Community Leader Thrives with Spirit of Service

Community Leader Thrives with Spirit of Service

By: Ari Christine

To sit with Dr. Froswa Booker for mere minutes is to learn what it means to have an affinity for community growth. The Shreveport, Louisiana native has such fond memories of home, but believes she discovered her greater purposes when she arrived in Dallas many years ago.

The published author has never met a challenge that sent her packing and running for the hills. She speaks innovative solutions and as a result – she is credited with developing many organizations that were birthed with intentionality as an answer to challenges in the community.

Booker is deeply invested in the growth of professionals, organizations and the nonprofit management industry. Her dedication to sharing the power in relationships has afforded her many opportunities to travel the world as both a speaker and a philanthropist. To date she has been recognized in Forbes, Ozy, Bustle, Huffington Post, and Modern Luxury.

The year was 1995 and Booker was in her 20s when she established Soulstice, a consultancy in which Booker provides specialized training and consultations for

nonprofits, institutions and companies – all designed to solve community challenges. The name derives from summer and winter solstice and in recognition of the changing of the seasons. Booker added a “u” because she wanted to change people’s souls.

Soulstice helps organizations think about their community engagement strategies. Booker and her team help these organizations with data and with mapping communities.

“We ask organizations how they plan to connect to untapped populations,” Booker explains. “We help organizations think about the history of communities, conduct interviewing and engage in purposeful filming. We even help them think about how to use their funds to deploy them to those communities.”

Philanthropic strategies, community engagement, leadership development and organizational culture support are all the fruits of Booker’s labor with Soulstice. “We

noticed that a lot of organizations wanted to work with people externally, but they had internal challenges with building community,” explains Booker. “As much as they wanted to partner with others, we encouraged them to look at what it means to build and grow within. I do coach several leaders and help them think about how they show up to their respective teams and to the community.”

Booker recently received an award for her role within the creation of the South Dallas Employment Project.

In 2020, Booker worked for the State Fair of Texas and initiated the creation of an event called “Mapping Your Future.” This event was designed to connect people to resources who’ve been impacted by incarceration. During this invent providers were linked with previously incarcerated individuals. Jobs were awarded and productive relationships were formed.

“I had three friends who were impacted by incarceration,” Booker shares. “I knew the obstacles they would face. Wes Jurey, who runs Redemption Bridge met with me in my office and we came up with a plan to start a network that could further support these individuals and provide a safety net.

This meeting was held in the conference room of the State Fair of Texas in February of 2020. They brought in ten providers to launch this vision. Today, more than 140 organizations are a part of this effort and they’ve been able to serve over 2,000 people – securing them jobs and providing connections and support. Now services include a healthcare advisory committee and a transportation committee.

“It’s just amazing to see how the network has grown,” says Booker. “It has gotten so much larger than I ever could’ve expected.”

Another of Booker’s prized works is the HERitage Giving Circle, which is one of the first Black Women Giving Circles in Texas. Born out of Akilah Wallace’s idea to “bring Black women together,” – the organization has raised over $100,000 - not from foundations or corporations, but solely from Black women who want to help organizations led by Black women.

Members of the circle pledge a certain amount and then vote on which organization receives funding.

“We wanted to make philanthropy more approachable, so that Black women could call themselves philanthropists,” Booker says. “So many of us were led to believe that philanthropy was for rich people who were giving away millions of dollars, not seeing that our talents and testimonies are forms of giving. Some women pledge $1,000 and some may pledge $500, but we also provide members with mentoring and workshops on information that they’d normally have to pay to attend.”

Booker prides herself on creating opportunities for the younger generations to take on roles in both the community and in leadership. This includes her 24-year-old daughter who works for her.

In addition to sharing her fifth book with the world - “Front Porch Wisdom,” which debuts in June – Booker serves as an adjunct professor. Teaching her “Governance Leadership and Sustainability” course at Tulane University brings her so much joy.

Booker has done so much for the community and during some of the busiest seasons in her personal life. She began working on her PhD when her daughter was nine and she told herself that she had to earn her doctorate before her daughter entered high school. She did just that.

“I have so much peace now that I see time differently,” Booker says. “A minister once told me that it’s not about balance – it’s about orbit.”