Sheila B. Stokes is the driving force behind the forming of Head Down Chest Up Corporation and serves as President of the company and Chair of the Board of Directors. Sheila grew up in Leggett, N.C., a small
community in Edgecombe County, which is one of the most underserved counties in the state of North Carolina. Sheila was raised by her paternal grandmother and her father. Sheila’s grandmother was the caretaker for the family which included helping raise many of her cousins. Her grandmother, Ella managed to take care of everyone by sacrificing her needs to make sure everyone else’s needs were met. As a child and an adult, Sheila remembers her grandmother going to the doctor, but Sheila never
remembers her grandmother speaking of her healthcare until later in life.

Sheila has worked in the community for several years using her personal resources to advocate the importance of mammogram screenings in underserved communities. While in graduate school, Sheila conducted extensive research on the correlation between African American women and breast cancer. Sheila completed her Capstone Defense on the topic of Breast Cancer in the African American community. The more Sheila researched this topic, the more passionate she became. Sheila was inspired by her professors and her husband of over 30 years of marriage to take the leap of faith and do what she is passionate about.