MDC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Emeritus Professor of the Practice of Public Policy
Ambassador James A. Joseph is Emeritus Professor of the Practice of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Leader in residence for the Hart Leadership Program for many years, he was founder of the United States - Southern Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values at Duke and the University of Cape Town.
Ambassador Joseph has served in senior executive or advisory positions for four U.S. presidents, including appointments by President Jimmy Carter as Under Secretary of the Interior and President William Clinton as U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.
In 1999, the Republic of South Africa awarded Ambassador Joseph the Order of Good Hope, the highest honor bestowed on a citizen of another country. In 2008, he was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame and in 2010 he was honored by the United States Peace Corps for his life-long contributions to voluntarism and civil society.
After graduating from Southern University and Yale, Ambassador Joseph began his career at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1963, where he was founding co-chair of the local civil rights movement. A frequent speaker to academic, civic and religious audiences, he is the author of three books, The Charitable Impulse, Remaking America and Leadership as a Way of Being. His fourth book, Saved for a Purpose: A Journey from Private Virtues to Public Values, was published by Duke University Press in 2015. He is the recipient of nineteen honorary degrees and his undergraduate alma mater, Southern University, has named an endowed chair in his honor. The Board of Directors of the Council on Foundations appointed him President Emeritus and the Association of Black Foundation Executives established the James A. Joseph Lecture on Philanthropy. He is also chairman emeritus of the NHP Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Corporate Council at CARE USA
- Secretary / Director, Corporate Council - CARE City Council - City of Atlanta
Amir Farokhi is Director of the Corporate Council at CARE USA and serves on the Atlanta City Council. He has served as a Director of Strategy at Boston Consulting Group's BrightHouse division; Chief Operating Officer of College Advising Corps, an education non-profit; Founder and Executive Director of GeorgiaForward; and, as an attorney with an international law firm.
A graduate of Duke University and Duke University School of Law, he was a 2011 Marshall Memorial Fellow and Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, their dog, and two cats.
Andrew Loeb Shoenig (Andy) is passionate about bringing people together across boundaries to solve problems and strengthen collaborations. As the program director for community resilience, he leads a team that identifies, amplifies, and connects individual leaders, organizations, and coalitions towards a future where communities can thrive in an environment characterized by change and uncertainty. With a focus on rural communities and communities in the margins, he uses an array of technical assistance methods, including facilitation, conflict mediation, training, coaching, and relationship brokering.
Andy joined MDC in September 2019 as a partnership manager and was promoted to program director in 2021. Prior to joining the team, Andy organized international exchange programs to build sustainable relationships across the aisle, across sectors, and across the globe. From 2009-2011, he was a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Vienna, Austria with a focus on cross-cultural communication. Originally from Atlanta, GA, Andy now calls North Carolina home. He graduated with a BA in History and German Studies from Emory University and a Master of Public Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Annie McKay (they/them) joined the Race Matters Institute team in 2021. Based in North Carolina, they advise organizations and national policy networks on centering equity and inclusion in their organizational practices as they work to strengthen their commitment to racial justice. Previously Annie served as the President and CEO of Kansas Action for Children (KAC) and was appointed to the Kansas Children's Cabinet and the Governor's Education Council. They earned a BSW from the University of Kansas and an AM from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration.
Job Titles:
- Partner at Make Communities, LLC
- Trainer With the Race Matters Institute
Anthony Armstrong (he/him) has been a trainer with the Race Matters Institute since 2015. He specializes in organizational mission alignment as well as equitable policy, engagement, and program design. Based in Buffalo, NY, Anthony has been RMI's lead in its 5+ years of work with the community's Racial Equity Roundtable and other local clients. Anthony has a background and practice in community and organizational development and is a part-time instructor in neighborhood and community development at Buffalo State University. He holds an MS from Hunter College in Urban Affairs and a BA in Media Study from the University at Buffalo (NY) Honors College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Director
- Senior Program Director / Raleigh, NC
- Senior Program Director for Rural Prosperity
Brandy Bynum Dawson is the senior program director for Rural Prosperity and Investment. In this role Brandy leads MDC's rural and capacity building work in NC and beyond, managing a state, regional and national portfolio of work. Prior to joining MDC, she most recently worked for over three years as senior director of policy, research and innovation at the NC Rural Center, where she provided oversight and management of the Center's research and policy agendas, and innovative programs/initiatives, while cultivating partner relations and cross-programmatic, internal center-wide initiatives.
Having previously served for five years as co-founder, and associate director of Rural Forward NC formerly at the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation, she worked with the Director and program staff to manage, plan, organize, and direct daily capacity-building services of community initiatives in rural North Carolina. Gaining a strong footing in the policy-advocacy space, she worked at NC Child for over twelve years, where she conducted research and data analysis, led policy campaigns, engaged elected officials, and facilitated numerous community-based projects.
Bynum Dawson has been active in the nonprofit community for more than 20 years as a professional, volunteer, and board member. She has experience providing community development services to agencies, communities, and coalitions in the areas of civic engagement, action planning, results-based facilitation, program implementation, and organizational collaboration. She has facilitated several long-term initiatives across a wide array of subject areas such as education, health, access to mental health and substance abuse services, and delinquency prevention.
