Managing partners
Dorian O. Burton, Ed.l.d,
Managing Partner
Dr. Dorian Burton, Ed.L.D., is currently the Managing Partner of the Southern Reconstruction Fund (SRF), a social impact fund committed to strengthening the American South by transforming communities most affected by racial injustice and systemic inequity into beacons of health and prosperity. Prior to leading SRF Dr. Burton served as the Chief Program Officer and Assistant Executive Director at the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in Chapel Hill, NC, a foundation that supports building healthy and whole communities. He was formerly the Co-Director of The TandemED Initiative for Black Male Achievement and Community Improvement at Harvard University Law School's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and was the Wasserman Foundation Fellow in the Doctor of Education Leadership Program at Harvard. Prior to Harvard, Dr. Burton worked as an independent consultant with various non-profits and school districts between Harlem, NY; Houston, TX; and Newark, NJ. In his role as a consultant, Burton worked to provide strategic support to Newark Public School principals in the launch of their Renew School Turnaround initiative. In addition, he worked in a special projects role to develop external partnerships for the Harlem Children’s Zone College Success Office.
Dr. Burton started his professional career working for the National Football League and also served as the founding Program Director of the Education Pioneers Houston Office, the Houston Director of Stand for Children, and the Chief Strategy Officer for TandemED. In addition to his doctorate degree from Harvard, Burton is completing his MBA from Oxford University’s Said School of Business, and holds a Master’s degree in higher education from the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Pennsylvania State University, where he also was a member of the varsity football team.
During Dr. Burton’s tenure at Harvard as a Wasserman Family Fellow, he was selected to the Dean's Committee on equity and diversity, served as a Teaching Fellow for Lani Guinier at Harvard Law School and was awarded the International Marshall Memorial Fellowship from the German Marshall Fund. Additionally, Dr. Burton was a Gordon Ambach Fellow with the National Governors Association Education Division and The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, as well as a non-Resident Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University.
Dr. Burton currently resides in Durham, NC. He is deeply driven by his faith and is the proud son of two wonderful scholarly parents, the father of four great children, and brother to three older sisters who serve as his inspiration, comic relief, and confidants.
Online: In 2019 Dr. Burton was selected as one of the 2019 Black Enterprise Modern Man of Distinction and honored by The Root 100 as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the country. Dr. Burton was also selected to the Boston Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list.
He has his own blog on Huffington Post and tweets frequently @Dorian_Burton.
He has also been published in the Boston Globe, and Stanford Social Innovation Review.
NAPOLEON WALLACE,
Managing Partner
Napoleon Wallace is the Managing Partner at the Southern Reconstruction Fund and Co-Founder of Activest, a social justice research and advisory firm, and Opportunity NC, an opportunity fund focused on supporting owner-occupied commercial real estate for minority- and women-owned businesses. In addition, Napoleon is a Senior Fellow at Frontline Solutions, a black-owned management consultancy working with the nation’s largest nonprofits and philanthropies. With more than 15 years of experience in finance and community economic development, Napoleon has led and supported numerous successful impact efforts within private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, Napoleon served as the Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where he managed North Carolina’s development finance, community development, workforce development and micropolitan economic development efforts. Earlier in his career, Napoleon served on the executive staff at Self-Help, as the turnaround CEO for two troubled CDFIs, as the Social Investment Officer at the Kresge Foundation, as an investment banker with Wells Fargo Securities and as a community banker with M&F Bancorp’s Commercial Credit group.
Napoleon is a native of rural eastern North Carolina (US), the proud son of a teacher and a small-business owner. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from North Carolina Central University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Dr. Dorian Burton, Ed.L.D., is currently the Managing Partner of the Southern Reconstruction Fund (SRF), a social impact fund committed to strengthening the American South by transforming communities most affected by racial injustice and systemic inequity into beacons of health and prosperity. Prior to leading SRF Dr. Burton served as the Chief Program Officer and Assistant Executive Director at the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust in Chapel Hill, NC, a foundation that supports building healthy and whole communities. He was formerly the Co-Director of The TandemED Initiative for Black Male Achievement and Community Improvement at Harvard University Law School's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and was the Wasserman Foundation Fellow in the Doctor of Education Leadership Program at Harvard. Prior to Harvard, Dr. Burton worked as an independent consultant with various non-profits and school districts between Harlem, NY; Houston, TX; and Newark, NJ. In his role as a consultant, Burton worked to provide strategic support to Newark Public School principals in the launch of their Renew School Turnaround initiative. In addition, he worked in a special projects role to develop external partnerships for the Harlem Children’s Zone College Success Office.
