Summarization of Organizing Experience13+ years campus and community organizing
Supervising and mentoring organizers
Mentoring students and community leaders interested in developing careers in movement work
Recruiting, training, mobilizing, and managing volunteers
Leading and overseeing all forms of direct-action
Leading and overseeing issue and state legislative campaigns
Organizing ballot initiative signature collections via door canvassing and specified locations
Recruiting for, editing others’, and giving/submitting written and oral testimonies at state legislative bill hearings and city council meetings
Producing, distributing, and converting issue messaging into traditional and social media formats with original images
Compiling, editing/providing feedback on, publishing, and overseeing the publishing of LTE’s, OP-EDs, and blog posts
Forming partnerships and building coalitions with community and movement leaders
(Co)organizing and facilitating collaborative learning spaces to advance social justice issues
Representing and speaking on behalf of organizations and groups to movement partners, community leaders, public officials, legislative bodies, media sources, funders, and the public
Garnering donations and funding from campaign success and funder relationships
Fundraising via membership recruitment, door canvassing, banquets, silent auctions, social media content, and a charity shop
Writing and submitting grants, as well as developing budgets and tracking/reporting deliverables
Reviewing project submissions and awarding financial support
ORGANIZING PHILOSOPHY (abridged)Movement building strategies must increase people’s understanding of how social justice issues intersect, why we must simultaneously address them, and how adequately addressing them requires contending with power dynamics and notions of progress. Following suit, when organizing our communities we must prioritize increasing diversity at every level of leadership, employing systemic and interpersonal solutions derived from and continually evaluated by those most directly impacted, and building sustainable coalitions. Intersectional approaches are necessary to address and dismantle the intersectional oppressions and forms of dominance that keep most people excluded from the benefits of society.
Our work is more effective when communities not only understand why certain strategies and tactics are chosen, but get to lead the way on the development of strategies, tactics, and proposed solutions.
Movement leaders must continuously be seeking education and educating others. Research must inform what is being taught and how organizers are going about their work. Organizing communities must be deeply rooted in relationship building because this work requires a deep level of trust that is difficult to muster in a society built on lies, slavery, and genocide; one that continues to forcefully enact lies and violence at every turn.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Cofounder and Convener
September 2022 – Present
Mid-Missouri Reproductive Justice Coalition, Columbia, MO
Work on and financially support local and state-based reproductive rights, health, and justice initiatives
Create recruitment and participation opportunities to increase community involvement
Cofounder and Convener
August 2019 – December 2020
Feminist Consciousness-Raising Group, Columbia, MO
Monthly convening of community leaders for a topic-specific discussion led by one or more members
Cohost
November 2018 – Present
Women’s Issues, Women’s Voices, KOPN-Columbia (89.5 FM)
Assisted with garnering speakers and securing vendors
Created and shared digital graphics, recorded march, and shared content on social media
Co-organizer
April 2018 – September 2018
St. Louis March for Black Women and Marketplace
Assisted with garnering speakers and securing vendors
Created and shared digital graphics, recorded march, and shared content on social media
Senior Vice President of Research and Movement Building/Senior Movement Building and Research Manager/Movement Building and Research Manager/Senior Outreach Producer/Missouri Organizer
March 2017 – June 2024
Reproaction Education Fund via NEO Philanthropy, Remote
Supervised remote project organizer
Prioritized relationship building to form partnerships and build coalitions with movement and community leaders
Developed movement-building strategies, produced educational traditional and social media content, (co)organized events, and spoke with the media to encourage public engagement, strategic partnerships, donations, and funder support
Created and facilitated direct-action, leadership, and movement building trainings and workshops
Created, launched, and led campaigns requiring budget/financial management and deliverable reports