She serves on various boards and committees, including the NC Counts Coalition, Kids Voting NC, North Carolinians Against Gun Violence and the NC Bar Association Juvenile Justice and Children's Rights Section. Throughout her career, Brandy has been the recipient of awards for her dedication, leadership and commitment to effecting change for North Carolinians in the areas of rural community development, juvenile justice reform and health access.
A native northeastern North Carolinian, she graduated cum laude from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, receiving a bachelor's in psychology with a minor in sociology. She holds a master's degree in public administration from NC State University, with a concentration in mental health policy.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Director for the Rural Forward
- Vice President for Partnerships and Programs
- Vice President of Partnerships and Programs / Durham, NC
Calvin Allen was promoted to MDC's Vice President for Partnerships and Programs in December 2022, honing MDC's programmatic vision and direction while supervising MDC's program leaders. He also cultivates and manages key state, regional, and national partnerships across the 13 southern states MDC supports.
With 30 years of nonprofit experience in organizational development, philanthropy, rural community economic development, conflict management, and leadership development, Calvin holds a bachelor's degree and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University, where he has also been a co-instructor at the Nicholas School of the Environment for the past 10 years for their Community Based Environmental Management practicum.
Calvin joined MDC in 2021 as Senior Program Director for the Rural Forward program. He co-founded Rural Forward in 2014 after serving three years with the Golden LEAF Foundation as a community grantmaking program officer. He also served as deputy director at the Southern Rural Development Initiative, director of the National Community Forestry Service Center at the Conservation Fund, and associate director at the Dispute Settlement Center of Orange County.
He is a 1994 graduate of Leadership Durham and a 2003-2005 graduate of the William C. Friday Fellow for Human Relations through the Wildacres Leadership Initiative where he serves on the board of directors.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance
- Director of Finance / Cape Carteret, NC
Carolyn supports MDC's Chief Financial Officer, members of the executive management team, and MDC program directors by providing financial analysis for contract and administrative budgets and financial reporting.
Before coming to MDC, Carolyn held accounting and senior accounting positions with both large corporations and small, privately held businesses, including 13 years working in accounting for John Hancock Financial Services.
Educational background: BSBA in Accounting (Northeastern University, Boston, MA).
Chandler Briggs supports the MDC Rural Forward team's health equity work as well as our work in the Edgecombe and Nash County region of NC.
Chandler is currently a Master of Public Administration student at UNC-Chapel Hill. She plans to pursue a career in nonprofit management upon completion of her master's degree. Chandler has experience working for several different nonprofits, largely in human services, including Carolina For The Kids, Grow Your World, and the YMCA. She also spent a year working for the TEACCH Autism Program at UNC-Chapel Hill.
She is a Tar Heel born and bred, counting Chapel Hill as her hometown. Her hobbies include dance, sand volleyball, and running a small business.
Chandler joined MDC in May 2023.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
- Director of Communications / Raleigh, NC
Clarissa Goodlett is a communications professional with a passion for racial justice, equity, and advocacy work. As the Director of Communications at MDC, she develops and leads MDC's communication and brand strategy - implementing campaigns and strategies to highlight MDC's work through various broadcast, print, and digital channels.
Prior to joining MDC, Clarissa was the Director of Communications at Preservation North Carolina-a nationally recognized pioneer in historic preservation. She has worked in a variety of organizing and communications positions in higher education, government, and politics-including the Stone Center for Black Culture and History at UNC Chapel Hill, U.S. presidential and senate campaigns, and the North Carolina Governor's Office. An activist at heart, Clarissa held roles in community outreach and political advocacy at several non-profit organizations. She was part of the founding team at ColorofChange.org-the country's leading online racial justice organization.
Before stepping into politics, Clarissa worked as an engineer for an information technology consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a BS in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently serves on the City of Raleigh's Historic Resources and Museums Advisory Board and the board of the ACLU of North Carolina.
Having lived in over 12 cities and 9 states across the US, Clarissa is proud to call Raleigh, North Carolina home.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Administrator
- Accounts Administrator / Knightdale, North Carolina
Cole is MDC's Accounts Administrator. He helps manage the finance team where he processes payments as well as maintains invoices and receipts. He is skilled in bookkeeping and data analysis.
Cole holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Mount Olive.
Cole was raised in Knightdale, North Carolina where he currently resides. When he isn't processing payments, Cole enjoys getting active and spending time with his family or friends.
Job Titles:
- Building Manager
- Operations Coordinator
Coretta is the building manager for MDC's headquarters at 307 W. Main St. in Durham and provides general administrative support, manages leased office space and event space rental, event planning, information technology, and providing new-hire orientations and staff training.
With over 20 years of experience as an administrative assistant, she has a long history of providing support to executives, coordination of travel, maintaining documentation, and processing of paperwork. Her previous experience includes administrative responsibilities at Volt Workforce Solutions as vice president for operations, RHA Behavioral Health in Burlington, N.C., Global Administrative Assistant at IBM in North Carolina, and administrative secretary at Duke University Medical Center in Children's Primary Care.
