Read the full stored bill text
M
URIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
March 20, 2026
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section
2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3, 1979 (D.C. Law 2-
142; D.C. Official Code § 1-523.01), and pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.06(c), I am pleased
to nominate the following individual:
Ms. Ajia Minnis
Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
(Ward 6)
for reappointment as a specialty cosmetologist licensed in the District member of the Board of Barber
and Cosmetology, for the remainder of an unexpired term to end December 13, 2028.
Enclosed, you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-m entioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Council’s earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor’s Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Muriel B owser
Mayor
I ~~
2 ~ hilMendelson
3 at the request of the Mayor
4
5
6 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
7
8
9
10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
11
12
13
14
15 To confirm the reappointment of Ajia Minnis to the Board of Barber and Cosmetology
16
17 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
18 resolution may be cited as the "Board of Barber and Cosmetology Ajia Minnis Confirmation
19 Resolution of 2026".
20 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the reappointment of:
21
22 Ajia Minnis
23 Constitution A venue, NE
24 Washington, DC 20002
25 (Ward 6)
26
27 as a specialty cosmetologist licensed in the District member of the Board of Barber and
28 Cosmetology, established by D.C. Official Code§ 47-2853.06(c), for the remainder of an
29 unexpired term to end December 13, 2028.
30 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution,
31 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
32 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
Ajia Maximillian Minnis
Profile
Experienced sales professional with a proven history of success in the SaaS industry. 1000+ personal hours dedicated to economic empowerment,
animal welfare, and youth advancement.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, MS Ed, Educational Entrepreneurship, 2022
Bennett Career Institute, Natural Hair & Braiding Graduate, 2021
Zamora Natural Hair Academy,Natural Hair & Braiding Graduate, 2020
Columbia University, MA, Applied Exercise Physiology, 2016
CUNY Hunter College, BA, Spanish Language and Literature, 2013
Stuyvesant High School, 2005
Experience
Trualta Washington, DC May 2022-Present
Enterprise Sales Executive
● Consult health insurance companies around how to better engage family caregivers with a family caregiver eLearning platform in order to
decrease emergency department utilization, decrease caregiver distress, increase member satisfaction, decrease hospitalizations, and
enable more people to age in place longer.
Thrive Hair Bar LLC SF, CA - Arlington, VA - Washington,DC January 2019-Present
Owner/Founder/CEO
● Grew revenue 670% from year 1 to year 2
● On track to grow revenue 340% from year 2 to year 3
● Conceptualized, researched, and developed the Thrive Hair Bar brand
● Recruited, interviewed, and hired all contractors and employees
● Developed Thrive Hair Bar salon training program
● Recruit, manage, and lead a quarterly revolving team of dermatology, marketing, and financial interns
● Research, recruit, and partner with local artists, businesses, and scientists for events
● Auditing and analyzing financial performance and compiling financial reports
● Financial forecasting and risk analysis
Hustle Washington,DC August 2020-September 2021
Enterprise Sales Executive
● Consulted Nonprofit, Higher Education, K-12 Education, and Commercial Institutions in how to best communicate with their target
market/community via text
● Won contracts with organizations like Howard University Graduate School, CIAA, The George School, and the Idaho Conservation League
● Owned entire sales cycle from prospecting through to contract signature
● Led an educational buying experience for technologically unsavvy customers
SalesLoft SF, CA - Washington,DC February 2019-August 2020
Commercial Sales Executive
● Top 10 Commercial Sales Executive Q1 2021
● 2nd Highest Team ACV YTD
● Lead a consultative sales cycle working with 3-8 key stakeholders per deal over 3 weeks-12 months with C-Suite decision makers & VPs of
Sales, Marketing, & Sales Operations
● Manage full ownerships of sales cycle from prospecting new logos to closure, self-sourcing ~50% of pipeline annually
● Effectively share SalesLoft solutions by tailoring demonstrations to relevant stakeholder challenges, goals, & key criteria
● Create client proposals to reflect specific, need- based ROI
● Leverage appropriate internal resources to close deals including solutions consultants, customer success, & leadership
● Nurture current customers to capture upsell opportunities and influence positive customer retention
Quartzy Palo Alto, CA August 2017-January 2019
Sales Executive
● 109% of quota in 2018 & 105% of quota in 2017
● Developed and led a new company initiative to capture business in a $21 billion market estimated to increase sales by 4% annually
● Identified 101 life science incubators and successfully secured partnerships with 22%, including Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS
● Closed and managed business at top research universities including Stanford University, Harvard University, & MIT
● Effectively communicated the value of Quartzy’s platform to Principal Scientists & Procurement while uncovering and understanding
customer needs and requirements
● Captured at least $1.63MM worth of sales in 2018 leveraging ~80% inbound and ~20% outbound efforts
● Managed full ownership of the sales cycle, from lead generation to closure
● Efficiently managed a pipeline of over 130 SMB, MM, and academic opportunities with a sales cycle of up to 60 days
GuideSpark San Francisco, CA October 2016-August 2017
Sales Development Representative
