SAPIENTIA CONSULTING GROUP - Key Persons
Cynthia Candido Nambo is an equity centered facilitator, former administrator, educator, and professional learning developer with more than 28 years in Education. Using systems thinking approaches, she has designed solutions for complex systems in education, race, gender, and economic equity through cross-cultural collaborations, coalition building, and innovative practices. Cynthia currently serves as a Leadership Coach with the Network for College Success at the University of Chicago where she successfully manages a portfolio of five high schools. In this role she researches, designs, and facilitates professional learning and executive coaching experiences with senior administrators.
Cynthia's contributions in the field of education expand across various institutions: Chicago Public Schools (CPS), alternative and charter schools, bilingual education, universities, and community-based organizations. She has served as a counselor, teacher, university faculty, consultant, school designer, learning developer, coach, and administrator. Her professional accomplishments include leading major school design projects which include the development of the Little Village Lawndale High School Campus, and a social justice alternative high school grounded in restorative justice practices. Cynthia has facilitated presentations on education, social justice and racial equity across the United States, Poland, and Canada. Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a master's degree in Urban Bilingual Teaching from Columbia College and a master's in School Leadership from Northeastern University with a Type 75 Administrative Certificate.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Equity Holdings Group LLC. a Company
- National Trainer
DENNIS MORRISON II, is the managing partner of Equity Holdings Group LLC. a company with major equity positions in medical, transportation, and technology companies. Formerly, he was a managing partner with Acumen Group Strategic Consultants LLC; a Management & Technology consulting firm providing an array of executive business services, and leading a multi disciplined team of professional consultants. Dennis has 30+ years of management experience. He has managed companies in multiple industries including medical, social service, transportation, and telecommunications. He is the co-founder of the Family Centered Educational Agency Inc. (F.C.E.A.) a 501(c)(3) Non-profit who serves over 2000 families in the greater Chicagoland area, and Corpus Christi Tx. (F.C.E.A.) provides educational instruction, tutoring, mentoring, and an array of support services designed to equip students with the skills needed for successful post-secondary completion through federal TRIO grants.
Dennis has served as a national trainer, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and in that capacity he has trained over 200 colleges and universities in management, technology, and capacity building. He has provided consulting services to many national organizations such as, Easter
Dr. Ann W. Jackson is a Physical therapist, educator, equity advocate, citizen scientist, and lifelong learner who has spent her career focusing on the optimization of the functionality of individuals across the lifespan, no matter their circumstances. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from Georgia State University, a Masters of Public Health from the University of South Carolina and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Rosalind Franklin University. In May of 2019, Ann completed a 3-year Post-Doctoral fellowship in Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago's MacLean Center. Dr. Jackson currently serves as a University Lecturer at University of Illinois Medical School in the Department of Medical Education and as the Program Manager for the Southland office of the Center for Independence. She has been a longtime advocate for equity in the social determinants of health. After years of championing health and food equity initiatives for marginalized populations, in 2020 she founded The Center for Food Equity in Medicine, an organization whose mission is to impact food insecurity among those navigating a cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Troy Harden has over 25 years experience serving and consulting in social service,educational and community settings. Troy is the recently appointed Director of the Race and Ethnic Studies Institute and Professor of Practice in Sociology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Harden formerly served as the Director of Northeastern Illinois University's Master of Social Work Program, where he was also an Associate Professor. Dr. Harden has worked as a clinician, administrator, educator, activist and community practitioner concerning community issues in diverse settings. His on-going research interests are in racial equity, community violence, and trauma and traditional and non-traditional interventions within community and organizational settings. He is currently lead designer for the Metropolitan Peace Academy, an effort to develop certification for street outreach workers addressing violence in Chicago. He is the lead researcher with the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance's Community-based Crime Reduction Grant in Englewood, TIME 21:36, partnering with the Englewood Public Safety Task Force. He has served as a consultant with such diverse institutions as the City of Chicago, the Latino Policy Forum, Chicago Public Schools, Fathers, Families, and Healthy Communities, the Pan African Association, the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention, Burrell Communications, and Cook County's Project Brotherhood, a Men's Health Clinic. community violence, and trauma and traditional and non-traditional interventions within community and organizational settings. He is currently lead designer for the Metropolitan Peace Academy, an effort to develop certification for street outreach workers addressing violence in Chicago. He is the lead researcher with the Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance's Community-based Crime Reduction Grant in Englewood, TIME 21:36, partnering with the Englewood Public Safety Task Force. He has served as a consultant with such diverse institutions as the City of Chicago, the Latino Policy Forum, the African American Policy and Leadership Institute, the Woods Fund, the Latino Policy Forum, Chicago Public Schools, Fathers, Families, and Healthy Communities, the Pan African Association, the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention and Burrell Communications, concerning the development of Cook County's Project Brotherhood, a Men's Health Clinic.
