New: Belonging through Art™ Nonprofit Organization Coming Soon
We are thrilled to announce a new nonprofit for several Belonging through Art™ initiatives. We hope to have our Board of Directors formed and other organizational elements ready so we can file all of the things we need to file by the end of this month. Fingers crossed.
Our entire team is excited to wrap words and actions around a philosophy of engaging with various forms and genres of art that we have all embraced in different ways throughout our lives.
We will be sharing more about this new organization in the coming months. Cheers to more Belonging through Art.
Bettina Byrd-Giles, Belonging through Art Co-Founder and Chief Engagement Officer
Bettina Byrd-Giles is a leading expert in intercultural communication, implicit bias and health equity. She is a dynamic speaker and author.
Bettina is the founder and CEO of The Byrd’s Nest LLC, a consulting, professional development, and social entrepreneurship company. She led a non-profit health clinic for 10 years that promoted health access to medically under-served communities. She shattered paradigms regarding the role of healthcare institutions in transforming the quality of life of residents in communities they serve. The clinic served as a catalyst for Ensley Alive, a movement to improve the built environment and perceptions in a small industrial community through capacity building, cultural arts, social and traditional media.
Bettina is a leader in addressing health inequities. She is a Culture of Health Leaders alumna. The CoHL program is committed to eliminating health inequities and building an equitable playing field for people from all cultures and backgrounds. The CoHL program is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CommonHealth ACTION, and the National Collaborative for Health Equity. Bettina is also a member of the National Advisory Group for the Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Prize. Bettina was an RWJF sponsored Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar in 2017.
Bettina has been recognized on both local and international levels. She served as co-chair of the Martin Luther King Conflict Resolution Conference in Malawi sponsored by the Fulbright Foundation, University of Malawi, Miles College, and Diversity University. She was honored by the Greater Birmingham United Nations Association for founding Diversity University, a cross-cultural program involving six colleges and universities.
Bettina is the author of Tales of a Formerly Unhappily Employed Liberal Arts Major: Embracing Your Meandering Career Path. As the book’s title indicates, she coaches individuals looking to find or change career paths. Though she coaches mostly liberal arts majors, she works with anyone looking for a transition.
Bettina holds certificates in intercultural communication from the Intercultural Communication Institute. She is a qualified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Bettina has a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Bachelor of Arts in international relations from the University of Virginia.
Tanya Davis, Belonging through Art Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Tanya Davis is a wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, and author whose life’s work is giving and pouring into the lives of others.
Twenty years ago, Tanya, her husband Stephen and their seven children established the William & Mary Davis Foundation with the mission of providing opportunities to those who reside in under resourced communities and advocating for those whose voices are not heard. They also support organizations that align with their mission. The foundation provides financial support, and educational experiences for individuals for the purpose of empowerment-financially, emotionally, spiritually.
The foundation supports organizations that embody this mission including Daystar University (Nairobi, Kenya), Fox Valley Christian Action, Young Life Teen Mothers, Orange Hands, Women at Risk International, and By the Hands, Haymarket Center, MFS, GEMS of St. Sabina, East Tennessee Freedom Schools, Chicago Foundation for Women, DuSable Museum, and many others.
Tanya’s desire to enrich the lives of others also led her to launch Purpose by Design, a mentoring retreat for girls in under-resourced communities, in 2010. Each year, Tanya and a group of volunteers host 10-20 girls for a long weekend of enrichment workshops – from health and wellness to college prep and goal planning. Recently, the organization formed a partnership with Foolproof to provide financial literacy empowerment for young women. In addition, Tanya is a sponsor for Tuskegee Next, which gives high-risk youth the opportunity to earn a pilot’s license through an intense 10-week program. Tuskegee Next has been featured on CBS Weekend News and recognized by the original Tuskegee Airmen members as well as Illinois Governors and city-wide officials. The program has helped to license over 76 young adults in 7 years.
Tanya has authored three books, May I Please Speak with My Father, I Don’t Want to Shame My Daddy’s Name, and Urban Monks and Mystics (co-author). She also has served as publisher for numerous other books on a variety of topics, and guest contributor for online organizations.
A 38-year resident of Wheaton, Illinois, Tanya served as the Chair of the Board of Fox Valley Christian Action and is the Development Chair for Haymarket Center, an addiction center located in Chicago. She also serves on the board of Metropolitan Family Services, DuPage Health Coalition, The Walter Cronkite Committee, and is a founding member of Magnolia Moonshots 2030. She is also a member of Chicago Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Tanya holds a bachelor’s degree in counseling from DePaul University with an emphasis on Narrative and a master’s degree in Narrative Medicine from Lenoir-Rhyne University. She believes in the power of story and being an active listener in another person’s story is how we will grow in our empathy and love for each other. She has facilitated narrative workshops that bring people together to share their stories.
Charlotte Donlon, Belonging through Art Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Charlotte Donlon is a writer and spiritual director whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging through art and spirituality. Her approach resonates with individuals from diverse faith backgrounds, including those uncertain about their beliefs. She employs a universal framework of belonging and connection to foster meaningful, soulful conversations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Her second book, Spiritual Direction for Writers, is slated for release by Eerdmans in January 2026.
As the founder of several initiatives, including Belonging through Art™, Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Spiritual Direction for Belonging®, and Parenting with Art®,
Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader in the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in prominent publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others.
Charlotte's academic background includes a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a certificate in spiritual direction, equipping her with the skills to guide others in their creative and spiritual journeys.
Her nonjudgmental approach and inclusive language have made her work accessible and appealing to a broad audience, regardless of their faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.