Motivational Speaker – Community Leader & Activist – Influencer
Born into humble beginning’s where her front door led to a half paved dirt road in Savannah, Georgia, on the West Side, Mahogany knew at a tender age that she wanted to be on the big screen. She knew that she was destined to be a star. Growing up in the inner city of Savannah, she encountered several obstacles, from being homeless to missing consecutive meals on the weekends to significant life lessons and mentoring sessions that would soon recreate the very city she called home.
As a child, she watched her favorite artists on the boxed TV screen. She began to perfect her craft of dancing and entertainment as she studies the moves of Michael Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Brown, and honed into her acting skills by watching female actresses like Angela Basset. It was then, at this time, that she began her love affair for the arts.
Mahogany would practice for hours, getting the entire routine down and would soon be creating her own choreography and scenes and entertaining anyone who would watch. As the years passed and her passion for the spotlight grew, the opportunity to showcase her talents and audition for the new prestigious high school in Savannah at Savannah Arts Academy was inevitable. It was at this art school, where she began to notice the difference between her peers and herself and discovered that she stood out because of her raw talent as an artist. In 2002, she was among the very first graduating class.
Immediately after high school, Mahogany was shipped off to begin modeling with Ford Modeling Agency Wilhelmina New York for a year. Her modeling portfolio has allowed her to rub shoulders and share the runways with top designers such as Calvin Klein and Christian Dior.
As college soon began to approach, her love for dancing, acting, and understanding art, and the entertainment world became more apparent. In 2005, she earned an AA in Marketing Management and Business Management from Savannah Technical College, and continued her studies at HBCU Savannah State University and studied Mass Communication with a concentration in PR & Journalism and where she is currently pursuing her BA degree in the field of Business.
Mahogany’s career started with her love of the arts and desired to put on a show. Her talents and tenacity have made room for her, as she is a well-received performer in many aspects of visual arts, including dance, music, poetry, theater, and fashion. The pinnacle of her career was birthed in1996 as she performed with the world-renowned Sankofa Dance Theater in the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
From there, Mahogany traveled to Ghana in West Africa and performed in the PANA-FEST Festival, where she taught American style dance in the village to the school children and, in return, learned about the Ghanaian culture. She received rave reviews in the New York Times for a dance performance off-Broadway and has worked with many famous artists in the industry, including Janet Jackson, Madonna, and Beyoncé on the Southeastern leg of their tours and music videos.
After an exciting run in the entertainment and fashion industry, Mahogany returned home to share her talents directly with her community. Mahogany became an instructor at Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD), teaching multiple styles of dance and lending her talent of fashion at the annual SCAD International Fashion Show. After five years of teaching dance, Mahogany tried her hand at the world of radio and became an on-air radio personality for Clear Channel Communications / IHeart Media and is the voice for 94.1 The BEAT, LOVE 101.1 and WSOK Gospel. She swiftly gained popularity, earning the number one spot as an air personality and was deemed as THE VOICE. After 11 years in the radio business learning about media, the growing digital age, communications, strategic advertisement, and team building, Mahogany found her greatest love and true calling for the place she called home – a place where her roots were, and that dusty half paved dirt road. Her community…
Before leaving in 2002 to pursue her career in the entertainment industry, she enjoyed volunteering at the local runaway and homeless shelters in Savannah (Grace House and Magdalene House) and found it extremely easy to mentor those in need of help and guidance. In 1997, Mahogany discovered her gift of working with the youth at the St. Pius Resource Center and quickly grew a new passion for this age group. Her mentorship extended to the youth at the Boys & Girls Club, The West Broad YMCA, AWOL, and the surrounding schools in the Chatham County area.
In 2011, Mahogany took her outreach to the next level and started a program to try to close the hunger gap in the community she grew up in and named it Blessings In A Book Bag Inc. Monday through Friday, kids eat at school, but on the weekends, that need is still there. For over seven successful years now, Blessings In A Book Bag feeds over 100 children every Friday at Otis J Brock Elementary School. The organization packs book bags filled with non-perishable, easy to prepare food items to sustain the students over the weekends so that on Monday morning students return to school focused and ready to work. The mission is higher test scores, reduced absences, and better overall health.
In 2016 Mahogany was chosen out of hundreds of applicants to take her speaking talents even further on the red carpet of the TEDx stage, where she discussed “The Difference Between Being Right And Righteous.” Her goal as a speaker is to cultivate the minds, bodies, and spirits of the next generation and help them understand that the sky is the limit. This same year, she decided to live up to her signature objective and received her yoga certification with a concentration within Life, Work, and Balance. Her weekly yoga classes teach all who attend how to balance life when adversity strikes.
Two years later, she published “I Needed This,” which can be found on Amazon. This book is full of daily motivational quotes. It is aimed to serve as a crutch when you lose motivation or hope, that same year (2018) Next Level Signature Training was coined – an organization that trains an array of clients in the fields of foodservice, hospitality, and HR employee relations by designing customized material that meets each foundation’s core needs and learning outcomes.
It is safe to say that her drive to push the envelope, create change, and mentor the youth in her community is evident in all that she does as she touches the lives of all who know her. Her dreams as a little girl to become a star have come true in her local city of Savannah. She is a mega influence in her hometown and a pillar of strength for the Savannahian youth.
