High School, and Cedar Shoals High School. 

John is a veteran of the United States Navy and served in Holy Loch, Scotland, and Pensacola, Florida. He has a certificate in Early Childhood Development from Athens Technical College. He is a certified life coach from the Dr. Dharius Darius Transformational Coaching Program. 

John is native of Athens, Georgia, by way of Middletown, Ohio, and he enjoys designing and creating beautiful interior spaces. John is married to Sharise and father to their son, Jasani. 

Administrator of HYPE

Gerontologist
Motivational Speaker

Sharise Byrd

As a Program Administrator for the Atlanta Regional Commission Aging and Independence Services Department, Sharise is responsible for leading departmental planning and quality assurance initiatives to maximize the independence, health and well-being of the region’s rapidly growing older population. She manages grants and contracts through the agency’s procurement processes. Sharise provides leadership and guidance regarding legislative and government relation initiatives. 

For 10 years, Sharise served as an Executive Director of Senior Living Communities within the metro Atlanta area including independent, assisted, and memory care communities. She was responsible for the day-to-day management and operations. Additional duties included oversight of resident centered initiatives, financial viability, strategic direction, and regulatory compliance. 

Sharise has extensive experience in senior living operations, strategic planning, managed care, and health policy. Sharise specializes in performance excellence regarding the integration of results-based leadership, customer and stakeholder satisfaction, and improvement of overall organizational effectiveness. 

In 2015, Sharise was named in the Who’s Who for Executives and Professionals - Georgia Chapter. She currently serves as an appointed board member for the Department of Human Services for the Georgia Council on Aging. The Georgia Council on Aging’s mission is to advocate on behalf of aging Georgians and serve in an advisory capacity on aging issues to the Governor, General Assembly, and all other state agencies. 

Sharise graduated from Brenau Unversity with a Master of Science degree in Gerontology. She possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management from Florida A&M University. Sharise is a certified Executive Director from Senior Living University. 

Sharise also serves as an Administrator for HYPE – Helping You Prepare for Excellence. HYPE is a mentoring and coaching program for youth, teenagers, and young adults. As the HYPE Administrator, she assists with procurement, data collection, and program integrity and evaluation. 

Sharise is a native of Pensacola, Florida, and enjoys taking walks along the beach and visiting family. She is married to John Wendell Byrd, and they have a son, Jasani Byrd. 

Partners

Darryel Richardson Coach D

Co Founder/CEO of H2H, INC

Life Coach
Motivational Speaker
Youth Empowerment Specialist

  • Darryel Richardson "Coach D" is a pivotal part of the community. His work focuses heavily on helping youth prepare for and live in excellence. He is a Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the 501c3 non-profit Here-2-Help, Inc.; a mentor and basketball player development trainer; and certified life coach who specializes in individual and group counseling.

    Coach D passion for helping others has spanned more than two decades. Preparing our youth and providing resources for the elderly community has garnered him the honor of being a 3-time Humanitarian Award Recipient. 

    For the past 10 years, Darryel has been a valued member of the Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Community-based Mentoring Group. After starting Here2Help, Inc.(H2H) in 2006, he has been able to serve more than 10,000 people annually through various programs and initiatives as Feed the Hungry, Annual Back-to-School Supplies Giveaways, Youth Summits, Clothing Drives for the Homeless, etc. His work speaks to his selflessness and dedication to care for others regardless of their age, background or gender. Be sees a need and he works to fulfill the need. 

    Coach D Young Kings and Queens Training program has a holistic approach to basketball training and mentoring. He impacts the lives of over 200 kids by teaching them proper techniques for basketball development while simultaneously guiding them with life skills that help them navigate through life and its many challenges. 

    HERE-2-HELP PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES 

    • Feed The Hungry 

    • Annual Black History Month Event 

    • Semi- Annual Night Walk 

    • A Day for Senior Citizens 

    • Godly Givings (Holiday Giveaway, and Breakfast) 

    • Vocabulary Matters Mentoring Program 

    • Young Kings and Queens Training Program 

    Go to my website www.here2helpinc.com to learn more about me. 

