Founder & CEO

Hi, I'm May and I'm an impact strategist. My superpower is reframing, which means I help visionaries shift strategic lens to gain clarity and confidence in actionable steps to drive the mission forward. This is my story of what led me founding a capacity building agency.

Growing up as a foreign-born daughter of an immigrant mother and now-retired U.S. veteran, I witnessed a myriad of ways that communities survive or thrive. From small towns and cities across the U.S. to international destinations in what some refer to as "third-world countries" I saw how there wasn't a cookie-cutter formula, but rather key principles that determine who flourishes and how. This lived experience infused me with a passion for communities and placemaking.

In my adolescence I was an academically gifted student because I'm a quick-study. My insatiable curiosity and innate systems thinking make me a natural learner, so I use it to my advantage. I maximized professional development as well as extensive higher education, in part as a means to validate my ascent to leadership. Even so, I struggled with owning my "expertise" and battled imposter syndrome for years as a young, Afro-Latina.

What started as teenage enthusiasm for giving back through volunteering, evolved into a 14-year career in the nonprofit sector. My unconventional pathway included serving in a wide range of industries as what some HR professionals may consider a "chronic job hopper" but I believe it offers a unique competitive edge demonstrating adaptability. I performed well in my roles and was exposed to a broad spectrum of capacity building strategies through my specialization in development. I soon mastered techniques for relationship management through philanthropy. In fact, many of the positions I held I was recruited because of my track record and charisma.

While every workplace has its perks and challenges, my entrepreneurial spirit compelled me to build something of my own. I couldn't help but wonder: am I serving my greatest purpose in "the very sacred life I have chosen to live"? Is this the best way for me to deploy my skills and talent? By my late 20s, I achieved what I thought at the time was the pinnacle of the nonprofit career ladder--I became an Executive Director. Of all the roles I had served up to that point, it suited me well; it was by far the most enriching... and challenging. Leading a scrappy "tiny but mighty" organization with a two-person team helped me tap into new realms of proficiency.

My favorite compliment from a staff member I received years ago emphasized how she admired my resilience. Although I didn't feel it at the time, looking back I now see the value in that. When I reflected upon the totality of my professional and lived experiences, it dawned on me the themes that brought it altogether: cultivating shared prosperity and power. Today, I empower changemakers to do just that while preventing their enthusiasm from being snuffed out by over-extension. I get to devote my sacred life to helping community-based projects and local initiatives make progress towards transformative impact.

• “Above Expectations” annual performance evaluation as Executive Director

• Multi-entity leadership experience including 501c3, 501c4, and PAC

• Fundraised 6- and 7-figure contributions from donors, grants, and sponsors

• Coalition building experience with local grassroots and national alliances

• Supervised diverse and hybrid teams ranging up to 30 direct reports

• Recognized regionally for effective coaching that drives results

• Master of Science in Real Estate, Florida International University

• Master of Business Administration in Project Management, Fayetteville State University

• Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Fayetteville State University

• Leadership Miami, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce

• Leadership Development Program, United Way of Cumberland County

• Institute for Community Leadership, City of Fayetteville

• Citizens Academy, City of Fayetteville

Carrying a 14-year career, Maybelyn is an impact strategist, business scholar, and community advocate with a trans-disciplinary background rooted in radically reimagining pathways for shared prosperity and progressive power. A champion for racial and economic justice, she is deeply committed to advocating agency, dignity, equity, and sustainability through collective impact. This advocacy is infused with visionary passion to build an inclusive democracy and solidarity economy. In April 2024 she founded MRL Strategies LLC after serving as an executive director of a nonprofit community development coalition for nearly three years. Her expertise in capacity building and resource mobilization across market sectors focuses on facilitating practitioners, institutions, and investors to support place-based initiatives through community building, development, engagement, and organizing.

Maybelyn also engages with numerous civic, social, and political boards and alliances at grassroots and national levels. She most recently served on the Board of Directors for Community Opportunity Alliance (formerly NACEDA), a national nonprofit building the community development field, and is a former publicly appointed Human Relations Commissioner. Additionally, she is proud to be a two-time HBCU graduate and an emerging public scholar-practitioner exploring the praxis of movement and community investment. She holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Communications and Master of Business Administration degree concentrated in Project Management from Fayetteville State University (an HBCU) in addition to a Master of Science degree in Real Estate from Florida International University.

As a foreign-born daughter of a Caribbean immigrant and US Army veteran she identifies as an Afro-Latina, community builder, and urbanist dreaming of a reformed society co-led from the margins.