Prosper is a coalition of community, civic and business leaders committed to creating a more vibrant, racially and gender inclusive economy.
What is Prosper ?
Prosper is not a program to replace good work already under way nor another operating organization; rather, it is an effort to align existing initiatives, supplement them with select new opportunities, and scale a collaborative civic agenda. Think of Prosper Birmingham as a table that will:
Why is Prosper Important?
With this thought in mind, civic leaders engaged the Brookings Metro to conduct an objective economic situation assessment. Their work, involving engagement with business, civic and educational leaders throughout Greater Birmingham, concluded that:
Focus Areas
Using the results of our data as the driving force, Prosper Birmingham initiatives will focus on transforming the Greater Birmingham economy in three core areas:

Job Creation
Catalyze growth of businesses and industries that create good jobs.

Job Preparation
Invest in college and career opportunities for Birmingham’s diverse youth.

Job Access
How Metro Birmingham ensures that all residents, regardless of race, gender or zip code, have access to those jobs and can fully contribute.
Our Initiatives
Prosper will begin with four key initiatives supporting its framework.


A youth apprenticeship and scholarship program for Birmingham City Schools high school students and graduates, helping to provide internships, and pay for college tuition and fees for up to four years in public Alabama colleges, preparing Birmingham’s workforce for quality jobs. Click here to learn more about the Birmingham Promise.
New initiative to make Birmingham a center of health technology solutions through investments in entrepreneurship, talent, and community engagements.
The Prosper HealthTech Accelerator, powered by gener8tor, connects cutting-edge, health technology startups to the coaching, capital, and connections they need to build and grow their businesses. Learn more about the Prosper HealthTech Accelerator here.
Prosper’s B-Included online portal created by Birmingham-based startup company Acclinate™ will engage 10,000 Jefferson County residents. B-Included is a website designed to reduce the minority wealth gap by educating residents on relevant health conditions, providing easy access to resources, and helping remove health-related barriers to employment. More info coming soon.
A hands-on development program that will connect Black entrepreneurs with the coaching, capital, and connections they need to build and grow their businesses, which will generate accessible jobs and community wealth. (Under development)
Business Advisory Services and the growth of small business is key to Prosper’s initiatives. We’re partnering with The Alliance to launch Supplier Scale as part of our Business Advisory Services. This initiative will host 20 eligible local small businesses to participate in Prosper’s first small business cohort. Applications to join Supplier Scale are open to privately owned companies headquartered in Jefferson County that employ two to 10 people, and/or generate between $100,000 and $999,999 in annual revenue. These efforts are part of Prosper’s and the Alliance’s strategic commitment to growing good jobs and supporting the growth of local and minority small businesses through connections to curated services and connections.
Learn more about Prosper’s Supplier Scale partnership with The Alliance.


Our Commitment
Prosper will establish a structure for long-term community building, creating energy and momentum that moves our community forward sustainably. We will position community engagement early and often, ensuring we are listening, learning and making decisions in partnership with the community at each phase. Our commitment is to engage, develop and implement.
Our Leadership

J.W. Carpenter
President of Prosper
J.W. Carpenter began his tenure as the inaugural president of Prosper Birmingham in February 2021. Previously, he led the Birmingham Education Foundation for eight years and prior to that was the inaugural executive director of Teach For America-Alabama, the same organization where he began his career as a classroom teacher in Helena, Arkansas. J.W. also practiced law for nearly four years in Birmingham. He is married to Becky and has two children (Jack and Kate) and Ellie the dog. Carpenter earned a B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Angela Scott Abdur-Rasheed
Communications and Community Engagement Director
Angela Scott Abdur-Rasheed is a Birmingham-raised leader with a career dedicated to nonprofits, broadcasting/PR, fund development and civic engagement for organizations like YWCA, Baptist Princeton and ABC 33/40. Her Telecommunications/Film degree from The University of Alabama and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion certification has allowed Angela to train groups nationally on social justice, media, and workforce development.
Angela has served with over 25 local and national organizations, is an author of multiple books and former publicist for Rickey Smiley. She enjoys mentoring and spending time with her husband and family.

Dee Manyama
Initiatives Director
Dee Manyama is a native of Bessemer, Alabama and proud parent with two recent BCS graduates. She earned a BBA in Economics from Jackson State University and an MBA from UAB. After an extensive career in the Mortgage industry, Dee served as a Program Manager at the Birmingham Education Foundation where she applied her skills in logistical organization and attention to detail towards facilitating exciting and “edutaining” career and personal development curricula and large-scale conference activities for Birmingham City students. As a previous AmeriCorps VISTA, she has a genuine heartfelt desire towards giving and especially giving back in order that the next generation may have the tools to pay it forward. She attributes this commitment to community to her strong faith and loving extended family.

Aubrie Strange
Fundraising Manager
Aubrie Strange is Prosper’s Fundraising Manager. The Samford University graduate and Tennessee native holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. During her time at Samford, Aubrie interned for and received glowing reviews from the Mann Center on Samford’s campus and the Jefferson County Memorial Project with success helping secure grant funding. Aubrie is a recipient of the Niswonger and Joe McDade Scholarships, which are both concentrated around demonstrations of character, ethical leadership and service to others. Her background in journalism empowers her to bring values of accessibility and contextualization to her role at Prosper.

Douglas Watson
Managing Director HealthTech Accelerator
Douglas Watson is a M&A professional, angel investor, and company builder. Over the course of his career, Douglas has worked with large corporations to help align their technology and operations during post-merger integrations. He’s also worked with startups and small businesses helping them raise capital, create growth strategies, and improve operations. Douglas is an Alabama native and is based in Birmingham, AL. He earned both his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and MBA from The University of Alabama.

DeCarri Wells
Program Manager HealthTech Accelerator
Through his upbringing in Birmingham, AL, Herman “DeCarri” Wells grew a passion for entrepreneurship, technology, and culture firsthand from his family’s business endeavors. He attended Auburn University at Montgomery majoring in Information Systems with a minor in Graphic Design. Prior to joining the Prosper team as Program Manager, he was an associate at the Bronze Valley Accelerator in Birmingham and a Near-Peer Facilitator for the Alabama Youth Relationship Education Project through Window Seat Creative group of Montgomery, AL.
In his spare time, DeCarri is a freelance graphic designer, musician, and entrepreneur including preparing his own startup.
Board Members
Steve Ammons
Jefferson County Commissioner,
District 5
Rich Bielen
Protective Life Corporation
Melanie Bridgeforth
Women’s Foundation of Alabama
Jimmie Coleman
Birmingham Citizens Advisory Board
Mark Crosswhite – Chair
Alabama Power
Kelly Caruso
Shipt
Jim Gorrie
Brasfield and Gorrie, LLC
Rosilyn Houston
Santander Bank
Mike Kemp
Kemp Management Solutions, LLC
Kendra Key
Board Member Woodlawn Foundation
Chris Nanni
Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
Shegun Otulana
Harmony Venture Labs
John Sherman
Coca-Cola Bottling United
Sanjay Singh
Pack Health
Lee Styslinger III
Altec, Inc.
Mark Tarr
Encompass Health
John Turner
Regions Bank
Tim Vines
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Dr. Ray Watts
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Mayor Randall Woodfin
City of Birmingham, Alabama
Contact Us
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