
Business & Financial Skills
Featuring the Elevate Financial Empowerment Program
A practical financial literacy course that helps participants take control of their finances and build a stronger financial future.
Official Program Flyer

Learn it. Plan it. Apply it. Build your future.
The Elevate Financial Empowerment Program, taught within Elevate's Financial Literacy Program, is a practical course designed to help participants take control of their finances and build a stronger financial future. Participants learn essential skills in budgeting, banking, saving, credit and credit scores, debt management, consumer protection, taxes, insurance, basic investing, and long-term wealth building.
Through hands-on activities, participants develop personalized financial goals and practical strategies they can apply immediately. The course emphasizes not only understanding money, but learning how to manage it, protect it, save it, and grow it.
Participants leave with a clearer understanding of their financial position and a personalized plan for moving toward financial stability, independence, and long-term financial wellness.

Meet Your Instructor
Financial Empowerment Program Instructor
Executive Director of Financial Operations & Organizational Compliance
Dr. Carlina Wilkes brings more than 24 years of federal financial management experience with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and holds DoD Financial Management Certification Level II. Her expertise includes federal cost accounting, budget development and monitoring, audit readiness, regulatory compliance, financial reporting, and long-term financial planning. At Elevate for Humanity, she oversees financial operations and organizational compliance and leads the Elevate Financial Empowerment Program, helping participants turn financial knowledge into practical plans for stability, independence, and long-term wellness.
Read Dr. Wilkes's Bio