Dr. Burton started his professional career working for the National Football League and also served as the founding Program Director of the Education Pioneers Houston Office, the Houston Director of Stand for Children, and the Chief Strategy Officer for TandemED. In addition to his doctorate degree from Harvard, Burton is completing his MBA from Oxford University’s Said School of Business, and holds a Master’s degree in higher education from the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology from Pennsylvania State University, where he also was a member of the varsity football team.
During Dr. Burton’s tenure at Harvard as a Wasserman Family Fellow, he was selected to the Dean's Committee on equity and diversity, served as a Teaching Fellow for Lani Guinier at Harvard Law School and was awarded the International Marshall Memorial Fellowship from the German Marshall Fund. Additionally, Dr. Burton was a Gordon Ambach Fellow with the National Governors Association Education Division and The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, as well as a non-Resident Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University.
Dr. Burton currently resides in Durham, NC. He is deeply driven by his faith and is the proud son of two wonderful scholarly parents, the father of four great children, and brother to three older sisters who serve as his inspiration, comic relief, and confidants.
Online: In 2019 Dr. Burton was selected as one of the 2019 Black Enterprise Modern Man of Distinction and honored by The Root 100 as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in the country. Dr. Burton was also selected to the Boston Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list.
He has his own blog on Huffington Post and tweets frequently @Dorian_Burton.
He has also been published in the Boston Globe, and Stanford Social Innovation Review.
Napoleon Wallace is the Managing Partner at the Southern Reconstruction Fund and Co-Founder of Activest, a social justice research and advisory firm, and Opportunity NC, an opportunity fund focused on supporting owner-occupied commercial real estate for minority- and women-owned businesses. In addition, Napoleon is a Senior Fellow at Frontline Solutions, a black-owned management consultancy working with the nation’s largest nonprofits and philanthropies. With more than 15 years of experience in finance and community economic development, Napoleon has led and supported numerous successful impact efforts within private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, Napoleon served as the Deputy Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, where he managed North Carolina’s development finance, community development, workforce development and micropolitan economic development efforts. Earlier in his career, Napoleon served on the executive staff at Self-Help, as the turnaround CEO for two troubled CDFIs, as the Social Investment Officer at the Kresge Foundation, as an investment banker with Wells Fargo Securities and as a community banker with M&F Bancorp’s Commercial Credit group.
Napoleon is a native of rural eastern North Carolina (US), the proud son of a teacher and a small-business owner. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from North Carolina Central University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Dr. Brian C.B. Barnes is a speaker, consultant, and thought leader for non-profits and philanthropies on the topics of social impact, equity, education, youth development, innovation, and social entrepreneurship. He has partnered and worked with national organizations including Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the American Heart Association, United Way Worldwide, MENTOR, and Campaign for Black Male Achievement. Dr. Barnes is also the co-founder and CEO of TandemEd, an entity that educates and propels communities of color to lead their own social change efforts in tandem with institutions willing to align with community-based efforts. In addition, Dr. Barnes has published writings on the topic of social justice and equity including recent contributions to the Stanford Social Innovation Review entitled "Shifting Philanthropy from Charity to Justice" and "Paid in Full: How to Reorient Philanthropic Investments for Justice-Oriented Collective Action and Impact." Dr. Barnes’ previous experience includes serving as the chief officer on community engagement for the State of Tennessee's direct-run turnaround schools; instructor and coach at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; district leader on faith-based and community partnerships, small-school principal, and mathematics teacher at Boston Public Schools; and director of youth ministries in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.). Recently, Dr. Barnes was recognized and selected as a member of the 2017 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a leadership advancement program sponsored by a consortium of select U.S. Presidential Centers. Dr. Barnes holds both a Doctorate and Masters in education leadership from Harvard University; a Master of Divinity from Andover-Newton Theological School; and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in secondary education from Morehouse College. Dr. Barnes is married and is the father of three small children, one son and two daughters.
STRATEGIC Advisors
AMBASSADOR SHABAZZ
A most sought after and captivating speaker throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, she is inspired by her Parents, theirs and theirs before them. For Ambassador Shabazz, it has been a most natural, hence lifelong devotion to focus on the aspirational side of human, societal and business development with strategic evaluation, practical investment and enrichment outcomes for “definitive beneficiaries” -- that has been most fulfilling in her career.
