our Team

Gia Claybrooks is an activist educator dedicated to sharing love, expanding community, and empowering those around her that thriving is not a privilege but a birthright. She founded Thrive Liberation Community Center in 2022 as a love letter to her community who helped raise her into the woman she is today. While she is building the first community center in Charlotte, it most certainly won't be the only city. Gia is on a mission to see Black people gather together in the community, learn how to effectively create community change, heal from the things that have harmed them from shining brightly, and just be all over the United States. 

Gia is a very proud graduate of Howard University where she received her Bachelor’s in Political Science. Before bringing Thrive to life, Gia served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, a community organizer in Charlotte, received her Master's in Education from Vanderbilt University concentrating in Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies in 2020, and the Site Director at UrbanPromise Charlotte. 

Gia is dedicated to leading with a heart to serve and is inviting anyone who is passionate about Black communities being free to join hands with her in partnership. After all, we cannot do this work alone.