Complexity Made Simple

About Us

At DVA Training & Development Services, we believe knowledge has the power to uplift individuals and unite communities. For over 14 years, our Black family-owned business has been facilitating personalized growth through education that motivates positive change.

Mission

With over 10 years experience strengthening communities, DVA Leadership and Development Training Consultants' mission is to educate and motivate leaders by providing customized professional development services. We work directly with employers, school administrators, and faith leaders to co-design training that meets each organization’s unique needs. By integrating culturally aware, age-appropriate learning using data-informed services, our goal is to motivate meaningful growth across generations within the Black community through a dedication to educate and elevate.

Our Vision is to Make Complex Learning Simple!

We do this by using creative play to promote learning. Play has been shown to release endorphins, improve brain functionality, and stimulate creativity. Play is often perceived as unproductive and a waste of time. Quite the contrary. Youth and adults alike enjoy playing! Play within a professional development atmosphere can enhance critical thinking, identify leadership skills, promote spontaneity and lead to childlike laughter, that serves to reduce stress. Team building activities build on existing relationships and opens the possibility of nurturing relationships that might be struggling. Working together in a controlled environment makes learning possible. Learning new skills to work within difficult relationships is now possible. DVA motivates you to PLAY and together, we LEARN!

DVA’s History of Educating & Motivating Communities

Origins Rooted in Healthy Childhood Development

With Chicago’s communities of color facing systemic barriers to educational access and support, Sandra built DVA on the belief that all children have potential waiting to emerge. She developed trauma-informed programs infused with joyful play activities to promote resilience, character growth, and leadership skills.

By 2011, DVA was coordinating engaging social-emotional learning across marginalized neighborhoods to equip both students and youth development workers with the mindsets to overcome adversity.

An Expanding Mission to Bridge Inequity

In response to prevalent achievement gaps for Black and Brown students, DVA expanded its outreach between 2012-2014 in partnership with True Star Foundation and Chicago Public Schools. Always meeting communities with a “from the cradle to the grave” philosophy, programming now spanned financial literacy and de-escalation techniques.

The goal stayed consistent: motivate students and staff most impacted by trauma with knowledge and tools for growth.

Deep Collaboration to Amplify Systemic Change

By 2015, recognizing the interconnected obstacles facing individuals and families, DVA grew influential collaborations with city and state agencies overseeing human services, family assistance, and child welfare. A depth of community trust and insider understanding enables transforming policies and structures from within.

Simultaneously, bridges were built with Black congregations to provide comprehensive, culturally-affirming support. Faith spaces hold rich potential for motivating change across generations when equipped with learning tailor-made for their needs.

At the core of all partnerships sits DVA’s commitment to economic, health and safety outcomes for neighborhoods most adversely impacted by existing systems. Healing communities requires informed decision makers and stimulated environments where every person feels seen, heard and set up for success.

The Next Era of Empowerment

When Sandra’s husband Darryl joined full-time in 2017, his lived experience brought an added layer of insight spanning substance abuse recovery, second chances, and the power of purpose.

And in 2018 when DVA became the first Black-owned business to move into Aurora’s Thrive Collaborative Center for entrepreneurs, it represented a springboard for lifting more voices from Chicago’s south side up across the metro area and beyond.

Now 14 years strong of educating and motivating students, congregations, companies, agencies, and leaders – from community developers to corporate consultants – DVA walks in courage and conviction that every environment has potential waiting for the right spark. Our evolution is a testimony to what happens when you tend soil patiently until growth sprouts organically from places long left barren.

This is just the beginning.

Cultivating Transformational Partnerships

At DVA Leadership and Development Training Consultants, we partner with diverse organizations to catalyze transformation through customized professional development.

School District Collaborations

We strengthen student engagement, advance trauma-informed disciplinary practices, and improve family-school connections by equipping teachers, administrators and support staff with targeted training, project design assistance, and data-driven evaluation.

Business & Association Partnerships

Leveraging psychology, we elevate workplace cultures via communication and accountability workshops alongside leadership development coaching to drive retention and inclusivity.

Nonprofit & Community Partnerships

From organizational assessments to strategic planning facilitation, our actionable training and capacity-building guidance empowers nonprofit teams to amplify mission impacts.

Faith Institution Partnerships

With immense community influence, we help congregations maximize outreach and bridge generational divides through consultations grounded in cultural competency and neighborhood needs assessments.

At DVA, we meet partners where they are, taking time to comprehend unique challenges and growth goals. Collaboratively, we design custom professional development roadmaps and resources to drive individual and collective transformation.

Many Branches from One Strong Tree: Family Businesses Cultivating Change

Recognizing DVA's Work

In 2022 and 2023, DVA partnered with the West Side Heroin Opioid Task Force convened by 8th District State Representative, La Shawn K Ford to host a Community Resource and Recognition Event. This event offered resources and information, free lunch, training, free haircuts and so much more! This event was internationally recognized by the Pennington Institute in their International Overdose Awareness Day Partners’ Report.