Coretta has a passion for lifelong learning and helping others. She has volunteered as a youth counselor and mentor, at The Salvation Army Boys and Girls clubs, worked with displaced youth and youth activities at her church, and as an elderly caregiver.
Education: Coretta has a B.S. in behavioral and social science from North Carolina Central University and an AA in business administration from Vance-Granville (N.C.) Community College.
Job Titles:
- Communications Associate
- Communications Associate / Greensboro, NC
Daniel is a communications assistant supporting MDC's communications department in implementing campaigns and strategies to highlight MDC's work.
Daniel was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, and graduated from Gaithersburg High School in Montgomery County, M.D. Currently, Daniel attends North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, pursuing a bachelor of science in Journalism & Mass Communications. He has worked on several community projects in Southeast Washington, D.C. and served in numerous leadership roles in his local church.
Daniel is passionate about providing necessary and important information to underserved communities and making sure the underrepresented have a voice in all public arenas. Using video and digital media, he enjoys finding new and creative ways to share information and reach others.
Daniel Gitterman is Duncan MacRae '09 and Rebecca Kyle MacRae Professor of Public Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill. He also serves as Director of the Honors Seminar in Public Policy and Global Affairs (Washington, DC) and Director of the MPP Program. His first book, Boosting Paychecks: The Politics of Supporting America's Working Poor, published by Brookings Institution Press, examines the role of federal income tax and minimum wage in supporting low income working families in the United States. Gitterman's most recent book is The Intersector: How the Public, Nonprofit, and Private Sectors Can Address America's Challenges, also published by Brookings Institution Press is an edited volume exploring how cross-sector collaboration can solve seemingly intractable societal problems.
Most recently, he has published on NIH investments in pediatric research and lack of attention to new forms of childhood adversity. This include: The NIH childhood adversity portfolio: unmet needs, emerging challenges; The National Institute of Health and Responding to New Forms of Childhood Adversity; Making the case for pediatric research: a life-cycle approach.
As a Senior Fellow at MDC, he is leading a new project on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's) in the South: From Evidence to Action.
Job Titles:
- Chairman / President / CEO, Coastal Community Foundation
- President and CEO of Coastal Community Foundation
Veteran nonprofit leader Darrin Goss Sr. serves as president and CEO of Coastal Community Foundation since 2015. The foundation empowers individuals, families and organizations to make a lasting impact through permanent, endowed funds for charitable giving. It serves the low-country of South Carolina counties of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry and Jasper.
Mr. Goss brings years of professional experience in higher education, government, and industry to this work. He previously served as head of the Capital Area United Way in Baton Rouge, La., led community impact at the United Way of Greenville County and directed multicultural affairs at Wofford College. Prior to that, he implemented training programs for Sunoco Inc.
Raised on James Island, S.C., Mr. Goss is a graduate of Wofford College and North Greenville University, and a United States Army veteran. He is also a graduate of The Riley Institute's Diversity Leadership Initiative and Clemson University at the Falls Leadership Summit.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- past President
- Senior Fellow / Durham, NC
David is MDC's past president and co-creator with Joan Lipsitz of MDC's Passing Gear Philanthropy practice, which focuses philanthropic investments on the upstream causes of social disparities. He was a founder of MDC's Passing Gear Philanthropy Institute, where he will continue working with Southern philanthropic partners.
David joined MDC in 1987, became president in 1999 upon the passing of founding President George Autry, and retired in 2020. He led place-based work across the South to address stalled economic mobility and build leadership to tackle unmet challenges on issues including rural development, community college reform, and postsecondary attainment, and he co-wrote MDC's State of the South reports.
Prior to joining MDC, David served as executive director of the Cummins Engine Foundation and director of corporate responsibility for Cummins Engine Company in Columbus, Ind., a corporate innovator in creating workplace democracy and corporate responsibility under its legendary CEO, Irwin Miller, who showed how institutions can harness economic and institutional power to tackle barriers to shared wellbeing.
He is a member of the boards of the Public Welfare Foundation and the Center for Law and Social Policy, a eucharistic minister at his local Episcopal Church, and has been singing since childhood, currently with the Choral Society of Durham, its chamber choir, and The OK Chorale, an elite Durham a capella group that sings once a year at his neighborhood's Fourth of July celebration.
David is a graduate of Yale University, where he received a B.A. in Architecture and Urban Policy and Master's degrees in Divinity and in Public-Private Management.
Job Titles:
- Policy and Impact Program Assistant
- Policy and Impact Program Associate
- Policy and Impact Program Associate / Chapel Hill, NC
Diana Williams is the Policy and Impact Program Assistant at MDC. She supports programs across the organization by providing policy insight and developing public-facing material that highlights the unique and important projects MDC is working on.
Diana graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with her bachelor's degree in public policy and global studies in the spring of 2022. Shortly thereafter, she started her master's degree in public policy at UNC, with the intention to graduate in the spring of 2024. Before calling Chapel Hill home, she grew up primarily in Jacksonville, NC, a small military community in Eastern NC. Her experiences growing up in rural North Carolina sparked a passion for social justice work, specifically racial equity as it relates to place. During her time at UNC, she worked on a variety of projects for external clients related to food justice, health and migration, and equity auditing.