Raised in Westchester County, New York, Ambassador Shabazz is the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz. She graduated from the United Nations International School at 17 and entered Briarcliff College the following fall semester, majoring in International Law with a minor in English.
A producer, writer and diplomat she has spent over 38 years offering keynote addresses, while developing curriculums and programs for educational institutions, executive forums, diplomatic networks, penal systems, conferences and human service organizations globally-- with the purpose to motivate and encourage the young and mature alike to recognize the value in and appreciation of -- diverse cultural engagement, traditional rights of passage and perspectives, thus a genuine respect for oneself and others.
She is recognized as a masterful creator and an astute businesswoman. Fondly termed by her colleagues as an “ideas architect”, she is a strategist and technician quick to discern the integrity, theme and ultimate goal of each endeavor while realizing a vision of execution and successful outcome.
In 1996, she established the Pilgrimage Foundation in honor of her Father’s spiritual journey to the Holy land. “It offered him the ‘Light of Understanding’ and confirmed his vision for our Oneness” she states. In tribute to her Mother’s life long legacy of service as an educator, as well as the leadership of both sets of Grandparents and their parents before them, --thus uniting 5 languages, 3 religions, social histories and traditions, she has remained steadfast guiding experiences that expand one’s own personal prism and regard for others. Her lifetime commitment is to establish fellowships from the most fortunate to the disenfranchised, bridging the gaps with the sustenance that assures that “we step into the world-- both mindful and equipped to fulfill our bounty – then share it with another”.
The Pilgrimage Foundation has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world reaching the under-served and well as the privileged. From shelters, correctional facilities, villages, metropolises, State Houses and Royal compounds. “We are fundamentally the same— balancing our highs and lows all day long”.
dr. bobby w. austin
Over the past 30 years, in the fields of education, social policy, youth development, cultural theory, citizen diplomacy, and philanthropy, Dr. Bobby W. Austin has created pathways for living life in communities where peace, meaning, and innovation are nurtured. Currently, his work revolves around creating education experiences for Public Kinship through the telling of good civic stories about individuals in community.
- “The plan to save America,” is what Washington Post columnist William Raspberry said of his work Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim our Streets and Rebuild Civil Society in American Communities
- Best Books Award Finalist, USA Book News (for I’ll Make Me a World)
- Named Mahatma Gandhi Fellow of the National Academy of Political and Social Sciences
- PEN/Faulkner Fiction Writer in Residence, DC Public Schools
- Elected to HistoryMakers
- Named one of the 50 American Americans Who Changed American Education
- Director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Commission on Men and Boys, and Chair of the State of the African American Man, led by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)
- Presenter, Peace Conversations in Hiroshima (Japan)
- Was a Contemplative Leadership discussant and author at the Fetzer Institute
- Acknowledged by the Foundation Center and the Open Society Foundations as the pioneer of philanthropic initiatives to aid African American men and boys
- Member, the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller
- Member, World Board, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Dr. Austin lectures and leads discussions based on his two recent books, Circus Clowns and Carnival Animals (2008, his first fiction work) and I’ll Make Me a World: Bringing Wholeness to Fractured Lives after 9/11 (2008).
Dr. Austin is President of Neighborhood Associates Corporation, a non-profit community support institution based in Washington, DC.
linda wilson
Linda is the executive director of Fund II Foundation, founded by Robert F. Smith, businessman and philanthropist. Fund II is a holistic organization for preserving the African-American experience; protecting human rights; providing music education; preserving the environment while promoting the benefits of the outdoors; and perpetuating American values such as opportunity for all. Fund II’s initiatives include a comprehensive movement from Cradle to Greatness for black and brown adults and children, measuring progress in the many pathways of our lives and addressing impediments to that progress; e.g., lack of internships. InternX.org is a new program designed to match culturally aware companies with 1000 overlooked students this year and 10,000 next year. Fund II intends to be disruptive and inspirational to all philanthropic endeavors, devoted to authentic collaborations, metrics off the chart and transformative scalability and sustainability. It has awarded over $250MM in a little over 5 years.
