Meet the Founders

Tiffany Larkins – President and Co Founder

In a nutshell, I am a Determined Individual Visualizing Academic Success! I am what I hope to inspire and instill in the young ladies who join our organization.

I was born in Tampa, Florida and raised in Sarasota, Florida by my mother and the founder of the program, Rosa Faison. By the age of 13, I was involved in several physical altercations. By the age of 18, I was convicted of my first misdemeanor. By the age of 19, I was mothering my first child.

I often tell others that my experience makes me an expert. That area of expertise includes rejection, low self esteem, unworthiness, mental and physical abuse, and academic failure (to mention a few).

Through those tribulations, seeking mentorship, and adopting a renewed mindset, my business partner and I set about to mentor young ladies in hopes that they would leap frog past our road blocks and excel in all aspects of life.

Naquila Beachem Gregory – Vice President and Co Founder

In the words of the late, great, Indian activist, Mahatma Gandhi, I truly desire to be the change that I wish to see in the world. I have been blessed to implement this change through the interactions and mentorship provided to the young ladies of the DIVAS Mentoring and Leadership Organization.

I hail from what most Floridians affectionately refer to as “The Pan Handle” _ Panama City, Florida. I am the second oldest of eight siblings so, I would like to think that leadership was embedded in my genetic code.

The death of my mother sent me into what many consider to be a downward spiral. Depression and grief over took me and I was dismissed from my collegiate studies due to earning sub par grades.

After seeking spiritual guidance and receiving the unconditional love and support of my husband and children, I returned to college where I obtained a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida. I am a first generation high school and college graduate and look forward to changing this statistic for many of the young ladies in the organization and beyond.