Anita brings an incredible wealth of experience and passion to our team. With a career centered around civic engagement, equity, and voting rights, Anita just recently served as the Senior Program Director for the Media and Tech team at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. She has also served as a consultant to the Leadership Conference and has led digital equity outreach efforts and has been a consultant to census and redistricting projects. Her extensive background includes directing the Illinois Count Me in 2020 program, a statewide Census collaborative that united foundations and a diverse coalition of non-profit organizations.

Having worked for over two decades in the U.S. Congress, Illinois state government, and the nonprofit sector, Anita’s expertise is a perfect match for our commitment to fostering inclusive civic participation. As a legislative director for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, she showcased her dedication to public service. As of Spring 2021, Anita currently serves as the Commissioner on the IL State Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.

Esperanza K. Tervalon is a queer, Afro-Puerto Rican woman, and a native daughter of Oakland. Born to Black activist parents and raised in the social justice movement, Esperanza has spent the last 17 years building political power for working class, immigrant, and communities of color in Oakland, around the state of California and across the country. Esperanza was the first woman of color to lead a 501c3, 501c4 & PAC collaborative civic engagement formation focused on mobilizing progressive voters of color in the United States. Her ability to build grassroots power in neighborhoods, at the ballot box, and at City Hall has earned her solid reputation as a savvy electoral strategist, a seasoned political organizer, and a power-building innovator among Social Justice activists and Philanthropic leaders.

Esperanza’s unique role and work at the intersection of progressive politics and the social justice movement has earned her dozens of awards. She ran the $10M Hard to Count Census Campaign for the state of Oregon that contacted over 300,000 people across the state. Esperanza lives in Bend, Oregon with her teenage son and dogs.

Jenna Patel is extremely excited to be a part of an organization that centers their work around building an equitable democracy and achieving intersectional racial justice. Prior to joining FCCP as Program Coordinator, Jenna served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Buffalo, NY where she was able to help The Community Action Organization’s (CAO) Housing Development Office build program capacity and develop a resident-engaged neighborhood-level improvement plan on Buffalo’s East Side.
Jenna graduated from Rutgers University in May 2020 as a Public Health major, as well as a Planning and Public Policy minor. Throughout her college career, Jenna held several roles that revealed the true magnitude and depth of inequities shaping systematically oppressed communities, including her roles as a Research Assistant for The Essex and Passaic Health and Wellness Coalition and Director for Rutgers Model Congress. Jenna’s ideal day involves taking a spontaneous trip to the thrift store, going on a mini food crawl, and doing any and all things thrill-inducing!

Yara is a dedicated public health professional with over a decade of experience in nonprofit, government, and university settings. She holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a Master’s in Health Administration. As Senior Manager of Member & Foundation Relations at FCCP, Yara focuses on fostering collaboration and building strong, sustainable relationships with members and partners. She is passionate about creating opportunities for connection and helping communities thrive through shared experiences.

Saida is the President of Funders for LGBTQ Issues, a network of more than a hundred foundations, corporations, and funding institutions collectively awarding more than $1 billion annually, including approximately $100 million specifically devoted to LGBTQ issues. A longtime cultural organizer, activist, and seasoned nonprofit leader, she has guided statewide advocacy efforts promoting the rights of LGBTQ youth in foster care, education, and juvenile justice, winning critical new protections, and directed national art actions uplifting the visibility of Black
girls, women and nonbinary people. Founder of the Rooted Collective, a gathering of Black LGBTQ healing justice activists in Baltimore, She has received honors for her art and activism from Cave Canem, the Baltimore Sun, R.W. Deutsch Foundation, Leeway Foundation, and the Blue Mountain Center. She holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.

Tamieka Atkins is a nonprofit executive with vast experience building and leading diverse coalitions focused on the advancement of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and historically underrepresented groups.

Currently, Tamieka serves as Executive Director of ProGeorgia, a non-partisan voter engagement advocacy organization within the State Voices National Network of Tables. She oversees a multi-million dollar budget that provides funding, resources, and training for more than 60 local, state, and national organizations committed to advancing civic engagement in Georgia. As ProGeorgia’s chief strategist, she leads fundraising and infrastructure building for the organization, helping partner organizations increase their capacity and grow the scale of their voter registration and civic engagement programs.

Tamieka is also the convenor of Women of Color Initiative, a project geared toward illuminating the perspectives of women of color across Georgia, supporting their self-determination, leadership and the development of statewide policy agendas. Such ongoing advocacy for Black Women and Women of Color earned her recognition as one of Time Out Magazine’s Women of the Year 2021.

Previously, Tamieka was the Founding Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance – Atlanta Chapter, where she developed a base of African American domestic workers advocating for respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for all domestic workers.

