Oloye Ifatola Tifase
Founder & President, Forward Together Foundation

Chief Tola’s professional journey includes service as a Chicago Police dispatcher, an officer with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, and a healthcare outreach professional in home health and hospice. These roles gave her direct experience with crisis response, public safety, compassionate care, and the everyday challenges facing families. She studied at Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for Inner City Studies and Chicago State University.

As founder of Tola’s Creations Botanica, Wellness and Cultural Center, she created a Black owned Chicago space for culturally rooted wellness, community education, spiritual services, and hands on learning. Her programs have addressed ancestral knowledge, spiritual hygiene, women’s wellness, breast cancer awareness, domestic violence education, and community healing. Her own experience as a breast cancer survivor strengthened her commitment to early detection, personal advocacy, and helping people seek support without shame.

Chief Tola is a Chief within the Egungun society and has been initiated into several priesthoods within Traditional African spirituality. She travels to Nigeria for continued study, cultural exchange, and participation in cultural and educational programs. A textile artist who has danced with community organizations, she views art, movement, cloth, ceremony, and storytelling as essential ways to preserve memory and identity. As a wife and mother of three, she brings family, resilience, creativity, and lived experience to the work of Forward Together Foundation.