TAKEROOT - Key Persons
Recently, Domonic received a note of gratitude from former team members. It read: "Thanks for always leading with us at the center." This expression of gratitude reflects that people on teams are often not the priority, rather the product, outcome, or result is - this is a distinction between leading and managing. This work gives Domonic an incredible sense of purpose because it helps people find a new way to be in the world.
Centering deep engagement and a strategic focus, Domonic Rollins successfully coaches organizations through diversity and inclusion change efforts. Domonic works with clients to start, continue, and refine their efforts to make their organizations as inclusive as possible. Previously, he served as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at The Dalton School and as the Senior Diversity & Inclusion Officer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Both inaugural chief diversity officer posts affirm and catalyze a necessary condition for diversity, equity, and inclusion work in organizations: engagement.
A hallmark of Domonic's work is translating big ideas regarding diversity and inclusion, into practical solutions and considerations for organizations and interpersonal relationships. His research focuses on issues of professional socialization, structural barriers to inclusive environments, social justice training in universities, and pathways to senior leadership for minoritized university administrators and employees.
Domonic serves and keeps connection with Academic Impressions, Leadershape Inc., the Social Justice Training Institute, Washington Consulting Group, and other professional organizations dedicated to inclusion. Passion areas for Domonic include diversity, social justice, organizational dynamics, and supervision. Domonic earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education, Student Affairs, and International Education Policy from the University of Maryland-College Park. Domonic calls Baltimore, Maryland home. He enjoys cooking, traveling, fitness, and the arts.
fahad (he/they) is a creative strategist, facilitator, and poet who is obsessed with collectively making sense of life. fahad empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to see reality more clearly in order to make progress in an intentional direction.
fahad has facilitated the building of new strategies, programs, teams, and cultures for for-profit and non-profit clients. Their work is grounded in frameworks of human-centered design (you may have heard it called design thinking!), Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, adaptive leadership, and transformative justice. fahad's work often starts with deep dialogue and emphasizes co-creation to ensure that the work undertaken is of value to and will be owned by those it impacts the most.
fahad has spent over a decade as a management consultant and a design strategist. Previously, fahad worked for Deloitte Consulting and IDEO, and received a B.A. from Rice University and an S.M. focused on human-centered design from MIT.
fahad enjoys poetry, coffee, dancing, and spending time with their two nephews.
Judy Le has over 20 years of leadership development experience. As CEO of TakeRoot, Judy works with clients to create meaningful change in their work and communities. Before starting TakeRoot, she served as the director of Leadership Rice at Rice University. She is currently an instructor at Rice University where she teaches all the courses of the Glasscock leadership certificate. She also serves as a lead facilitator for the American Leadership Forum.
Judy came to America as a Vietnamese refugee and saw firsthand how leadership is needed at all levels of communities and organizations. Her experiences have shaped her approach - to embrace uncertainty, get clarity around what matters most, and build trusting relationships. Having experienced massive changes in half a lifetime, Judy sees leadership as an activity that ignites moral courage and imagination in service of creating positive change.
Judy started her career at Deloitte Consulting as a change leadership practitioner and then as program director for Leadership Houston. She serves on the boards of the National American Leadership Forum, EMERGE Fellowship, Post Oak School, and on the advisory boards of the Young Center and Asia Society. Judy is trained in adaptive leadership through Harvard Kennedy School of Government, completed the Social Justice Institute's training program, and is a Board Certified and Team Performance Certified coach. She earned her graduate degree at the University of Texas and her bachelor's degree at Rice University.
Judy calls Houston, Texas home. She enjoys gathering people in her kitchen around food and conversation, embarrassing her three kids with really witty/bad puns, and cuddling with her very aloof yet charismatic dog.
Job Titles:
- Army Officer
- Associate Dean of Students at Rice University
Growing up overseas, with a parent who was an Army officer, Kate heard many stories about what it meant to lead through war, service, and various types of authority. There was a constant refrain taught through this lens- to not ask others to do what you would not do yourself, to honor diverse perspectives, and to step up and lead by example.
Kate's sense of purpose comes from helping others to find and embody their potential. She feels that her life's work is empowering others to create positive change whether that is for themselves or the world. Her work in leadership development has centered around strengths-based leadership, and the power of understanding how to leverage your own strengths and those of your team. Through her coaching practice, Kate has learned to appreciate how valuable it can be to hold space for others.
Joy for Kate is time with her family, a journal, and a good book. Her family of four is often found at local festivals sampling culture and cuisine. They enjoy walking through nature or lazing by a pool. Journaling has been a life-long practice for Kate and she has experimented with many mediums and approaches. Her current favorite is art journaling with her daughter. She appreciates great book recommendations whether they are ones that challenge and develop the mind or provide a glorious escape from reality.
Kate currently serves as the Associate Dean of Students at Rice University. She has managed teams, designed and facilitated programs, provided consultation for other universities, and developed and mentored students and professionals.
Kate is an ICF (International Coach Federation) certified coach, Gallup trained StrengthsQuest facilitator, and has almost 20 years of experience in leadership development. Kate works closely with executives, staff, and students through her coaching practice to create the space for reflection, strategic thinking and goal achievement. E. Kate Abad is an alumna of Texas A&M University with undergraduate degrees in Information Systems and Marketing, as well as a Masters degree in Higher Education Leadership. She has lived in Japan, France, Guam, and across the United States.
Lisa Dolin became a coach to apply everything she's learned in her life and career to the highest possible purpose: helping good people lift up their personal effectiveness and well-being and, in doing so, improve the quality of their lives, relationships, families, and communities.
An ICF-certified coach, Lisa works with her clients to establish - and move toward achieving - a clear leadership vision, guiding them toward mastering new habits and capabilities as quickly as possible.
Lisa was an operating executive and corporate officer at Cardinal Health, a Fortune 15 company. After Cardinal, Lisa was named Dean of the School of Management at Capital University where she and her team redesigned and expanded undergraduate and graduate programs, and launched an innovative new business unit offering high-quality professional development programs for corporate clients.
Lisa earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and economics from the University of Cincinnati. She lives in Columbus, Ohio where she gardens, runs, reads, volunteers, cooks for family and friends, and works on becoming a better human every day.
With 17 years in higher education, Michelle brings a wealth of experience to her coaching session with executives, mid-level, and emerging professionals. She believes coaching is a partnership that inspires a creative process leading to insights that creates a path towards success.
One of her favorite quotes from Margaret Mead is, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
Michelle believes that we all have the ability to impact our community if we come together. Even as individuals, we have the capacity to transform our own lives and create a positive ripple effect for others by making committed choices in our lives. This is what drives Michelle to serve as a leadership coach. The next new idea, a career shift, overcoming an ongoing challenge, or uncovering a sense of purpose and strength all starts with one small step and that can change a community and the world.
In addition to coaching, Michelle is the Director of Employee Engagement and Development at Rice University. She earned her coaching certification through the Doerr Center for New Leaders at Rice University and is licensed as an associated certified coach through the International Coaching Federation.
Michelle enjoys making monthly playlists of random artists she's never heard of and listens to while trying to get her 10,000 steps in at Buffalo Bayou. She is passionate about self- growth, practicing mindfulness and living a life focused on gratitude.