Organized virtual and in-person direct actions, which included acquiring media coverage for issues like birth control and abortion access, maternal and infant mortality, and decriminalizing HIV
Recruited, mobilized, and managed volunteers for all forms of direct action
Collaboratively defined and developed the organization’s strategic plan based on community needs and organizational priorities
Met with elected officials and/or their policy/legislative teams
Campus Organizer
August 2011 – May 2020
University of Missouri-Columbia
Cofounder | MU Policy Now – a graduate and professional student group who composed and presented student-interest policies to the Board of Curators, but most notably known for launching and leading the campaign resulting in the selection of Dr. Michael A. Middleton as Interim System President after the former President resigned during a student uprising
Cofounder | Mizzou Social Justice Collaborative – a student group created by and composed of undergraduate and graduate student leaders tasked with creating calls to action and student demands from campus leadership
Cofounder | The Coalition of Graduate Workers – a multi-year graduate employee led effort that culminated into the university-recognized graduate employee union
Board Member | ABGPS – a graduate and professional student organization that most notably fundraised $2000 for our “Lest We Forget” campaign, which was used to purchase a community marker and fund a gathering to commemorate the 1926 lynching of James T. Scott; 2016 recipient of the Chancellor’s Excellence Award for Most Outstanding Small Organization
Cofounder | W(h)ine, Books, and Sarcasm – feminist peer support group for graduate students
Cofounder | GRO Mizzou – an undergraduate and graduate student grassroots organizing organization that most notably worked to keep trailer park residents from eviction so a luxury student housing complex could be built. Initially encouraged student leaders to testify at City Council meetings to scrap the complex, and later advocated our proposal for an up to $3000 grant for each displaced family by the developers as a City Council measure, which became a city ordinance
Board Cochair/Organizer/Human Resource Enhancement Consultant
August 2011 – July 2015
GRO – Grass Roots Organizing, Columbia, MO
Co-led board meetings, hired new Executive Director, and recruited new board members
Worked on economic and environmental justice campaigns that included eliminating student loan debt, protecting and expanding social security and Medicaid, and addressing climate change and pollution
Organized direct actions and ballot initiative signature collections
Fundraised via door canvassing, phone banks, the annual banquet, and the recruitment of new members
Registered people to vote
Met with elected officials and/or their policy/legislative teams
Provided tax counseling as an IRS-trained volunteer through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program
Assisted the Executive Director with increasing program and human resource capacity
INVITED TALKS2022
Speaker: "Roe the Vote" Missouri Reproductive Freedom Tour | CoMo for Progress-Columbia
“Organizing for Abortion” with Heather Booth, JANE Cofounder | Rising Organizers (online)
2021
“Reproductive Justice in Missouri” | Power Hour: What is Reproductive Justice? | NARAL Pro Choice Missouri (online)
2020
Event Moderator: Stronger Through Diversity speaker series | Black History Month event | Commission on Human Relations-Jefferson City
Speaker: We Dissent Virtual Rally & Action on Abortion Access | CoMo for Progress-Columbia
“Organizing Digital Photo Campaigns” | HIV is Not a Crime Community Conversation: Mentoring Opportunity | Sero Project (online)
Speaker | 4th Annual Solidarity March and Rally | Boone County Courthouse | CoMo for Progress-Columbia
2019
Speaker | Stop the Bans Rally | Stop the Bans Coalition | Missouri Capitol Building-Jefferson City
“Organizing for Reproductive Justice” with Martha Scott, JANE Cofounder | Women’s and Gender Studies Department at the University of Missouri-Columbia | Fretboard Coffee
Your Voice, Your Power: Truth to Power to Action panel with Lucky Garcia, Michele Watley, Sandra Yoder, Justice Gatson, Cecilia Belser-Patton | Educate-Organize-Advocate Conference | University of Missouri-Kansas City
“HIV as a Reproductive Justice Issue” | HIV Is Not a Crime Panel | Missouri HIV Justice Coalition and The Center for HIV Law and Policy | Leedy-Voulkos Art Center-Kansas City
Hear from the Experts on Black Maternal Health panel with Hakima Payne, Justice Gatson, Dr. Traci Johnson, and Nika Cotton | Empower Missouri and Uzazi Village | Central Library-Kansas City
“To Kid or Not To Kid” film screening panel with film maker Maxine Trump, Dr. Barbara Sutton, and Dr. Amy Blackstone | Sociologists for Women in Society Summer Meeting-NYC