A human and civil rights activist since the Sixties and independent consultant for decades, Linda worked with diverse groups of all ages, in education, engineering, government, media, politics, big business, not-for-profits, and grassroots groups. She is especially proud of her work with the Ford Foundation’s Drug Abuse Council in the Seventies when she facilitated a dialogue with 50 urban police chiefs and 50 former drug users on the fact that drug abuse is a health issue rather than a crime. She won an award from American University for interrupting a gunfight between two strangers near the school. She has facilitated tough conversations between city leaders and displaced residents, between religious and cultural opponents, all with the intended effect of building those bridges required for progress.
Before Fund II, she served as a diversity and inclusion vice president at Malcolm Pirnie/ARCADIS, a global engineering company, winning awards for its intern program. She raised the visibility of environmental engineering firms to historically black universities, multicultural engineering programs, and associations both devoted to and devoid of diversity.
Authentic communication and collaboration are her passions, because they represent love in action. Lifelong learning is a given; she gathers interactive tools that can advance groups emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. As an ordained interfaith minister, she provides workshops to women and youth who want to improve their lives. She helps dying people and their families. She has been a board member to a substance abuse and HIV/AIDS program with an emphasis on African American heritage as well as a battered women’s shelter. She was trained by Al Gore as a soldier against climate change. She is a wife, mother of 3, grandmother of 5, and great grandmother of one.
A most sought after and captivating speaker throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, she is inspired by her Parents, theirs and theirs before them. For Ambassador Shabazz, it has been a most natural, hence lifelong devotion to focus on the aspirational side of human, societal and business development with strategic evaluation, practical investment and enrichment outcomes for “definitive beneficiaries” -- that has been most fulfilling in her career.
Raised in Westchester County, New York, Ambassador Shabazz is the eldest of six daughters born to Dr. Betty Shabazz and Malcolm X Shabazz. She graduated from the United Nations International School at 17 and entered Briarcliff College the following fall semester, majoring in International Law with a minor in English.
A producer, writer and diplomat she has spent over 38 years offering keynote addresses, while developing curriculums and programs for educational institutions, executive forums, diplomatic networks, penal systems, conferences and human service organizations globally-- with the purpose to motivate and encourage the young and mature alike to recognize the value in and appreciation of -- diverse cultural engagement, traditional rights of passage and perspectives, thus a genuine respect for oneself and others.
She is recognized as a masterful creator and an astute businesswoman. Fondly termed by her colleagues as an “ideas architect”, she is a strategist and technician quick to discern the integrity, theme and ultimate goal of each endeavor while realizing a vision of execution and successful outcome.
In 1996, she established the Pilgrimage Foundation in honor of her Father’s spiritual journey to the Holy land. “It offered him the ‘Light of Understanding’ and confirmed his vision for our Oneness” she states. In tribute to her Mother’s life long legacy of service as an educator, as well as the leadership of both sets of Grandparents and their parents before them, --thus uniting 5 languages, 3 religions, social histories and traditions, she has remained steadfast guiding experiences that expand one’s own personal prism and regard for others. Her lifetime commitment is to establish fellowships from the most fortunate to the disenfranchised, bridging the gaps with the sustenance that assures that “we step into the world-- both mindful and equipped to fulfill our bounty – then share it with another”.
The Pilgrimage Foundation has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world reaching the under-served and well as the privileged. From shelters, correctional facilities, villages, metropolises, State Houses and Royal compounds. “We are fundamentally the same— balancing our highs and lows all day long”.
Over the past 30 years, in the fields of education, social policy, youth development, cultural theory, citizen diplomacy, and philanthropy, Dr. Bobby W. Austin has created pathways for living life in communities where peace, meaning, and innovation are nurtured. Currently, his work revolves around creating education experiences for Public Kinship through the telling of good civic stories about individuals in community.
- “The plan to save America,” is what Washington Post columnist William Raspberry said of his work Repairing the Breach: Key Ways to Support Family Life, Reclaim our Streets and Rebuild Civil Society in American Communities
- Best Books Award Finalist, USA Book News (for I’ll Make Me a World)
- Named Mahatma Gandhi Fellow of the National Academy of Political and Social Sciences
- PEN/Faulkner Fiction Writer in Residence, DC Public Schools
- Elected to HistoryMakers
- Named one of the 50 American Americans Who Changed American Education
- Director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Commission on Men and Boys, and Chair of the State of the African American Man, led by Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)
- Presenter, Peace Conversations in Hiroshima (Japan)
- Was a Contemplative Leadership discussant and author at the Fetzer Institute
- Acknowledged by the Foundation Center and the Open Society Foundations as the pioneer of philanthropic initiatives to aid African American men and boys
- Member, the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller
- Member, World Board, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Dr. Austin lectures and leads discussions based on his two recent books, Circus Clowns and Carnival Animals (2008, his first fiction work) and I’ll Make Me a World: Bringing Wholeness to Fractured Lives after 9/11 (2008).
