Tamara is originally from Fogo, Cabo Verde, and moved to Boston in 2012 with an English from Beyonce songs. She attended Suffolk University as an international student, where she received her BSBA in Global Business/Marketing and an MBA.

 Tamara was the first and only Cabo Verdean Faculty at Suffolk University at the age of 23. She is also a Faculty and Affiliate of the Institute for Experiential Learning. Her experience in higher education also covers student services, event planning, fundraising, research and assessment, and curriculum development and implementation. 

Outside of higher ed, she has consulted for various companies and non-profit organizations in adjusting their strategy and marketing. She also leads several small businesses, from real estate to car rental, to event planning. Tamara currently holds the position of administration and management of Casa Comercial Rodrigo and provides consulting services to the Ministry of Finance and Pro-Empresa in Cabo Verde.

Her passion for equity, access, and representation led her to launch KPA in 2019. Kriola’s Professional Association is the first 501©3 professional association in the U.S. for the professional advancement of Cabo Verdean and other women of color. Her current focus in KPA is to bring in resources to develop equitable programs and create access to bridge the economic and educational gap of the Cabo Verdean, black and brown community.

All together, Tamara is a Kriola, educator, and strategist.

Ania currently serves as the KPA Kares Coordinator and was formerly the Social Media Manager as well. She graduated from Brockton High School in 2016 and continued her education at UMass Amherst where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Behavioral Sciences- Communication.

During her undergraduate years Ania studied abroad in both Spain and South Africa, where she delevelop her love for traveling and humanitarianism. While in Spain she also interned for a Marketing company called “People on The Grid” where she was able to apply her degree and love for telecommunication.

Ania was formerly working as a Teacher’s Assistant in an ESL (English as a Second Language) program, but now works as a Marketing Associate for Amwell, a TeleHealth company.

Outside of her work she enjoys giving back, traveling and dancing. During the summer of 2022 Ania put together a project named “Bridging The Gap”, collecting school supplies and sending them to the less fortunate in Cabo Verde. With this project she was able to send 2 Bidons to CV in hopes of alleviating one less stress for parents in her motherland, especially those in the countryside where access to such supplies are often unattainable. With the support of her community, Ania hopes to continue this project for years to come and better it as the years progress.

As previously mentioned, Ania also loves traveling and has visited 16 countries in addition to running a travel page on Instagram “dosreisdigital” where she creates content about her travels.

Chantal Naomi Lima Barbosa is a young Kriola, community advocate, music artist, songwriter, and a founding member of Kriolas Professional Association (KPA).

Born in Boston, MA, and raised in Praia, Cabo Verde, Chantal is a proud graduate of the Jeremiah E. Burke High School (Class of 2012). She went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science of Political Science in 2016 and a Masters of Higher Education and Administration in 2018 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

In the spring of 2019, Chantal contributed to the founding and establishment of KPA, the first 501c3 dedicated to helping Kriolas and women of color broaden their knowledge and grow their network through resource sharing and programming. She currently serves as KPA’s Executive Assistant, and manages fundraising initiatives such as KPA Kares, and supports KPA’s community involvement and partnerships.

In February of 2020, Chantal began working as the Cabo Verde Liaison for Mayor Walsh in the Office of Neighborhood Services. In this role, Chantal served as the primary contact for the Mid Dorchester and Cabo Verdean community. Chantal was a critical source for residents learning to navigate city services, including the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Chantal serves as the City Council Liaison to the Mayor, located in the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations. She has served under former Mayor Janey, as well as for present Mayor Wu. Chantal has been in this role since February 2021.

In the summer of 2021, Chantal decided to get in touch again with her first “love,” music, by joining ISLDNZ Sounds music label. Chantal, also known as Queency Barbosa in the musical world, joined other Cabo Verde artists during a weekend retreat in 2021, to create a project that showcased each artists’ talents, and highlight the unity between CV artists in the U.S. Together, Chantal along with ISLDNZ Sounds, has released 2 songs, 2 music videos and is slated to release more in the New Year. Queency Barbosa has been able to share the stage with popular and known Cabo Verdean Artists such as Ferro Gaita, Djodje, Neyna, June Freedom, and more.

Fanny currently serves as the Social Media Manager for KPA

Born and raised in Cape Verde – Praia, graduated from Southeast University – China with a Bachelor’s in Clinic Medicine, and recently moved to the United States to further pursue her career in the mental health field. 

Founder of Falar Tabu, an online platform created to bring awareness about mental health in the Cape Verdean community. In 2021, Fanny co-found Kriola’s Who Brunch, a women empowerment group for women, meeting once a month, to further share and discuss openly about mental health and more. 

Photographer and social media queen, with a big passion in content creation, Fanny created the first Photography and Content Creation course in Cabo Verdean Creole in collaboration with KPA, teaching small business or social media enthusiasts about self-photography and social media resources to better their online presence. Currently, she is KPA’s social media manager and content director, as well as the office manager for All Season Floor Pros.