Tamieka serves on the Boards of State Voices, State Innovation Exchange (SiX), and the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. She previously served on the Boards of the Highlander Research and Education Center, Amnesty International, Women’s March, Atlanta Jobs with Justice, and the Annie E Casey’s Community Investment Fund. She was also a member of the Host Committee for the 2016 Facing Race Conference.

Tamieka received a Bachelor’s in Multicultural Literature from Hunter College and a certificate in Professional Fundraising from New York University. She is also a graduate of the BOLD program (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity), was a 2018 Public Voices Fellow for BMe, and a 2021-2022 National Leading from the Inside Out Fellow for the Rockwood Leadership Institute. For her efforts in advocacy and civic engagement, Tamieka received a Black Voices for Black Justice Fund Award in 2020.

Tamieka lives in Atlanta with her two daughters, Layla and Olivia —the next generation of black women leaders.

Kiara Boone is a Network Officer at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (MRBF) where she manages Foundation relationships and grant portfolios in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Before joining MRBF, Kiara served as deputy director of community education at the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) supporting the organization’s criminal justice reform efforts and work with incarcerated and indigent clients. In this role, Kiara also contributed to research for EJI’s racial justice education materials as well as the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice. For EJI’s Community Remembrance Project, Kiara supported community members across the country in memorializing documented victims of racial violence and fostering meaningful dialogue about race and justice. Kiara has also worked as a fellow for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Kiara earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College and a nonprofit executive management certificate from Georgetown University.

Sabrina Fong (she/her) is a program officer on the Civic Engagement and Government’s US (CEG-US) team. She leads the States Working Group portfolio, which aims to strengthen community-based infrastructure across priority states, with the goals of expanding democratic participation and ensuring communities have greater voice and power to shape the policy decisions that impact their lives. To date, she has served as a program associate on the CEG-US team.

Prior to joining Ford, Sabrina worked as the deputy director of research at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she led its research and data work to inform and design inclusive immigrant policies and programs. She joined immigrant affairs from the mayor’s Office of Operations. Prior to that, she had also served as the associate director of operations at the NYC Charter Revision Commission and had also worked as a civic participation associate at the MinKwon Center for Community Action.

Sabrina graduated from the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter with a major in political science and a minor in Asian American studies.

Olajumoke “Jummy” Banjo is the Director of the Alliance for Social Trust at the Aspen Institute, where she leads efforts to unite diverse sectors in strengthening trust through communities of practice, shared resources, and collaborative partnerships.
Jummy brings nearly 15 years of experience in championing social justice and equity. Before joining the Aspen Institute, she served as the Senior Director of the National Racial Equity Initiative (NREI) for Social Justice at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF), where she spearheaded policy initiatives and programs to promote racial justice and address systemic inequities, focusing on criminal justice reform, education equity, health equity, and economic opportunities for the Black community. Previously, Jummy served as the Racial Justice & Juvenile Defense Fellow at the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Clinic & Initiative, where she worked to reform systems impacting D.C. youth and supported juvenile defenders in racial justice advocacy. She also served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Craig Iscoe in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. A passionate advocate for educational equity, Jummy started her career as a middle school teacher in Charlotte, NC.
Jummy holds a B.A. in Communications from Howard University, a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, and an LL.M in Advocacy from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar and Chair of the GW Law Public Interest Advisory Council.
When Jummy isn’t focused on building trust, advancing equity, or mentoring students, she’s likely scouting the next pair of sneakers to add to her collection or planning events and hosting friends.

Robyn Hyden is executive director of Alabama Arise and Arise's 501(c)(4) affiliate, Alabama Arise Action. A lifelong Alabamian and graduate of Vanderbilt University, Robyn has worked in community development, communications and fundraising with nonprofits including Alabama Possible, Urban Ministry and the United Way of Central Alabama. Before becoming Arise's second Executive Director in 2018, she worked as one of Arise’s north Alabama organizers.

Robyn is passionate about engaging community members and directly-impacted people in the policymaking process. She has led Arise to launch and co-convene the Cover Alabama coalition, the Hunger Free Alabama coalition and the Worker Power Project. She was a founding board member of Alabama Forward, a state director for the League of Women Voters of Alabama and a graduate of the Alabama Leadership Initiative. Robyn lives with her husband, Zac, and her son in Montgomery.

Bakeyah Nelson, PhD is a Senior Advisor for the Funder Collaborative on Oil and Gas, a project of the Rockefeller Family Fund. Previously she served as founder and principal of Community Health Collaborative Consulting, where she partnered with community, nonprofit and philanthropic partners to move environmental justice, climate justice and health equity forward. Bakeyah previously served as the Initiative Director of Bloomberg Philanthropies Beyond Petrochemicals Campaign, the Global Initiative Director for Climate Imperative Foundation, and Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston. She is a current board member of the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation and an Advisory Board member of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice.