Janice Ferebee, MSW, is a native New Yorker (Westbury, Long Island, NY), author, award-winning female empowerment expert, and speaker with over 40 years' expertise. Her authenticity, family legacy of service, humor, and uncanny ability to connect with a wide range of audiences have made her a sought-after female empowerment expert and community advocate. She focuses on civic engagement and social justice; cultural competence and equity; and women’s and girls' empowerment. As the first African American Models Editor for Seventeen Magazine, creator of an innovative Got It Goin' On® Empowerment Brand for Girls of Color (handbook, award-winning program and curriculum) that was recognized by The Oprah Winfrey Show & ESSENCE Magazine, a D.C. elected official, and a two-time cancer survivor blessed with over 30 years in recovery, Janice has turned her unique personal and professional experience into tools to help girls and young women develop personal action plans for their lives and create blueprints for meaningful societal engagement for all - "doing well by doing good." She has presented at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York City), the University of Pennsylvania, and the Child Welfare Society (Johannesburg, South Africa) and has provided media commentary on radio and television. She is also the host of the Sankofa Konversations Podcast: Empowering The Next Generation Of Black Women Warriors.

Janice is a former member of Consulting Women, a professional network of self-employed women in the D.C. area. A current member of this network, who volunteers with Negotiation Works, introduced Janice to our organization. As a retired social worker and nonprofit professional, Janice jumped at the chance to learn more about Negotiation Works, and she determined that her expertise and life’s work to empower women and other under-resourced populations fit well with the organization’s mission. On her own road to long-term recovery from drug and alcohol abuse, she knew that learning to negotiate and find healthy alternatives to conflict resolution was critically important to her success. She believes that the skills and tools individuals learn through the Negotiation Works programs serve as meaningful catalysts to better participants’ lives and benefit the community at large.