PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Visionary philanthropic executive, cultural strategist, and multimedia storyteller with 15+ years of experience leading equity-driven strategies in grantmaking, arts and culture, and Black liberation-centered programming. Nationally recognized for producing transformative narratives, leading institutional and grassroots initiatives, and building cross-sector partnerships. Equally fluent in community-rooted practice, philanthropic leadership, and cultural production, with a record of catalyzing impact through narrative, strategy, and systems change.

CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Strategic Philanthropy & Ecosystem Design

  • Participatory & Trust-Based Grantmaking

  • Organizational Culture & Change Leadership

  • Cultural Strategy & Narrative Framing

  • Grant Strategy & Capacity Building

  • Cross-Sector Collaboration & Movement-Building

  • Public Speaking & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Learning & Evaluation Frameworks

  • Visual Storytelling & Multimedia Production

  • Equity-Centered Systems Design

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Founder & Principal, Grants & Grit Co. — Chicago, IL | 2025–Present
Lead equity-centered consulting for nonprofits, foundations, and community-based orgs.

  • Design values-aligned grantmaking models and sustainability plans

  • Facilitate board retreats, strategy sessions, and leadership development

  • Support narrative framing, impact storytelling, and organizational transformation

  • Manage complex initiatives across sectors and time zones


Senior Director of Programs, Wayfarer Foundation — Wilmette, IL | 2023–2025
Led a $34M racial justice portfolio and built strategic and operational infrastructure.

  • Developed strategy and evaluation systems aligned with equity and learning

  • Supervised cross-functional program teams and led growth culture

  • Facilitated public convenings and narrative-centered initiatives


Senior Program Officer, Arts & Culture, The Pittsburgh Foundation — Pittsburgh, PA | 2018–2023
Directed arts and community funding initiatives.

  • Embedded trust-based practices into institutional philanthropy

  • Designed community labs, learning collaboratives, and narrative strategies

  • Led multi-year partnerships with universities, artists, and media


Co-Founder (2011–Present), 1Hood Media — National
Black-led cultural media institution rooted in liberation and storytelling.

  • Produced campaigns, events, and convenings on Black identity and justice

  • Built and sustained philanthropic partnerships and movement-aligned funding

  • Supported strategic planning and infrastructure as Executive Director (2011–2018)

  • Led visual production and cultural programming with artists and activists


Federal Service, U.S. Department of Justice / Homeland Security | 1993–2008
Held roles in adjudication, investigations, and interagency coordination.

  • Built systems for compliance, documentation, and operations

  • Informed current equity and systems-change work with federal insights

CREATIVE & MEDIA WORK

Director / Producer / Creative Consultant for:

  • Dear Marissa

  • New Nat Turners

  • Young, Gifted, and Black

  • Strange Fruit

  • The Babies

  • People Over Profit

  • 1Hood Presents: Being a Young Black Man in America

  • By Allah’s Permission (documentary + oral history on Nation of Islam)

Live and Visual Projects:

  • Performance and Development Design for Oscar Micheaux’s “Body and Soul”

  • Jasiri X: Black Liberation Theology (Visual Strategy)

IMDb Credits:

  • Bars4Justice

  • WarOnUs

SELECT PROJECTS & RESEARCH

Married to the Mission: Charisma, Calling, and Leadership in Black Faith Communities

Collegeville Institute Resident Scholar Project (Fall 2026)
Awarded the Kilian McDonnell Fellowship to incubate this multimedia research and storytelling project.

  • Explores the emotional, spiritual, and social impact of charismatic leadership in Black religious spaces

  • Draws from oral history, archival research, theology, and media

  • Project outcomes include: essays, short films, a podcast, a community dialogue toolkit, and the foundation for a long-form book or documentary

FELLOWSHIPS & RESIDENCIES

  • Resident Scholar, Collegeville Institute (Fall 2026)
    Kilian McDonnell Fellowship Recipient for Married to the Mission

  • Fellow, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2016)

PUBLIC SPEAKING & VISIBILITY

  • Panelist & Speaker: SXSW, Grantmakers in the Arts, CreativeMornings

  • Facilitator: Mothers of the Movement (Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, etc.)

  • Dialogue Host: Dr. Cornel West, adrienne maree brown, Beatrice X Johnson

  • Featured in: BET, PBS, The Nation, The Root, Colorlines, Inside Philanthropy

BOARD SERVICE & AFFILIATIONS

  • Grantmakers in the Arts – Board Member & Contributor

  • Heinz Endowments – TAP Advisory Board

  • Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Community Engagement Advisory Board

  • Faith & Spirituality Writer Community – Top 100 Substack (2025)

  • Carnegie Mellon University – Capstone Project Advisory Board (2025)

EDUCATION

B.A., Arts Management – Chatham University
Fellowship Recipient – School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2016

AWARDS & HONORS

  • SXSW Community Leadership Award

  • $2M Grant Award, MacKenzie Scott via Pittsburgh Foundation

  • Top 3 Activists, Pittsburgh City Paper

  • Contributor – Tender: A Literary Anthology with Vanessa German & Deesha Philyaw

TECHNICAL & STRATEGIC TOOLS

Asana · Airtable · Slack · Google Suite · Adobe Premiere & Photoshop
Submittable · Canva · AI & Data Integration Tools · Event Production Platforms

REFERENCES & PORTFOLIO

Available upon request. Portfolio includes video, writing, and strategy samples.