2018
Speaker | Anti-Kavanaugh Rally | Planned Parenthood Advocates | US Capitol Building-Washington, DC
Keynote | “Black Maternal and Infant Mortality in Missouri” | Boone County Muleskinners | Columbia Country Club-Columbia
Being Woman while Being Black: When Being a Woman is Deadly panel | November learning community meeting | Cultural Competency Collective of Greater Kansas City
2017
Speaker | People’s Session rally | MO Reproductive Coalition | Missouri Capitol Building-Jefferson City
“A Narrative: University of Missouri” | Narratives and Outcomes panel | Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution Fall Symposium | University of Missouri-Columbia
2016
Racial Justice Activism on Campus panel with Dr. Joan Hermsen, Dr. Kris de Welde, Dr. Abby Ferber | Sociologists for Women in Society Winter Meeting-Memphis
Organizing Excellence: Campus Engagement and Community Involvement panel with Angela Haeny, Kenneth Bryant, Jr, Tiffanesha Williams | Colleagues to Campus Forum | University of Missouri-Columbia Graduate School
Leadership in Graduate School: From Community Organizing to Campus Activism panel with Rachel Bauer, Katie Steen, Hallie Thompson, Jaqueline Gamboa Varela | Women in Leadership Conference | University of Missouri System-Columbia
(CO)-ORGANIZED PANELS AND PRESENTATIONS2024
Queering Spaces of Social Action: Integrating Teaching, Research, and Activism for Radical Inclusion panel with Dr. Heather Hlavka, Dr. Ester Hernandez-Medina, and Rachael Lorenzo-Indigenous Women Rising | Sociologists for Women in Society’s Winter Meeting-Albuquerque
2023
2021
Movement Building Discussion Panel Series (online)
Myth-Busting to Address Racial Health Disparities panel (online)
HIV is a Racial Justice Issue panel (online)
2020
Centering Community in Health Care Practices panel | Kneeshe Parkinson, M’Evie Mead, Brittany “Tru” Kellman, Mia Daugherty, Michelle Trupiano | Harrison Center at St. Louis Community College
Policing Parenthood panel (online)
Examining Black Women’s Health at the Intersection of HIV, IPV, and the Criminal Legal System panel (online)
Criminalizing Our Existence panel (online)
2019
HIV Stigma, Discrimination, and the Law panel | Dr. Michelle Teti and Caleb Mitchell | University of Missouri-Columbia
Black Women in Activism: Addressing Racial Health Disparities panel with Felicia Anunoby, Alicia Edwards | Lincoln University
Black Women in Activism: Addressing Racial Health Disparities panel | Jannis Evans, Brittany Ferrell, Justice Gatson, Brittani “Tru” Kelllman, Dr. Tola Pearce | Women’s Center at University of Missouri-Columbia
Black Women in Activism: Practicing Intersectionality panel | Kristian Blackmon, Ashli Bolden, Brittany “Tru” Kellman, Rep. Cora Faith Walker, Kendra Tatum, Jennifer Disla | Jamaa Birth Village-Ferguson
“The Naked Truth: Death by Delivery” film screening | Heather Thompson, Dr. Cathleen Appelt, Deidre Johnson | Sociologists for Women in Society’s Winter Meeting-Denver
Supporting People Living with HIV and AIDS panel (online)
2018
“Jackson” film screening | Columbia, Ferguson, Kansas City
Discussing Immigration Beyond Reform panel | Alex Martinez, Diana Martinez Quintana, Pamela Merritt | Kansas City
“The Naked Truth: Death by Delivery” film screening | Kansas City, Jefferson City, Springfield
2017
Taking Action on Maternal and Infant Mortality panel (online)
“The Naked Truth: Death by Delivery” film screening | Columbia, Jefferson City, Charleston, Ferguson
2015
“Building Women’s Economic Security in Missouri” | Guarantee Women’s Economic Equality: Building Power to Address Structural Sexism in the Economy panel | National People’s Action Annual Conference-Washington, DC
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT2024
Missouri’s First Annual Black Maternal Health Summit | Missouri Community Doula Council and the University of Missouri’s Black Studies Department
Op-Ed Writing Workshop Series | American Sociological Association and Sociologists for Women in Society
Working for Change Online Training | The Management Center
2023
Allyship and Understanding Workshop | Transgender Strategy Center
Trans& | Transgender Training Institute
22nd Century Conference | Minneapolis
How to Use Our News App to Investigate Nonprofits Training | ProPublica
2022
Movement Tools Training Series | Progressive Caucus Action Fund and State Innovation Exchange Action
2021
Grant Writing Basics for Nonprofit Organizations Workshop
Social Media Training Series | Digital Defense Fund
Managing to Change the World, 101 Edition Training: BIPOC Cohort | The Management Center
2020
Voter Registration and Engagement in the Age of COVID Training | Missouri Foundation for Health
2019
Introductory and Advanced Capitol Lobbying Workshops | Missouri Foundation for Health