Our Trustee Circle
Ms. Bob-e Simpson Epps
trustee, member
Ms. Bob-e is a trauma specialist, relationship builder and an expert in facilitation helping individuals, communities and systems leaders to acknowledge historical trauma and its impact on making meaningful change. With a deep understanding of what it means to be equitable, inclusive and diverse and the necessity to address and operationalize practices recognizing race and justice throughout and across systems. Bob-e uses methods that lift up and support authentic and truthful conversations to build relationships and take action that can be sustained overtime.
Felipe Tendick-Matesanz, MS
co-founder, treasurer
Celebrating Deep Human Connections and Ancestral Healing
Regional Public Health Officer Cook County Department of Public Health (full-time)
Culture of Health Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Michele Kilpatrick, JD
trustee, member
Principal & founder, Kilpatrick Strategic Consulting
Michele is a seasoned advocate for racial and economic justice, focused on protecting the rights of families and children. With a background in both philosophy and law, she has worked extensively in campaign research, labor organizing, and community-based advocacy. Her experience includes supporting state and federal campaigns, analyzing policy, and mobilizing grassroots movements. Inspired by the legacy of leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer and Shirley Chisolm, Michele is committed to building a more equitable future for all.
Roger Dean Vernon
co-founder, secretary & VP
VP, Sales and Training Revision Skincare
Sectors: Private, Medical Education: Rutgers University
Roger began his career in direct sales (Merck & Co.) and over time has become an industry leader in both human capital development and the art and science of business performance. He has led a broad range of teams successfully for decades, bringing together people and cultures towards a shared vision and collective goals. Roger is a sought after resource to national and international. industry executives in the Fortune 500 pharmaceutical world, including Obagi, Galderma, and Nestle among others. His work in the private sector, primarily in the field of dermatology and skincare health, brings an important cross-disciplinary perspective to the fields of education and social justice. Roger currently lives in WA and when he's not on the road, you'll likely find him spending quality time with his two school-age daughters.He's also an avid photographer, a music aficionado, and a serial adventurer!
Areas of Focus: learning & development, business strategy & engagement, cultural diversity & anti-discrimination
“Zelle” (Elizabeth) Allyson Crawford, MAT
co-founder, president
Common purpose, equity, intersectionality, and accountability are Zelle’s north stars in any relationship, project, or partnership. Over the past several decades Zelle has led and learned from community organizations, classrooms, teams, and individuals working towards social justice in the United States and its territories. Zelle’s broad, interdisciplinary experience spans the academic, nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors and grassroots coalition-building; expertise includes transition stewardship, human capital and network development, program design and evaluation/research, cross-sector partnership building, adaptive systems change management, and social justice entrepreneurship.
Video Clips
PBS, New York City (2019, 4.5m)
Flavia Marco Antonio
international advisor, trustee (emeritus)
Co-principal, Teatro do Sopro
Flavia is an experienced artist, clown and theater teacher dedicated to artistic-educational-social projects. She specializes in play with spectator-participants in vulnerable and marginalized situations and across different cultures. Flavia is dedicated to eliminating the stigma of dementia and is an author of a book on the subject: “Una Bella Visita: interazione con anziani affetti da dimentia” (2024)
Current Board List
“The level of national self-reflection that it would take for us to really move the needle on macro-inequity is almost unimaginable in our lifetime... but I have hope. There are pockets of thinking by brilliant people, and there’s good work on the ground, and the more that we can incorporate the community’s voice, as we amplify the issues, the better.”