For the duration of her time at MDC, Diana hopes to continue to learn more about how to empower the rich culture and people of the south, alongside the knowledgeable MDC staff.
Diana joined MDC in June 2023.
Job Titles:
- Professional and Expert
- Senior Policy Consultant
- Senior Policy Consultant / Greensboro, NC
Dr. Jason Caldwell is a highly accomplished professional and expert in the fields of intercultural engagement, postsecondary education, community building, and workforce and entrepreneurial development. With an impressive track record that ranges from Assistant Dean to Executive Director, he is recognized as a leader and catalyst for positive change within his community.
As a leader, Dr. Caldwell has been instrumental in driving community-building initiatives that unite individuals from all walks of life. His dedication to creating inclusive and welcoming environments has made a significant impact on the social fabric of his community, allowing people to connect and thrive.
Furthermore, Dr. Caldwell's work in workforce development has been widely recognized and appreciated. He has designed and implemented programs that empower individuals, particularly from underrepresented groups, with the skills and opportunities necessary for professional success. His efforts have not only contributed to the personal growth of countless individuals but have also bolstered local economies and businesses.
In 2020, Dr. Caldwell's exceptional contributions and leadership abilities were acknowledged by the Triad Business Journal when he was selected as one of the prestigious 40 under 40 leaders. This recognition highlights his significant impact and influence within his field and beyond.
Additionally, Dr. Caldwell was chosen as an inaugural member of the Hunt Institute's ElevateNC program. This esteemed appointment further attests to his expertise and exceptional abilities in driving positive change and innovation.
Dr. Jason Caldwell continues to dedicate himself to creating a more inclusive and harmonious society through his continued work as the CEO and Senior Consultant for Ubuntu Consulting, LLC. His unwavering commitment and leadership have cemented him as a prominent figure in his field and a catalyst for positive change.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Bureau Director of Health Equity & Doctor of Public Health, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
Dr. Stephanie Kang most recently served in the executive leadership of Nashville's Metro Public Health Department launching the first Bureau of Health Equity. Previously, she served as the Health Policy Director for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Her professional background also includes founding and scaling several health equity-centered organizations, conducting quality improvement in health care settings, and working in community-based global health projects. She received her Doctor of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MS in Global Health at Northwestern University, and her BS in Neuroscience at Northeastern University.
Job Titles:
- Member and Vice - Chair of MDC 's Board of Directors
Dr. William Spriggs was a professor in, and former chair of, the Department of Economics at Howard University and served as chief economist to the AFL-CIO. In his capacity with the AFL-CIO, he served as chair of the Economic Policy Working Group of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD, and on the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). He also served on the Advisory Board to the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute and was on the editorial board for the Public Administration Review.
Eleanor Tyson supports MDC Rural Forward's projects on food systems, equity, and support for southeastern NC.
She is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Public Policy and Political Science with an Environmental Justice minor. She is continuing her education at UNC-CH as a candidate for the Master of Public Policy program concentrating in Environment and Human Welfare. Her professional interests include community engagement, government relations, and environmental health. Her hobbies include reading and improving her cooking skills.
She joined MDC in May 2023.
Job Titles:
- Program Administrator
- Program Administrator / Durham, NC
- Program Administrator for MDC 's Rural Prosperity
Elise Campbell is a Program Administrator for MDC's Rural Prosperity and Investment team, joining the team in October 2023. With a passion for contributing to progressive social action related to racial and gender equity and enhancing community membership, they provide internal and external support through program organization, evaluation, and relation assistance.
Elise was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and moved around the country every three years of their life until landing in Jacksonville, a small military town in Eastern NC. Elise then received their Social Work degree from the University of Nevada, Reno where they began their involvement in policy work for rural Nevadan communities, as well as community outreach and organizing related to housing reform and addiction recovery resources. These experiences are what sparked their passion for rural prosperity and the significance of implementing programs that are community, place-centered. Prior to MDC, Elise worked as a volunteer coordinator for a nonprofit located in a Lake Tahoe State Park and with a women's and families shelter located in Sparks, NV.
Having moved back to North Carolina at the end of 2022, Elise is happily located in Durham, NC where they enjoy spending time outdoors, listening to live music, eating good food, and spending time with their cat.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- Program Manager / Raleigh, NC
Elyse works with the Learning for Equity: A Network for Solutions (LENS-NC) team as a Program Manager. Prior to coming to MDC, she worked at public universities including the University of Virginia and East Carolina University where she grew her passion for educational equity and access through the development of student-centered programs.
In 2019, she moved to the Triangle to go back to school and build her knowledge of how to support students through human-centered design. Spending time working with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as the Center for Racial Equity in Education has pushed her to find new ways to support marginalized students across North Carolina.
Her interests outside of educational equity and access include knitting, crochet, making pottery, and playing board games.
Job Titles:
- Program Manager
- Program Manager / Durham, NC
Emily Beaver is a program manager on MDC's education equity team. Previously, Emily was a program administrator, providing administrative and organizational support to MDC's program teams. She also helped build and maintain cross-programmatic tools and systems.