Dr. Austin is President of Neighborhood Associates Corporation, a non-profit community support institution based in Washington, DC.
Dr. Brian C.B. Barnes is a speaker, consultant, and thought leader for non-profits and philanthropies on the topics of social impact, equity, education, youth development, innovation, and social entrepreneurship. He has partnered and worked with national organizations including Grantmakers for Effective Organizations, the American Heart Association, United Way Worldwide, MENTOR, and Campaign for Black Male Achievement. Dr. Barnes is also the co-founder and CEO of TandemEd, an entity that educates and propels communities of color to lead their own social change efforts in tandem with institutions willing to align with community-based efforts. In addition, Dr. Barnes has published writings on the topic of social justice and equity including recent contributions to the Stanford Social Innovation Review entitled "Shifting Philanthropy from Charity to Justice" and "Paid in Full: How to Reorient Philanthropic Investments for Justice-Oriented Collective Action and Impact." Dr. Barnes’ previous experience includes serving as the chief officer on community engagement for the State of Tennessee's direct-run turnaround schools; instructor and coach at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; district leader on faith-based and community partnerships, small-school principal, and mathematics teacher at Boston Public Schools; and director of youth ministries in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.). Recently, Dr. Barnes was recognized and selected as a member of the 2017 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars, a leadership advancement program sponsored by a consortium of select U.S. Presidential Centers. Dr. Barnes holds both a Doctorate and Masters in education leadership from Harvard University; a Master of Divinity from Andover-Newton Theological School; and a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in secondary education from Morehouse College. Dr. Barnes is married and is the father of three small children, one son and two daughters.
Linda is the executive director of Fund II Foundation, founded by Robert F. Smith, businessman and philanthropist. Fund II is a holistic organization for preserving the African-American experience; protecting human rights; providing music education; preserving the environment while promoting the benefits of the outdoors; and perpetuating American values such as opportunity for all. Fund II’s initiatives include a comprehensive movement from Cradle to Greatness for black and brown adults and children, measuring progress in the many pathways of our lives and addressing impediments to that progress; e.g., lack of internships. InternX.org is a new program designed to match culturally aware companies with 1000 overlooked students this year and 10,000 next year. Fund II intends to be disruptive and inspirational to all philanthropic endeavors, devoted to authentic collaborations, metrics off the chart and transformative scalability and sustainability. It has awarded over $250MM in a little over 5 years.
A human and civil rights activist since the Sixties and independent consultant for decades, Linda worked with diverse groups of all ages, in education, engineering, government, media, politics, big business, not-for-profits, and grassroots groups. She is especially proud of her work with the Ford Foundation’s Drug Abuse Council in the Seventies when she facilitated a dialogue with 50 urban police chiefs and 50 former drug users on the fact that drug abuse is a health issue rather than a crime. She won an award from American University for interrupting a gunfight between two strangers near the school. She has facilitated tough conversations between city leaders and displaced residents, between religious and cultural opponents, all with the intended effect of building those bridges required for progress.
Before Fund II, she served as a diversity and inclusion vice president at Malcolm Pirnie/ARCADIS, a global engineering company, winning awards for its intern program. She raised the visibility of environmental engineering firms to historically black universities, multicultural engineering programs, and associations both devoted to and devoid of diversity.
Authentic communication and collaboration are her passions, because they represent love in action. Lifelong learning is a given; she gathers interactive tools that can advance groups emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. As an ordained interfaith minister, she provides workshops to women and youth who want to improve their lives. She helps dying people and their families. She has been a board member to a substance abuse and HIV/AIDS program with an emphasis on African American heritage as well as a battered women’s shelter. She was trained by Al Gore as a soldier against climate change. She is a wife, mother of 3, grandmother of 5, and great grandmother of one.
