Founder/Board Director/President/Treasurer

Jacqueline H. Adj-Omania is the Founder & President of Pursuit of African Roots, Inc.  She was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas where she graduated from Oscar Dean Wyatt high school. Jacqueline is a Veteran, where she served in the Army National Guards and later switched branches to serve full-time active duty in the Air Force. After her military career, Jacqueline obtained an Associate of Applied Science degree in Photography from the Art Institute of Houston, Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in Houston, Texas, and Master of Arts in New Media Journalism degree from Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida.  Jacqueline has been employed in the private and public sector working for Chase Bank, Chase Auto Finance, and the City of Houston Housing & Community Development.  Jacqueline is world traveled thanks to her personal exposure and military duty assignments.  She has spent time in Ankara Turkey, Ramstein Germany, Amsterdam Holland, Guangzhou China, Manchester England, Nassau Bahamas, Accra Ghana, and Serekunda Gambia.

 The Pursuit of African Roots Nonprofit Corporation 501(c)(3) was started based on the personal experiences and journey Jacqueline embarked on to find her biological father in 2017 and the unspeakable joy she felt after visiting and connecting with Africans on the continent from her trips to Ghana and the Gambia in West Africa.  Her birth father was deceased; therefore, it was difficult to find about him or other relatives, so she decided to take the Ancestry.com DNA test in hopes of reconnecting with living relatives from her father’s side and region(s) in the world where her story started. Although she was unable to connect the dots to the three people who were identified as close family members, Jacqueline discovered there were nine regions where her DNA matched most: Nigeria 37%, Cameroon, Congo & Western Bantu Peoples 16%, Mali 14%, Benin & Togo 13%, Ivory Coast & Ghana 10%, Scotland 4%, Ireland 3%, Senegal 2% and Indigenous Americas-North 1%.  She was ecstatic to find out 92% of her DNA matched with the continent of Africa.  During further research, Jacqueline then discovered AfricanAncestry.com which uses the largest database of African genetic sequences to pinpoint ancestral roots to the present-day African country and ethic group, since she is of African descent.  After taking the African Ancestry DNA test, Jacqueline has been able to identify her maternal lineage to the Tikar people in Cameroon, West Africa, which spans to her great grandmother, grandmother, mother, sisters, daughter, and granddaughter.  Jacqueline’s quest to fine her father and reconnect to her heritage led her to making this a reality for other African American families.  As a descendant of one of the 10.7 million enslaved Africans that survived the dreaded middle passage shipped to the New World (North America, the Caribbean, and South America), Jacqueline is passionate about obtaining resources to help recapture the lost past of African American families through DNA testing, learning African languages, and exposure to African cultural on the continent.

In Jacqueline’s spare time, she enjoys watching movies online from Nigeria and Ghana, spending time with her family, as well as catching up with close friends for brunch, many mini solo getaways, and girl’s trips as time permits. Jacqueline is divorced with three beautiful adult children; one daughter and two sons, and two grandchildren; one girl and boy.

Board Director / Vice President

I have over thirty years of rewarding experience teaching students in public, private, charter, church, and alternative schools. Empowered and Encouraged women as an editor of the award-winning blog- Women Are Gamechangers. Recognized the need to work directly with teachers to better serve students. Co-Founded Legacy Pro Mentoring, LLC, to support teachers with empowerment and encouragement through mentoring and professional development.

Trained as a teacher through an alternative teaching program after a decade of US Government service, I have always had a desire to see students achieve. But along the way, I found more satisfaction and passion in helping coworkers achieve their highest potential. Having transitioned from government to teaching has positioned me to see other perspectives of teaching that encouraged me to develop this opportunity to help students achieve by helping their teachers succeed.

I have enjoyed working with the teachers of Bright Brains Montessori School in Accra, Ghana. Presenting virtual professional development throughout the school year was a pleasure and a privilege. Two years into this new career path, I have found that helping professionals present their strengths, whether in the classroom, the boardroom, or as an interviewer to be a fulfilling endeavor.

Through my collaboration with Bright Brains Montessori School and three years of teaching in the United Arab Emirates, I discovered my ability to design educational products that not only helped teachers with a practical example of the concepts we talked about through consultations, but the sheer joy the students experienced when engaging in the activities that are designed to teach them lifelong skills. Legacy Pro Mentoring is now wholly designed, professional developments, individual teacher consultations, and the copyrighted product, Full STEAM Ahead Writing Readiness program.

Having worked internationally, and with teachers from all over the world, I believe that I can contribute to the students’ experiences at Pursuit of African Roots, Inc.

Board Director / Secretary

Cathi Dixon is a meticulous, task-driven Executive Assistant with 30+ years of administrative experience in managing C-suite office operations. She is currently the Secretary of the Board for Pursuit of African Roots, Inc.

Cathi Dixon is equipped with the exceptional ability to facilitate all aspects of internal and external communications and support day-to-day administrative/operational functions by working collaboratively on all professional levels. She enthralls a niche when aligning business objectives with comprehensive administrative knowledge to achieve maximum operational impacts, conserve time, and boost efficiency.

Cathi was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and is a proud graduate of Kashmere Senior High School. She attended Texas Southern University and holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is presently employed at Unity National Bank as the Executive Assistant to the President. Cathi has served as President and Secretary of the PTO and assisted with Top Teens of America Annual Gala.

In Cathi’s spare time, she thoroughly enjoys spending time with her husband, Kerry of 40+ years, traveling, and spending family time with their 3 children, 3 in-loves, and 9 grandchildren. They are dedicated members of Corinth Church.