Emily was born and raised in Durham. She earned her bachelor's degree in religious studies and psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill, and went on to serve as Director of Youth Ministries at Hayes Barton United Methodist Church in Raleigh, where she served for seven years building programs and fostering community for young people and families. She then felt a pull towards developing her skills in the nonprofit field and her knowledge around social justice issues and building greater equity, which led her to pursue a master's degree at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.
At Wesley, Emily was a Community Engagement Fellow, which allowed her the opportunity to work with Raising A Village Foundation, planning and implementing in-school and after-school tutoring programs for students and families in underserved areas of DC alongside community partners and public schools.
Through an internship while at Wesley, she also worked with the General Board of Church and Society on the education team. Here she helped plan and facilitate webinars on topics like equity in education, as well as coordinating congressional meetings for constituents, and helping to build a database of children's books representing diverse main characters and stories.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys exploring Durham with her partner and their two dogs, from all the great restaurants to the museums and beautiful trails.
Harrison is a program administrator with a passion for social and racial justice, equity, and economic mobility. At MDC, he primarily helps the Economic Security and Mobility team develop programs and implement them through both outreach and internal support.
Prior to joining MDC, Harrison was a deposition clerk for a private law firm, a field in which he has had experience working in on-and-off throughout the last decade. In addition, he was a middle school educator for North Carolina public schools for most of the years immediately prior to working at MDC as a social studies teacher. Harrison also has prior experience with non-profit advocacy work, as he was a certified Sexual Assault Advocate in the state of Texas who volunteered for hospital visitation and hotline phone calls. With an activist-minded mentality, Harrison has had experience volunteering for political campaigns both in NC, and his home state of Texas.
Harrison is incredibly proud to be born and raised in in the border town of McAllen, Texas. Currently, he is happily located in Durham, NC, with his wife and dog. In addition to his job at MDC, Harrison also serves on the Adult Education Committee at Judea Reform Synagogue, where he is a member.
Job Titles:
- Partnership Manager
- Partnership Manager / Jonesville, NC
- Program Manager for MDC 's Rural Forward
Hetal Patel is a Program Manager for MDC's Rural Forward program. Hetal joined the Rural Forward team as a partnership manager in May 2020 where she works to support local leaders to amplify their work in community. In her role, she provides many services such as facilitation, consultation, and leadership coaching to rural leaders. Hetal serves as principal for our work in the southeastern counties of Robeson, Columbus, and Bladen.
As the lead on healthy eating and active living, Hetal is particularly passionate about food insecurity, bringing equity into spaces, relationship building, and amplifying the voices of community leaders.
Prior to joining Rural Forward, Hetal worked in Rockingham County, engaging with grassroots organizations in food systems and nutrition education programming through Cooperative Extension. Hetal also worked within the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors where she dove into work surrounding systemic poverty, early childhood education, racial equity, youth development, and adverse childhood experiences. She graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition Science.
Job Titles:
- Program Director
- Program Director / Atlanta, GA
Jason Marshall (he, him, his) is an education designer and teacher-learner with extensive experience in a myriad of educational settings including charter and public schools, community-based organizations, national and international non-profits, and mental health organizations. Bringing with him over 20 years of experience as an educator Jason has worked at the intersections of content and curriculum development, anti-oppression facilitation, and designing accessible learning spaces for both young people and adult learners. He is the Co-Founder of Jackson & Marshall Consulting Group LLC (JMC), an anti-oppression and educational equity consulting firm that is purposed to guide communities and organizations in bringing ideas of positive systemic change to fruition. Some of his strengths include fostering critical examinations of power, systems of oppression, institutional culture, purposeful communication, and intelligible action plans for creating environments grounded in principles of equity and justice. He currently continues to evolve his practice as a teacher-learner by designing and facilitating professional learnings and trainings for K-12 schools, PSE institutions and various organizations-with content largely focused on Anti-Oppression, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Learning Differences and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Jason holds a Master of Science in Student Development in Higher Education from Central Connecticut State University and a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Development from the University of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- DEI Specialist at Claremont Lincoln University
Audrey Jordan (she/her) has contributed to the Race Matters work since its inception when she was a Senior Associate at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She is now California-based, as the Jerry D. Campbell Professor of Civic Engagement and DEI Specialist at Claremont Lincoln University. Audrey's experience spans academia, philanthropy and community development, focusing on participatory evaluation research. She previously was director of Community Evaluation at the Center for Public Policy's Survey and Evaluation Research Lab at VCU. She has an MA in Social Psychology from the University of Virginia, and an MSW and a PhD in Social Work and Social Policy from VCU.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- Senior Fellow / Durham, NC
John focuses on community development, environmental justice, dispute resolution, public policy research, emergency management, and land use planning. He is an associate professor of practice in the Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning at Texas A&M University and serves a dual appointment as the associate director of Outreach and Community Partnerships for Housing and Urban Development and the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center.
In his previous position as MDC program director, John managed the FEMA Emergency Preparedness Demonstration Program, a $2.5 million effort to understand barriers to increased disaster awareness and preparedness in marginalized communities, and managed MDC's role in the Rural People, Rural Policy initiative.