Elodie Baquerot Lavery
Elodie Baquerot Lavery (she/her) is a Senior Advisor to the Southern Reconstruction Fund and the Principal of ElodieB LLC consulting, where she supports clients at the intersection of antiracism and organizational transformation. Elodie is also an Antiracist Impact Facilitator and Antiracist Ecosystem Collaborator with Equity and Results. An experienced senior executive, she has a demonstrated history of working across the public, non-profit, philanthropic, and private sectors to design and implement large-scale change efforts in service of racial justice.
Most recently, Elodie served as the Chief Operating Officer at Public Allies, a 28 year old national social justice organization committed to changing the face and practice of leadership by recruiting, training, and supporting talented young leaders, with a passion for social impact, to create meaningful change in their communities. Before that, she spent nine years as the COO of Living Cities; a leading racial economic justice organization focused on harnessing the collective power of 18 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions and partnerships with localities across the country to close the racial income and wealth gaps in American cities. While there, Elodie managed the organization’s transformation from ‘start up’ to maturity; overseeing the implementation of an innovative results-oriented approach, driving strategic engagement with the Board of Directors, and overseeing talent/HR, culture, and finances.
Prior to joining Living Cities, Elodie was a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration. She served as a senior member of Secretary Shaun Donovan’s Office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she spearheaded policy development and implementation on a broad portfolio of place-based projects and served as a key liaison between the Department and key housing, philanthropic, and community development stakeholders, as well as elected officials and the White House. Previously, Elodie was a Housing Fellow at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, managing a major revamp of the Department’s Inclusionary Housing Program. She has also worked as a Research Associate at Monash University, co-authoring a paper on the implementation of international environmental treaties in Vietnam, and at the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Elodie is a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA) and the London School of Economics (MSc). She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Ben Hecht
Ben Hecht is Senior Advisor to the Southern Reconstruction Fund and the Principal and Founder of Reclaiming the Dream LLC. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Living Cities, a collaborative of 18 of the world’s leading foundations and financial institutions. From 2007-2021, Ben led the transformation of this long-standing consortium by joining the organization’s place-based focus on the built environment with a holistic approach to changing interlocking systems that shape low-income peoples’ life outcomes. ImpactAssets 50 recognized the organization’s impact investment fund as one of the top global funds in its class for nine consecutive years. Since 2016, the board and staff centered racial equity in all of its work and adopted a bold mission of closing racial gaps income and wealth in US cities.
Prior to joining Living Cities, Ben co-founded One Economy Corporation, a non-profit organization focused on connecting low-income people to the economic mainstream through innovative, online content and increased broadband access. Over 7 years, the organization grew from four employees into a $12 million social enterprise with fifty staff, online media properties serving 150,000 low-income people a month, and programs in forty states, the Middle East and Africa. Immediately before One Economy, Ben was Senior Vice President at the Enterprise Foundation where he led the organization’s efforts beyond housing – into childcare, workforce development, and economic development. He also oversaw the expansion of the organization’s revolving loan fund from $30 million to $200 million.An attorney and CPA, Ben taught at Georgetown University Law Center for ten years and was awarded Georgetown’s Charles Fahy Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award. He has written four books, including Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All in 2018. Ben is currently a Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Chairman of Duke University’s Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) Advisory Council. He has been selected as one of the Top 100 City Innovators Worldwide in the area of Urban Policy and as a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Resident.
Trabian Shorters
Trabian Shorters is a New York Times Bestselling author, social entrepreneur, and the leading authority on an award-winning approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Impact called “Asset-Framing.”
His pioneering work in Asset-Framing earned Shorters recognition as one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, as well as prestigious Ford Foundation, Ashoka and Aspen Institute fellowships. Senior leadership teams of iconic social impact organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New Schools Venture Fund and The Heinz Endowments request Asset-Framing for their boards, staffs and grantees.
Shorters’ organization, BMe Community, proves the power of asset-framing by operating remarkable leadership fellowships for Black men and women. BMe Community’s 300+ Fellows have earned 67 major national awards and helped over 2 million families secure educational, economic, human rights, health and wellness opportunities. By acknowledging and supporting their incredible strength, leadership, and contributions, BMe has attracted 40,000 subscribers and proven a path to positive community engagement in matters of race, cities and America’s future.
Shorters is a retired tech entrepreneur, former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and doting father to two brilliant, black twin girls who will live in the better world that we are making together for them.
