Our Founder
Kneeshe Parkinson
Speaking from Experience with Kneeshe Parkinson
Kneeshe Parkinson is the Founder of RISE Impact a motivational speaker, Certified Life Coach, Trainer,
Facilitator, Activist, and Founder of KneesheSpeaksSTL~2018. Kneeshe is an awardee of the BALSA
Foundation where she has invested her time over a 10-week Cohort and received a cash award of
$1000.00 in seed start-up funding for her non-profit. Kneeshe Parkinson has nearly two decades of
catalyzing individuals in the areas of health, education, and emotional well-being. Her passion is
implementing programs that positively influence underlying social determinants of health. Kneeshe
believes that all black women have the right to sustain a quality of life and be able to manifest and RISE
to their FULL potential.
She is an active member of the Black Women’s Work Group for RISK TO REASONS, a project designed to
help black women talk about body autonomy, passion, love, and relationships. She is an active member
of Positive Women’s Network USA-Missouri State Lead. As an active member, she was invited by Dr.
Laura Cheever Deputy Associate Administrator and the Chief Medical Officer of the HIV/AIDS Bureau at
Health Resources and Services Administration “Catalyzing Success: Advancing Innovation, Leverage
Data, Ending the HIV Epidemic” for people fighting against the disease of HIV. She was a Keynote
Speaker for the National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment in Washington D.C. in
December 2018 where 4,500 participants attended from all across the world.
Kneeshe continues to educate herself to help others pull through adverse situations. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on sociology, psychology, and gender studies in May 2019 from the University of Missouri -St. Louis. In addition, she received her associate degree in Human Services from Saint Louis Community College and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Kneeshe was driven at a very young age to begin her work in the social services field by volunteering with the Helena Hatch Center for women, an organization serving women with HIV/AIDS. Kneeshe’s passion stemmed from the HIV diagnosis of her aunt, Helena Hatch. Her illness and unfortunate death had a dramatic impact on Kneeshe’s life. Kneeshe has always had a positive impact on those around her.
Kneeshe has been a Consumer Liaison in her region working countless hours over the last 24 months on Quality Improvement efforts for PLWHA alongside the Missouri Statewide Quality Management Team in collaboration with H4C Continuum Collaborative spearheaded by the National Quality Center. Kneeshe recently was inducted into the 2020 Leading Women's Society in October 2017 Society by SisterLove, an organization dedicated to eradicating “the impact of HIV and sexual and reproductive oppression upon all women.” She is a passionate advocate for pregnant women with HIV. In addition to being a PWN policy fellow, she is the PWN State Lead for Missouri, where she was named PWN Shero of the Month for October 2018 and is a fierce advocate. She has presented several workshops for women on national and international platforms. She is a technical content expert for the Health Resources Administration and has worked alongside key stakeholders to build capacities globally.
Kneeshe has worked on the steering committee for Positive Perspective Study with Viiv Pharmaceutical for 2 years, which has provided a profound impact on the study for PLWHIV. She presented a poster CAHR in 2018. She formerly consulted as a content expert with the Center for Quality Improvement & Innovation (CQII) ECHO Project collaborative for Black African American & Latina women. Kneeshe wrote and presented a workshop called “Removed the Bandages” Dual Identities of Survivors SYNC Conference in Washington DC. Keeping women’s lived experiences at the forefront of changing the narrative for black women in communities. Her devoted work in many capacities has provided women access to healthcare, education, liberation, and freedom to advocate for human rights and injustices.
Kneeshe continues to educate herself to help others pull through adverse situations. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree with an emphasis on sociology, psychology, and gender studies in May 2019 from the University of Missouri -St. Louis. In addition, she received her associate degree in Human Services from Saint Louis Community College and was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
Kneeshe was driven at a very young age to begin her work in the social services field by volunteering with the Helena Hatch Center for women, an organization serving women with HIV/AIDS. Kneeshe’s passion stemmed from the HIV diagnosis of her aunt, Helena Hatch. Her illness and unfortunate death had a dramatic impact on Kneeshe’s life. Kneeshe has always had a positive impact on those around her.
Kneeshe has been a Consumer Liaison in her region working countless hours over the last 24 months on Quality Improvement efforts for PLWHA alongside the Missouri Statewide Quality Management Team in collaboration with H4C Continuum Collaborative spearheaded by the National Quality Center. Kneeshe recently was inducted into the 2020 Leading Women's Society in October 2017 Society by SisterLove, an organization dedicated to eradicating “the impact of HIV and sexual and reproductive oppression upon all women.” She is a passionate advocate for pregnant women with HIV. In addition to being a PWN policy fellow, she is the PWN State Lead for Missouri, where she was named PWN Shero of the Month for October 2018 and is a fierce advocate. She has presented several workshops for women on national and international platforms. She is a technical content expert for the Health Resources Administration and has worked alongside key stakeholders to build capacities globally.
Kneeshe has worked on the steering committee for Positive Perspective Study with Viiv Pharmaceutical for 2 years, which has provided a profound impact on the study for PLWHIV. She presented a poster CAHR in 2018. She formerly consulted as a content expert with the Center for Quality Improvement & Innovation (CQII) ECHO Project collaborative for Black African American & Latina women. Kneeshe wrote and presented a workshop called “Removed the Bandages” Dual Identities of Survivors SYNC Conference in Washington DC. Keeping women’s lived experiences at the forefront of changing the narrative for black women in communities. Her devoted work in many capacities has provided women access to healthcare, education, liberation, and freedom to advocate for human rights and injustices.