John has provided consultation to community development advocates on issues of planning and civic engagement, and been a visiting lecturer in the Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC). He is a past member of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation's Advisory Panel and currently serves on a number of boards including The Community Home Trust (Chapel Hill, NC) Board of Directors, the Board of Visitors for the UNC Institute for the Environment, and the Advisory Board for the DHS Center of Excellence - Natural Disasters, Coastal Infrastructure, and Emergency Management (DIEM) at UNC.
John received his bachelor's degree in economics and urban planning from Texas A & M University and a doctorate in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Job Titles:
- President / CEO, Southern Research
Josh Carpenter, Ph.D., is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute where he works with the Metropolitan Team on economic development for cities in America's Heartland. Formerly, he led Innovation and Economic Opportunity for the City of Birmingham, Alabama. Prior to joining city government under Mayor Randall Woodfin's administration, Josh was a former English and theater teacher as well as football and baseball coach in rural Alabama where he was named the state's "Teacher of the Year" in 2012. In 2014, Josh founded and led a statewide nonprofit that received national attention to sign people up for the Affordable Care Act: training and mobilizing
700 college students to insure nearly 100,000 Alabama residents. A Rhodes Scholar, Josh earned his master's in comparative social policy and doctorate in political economy at the University of Oxford, where his dissertation earned a Democracy Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council. Josh also serves as a board member for the American Association of Rhodes Scholars, the Birmingham Promise, Birmingham Corps, and an advisor to the Harvard-Bloomberg Mayor's Initiative for inclusive economic development. Josh resides in Birmingham with his wife, Nicole, and their daughter, Clare.
President's Special Advisor for Inclusive Excellence, Trinity University
In the Obama Administration, Juan served as Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where he designed and led the first-ever White House Hispanic Policy Conference along with a series of White House Hispanic Community Action Summits.
Juan was the third Latino awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. He graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. He also holds a Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy & Economics from The Queen's College, Oxford University, a Juris Doctorate from Stanford Law School, and has been admitted to the Texas Bar.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- Senior Fellow / Durham, NC
Julie Mooney previously served as a senior program director at MDC after rejoining the staff in 2015. She led significant place-based initiatives focused on building the systems and structures that link young people to educational and economic opportunity. She oversaw MDC's support of Great Expectations, a 10+ year initiative of the Kate B. Charitable Trust that aims to ensure that low-income young children in Forsyth County, N.C., are ready to succeed in school. She also led the development and incubation of Made in Durham, a community partnership building an education-to-career system for youth in Durham, N.C., MDC's hometown.
In her previous work at MDC, Julie directed local, regional and national projects designed to advance strong education, workforce, and economic development initiatives in economically distressed communities throughout the South. She is coauthor of several MDC publications, including Building Communities By Design: A Guidebook for Community Change and Walking the Talk: Increasing Educational Options for Southern Youth.
Prior to returning to MDC, Julie was the founding director of Blueprint NC, a partnership of state policy advocacy nonprofits focused on building the civic engagement and communications capacity of nonprofits and building their collective impact on state policy. She also served as the initial coordinator for Grantmakers for Southern Progress, a network of funders with the goal of increasing funding for social change in the South. She served for many years as a visiting lecturer in the Hart Leadership Program at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, and she worked previously as a community development planner and a community organizer.
She holds a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in City and Regional Planning (with a Community and Economic Development concentration) from the University of California at Berkeley.
Job Titles:
- Trainer
- Director of the Race Matters Institute
- Director, Race Matters Institute
- Director, Race Matters Institute / Atlanta, GA
- Trainer With the Race Matters Institute
Kamilah A. Pickett is Director of the Race Matters Institute at MDC (RMI). Kamilah leads the social entrepreneurial work of RMI, which offers customized training, technical assistance, coaching, and product development to advance concrete actions in both operations and programming that strengthen an organization's mission performance. RMI focuses specifically on promoting racial equity in organizational strategies, policies, and practices as a complement to the work of others who focus on racial equity at the individual and interpersonal levels. Kamilah and RMI joined MDC in 2023.
Kamilah has been a trainer and facilitator with RMI since 2016 and served as the core program evaluator and researcher. Her interests include the intersections of health, race, and justice - she has worked as a federal and state policy advocate with Medicaid/Medicare beneficiaries, children and youth with special healthcare needs, and Black and Muslim communities. She specializes in helping community-led efforts and organizations operationalize racial equity and transformative justice goals. Kamilah has extensive experience in program development, implementation and delivery, training development, and community engagement and outreach.
Kamilah received a BA in Psychology and African American Studies from Georgia State University. After completing a Master of Public Health at Morehouse School of Medicine, she was awarded the inaugural Louis Stokes Urban Health Policy Fellowship from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Kamilah received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She co-led a faith-based mentoring program at DC's Youth Services Center and designed a health advocate training program for Black Muslim communities. Kamilah served two terms on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education.
Kamilah is based in Atlanta, GA where her family has deep roots.
Kamilah A. Pickett (she/her) has been a trainer with the Race Matters Institute since 2016. Her interests include the intersections of health, race, and justice - she has worked as a federal and state policy advocate with Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries, children and youth with special healthcare needs, and Black and Muslim communities. She specializes in helping community-led efforts and organizations operationalize racial equity and transformative justice goals. Kamilah holds a dual BA in African American Studies and Psychology from GSU, an MPH from Morehouse School of Medicine, and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center. She is based in the Atlanta area.