Elodie Baquerot Lavery (she/her) is a Senior Advisor to the Southern Reconstruction Fund and the Principal of ElodieB LLC consulting, where she supports clients at the intersection of antiracism and organizational transformation. Elodie is also an Antiracist Impact Facilitator and Antiracist Ecosystem Collaborator with Equity and Results. An experienced senior executive, she has a demonstrated history of working across the public, non-profit, philanthropic, and private sectors to design and implement large-scale change efforts in service of racial justice.
Most recently, Elodie served as the Chief Operating Officer at Public Allies, a 28 year old national social justice organization committed to changing the face and practice of leadership by recruiting, training, and supporting talented young leaders, with a passion for social impact, to create meaningful change in their communities. Before that, she spent nine years as the COO of Living Cities; a leading racial economic justice organization focused on harnessing the collective power of 18 of the world’s largest foundations and financial institutions and partnerships with localities across the country to close the racial income and wealth gaps in American cities. While there, Elodie managed the organization’s transformation from ‘start up’ to maturity; overseeing the implementation of an innovative results-oriented approach, driving strategic engagement with the Board of Directors, and overseeing talent/HR, culture, and finances.
Prior to joining Living Cities, Elodie was a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration. She served as a senior member of Secretary Shaun Donovan’s Office at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she spearheaded policy development and implementation on a broad portfolio of place-based projects and served as a key liaison between the Department and key housing, philanthropic, and community development stakeholders, as well as elected officials and the White House. Previously, Elodie was a Housing Fellow at the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, managing a major revamp of the Department’s Inclusionary Housing Program. She has also worked as a Research Associate at Monash University, co-authoring a paper on the implementation of international environmental treaties in Vietnam, and at the New York City Economic Development Corporation.
Elodie is a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA) and the London School of Economics (MSc). She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Ben Hecht is Senior Advisor to the Southern Reconstruction Fund and the Principal and Founder of Reclaiming the Dream LLC. Most recently, he was President and CEO of Living Cities, a collaborative of 18 of the world’s leading foundations and financial institutions. From 2007-2021, Ben led the transformation of this long-standing consortium by joining the organization’s place-based focus on the built environment with a holistic approach to changing interlocking systems that shape low-income peoples’ life outcomes. ImpactAssets 50 recognized the organization’s impact investment fund as one of the top global funds in its class for nine consecutive years. Since 2016, the board and staff centered racial equity in all of its work and adopted a bold mission of closing racial gaps income and wealth in US cities.
Prior to joining Living Cities, Ben co-founded One Economy Corporation, a non-profit organization focused on connecting low-income people to the economic mainstream through innovative, online content and increased broadband access. Over 7 years, the organization grew from four employees into a $12 million social enterprise with fifty staff, online media properties serving 150,000 low-income people a month, and programs in forty states, the Middle East and Africa. Immediately before One Economy, Ben was Senior Vice President at the Enterprise Foundation where he led the organization’s efforts beyond housing – into childcare, workforce development, and economic development. He also oversaw the expansion of the organization’s revolving loan fund from $30 million to $200 million.An attorney and CPA, Ben taught at Georgetown University Law Center for ten years and was awarded Georgetown’s Charles Fahy Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award. He has written four books, including Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All in 2018. Ben is currently a Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and Chairman of Duke University’s Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) Advisory Council. He has been selected as one of the Top 100 City Innovators Worldwide in the area of Urban Policy and as a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Resident.
Trabian Shorters is a New York Times Bestselling author, social entrepreneur, and the leading authority on an award-winning approach to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Impact called “Asset-Framing.”
His pioneering work in Asset-Framing earned Shorters recognition as one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, as well as prestigious Ford Foundation, Ashoka and Aspen Institute fellowships. Senior leadership teams of iconic social impact organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, New Schools Venture Fund and The Heinz Endowments request Asset-Framing for their boards, staffs and grantees.
Shorters’ organization, BMe Community, proves the power of asset-framing by operating remarkable leadership fellowships for Black men and women. BMe Community’s 300+ Fellows have earned 67 major national awards and helped over 2 million families secure educational, economic, human rights, health and wellness opportunities. By acknowledging and supporting their incredible strength, leadership, and contributions, BMe has attracted 40,000 subscribers and proven a path to positive community engagement in matters of race, cities and America’s future.
Shorters is a retired tech entrepreneur, former vice president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and doting father to two brilliant, black twin girls who will live in the better world that we are making together for them.
