TaNikka Marie Sheppard is a visionary leader and a passionate leadership development specialist and coach who is committed to equipping faith-based leaders, churches, and organizations around the world to live, lead, and inspire others with excellence. She is the president and founder of Sheppard Leadership Solutions where she designs leadership development programs that sharpen vision, strengthen impact, and empower next-generation leaders. In 2025, she published the SLS 28-Day Reset, a transformative 4-week boot camp designed to renew leaders’ minds, hone their focus, and equip them for flourishing discipleship and impactful service.
TaNikka currently serves as the General Secretary of the North American Baptist Fellowship (NABF), a diverse community of 35 Baptist denominations, schools, and organizations across the United States and Canada. She also serves as the Regional Executive Minister of the Cleveland Baptist Association (CBA) in Cleveland, Ohio, an association that has strengthened local churches since 1832. Her past international leadership roles include the Assistant General Secretary and Treasurer of NABF (2023–2024), immediate past president of Baptist Women of North America (BWNA), a former vice president of the Baptist World Alliance Women’s Department (2017–2022), co-chair of the Baptist World Alliance Commission on Transformational Leadership (2020–2025), and team leader of the International Youth Development Department of Lott Carey. TaNikka holds two B.A. degrees from The Ohio State University, an M.Div. from the Methodist Theological School of Ohio, and a Doctor of Ministry in Global Leadership from Virginia Union University with research focused on leadership development, liberation theologies, and contemporary missiologies. Above all, she strives to live out Luke 9:23 and follow Christ daily with humility, courage, justice, and compassion.