Job Titles:
- Program Director
- Program Director / Asheville, NC
- Program Director for MDC 's Rural Forward
Kathryn Gaasch is a Program Director for MDC's Rural Forward program. She joined Rural Forward as a partnership manager in July 2018 and was promoted to program director in September 2021. In her role, Kathryn works to strengthen the leadership infrastructure in Healthy Places NC counties, primarily in western NC. She provides a range of consulting services, including facilitation, training, coaching, relationship brokering, program planning, and grants development. She has particular expertise in evaluation systems and data management and leads our work on clinical issues.
Prior to joining Rural Forward and MDC, Kathryn worked with a variety of nonprofits and organizations providing community-based support domestically and internationally, ranging from built environment initiatives in rural western NC to climate change adaptation solutions for coffee farmers in Latin America. Her passion for community-based work drove her to pursue a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University, with a certificate in community-based environmental management after attaining her bachelor's degree at Virginia Tech.
A former consultant who worked across the mid-Atlantic region, Kathryn provided environmental assessments and recommendations. She currently calls Asheville, NC home.
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Director
- Senior Program Director / Charleston, SC
Kerri joins MDC after 7 ½ years as the Lowcountry Program Director for the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. There she managed all grantmaking, communications, advocacy, and partnerships for the Foundation's three program areas in coastal South Carolina: land conservation, artistic vitality, and broadening regional narratives.
Kerri is a dynamic public communicator, connector, and mentor dedicated to advancing equitable economic opportunity in her community. She brings more than a decade of experience in the non-profit and philanthropic fields including strategy development, strategic partnerships, governance, mentorship, and communications. She returned to her hometown of Charleston, SC after a 16-year journalism career with national broadcast outlets MSNBC, NBC NEWS, and CBS NEWS.
Kerri holds a BA in Biological Sciences from Clemson University and a MA in Interactive Journalism from American University. She is a Furman University DLI Riley Fellow and a Liberty Fellow, a program in the Aspen Global Leadership Network dedicated to moving South Carolina forward. She currently serves on the boards of the South Carolina Women's Rights & Empowerment Network (WREN) and the Liberty Fellowship and is a member of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce's Strategic Thinking Group (STG), a group of business leaders dedicated to the advancement of economic prosperity for sustainable African American business and talent.
Kevin has been a Senior Fellow at MDC since 2016. His focus areas include social design, health and human services collaboration, workforce development, and strategic planning.
Since retiring from the University of North Carolina System as Senior Vice President, Kevin has been engaged in many projects related to these focus areas.
Kevin's professional experiences include work at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he started the Center for Public Technology at the School of Government. He has also served as Special Assistant to the Chancellor and Vice Dean for Finance and Administration and Chief of Staff at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health Care System.
Before his service in Higher Education, Kevin directed the North Carolina Division of Social Services and served as Assistant County Manager of Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Kevin has a Master's in Public Administration from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the College of the Holy Cross and St. Paul University. He is completing a Doctorate in Design from North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Program Director
- Program Director / Charlotte, NC
Kierra works with the Economic Security team, providing planning and implementation support for initiatives, community-based partnerships, and learning networks. Her primary focus is MDC's initiative in Guilford County, N.C., to build a network of for service providers connecting low-and moderate-income families with available resources using integrated services delivery. Kierra also manages aspects of The Benefit Bank of North Carolin, providing technical assistance and training for affiliate organizations.
Prior to joining MDC, Kierra worked for NeighborWorks America in the Field Division, where she provided technical, operational, and event planning assistance to regional staff and a network of housing and community development nonprofits. Kierra also provided program management assistance and coordinated with service providers for a program focused on intergenerational connections to childhood literacy. She has been a community organizer in a neighborhood experiencing the effects of disinvestment, and an AmeriCorps VISTA, where she worked to build the capacity of a nonprofit that was focused on volunteer engagement and nonprofit staff development.
Kierra comes to MDC and the Triangle most recently from the Washington, D.C., area. Her work and volunteer history are reflective of the values of truly helping people and bringing efficiencies to programs. Kierra's line of thinking usually begins with the question: "How can I make this happen?"
Educational Background: Coursework in Management Studies; Sociology and Family Studies (University of Maryland University College; Bowling Green State University).
Kinsey Beauclair supports the MDC Rural Prosperity & Investment team's ARPA work.
Kinsey is currently a Master of Public Administration student with a concentration in Nonprofit Management at UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon graduation, she plans on continuing to work in the nonprofit sector. Kinsey has experience working for several nonprofits, including the Adult Enrichment Center and the Community Empowerment Fund.
In her free time, she enjoys playing sand volleyball, running, and reading. Kinsey joined MDC in August 2023.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Atlanta Civic Site of the Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Treasurer / Director, Atlanta Civic Site of the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Kweku Forstall has been the director of the Atlanta Civic Site of the Annie E. Casey Foundation since 2014. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children at risk of poor educational, economic, social, and health outcomes. Its work focuses on strengthening families, building stronger communities, and ensuring access to opportunity, because children need all three to succeed.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Operations and Culture
Job Titles:
- Advocacy Director, ACLU South Carolina
- Liberty Fellow
Michelle Mapp is the Advocacy Director at the ACLU of South Carolina.
