Board Members

The Yocum African American History Association (YAAHA) is dedicated to bringing powerful stories of heroes and leaders who made a difference in our country and teaching that in every milestone in American history, Blacks were there. YAAHA is fortunate to have a team of educators and business board members who contribute to the educational materials of our organization. Here are our board members.

Sheila Moten owned Heavenly Pastries and Party Planning for 12 years before moving to Florida eighteen years ago to become a baker and now a chocolatier for Disney at The Ganachery, located at Disney Springs. In addition, she is a shop steward for the union workers at Disney.

Sheila went to Akron University for a business degree, has a degree in cosmetology from Pittsburgh Beauty Academy, taught cosmetology for several years, and has multiple experiences working in the service industry. Moten has appeared in a Disney commercial and is a cast member featured in Disney’s Black History celebration 2024.

Sheila believes in YAAHA’s education and vision goals and is well-qualified to reach diverse communities as our ambassador.

Bill Altman has a business degree from Bowling Green State University, where he majored in Selling and Sales management. He received his teaching credentials from Cleveland State University and is licensed to teach grades 1-8. Bill has been teaching middle-school Science and World History for 27 years. Bill teaches his students that America is a unique land of opportunity and hope. Despite her flaws, our citizens have overcome adversity and tremendous hardships to build a nation we can be proud of. In addition, Bill is active in his community as an athletic coach, boy scout leader, and church parishioner.

Bill is the creative developer behind YAAHA’s Half-Minute Heroes videos. The videos give a quick, inciteful background of heroes that will inspire you to want to learn more.

Denicia Crutcher-Lyons has a passion for history that began with her grandparents. Their stories about their lives during significant times in national and local history encouraged her to preserve, research, and educate/lecture in the field. It is a mission to protect not only her family heritage but the heritage of Blacks in American History. History has a story to be told. The story is only complete if all parts of history are included.

She returned to school after suffering an injury from a professional dance career. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History specializing in the Holocaust, Popular Culture, and 19th-century America. Other degrees include Mathematics and Fine Arts.

Denicia is an excellent researcher of history. Her Creole background has inspired her careful research, particularly into Black history. She co-authors YAAHA’s newest book, The Chronicle of Heroes, Black Contributions to America.

Bettye Haskins earned her undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Morgan State College and her Master’s in adult education from Johns Hopkins University. She has over 30 years of experience delivering education and training workshops and was recently featured in “Freelancer Magazine.”

The Baltimore City Council has recognized Ms. Holt-Haskins as an Outstanding Adult Educator and by the United States Army Reserves as “Instructor of the Year.” She is a motivational speaker for many organizations, including AmeriCorps, Literacy Works, Inc., The Baltimore County Department of Aging, and AARP.

Her belief that “America cannot be whole, and it cannot achieve greatness if it does not embrace its history” is the impetus for her work in disseminating knowledge of the myriad of contributions made by extraordinary and ordinary African American citizens.

Bettye is a gifted orator and researcher of Black history lessons and programs that represent YAAHA’s commitment to telling lesser-known stories of Black contributions to American history.

Nancy Randolph has been an educator at Victory Christian Academy in Orlando, Florida, for more than 15 years. She teaches American and World History, Bible, Grammar, Speech, and Drama to 7-12 grade students. In addition, Nancy is a debate coach for competitive events in which her students have won consecutive first and second place trophies. Nancy has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Columbia College and obtained her master’s degree in educational leadership from Concordia University. Nancy is the creator and producer of The American History Alive Museum and Expo. Moreover, she is a member of Victorious Living Fellowship, where she heads two ministries.

Kenneth L. Yocum is a Bradley University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree. He served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant and later as a sales engineer in corporate America. Additionally, he has worked with several nonprofit organizations, tutoring, and mentoring middle and high school students. He is dedicated to the need to preserve the complete story of African American history for our current and future generations.

Ken is the technician behind the scenes. His ability to develope cost saving tools for YAAHA is invaluable.

Sandra K. Yocum has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bradley University and an Education K-12 certification. The experiences she gained in the late 1960s teaching students in the predominately Black community in Watts, in Los Angeles, California, made her aware of the need for educational changes in the school system. Later, Yocum would begin researching civil rights and Black history to find the American heroes who significantly contributed to America and preserving Black history.

Additionally, Sandy is committed to creating children’s lesson plans using Harriet and Roxanne characters to share Black history and developing animation for children.