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Partnerships
Doing what I love with people I love.
I love that I get to work alongside my beloved friends, teachers, and community of practice. Together, we practice, learn, and grow. We dream, create, and share our unique gifts with the world.
Kimberly Alexander, MHP
Principal and Co-Founder of The Alexander Group, LLC, providing strategic consulting, project management and technical assistance to government, universities, foundations, and nonprofits engaged in health, policy, and program development rooted in values of equity, inclusion,and performance. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Public Health Studies at Elon University. Kimberly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Chemistry and certificate in Spanish for Business from Wake Forest University and a Master of Public Health degree from the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
Jen Crosslin
Organizational Thought Partner, K.A.P. Inner Prizes. Anit-racist community organizer, researcher, and organizational strategist with over a decade of experience working to local, regional, and national non-profits, grassroots organizations, community and movement leaders to advance racial, gender, economic, environmental, and climate justice. Jennifer has a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of South Alabama and graduated with a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's in Social Justice and Organizing from Prescott University.
Dr. Jada Brooks
Associate professor and Ross Distinguished Term Scholar of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. One of few Indigenous nurses holding a doctoral nursing degree, Dr. Brooks is widely regarded as a scholar and leader in health disparities research with tribal communities in North Carolina. Funded externally for two decades by the National Institutes of Health, her more than 20 years of community-engaged research focuses on environmental conditions that shape health outcomes and inequalities among American Indians.
Victor Jones
Mental Health Therapist and Resilience Trainer with Resources for Resilience (TM). Experienced Clinical Director with a demonstrated history of working in the mental health care industry. Victor is skilled in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Group Therapy, Clinical Research, Employee Assistance Program Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Domestic Violence Intervention, Anger Management and Family Therapy. Victor has many years of experience as entrepreneurship professional with a Master of Social Work (MSW) focused in Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill.
John Parker Dempsey
Consultant. John’s work supports and cultivates resilient and creative community leaders, change-makers, activists, and entrepreneurs. John engages leaders, nonprofits, congregations, funders, universities, tribes, and businesses around their ideas, projects, and partnerships. For over twenty-five years, he nurtured collaborative, culturally appropriate, and responsible leadership to strengthen local, statewide, regional, and national organizing, collaborations, and initiatives. John also supports others in their vocational development – helping them discern how to share their time, talents, gifts, relationships, and resources with others.
tes thraves
Owner of practice well consulting, has engaged in racial equity and justice work for the last 20 years: coaching, designing and leading trainings, developing curricula, developing and coordinating communities of practice with multi-organizational coalitions which include businesses, state agencies and community based organizations. The last fifteen years tes has worked for a state agency in community food systems, focusing on racial equity, youth, and schools. Before beginning this, tes taught university in oral history, folklore, writing, performance and ethnography. She has rooted her entire career in relationality, storytelling, and practice. tes lives on a small homestead in rural, central North Carolina/land of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation with her wife and multiple critters where they grow vegetables, fruit, tea, and mushrooms.
Kayla Kim Votapek
Anti-Racist Facilitator & Creative Producer. Kayla specializes in anti-racism work through the lens of intersectionality. She is currently using the power of storytelling to educate individuals on race, mental health, intersectionality, multiracial identities and mixed families (i.e.: adoption, multi-generation, multiracial parents, interracial relationships, upbringing etc.) Kayla received her Bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts, Psychology, and Education as a Social Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She obtained her Master’s degree in Creative Producing from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK.
Abbey Piner
Based at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) where her focus is coalition based food systems change by supporting coalitions to become effective multi-racial teams. Abbey takes a particular interest in the work of white women to address power and whiteness so that a culture of interconnection is possible. Abbey has facilitated nonprofit and for-profit projects in strategic planning and internal systems design over the last 10 years. As a certified Visual Coach, Abbey brings her belief in holistic approaches and a practice of right brain wisdom [creativity and art] as an important tool in dismantling systems of oppression and building liberatory structures into her work as a designer, racial justice advocate, and human being.
LaShauna Austria
Owner and principal operator of Seeds of Change Consulting and Kindred Seedlings Farm. She has many years experience collaborating with rural communities and both faith-based and secular organizations to address race, food justice, land ownership, and equity issues. Building on her substantial experience in leadership, management, and administrative roles with for-profit and nonprofit organizations, she has devoted her current professional life to racial equity and better food systems locally and beyond. LaShauna is also the co-founder of the Saxapahaw Social Justice Exchange, a community group formed to offer deep conversations about race and equity and founding member of Alamance Racial Equity Alliance.