Phone: 1.800.775.1797

As always, we strive to put a spotlight on Ethiopian role models each year.  We hope this type of exposure for our kids as well as their parents will be inspirational.  We also believe that it will spark the imagination and the possibilities that are open to all our children.  Therefore, we are putting the spotlight on an Ethiopian-American role model this year.  We are honored to have Wayna join us at Camp this year to discuss her personal and professional achievements.  Wayna will speak with both the kids and parents about what it was like for her growing up in America, the role identity played in her personal growth, and how key decisions she made along the way led to the life she has today. 

Wayna is an Ethiopian-born, GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, and former White House writer, who celebrates her cultural background through electric performances audiences long remember. She is a GRAMMY Nominee for Best Urban Alternative Performance, a 2X All Africa Music Awards Nominee, a 2023-2025 elected National Trustee of the GRAMMYs, and the co-creator of the GRAMMY Award for Best Song for Social Change.

Wayna has performed around the world at renown venues including the White House, the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Essence Fest, and on Ethiopia’s most prestigious stages, where she is a household name.  In addition to her solo career, she joined music icon Stevie Wonder as a vocalist on the Songs in the Key Of Life Tour and in other performances internationally.  Wayna has shared the stage with Dave Chapelle, Common, the Legendary Roots, Janelle Monae, Chuck Brown, India.Arie, Jazmine Sullivan, Frankie Beverly, and Maze to name a few.  Her music has been featured in publications such as USA Today, Billboard, BBC News, the UK Daily Mail, Essence Magazine, Complex, the Baltimore Sun, the Toronto Star, and the Washington Post. 

In the fall of 2023, Wayna will release her latest album, The Housewives of Zamunda, which combines hip-hop, soul, and African-inspired tracks to create a sound all her own.  The project follows Wayna’s three critically acclaimed solo albums, Moments of Clarity, Higher Ground, and The Expats.  She received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for her remake of “Lovin’ You (Music) F. Kokayi” on Higher Ground.  We are excited to learn that Wayna is going to perform for us at our Camp!!!

Over the years, our Camp has been exploring in more depth the topic of racial identity in a multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual community.  It is always important to have open and honest discussions about this topic.  Moreover, we are committed to provide our children and their families the tools to navigate and thrive in this environment.  We are honored to have Dr. Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt join us as she will be conducting a series of workshops on embracing and building strength from racial and cultural diversity geared towards each age group.

• Parents Workshop: This presentation will provide parents with a brief introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).  Parents will develop a working definition of Diversity and its meaning in a multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual country.  Parents will engage in small group experiential exercises designed to help enhance identity awareness so that they begin to have a better understanding of how their worldview perspective differs from those perceived as different.
• Teenage Workshop: This presentation will provide teens with an introduction to DEI. Teens will participate in interactive activities to enhance social identity and cultural awareness.  Participation includes activities which help foster a strong sense of social and cultural identity.  Additionally, teens will be introduced to basic skills that can assist when one is confronted with explicit and/or implicit biases in challenging social interactions. Teens are encouraged but not required to participate in small group activities.
• Pre-teen Workshop: This presentation is geared for the younger (preteen) audience.  Kids will discuss the concepts of identity, ethnicity, and race by engaging in activities that celebrate diversity, identity, ethnicity, and race. Pre-teens will create an identity map that highlights their personal identity.

 LISA (ሊሳ) SECHREST-EHRHARDT, PHD, MSW, LMSW is a dynamic and professional social worker whose career focuses on social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She has 25 years of experience providing interactive diversity trainings and workshops in both the private and public sectors. Her expertise includes cultural competence, race and ethnicity, implicit bias, and power dynamics.

Lisa is president and owner of Sechrest Diversity LLC. Her business centers on clients’ specific needs and customizes trainings in a comprehensive strategic manner to maximize client knowledge and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices. Sechrest Diversity clients have included Fairfax County Park Authority, Virginia Small Business Development Center, INOVA Care Connection for Children, Cornerstones of Reston, Cloudforce, and Restoration Church.

 As a college professor, Lisa teaches courses in social policy, clinical practice, and diversity. She designed and currently teaches a course “Experiencing Difference” in the Honors College at George Mason University. She has authored several chapters in professional publications and is a frequent presenter at social work conferences, business meetings, and community events regarding the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

 Lisa earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Virginia, a Master of Social Work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work and a Doctor of Philosophy from The Catholic University of America, National School of Social Service. Her professional vision is to build bridges that connect people from different backgrounds with the goal of celebrating diversity and achieving social justice. Lisa is committed to community involvement and serves on the Reston Historic Trust and Museum Board of Directors and Reston Community Center Board of Governors.