Sherida V. Morrison is a sociologist, nonprofit executive, and social entrepreneur with over 25 years' experience in the philanthropic sector- advocating for gender and racial equity. She is the founder and former CEO of Demoiselle 2 Femme, NFP and the Coalition on Urban Girls-Chicago. As a nonprofit leader, she supported over 1,000 African American girls to become first generation college graduates. Sherida currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at DePaul University where she teaches sociological courses in Race & Ethnicity, Multiculturalism and the Social Determinants of Health. She also serves as President and Senior Consultant at Sapientia Consulting Group. Sherida is a trained practitioner in Human-Centered Design and Design Thinking which includes a Master of Science in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University as well as LUMA, IDEO and AHA Center for Health Innovation methods. Highly skilled in nonprofit management, DEIJ, org development, and coalition building, her work expands across the country through community engaged partnerships, CBPR (Community Based Participatory Research) projects, and consultancy as a designer, trainer and subject matter expert on gender, health and racial equity issues. Her client list includes the Latino Policy Forum, iTP3 at the University of Texas A&M, Northwestern University-Feinberg School of Medicine (SHaRP), University of Chicago-Urban Health Initiative, Illinois Department of Human Services - Office of Community Health & Prevention, Lawndale Community Development Corporation, and several faith and community-based organizations. Her latest publication, a chapter entitled, "Girls and Trauma: Performing Socio-Surgery through a Gender-Responsive Lens" is featured in the internationally acclaimed book, Violence,Trauma, and Trauma Surgery, by Drs. Mark Siegler and Selwyn Rogers from the MacLean Center and the University of Chicago Medicine Trauma Center. Sherida is a Community Advisory Board member at UChicago Medicine's Trauma Center where she serves as Chair of the Maternal and Child Health Committee. She is also the former Chair of the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC) at Northwestern University.
Sherry Nolen is a seasoned public health professional with an exceptional knowledge of community based participatory research (CBPR) and community engagement. She currently serves as a Medical Case Manager with South Side Help Center in Chicago, IL where she implements evidence-based strategies to provide health care access to high-risk populations. Her professional experiences include published research and evaluation in public health and the behavioral sciences. Sherry's work in the nonprofit sector expands over 30 years. She has deep knowledge and practice-based skills in grassroots organizing, leadership development, capacity building, community engagement and awareness, grant development, and she currently serves as a grant reviewer for several state and federal agencies.
Sherry Nolan has managed 15 health equity projects as a Prevention/Interventionist which have focused on smoking cessation, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, breast/cervical/prostate cancer, and HIV/STIs. Her ability to design and implement community-centered health care and quality improvement models have afforded her opportunities to work with public health agencies and universities in cities and rural communities across the U.S. - with extensive grassroots organizing in Mississippi. Sherry's current professional focus includes advocating for LGBQT+ and other marginalized communities and providing capacity building to newly formed organizations which support their growth, sustainability, and impact. Sherry has training certifications in Recovery Coaching, Addition Studies, Domestic Violence and is currently completing a bachelor's degree in Mental Health and Addiction Studies.