Tamara Daniels, LCSW CCTPII

Owner of TLD Diversion & Psychotherapy

Licensed Social Worker
Individual and Family Therapist
Community Support Mentor

  • Tamara Daniels has more than 15 years serving families around the state of Georgia. She is proud graduate of the University of Georgia where she earned her Master of Social Work and holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Her academic success and desire to make an impact led her to accept invaluable internships with the Housing Authority and the Department of Juvenile Justice. As an intern, Tamara worked on the Resident Support Team which helped with low-income housing. She also created a financial program that required families who sought to acquire and maintain low-income housing to earn it through community service and family education meetings and programs. 

    Tamara has worked for the Department of Public Health as a Children First screener. Her experience with the Department of Public Health allowed her to serve the families within ten northeast Georgia counties. Her primary responsibility was to screen the health and development of children from birth to the age of five to determine if the families had the ability to support the growth and development of the children. She recommended resources to the families and gave guidance to the parents so they could improve their parenting and support enough to allow the children to remain under the parents’ care. Tamara also worked more than 4 years as a Pathways Transition Crisis Team Member who was responsible for giving Intensive Family Interventions. 

    Her extensive work with families of all types and sizes inspired her to start TLD Diversion & Psychotherapy in 2019. Because she has a vast array of experiences and holds full licensure as an Individual and Family Therapist, she is currently contracted with the Babies Can’t Wait program in Athens, Clarke County. Her credentials as a as a LCSW and Certified Complex Trauma Professional (CCTPII) will serve the families in Athens well. Her desire to help families and individuals unpack the trauma that exists within themselves and within their environment remains a driving force for her work. She uses a multi-tiered system to help her clients recognize, understand, process and overcome the trauma that hinders them from reaching their full potential. 

    Visit my website at https://headway.co/providers/tamara-daniels?utm_source=pem&utm_medium=direct_link&utm_campaign=39510 to discover more about what I do!

  • Dr. Eli Welch, III has more than 28 years of successful public education experience. Within his 21 years as a middle and high school principal in Selma City Schools, Barrow County Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools, he has led his schools to earn 15 Georgia Department of Education awards (Title I Reward School - High Progress Award, 2017 Title I Reward School - High Progress Award, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Award, Title I Distinguished School Award (9 years) for making AYP, Family-Friendly Partnership School Award, “School of Excellence” Award, and “Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Award”). He taught junior high school mathematics for 4 ½ years and served as a middle and high school assistant principal for three years. Dr. Welch’s leadership has led schools toward significant academic achievements. In fact, he led Selma High School from imminent state takeover to academically clear in his first year and principal.

    His school led Barrow County School’s Direct to Discovery program which was a part of the district’s Internet 2 initiative. His leadership also guided Shiloh Middle School to become a International Baccalaureate School. 

    Eli taught Instructional Technology and Education Leadership courses as well as served as a dissertation chair for 18 students at Argosy University over a six-year period. His professional achievements also include completing the Georgia Superintendent’s Professional Development Program and Leadership Barrow 2008. Dr. Welch has received the H2H Community Leadership Award, Selma City Schools Excellence Award for leadership, Selma City Schools Outstanding Leadership Award, and Selma High School Outstanding Administrators’ Award. 

    His passion for education inspired him to write a self-help book entitled “Gain Favor & Get Ahead: 20 Ways to Beat the Competition” which is currently being used the HYPE program, Hilsman Middle School and Horizon Program (Barrow County Schools). He is currently doing education consulting with and creating Social Emotional Learning activities for Hilsman Middle School in Athens, Georgia. 

    He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. who works diligently to serve his community; and he has three sons he hopes will find a passion for serving others as he does. 

Dr. Eli Welch III

Owner / CEO of Landeli Enterprises


K-12 Principal
Motivational Speaker
Author
Education Consultant