● 117% of annual quota in 10 months
● Generated $1.1MM in qualified opportunities over 10 months,
● Secured meetings with HR executives at enterprise organizations including AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, and AA
● Qualified outbound opportunities through online research and discovery calls
● Conducted industry and competitive analysis to identify 4 profitable, key markets
● Managed, tracked, and reported on all sales activities using Salesforce CRM
Helmet Salon Los Angeles, CA March 2016-May 2016
Receptionist
● Greeted, checked-in, and scheduled client appointments in person with the appropriate stylists
● Answered phone calls, questions, and scheduled salon appointments over the phone
● Maintained overall cleanliness of salon throughout shift
● Opened and prepared salon for clients at beginning of day and closed salon at end of each day to p
● Managed, tracked, and reported all daily cash transactions
Equinox NY , LA, SF, DC July 2012-Present
Group Fitness Instructor
● Inspire and enable members to achieve and surpass their fitness goals through superior group fitness coaching
● Drive membership retention and growth by analyzing industry landscape and developing addictive class formats based on market trends
and member needs
● Represent the Equinox brand while leading fitness classes and concerts for 20-1000+ participants at corporate events including the
warm-up for the JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge® and Zumba® classes for Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s Cycle for
Survival
Poling for Pets New York, NY June 2012-December 2015
Founder and Producer
● Conceptualized and realized an annual avant-garde performance benefit to promote performers, foster the development of their craft,
promote diversity and inclusion, and aid homeless animals in need
● Recruited and directed a team of over 30 talent and administrative volunteers
● Identified resources to generate and conserve funds
● Procured donated services and led ticket sales by leveraging social and extended, personal networks
● Secured corporate partnerships and sponsorships including French Connection SoHo, which donated 15% of retail proceeds from the
event day to Animal Haven Shelter, a no-kill shelter for abandoned dogs and cats
● Exceeded goal for total funds raised in year one by 10% by implementing a multi-channel approach to fundraising
● Increased public awareness and interest in events through featured interviews on Huffington Post Live, Playboy Radio, social media, and
press releases
Skills
Salesforce CRM, SalesLoft, G Suite, DocuSign, ZoomInfo, Zoom, GoToMeeting, ToutApp, Looker, Slack, Yesware, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, expert
verbal and written communication, market research and analysis, business development, project management, event production, actor,
choreographer, and dancer
E
xecutive Office of the Mayor – Mayor’s Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
A
jia Minnis
Ms. A
jia Minnis is the founder and CEO of Thrive Hair Bar. A s a Black
American and Black Puerto Rican from the Bronx, growing up she rarely,
if ever, saw kinkier hair textures celebrated in her community, in media,
or in professional settings. Visiting hair studios was often a negative
experience for her as a child, one that she wanted to improve for others.
Ms. Minnis joins the cosmetology community from her background as a
trained dancer, choreographer, and fitness instructor who joined
Washington, DC from New York City with 20 years of professional dance
experience. Ms. Minnis has taught at Shockra Studios (NYC), Cumbe
(NYC), Debbie Reynolds Dance Studios (LA), Uforia Dance (SF), and
for Equinox Gyms (NY, LA, SF).
She has performed and trained as a Sambista for Oba Oba International under Sydney Maria in
Los Angeles, as a West African dancer for Abeo Drummers and Dancers under Idrissa Kelly in
NYC, under Broadway choreographer George Faison, for various underground hip hop artists
across the country, and as a pole dancer in avant-garde shows and venues across NYC.
With her work as a performer, Ms. Minnis sought a natural hair salon. In searching for a hair home,
she found that natural salons were few and far between. And one too many times, when she’d
thought she’d finally found a modern salon to suit her needs, usually the assumption was that she
wanted her hair in a straight style. In 2020, she opened the first Thrive Hair Bar in Arlington,
Virginia. In 2021 she graduated from Bennett Career Institute with her Natural Hair Braiding
License, and in 2022 she began construction on Thrive Hair Bar’s DC location. Ms. Minnis is
passionate about bringing career opportunities in barber and cosmetology to disadvantaged people.
A Ward 6 resident, Ms. Minnis earned her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature
from Hunter College, her Master of Arts in Applied Exercise Physiology from Columbia
University, her Natural Hair and Braiding Certificate from Bennett Career Institute, and her Master
of Science in Educational Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania.
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
______________________________________________________________________________
The John A. Wilson Building • 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20004 • Office (202) 724-7681
To: Tomas Talamante, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: February 19, 2026
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolution s nominating Kimberley Grimes , Anwar
Saleem, Dennis Smith, Korie Booker, Ajia Minnis, Vernon Martin, and David
Cavalcante as members of the Board of Barber and Cosmetology
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above -referenced resolution s and
found them to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Erika Satterlee, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at 202-
724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
______________________________
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish