Behind the Scenes
Meet the
Mahogany Staff
Mahogany Staff
Bring ’em out! For more than 30 years, Mahogany has been here to help our community commemorate and celebrate meaningful moments in our lives every day. Now, we’re going bigger and digging deeper to sustain that connection. Our squad creates and curates content, amplifies the voices of our writers, manages our community, and holds space for us—a space that will always be connected to community, rooted in faith, and driven by purpose. Along with the team behind Mahogany products, we’re joined by editorial staff, content and community staff and designers to build the new Mahogany Writing Community.
Sharnel Young (she/her)
Program Leader
As a full-time Hallmark employee, Sharnel leads the Mahogany Writing Community and manages the team and its contributors. She works remotely from her home outside...
read more As a full-time Hallmark employee, Sharnel leads the Mahogany Writing Community and manages the team and its contributors. She works remotely from her home outside Atlanta, Georgia, where she lives with her husband. She is a graduate of the GREAT Bethune-Cookman University and currently pursuing her Master of Science in Business Analytics from Mercer University. Sharnel believes that this community will elevate Black women’s voices by acknowledging, appreciating, and affirming them.
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read more As a full-time Hallmark employee, Sharnel leads the Mahogany Writing Community and manages the team and its contributors. She works remotely from her home outside Atlanta, Georgia, where she lives with her husband. She is a graduate of the GREAT Bethune-Cookman University and currently pursuing her Master of Science in Business Analytics from Mercer University. Sharnel believes that this community will elevate Black women’s voices by acknowledging, appreciating, and affirming them.
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Teresa Leggard (she/her)
Editorial Lead
Teresa is a Brooklyn-born, Jersey-raised, Midwest transplant. She’s a writer, editor, theater director, and creative collaborator. She’s a proud graduate of Spelman College and earned...
read more Teresa is a Brooklyn-born, Jersey-raised, Midwest transplant. She’s a writer, editor, theater director, and creative collaborator. She’s a proud graduate of Spelman College and earned her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Teresa sees all of her work—across genres and disciplines—as an opportunity to help people say what they mean.
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read more Teresa is a Brooklyn-born, Jersey-raised, Midwest transplant. She’s a writer, editor, theater director, and creative collaborator. She’s a proud graduate of Spelman College and earned her Master of Fine Arts at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Teresa sees all of her work—across genres and disciplines—as an opportunity to help people say what they mean.
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Ursula James (she/her)
Community/Content Lead
Ursula James is a multimedia journalist and communications strategist where she has worked with sports teams, public figures, universities, and non-profits, to name a few....
read more Ursula James is a multimedia journalist and communications strategist where she has worked with sports teams, public figures, universities, and non-profits, to name a few. She attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and is currently pursuing her Executive MBA at the University of Central Florida. In addition, Ursula enjoys fashion, laughing with friends and family, serving her community, and exploring new territory in her spare time.
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read more Ursula James is a multimedia journalist and communications strategist where she has worked with sports teams, public figures, universities, and non-profits, to name a few. She attended Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and is currently pursuing her Executive MBA at the University of Central Florida. In addition, Ursula enjoys fashion, laughing with friends and family, serving her community, and exploring new territory in her spare time.
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