Anne kenan
Anne Kenan has served as a trustee for the Perrin Family Foundation for over 10 years, advocating for youth as leaders of social change. Anne is also a trustee for Elhapa Foundation where she directs funding toward racial and social justice causes, with a particular interest in the south. Anne is longtime student and practitioner of buddhism and has training as a meditation teacher. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and their three children. Anne is a volunteer director and the organization's co-chair. Her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
jim shelton
Jim Shelton is the Chief Impact and Investment Officer at Blue Meridian Partners a philanthropic vehicle to identify and scale solutions to the problems trapping youth and their families in poverty. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to KKR and is a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institute. Jim is the co-founder of Amandla Enterprises, impact investment and advisory firm, and former Deputy Secretary of Education and founding Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper under President Barack Obama.
Previously, he was the founding head of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s education work and served as the President and Chief Impact Officer at 2U, Inc., partnering with top colleges and universities to provide engaging and rigorous degree programs online. Jim began his career as a software developer and has since worked in business, government, and the non-profit sectors as an operator, investor, and entrepreneur. In these roles, he has utilized management, policy, and programmatic innovations to increase access to opportunity. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Morehouse College and Master’s degrees in both business administration and education from Stanford University.
Annice kenan
Annice Kenan is a volunteer director. She has served on the Board of the Randleigh Trust Foundation, The Kenan Family Foundation, and Flagler Systems Inc. for almost two decades. She has studied Sociology with an emphasis in Urban and Gender Studies. She co-founded the organization SEEDS in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina. She was trained as a community organizer by the Industrial Areas Foundation. She is steeped in the intersection of meditation and psychology, and is trained in both. She currently lives in California with her family. Annice is a co-chair of the organization and her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
Anne Kenan has served as a trustee for the Perrin Family Foundation for over 10 years, advocating for youth as leaders of social change. Anne is also a trustee for Elhapa Foundation where she directs funding toward racial and social justice causes, with a particular interest in the south. Anne is longtime student and practitioner of buddhism and has training as a meditation teacher. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and their three children. Anne is a volunteer director and the organization's co-chair. Her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
Annice Kenan is a volunteer director. She has served on the Board of the Randleigh Trust Foundation, The Kenan Family Foundation, and Flagler Systems Inc. for almost two decades. She has studied Sociology with an emphasis in Urban and Gender Studies. She co-founded the organization SEEDS in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina. She was trained as a community organizer by the Industrial Areas Foundation. She is steeped in the intersection of meditation and psychology, and is trained in both. She currently lives in California with her family. Annice is a co-chair of the organization and her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
Jim Shelton is the Chief Impact and Investment Officer at Blue Meridian Partners a philanthropic vehicle to identify and scale solutions to the problems trapping youth and their families in poverty. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to KKR and is a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institute. Jim is the co-founder of Amandla Enterprises, impact investment and advisory firm, and former Deputy Secretary of Education and founding Executive Director of My Brother’s Keeper under President Barack Obama.
Previously, he was the founding head of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s education work and served as the President and Chief Impact Officer at 2U, Inc., partnering with top colleges and universities to provide engaging and rigorous degree programs online. Jim began his career as a software developer and has since worked in business, government, and the non-profit sectors as an operator, investor, and entrepreneur. In these roles, he has utilized management, policy, and programmatic innovations to increase access to opportunity. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Morehouse College and Master’s degrees in both business administration and education from Stanford University.
Anne Kenan has served as a trustee for the Perrin Family Foundation for over 10 years, advocating for youth as leaders of social change. Anne is also a trustee for Elhapa Foundation where she directs funding toward racial and social justice causes, with a particular interest in the south. Anne is longtime student and practitioner of buddhism and has training as a meditation teacher. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and their three children. Anne is a volunteer director and the organization's co-chair. Her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
Annice Kenan is a volunteer director. She has served on the Board of the Randleigh Trust Foundation, The Kenan Family Foundation, and Flagler Systems Inc. for almost two decades. She has studied Sociology with an emphasis in Urban and Gender Studies. She co-founded the organization SEEDS in her hometown of Durham, North Carolina. She was trained as a community organizer by the Industrial Areas Foundation. She is steeped in the intersection of meditation and psychology, and is trained in both. She currently lives in California with her family. Annice is a co-chair of the organization and her duties are spelled out in our bylaws and include attending meetings of our board of directors and voting on decisions.
We will be better as a nation
when all of our communities are well.
© 2020 The Southern Reconstruction Fund