OUR TEAM
Who We Are
Claudy E. Chapman
Founder and Executive Director
Claudy E. Chapman is the Founder and Executive Director of Listening for Humanity: SAWUBONA Inc., a civic listening nonprofit, and the Founder of The SAWUBONA Institute for Listening LLC, a professional training institute dedicated to restoring listening as a foundational human capacity. Across both organizations, he leads the SAWUBONA Listening Lab™, a structured, trauma‑aware, non‑clinical learning environment where individuals and groups practice deep listening without pressure to disclose personal stories.
A visionary educator and systems‑builder, Claudy brings more than twenty‑five years of leadership experience as a teacher, dean, principal, professor, and organizational director. His career has been defined by a single throughline: people thrive when they are seen, heard, and supported through intentional structures. This belief shapes the SAWUBONA Method™, a relational framework that integrates dignity, presence, neutrality, and reflective practice to help communities rebuild trust and connection.
Claudy’s work blends relational intelligence, trauma‑aware facilitation, systems design, and community healing. He creates psychologically safe environments where people can reconnect with themselves and one another, and he designs tools, scripts, and experiential frameworks accessible to neurodiverse, multilingual, and multigenerational audiences. Through SAWUBONA, he partners with educators, nonprofits, civic leaders, and organizations seeking to strengthen culture, navigate conflict, and cultivate belonging.
Under his leadership, SAWUBONA is emerging as a national movement grounded in a simple but profound mission: to build profound connection by listening and honoring the dignity and stories of all people.
Andrea M. T. Chapman
Director, Business Operations & Organizational Stewardship
Andrea M. T. Chapman is an experienced business executive and the former President of T&T Food Service, a long‑standing Chicago‑based food service management company. With decades of leadership overseeing operations, logistics, compliance, and financial systems, she brings a steady, disciplined, and solutions‑oriented approach to organizational management.
During her tenure at T&T Food Service, Andrea guided the company through complex operational demands, managed vendor and client relationships, supervised staff, and ensured high‑quality service delivery in a highly regulated industry. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to reliability, accountability, and community‑centered service—qualities that define her professional reputation.
As a Board Member and Director with Listening for Humanity: SAWUBONA Inc., Andrea contributes her extensive business acumen to strengthen the organization’s operational infrastructure, financial stewardship, and long‑term sustainability. Her experience in contract management, systems oversight, and organizational planning provides a critical foundation for SAWUBONA’s growth and institutional integrity.
Andrea’s grounded, pragmatic leadership complements SAWUBONA’s mission to build profound connection by listening and honoring the dignity and stories of all people. Her ability to translate complex operational needs into clear, sustainable systems makes her an essential voice in guiding the organization’s strategic direction.
Vicki Neiberg
Director, Organizational Strategy & Equity Leadership
Vicki Neiberg is a distinguished feminist organizer, labor negotiator, and educator whose five decades of leadership have transformed institutions, advanced gender equity, and strengthened worker rights across Michigan. As a Board Member and Director with Listening for Humanity: SAWUBONA Inc., she brings deep expertise in organizational strategy, coalition‑building, and systems‑level advocacy.
Vicki’s career began in the early 1970s when she founded the Alliance to End Sex Discrimination at Michigan State University, a groundbreaking coalition of women faculty, staff, students, and spouses united to challenge structural inequities. Her leadership catalyzed policy change and set the stage for her pioneering work in labor relations.
As a negotiator, she secured the first contract for clerical and technical workers at MSU, and later, with the Michigan Nurses Association, negotiated 19 hospital contracts that established the first on‑site childcare center at a Michigan hospital and the first known pay‑equity agreement in a workplace historically divided by gender. These achievements remain national models for dignity‑centered labor reform.
Vicki also served as a founding member and state chair of the Michigan Women’s Political Caucus, and as a national board delegate, she shaped strategy for the Equal Rights Amendment and women’s political representation. Her commitment to justice extended to youth advocacy as chair of the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice, where she led statewide efforts to address the disproportionate treatment of minorities and girls in the juvenile justice system.
Recognized by the Veteran Feminists of America, Vicki’s legacy is defined by courage, clarity, and a lifelong commitment to human dignity. Her presence on the SAWUBONA Board strengthens the organization’s governance, strategic direction, and mission to build profound connection by listening and honoring the dignity and stories of all people.
Dr. Deborah Kaye Jenkins
Board Director, Community Learning & Systems Leadership
Dr. Deborah Kaye Jenkins is an award‑winning educator, professor, and philanthropist whose career spans more than 50 years of service to Detroit’s children, families, and schools. She recently retired from Detroit Public Schools, where she served as a mathematics teacher, department head, Assistant Principal, Principal, and district leader—roles through which she shaped instructional excellence, strengthened school culture, and mentored generations of educators.
A strategic and visionary systems‑builder, Dr. Jenkins is known for her ability to design and optimize structures that support student success, develop leaders, and empower staff. Her commitment to community uplift is grounded in a lifelong dedication to improving the lives of people of color, women, and children. For more than a decade, she also taught graduate courses in School Improvement and Staff Development at Wayne State University, preparing future leaders to transform schools with clarity, compassion, and rigor.
Dr. Jenkins has held influential leadership roles beyond the schoolhouse, including serving as an elected board member for the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals and representing Detroit in state and citywide partnerships focused on educational equity and youth development.
Educated in Detroit Public Schools and a proud graduate of Cass Technical High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University, a master’s from the University of Detroit, and both an Education Specialist and doctorate from Wayne State University.
As a Board Director for Listening for Humanity: SAWUBONA Inc., Dr. Jenkins brings deep expertise in instructional leadership, organizational systems, and community‑rooted engagement. Her wisdom, relational presence, and unwavering commitment to dignity strengthen SAWUBONA’s mission to build profound connections by listening and honoring the stories oF
all people.
A native Detroiter, Dr. Jenkins is a devoted wife, mother of five, grandmother of six, sister, and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She credits the thousands of students, families, and community members she has served for inspiring her to strive and thrive in every role.
