Why We Exist

We exist to help Hawthorne and Walt Whitman neighborhoods thrive. When residents speak, we listen and respond—creating events and experiences that reflect community needs and neighborhood pride. Northside Neighbors is here to help your neighborhoods thrive.

Behavior Statements

We listen to Hawthorne and Walt Whitman residents with respect and empathy, creating programs that reflect community voices and celebrate neighborhood pride. By highlighting local talent and strengthening connections, we help both communities thrive.

Learn more

Northside Neighbors - Behavior Statements

Belief Statements

We believe Hawthorne and Walt Whitman thrive when every resident feels seen, heard, and valued. Their strength comes from local stories, culture, and talent, and meaningful change happens when neighbors work together with shared pride and purpose.

Learn more

Meet The Team

Reggie Ivey

Executive Director

If you’ve ever crossed paths with Reggie Ivey, you know his calling isn’t a job, it’s a lifetime of showing up for the people of Tulsa.

For more than three decades, Reggie has been a steady, trusted voice for families in North Tulsa. His work has always been rooted in one belief: everyone deserves a fair shot at a healthy, joyful life. From fighting for better access to care, to building programs that lift up parents, young people, and longtime residents, Reggie has spent his career removing barriers so communities can rise.

Today, he continues to champion health equity, push for systems that work with community, and remind us that real change begins with real relationships.Northside Neighbors is grateful to have him as a guiding light in this work.

Kelsi Burrell

Program Coordinator

If you know Kelsi, you know her heart beats for people. Raised with a deep commitment to healing, connection, and community, Kelsi shows up every day believing North Tulsa deserves joy, investment, and opportunity—not someday, but right now. As a Program Coordinator with Northside Neighbors, she brings compassion, strategy, and a steady, grounding presence to the work. Kelsi leads with a relationship first mentality – whether she’s hosting neighborhood events, uplifting resident voices, guiding experiential learning trips, or
walking alongside partners who share the vision for a thriving Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, Kelsi is a builder of bridges and a champion for belonging. She helps create spaces where families feel seen, youth feel empowered, and neighbors feel connected. Her work is rooted in one belief: inclusion creates connection, and connection creates the kind of community where everyone can rise.

Daquet Wilson

Community Wellbeing Director

When you meet Daquet, one thing is clear right away—she loves North Tulsa.

Raised in this community, learning in the same schools, and walking on the same streets, Daquet carries North Tulsa with her in everything she does.

Daquet believes in generational wealth built within the community, not around it. That neighbors deserve the power to shape their own futures. And that every neighborhood should offer the amenities and spaces that make healthy choices easy. Daquet has worn many hats – fitness instructor, community organizer, and community wellbeing advocate – but the throughline is always the same: lifting up people so they can thrive right here at home.

Whether she’s championing physical and mental health, pushing for housing that honors legacy, or walking alongside partners who share the vision, Daquet shows up with intention, humility, and deep respect for the stories that make North Tulsa what it is. A collaborator, a listener, and a neighbor through and through, Daquet reminds us what it looks like to build a future worthy of the next generation.

Dr. Melissa Woolridge

Education Director

Dr. Melissa has spent more than 30 years pouring into Tulsa’s young people as a science teacher, Dean of Students, Asst. Principal, and Principal. Most recently, she led Booker T. Washington High School, guiding it to become the highest-performing high school in Tulsa. After retiring from the public school system, her heart for service never stopped.

As a proud product of north Tulsa, Dr. Melissa is truly excited to come back home in this new role with Northside Neighbors. She sees this work not as a job, but as a chance to continue serving the community that shaped her.

As Director of Education, Melissa looks forward to partnering with families, listening to their hopes, and helping create opportunities for every child in Hawthorne and Whitman to thrive. She brings the lessons she’s learned as an educator—and mother— a deep belief that north Tulsa’s story is still being written, and that its future will be brighter than its past. Her personal mission is simple- bring meaningful, lasting change to the neighborhoods she loves by standing alongside the residents in a steady and forward march.

Board of Directors

Brandon Oldham

Senior Program Officer –
Geroge Kaiser Family Foundation,
Board Chair

Brittany Swain

School Director –
Hawthorne Educare

Northside Neighbors - Board Members - Rue Ramsay

Rue Ramsey

Vice-President of Workforce –
Tulsa Regional Chamber

Danny Williams

Attorney –
Frederic Dorwart, Lawyers

Mikeale Campbell

Diversity & Inclusion
Program Manager –
Williams Companies

Ashley Townsend

Vice President Community Manager – J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

“When a Northside Neighbors team member shakes your hand and agrees to do something, it’s as good as a signed contract. My organization, Good Deeds 360 Foundation, hosts a Christmas Giveback Event every year, and this year we are partnering with Northside Neighbors because of a handshake. They are exceptional partners.”

Monica Fox, Good Deeds 360 Foundation

“I am excited about the work Northside Neighbors is doing along the 36th Street North corridor through strategic land development and acquisition to bring businesses and amenities to the area. These efforts are strengthening our confidence and reinforcing the community’s belief that meaningful, positive change is on the way.”

Pastor Vanzelen Brown, Greater Union Baptist Church

“Northside Neighbors is connecting the Hawthorne and Walt Whitman neighborhoods in ways that haven’t been done before. The team actively engages residents and gathers their feedback, ensuring our voices are heard in spaces where we are often not invited.”

Brittany Swain, School Director, Hawthorne Educare; Hawthorne Resident

“Northside Neighbors is giving our community a sense of wholeness that we haven’t felt in a long time.”

Pastor Vanzelen Brown, Greater Union Baptist Church

“It finally feels like the 36th Street North corridor is being reimagined into something renewed and useful—benefiting the residents who have traditionally lived here while also attracting new neighbors and visitors to our community. We are excited that Northside Neighbors is here.”

Pam Wilson, Walt Whitman Resident

“The great thing about Northside Neighbors is that they ask what we want and need, rather than simply coming in to rescue us or pretend to do so. They come alongside residents to bring transformative change to our neighborhoods.”

Pastor Vanzelen Brown, Greater Union Baptist Church