Community Advisory Board

Dr. Ernie Kaninjing, DrPH, MPH, MBA, CHES, is a behavioral scientist specializing in prostate cancer and health disparity research. He holds the position of Associate Professor of Public Health at Georgia College & State University, bringing over nine years of experience in community-engaged research within underserved communities.

His research focuses on assessing the intersections of social, behavioral, and genetic factors on health outcomes. Specifically, Dr. Kaninjing examines the impact of immigration on prostate cancer outcomes among sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States. He also explores "within-group differences" in prostate cancer outcomes among men of African heritage.

Since 2016, Dr. Kaninjing has collaborated with Dr. Adedipe on various research projects.

Dr. Montgomery, originally from Miami, Florida, relocated to Tallahassee/Thomasville over 30 years ago. He currently holds the position of Professor of Accounting and Business at Tallahassee State College. Additionally, he serves as a Partner in ELM Management Group Inc/CPA and ELM Insurance and Financial Services LLC. With 38 years of experience, Dr. Montgomery has been teaching and practicing accounting, taxation, and insurance.

In December 2022, Dr. Montgomery was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. Opting for radiation treatment from February 2023 to April 2023, his PSA levels are now within the normal range. He actively advocates for Prostate Cancer awareness. Dr. Montgomery is married to Dr. Rena Montgomery, and they have 3 adult daughters and 1 adult son.

Cornelius Brown, a resident of Miami, Florida for the past 47 years, graduated from Florida Memorial University in 1979. He has been blissfully married to Mrs. Shirley Lloyd-Brown for 41 years, and they have three children and six grandchildren.

During his career, Cornelius worked for nineteen years at the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office. He obtained two post-graduate degrees: a Master of Management from St. Thomas University and a Master of Science in Special Education from Florida International University. He served as a High School Education Teacher for 14 years before retiring in 2017. Cornelius is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

In late 2015, Cornelius was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He opted for surgery in June 2016 and has been cancer-free for the past eight years. He feels fortunate to have joined a wonderful group of African American cancer survivors in late 2023.

Perry Cole is a 66-year-old resident of Texas. Perry worked for 30 years with the City of Detroit before relocating to Texas in 2006. He went on to work for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit System for 13 years managing the Engineering Department and has been fully retired since December 2020.

In June of 2021, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 8 despite only having a PSA level of 1.77. He underwent a radical prostatectomy in August of the same year. As of June 2024, his PSA has been undetectable for 3 years. Because of such a low PSA level, he has become a staunch promoter of monitoring your prostate health not only by a PSA test but periodically utilizing other tests such as a digital exam as well.

He is single and has 5 children and 6 grandchildren. Perry is a member of the Marsalis Ave Church of Christ.

Tommy Mitchell, a 1961 Florida A&M University graduate, retired after 28 years at FAMU, holding roles like Director of the Black Male College Explorers Program (1990-2007) and Director of Alumni Affairs (1979-1990). He toured with the Harlem Globetrotters for three years and received numerous honors, including induction into the FAMU Sports Hall of Fame (1989). As a “cancel survival”, He has served on the FAMU Advisory Board on Prostate Cancer and he currently serves as an “Advocate/ Motivation Speaker” related to Prostate Cancer. He's a Life Member of several organizations, including the NAACP and FAMU Rattler Boosters. Tommy is married to Audrey Smith, and they have three children, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Patrick, born in Jamaica, migrated to the US in 1980, where he served in the US Navy at the Naval Submarine Base in New London, CT. After retiring from Sprint/T-Mobile as a Network Engineer in 2022, he currently resides in New Jersey with his wife of over 40 years.

A father of a daughter and son, Patrick is a passionate advocate for prostate cancer awareness. Following his diagnosis in 2022, he underwent a seed implant procedure. Additionally, Patrick serves as Associate Minister of Pastoral Care at his church, Reformed Church of Highland Park.

Donald James Reese was born and reared in Milledgeville, Ga where he currently resides.  Donald is a 1980 graduate of Baldwin High School and a 2007 Graduate of Central Ga Technical College,  where he earned his master barber certification. Donald retired in 2011 from the Department of Corrections after serving 30 years with the State of GA.  In addition to the Department of Corrections, Donald retired as a Certified Nursing Assistant from Green Acres Nursing Home after serving the agency for over 30 years. Donald is currently employed as a Master Barber and the Manager of Freeman's Barber and Beauty Salon.

In his spare time, Donald enjoys playing golf, exercising, reading, listening to jazz, spending time with his family, and writing poetry. Donald has been married to the love of his life,  Pamela Reese for over 22 years. They have a blended family of three beautiful daughters and 4 grandchildren. He is a faithful and active member of his local church where he can often be found teaching Sunday School.

Mr. Odeleye, a 65-year-old prostate cancer survivor, was diagnosed in 2017 with a combination of benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer. Opting for Active Surveillance as the primary mode of care, he received direct guidance and ongoing counsel from several experts in the field, including family and friends.

With 30 years of experience as an innovative IT executive in the Financial Services industry and 20 years of independent Patent Law practice expertise, Mr. Odeleye has also been instrumental in enabling the vision of a 501(c)(3) community service organization for the past 20 years.

He currently resides in Utah with his wife of 41 years.