Michelle previously worked for 13 years at the South Carolina Community Loan Fund (SCCLF) and served as the organization's CEO for 7 years. SCCLF is a nonprofit, mission-based lender that has facilitated the development of more than $300 million in community development projects throughout South Carolina.
Michelle, a certified Housing Development Finance Professional, has served on the board of directors for the Affordable Housing Coalition of SC, Business Development Corp., Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Charlotte Branch, Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation, SC Association for Community Economic Development, SC Community Capital Alliance, Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative, TogetherSC, and on the SC Rural Action Plan Taskforce. She has served on numerous advisory committees and taskforce at the local, state, and national levels with a focus on housing and community development.
Michelle is a Liberty Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. A 2012 executive finalist for the Charleston Regional Business Journal's Influential Women in Business, Michelle has twice been named one of Charleston Magazine's 50 Most Influential. She is a 2018 recipient of the Charleston County Democrat's Marjorie Amos-Frazier Pacesetter Award, a 2019 recipient of the Charleston YWCA Joseph P. Riley Vision Award, a 2020 recipient of the National Action Network SC Servant Leader Award and the College of Charleston's Phenomenal Woman Award. She is a 2021 Equal Justice Works Law Fellow sponsored by the Alston & Bird Racial Justice Fund.
Michelle holds a JD from the Charleston School of Law, Master of Public Administration from the College of Charleston and University of South Carolina, a Master of Engineering Management from George Washington University, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Analysis with a concentration in Industrial Engineering from Clemson University.
Michelle has been married for 27 years to Marquette Mapp. They have a son, Seth Alexander, a rising senior at Morehouse College, and a daughter, Jordan Alexis, a rising junior at the College of Charleston, and a three-year-old yorkie, Asher.
Michelle is excited for the opportunity to now combine all that she has learned in the community development finance sector with a law degree and to continue to advocate on issues of economic and social justice in South Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Senior Employment Counsel, RTI International
Monica Dongre is a Senior Employment Counsel with RTI International, a nonprofit research institute in the Research Triangle dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. A graduate of Furman University and the University of North Carolina School of Law, she has dedicated most of her career to the practice of labor and employment law. Though she started her career as a litigator with small, well-regarded law firms in Northern Virginia, Monica has spent most of her career as an in-house attorney.
Outside of work, Monica serves on the Furman Alumni Board and volunteers with her local PTA. Monica is also a graduate of The Riley Institute at Furman University's Diversity Leadership Initiative, where she is now a Riley Fellow. She enjoys spending her free time with her family exploring the parks, museums, and nature trails in and around Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Public Policy at UNC - Chapel Hill
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the University of the South
- of Counsel, Marts & Lundy
- Senior Consultant and Principal at Marts & Lundy
Richard Ammons has retired as a Senior Consultant and Principal at Marts & Lundy, a strategic fundraising consulting firm. Marts & Lundy pairs its client-focused and collaborative approach with a comprehensive suite of strategic consulting, analytical, and communications services to help mission-driven organizations build the capacity needed to achieve their highest potential through the delivery of customized sustainable philanthropic solutions.
Richard has more than 30 years of experience as a higher education advancement professional. Before joining Marts & Lundy, he was Associate Dean for the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Prior to his work at Duke, Richard served for seven years as vice president for development at Colby College, managing the College's $370 million comprehensive campaign. Richard also held leadership posts at Macalester College, Morehouse College and the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University.
Richard is currently a member of the board of trustees of the University of the South (Sewanee), the Episcopal Parish Network and a member of the vestry at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham.
Raised in Atlanta and New York City, Richard completed his undergraduate degree at Amherst College and earned an MBA at Stanford University. He resides with his wife, Noel James, in Durham, North Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Professor of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government
- Vice Chair / Dean / Professor, Douglas Wilder School of Government & Public Affairs VA Commonwealth Secretary
Susan T. Gooden, Ph.D., is dean and professor of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an internationally recognized expert on social equity. Gooden is an elected fellow of the congressionally chartered National Academy of Public Administration and is past president of the American Society for Public Administration. She is the Vice-President of the Network of Associated Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). Her books include Global Equity in Administration (2020); Why Research Methods Matter (2018, Melvin and Leigh); Race and Social Equity: A Nervous Area of Government (2014, Routledge); and Cultural Competency for Public Administrators (2012, Routledge). Her research has been funded by several organizations including the Russell Sage Foundation, the Kellogg Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, MDRC, and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
Gooden was appointed to the Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation, the accrediting arm of the Network of Associated Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration. She has previously served as an elected member to the national policy council of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. She was appointed to the Virginia Community College System board and served as board chair. She currently serves on the board of the Virginia Retirement System. A native of Martinsville & Henry County, Virginia, Gooden earned an A.S. in Natural Science from Patrick Henry Community College, a B.A. in English from Virginia Tech, and an M.A. in Political Science from Virginia Tech. She received her doctorate from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.