About Us

Kristin is passionate about strengthening relational resources to propel social innovation & create positive change in communities. She is a social scientist who loves to do mash-ups of relational, collaborative and participatory co-design approaches to applied research and practice. Kristin is a Taos Associate, Senior Fellow and United Nations Representative for Generations United, and Adjunct Faculty at Dominican University School of Social Work. She earned a Ph.D. in social sciences from Tilburg University and an MBA from the University of California at Davis.

Sydney is a social worker who is driven to form trusting relationships and advocate for the best interest of children, families, and communities. Sydney has experience in mental health, adoption, foster care,  investigating child abuse, and medical social work. She is also working on obtaining her clinical license to provide trauma-informed therapy to children. Sydney earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Cory  is a community leader and co-founder of the non-profit organization The Black Neighborhood. He has a passion for youth development, education, and is an all around factotum for communities nationwide. He focuses on intergenerational work and violence prevention. Cory earned an undergraduate degree from  Howard University and a master's degree from Relay Graduate School of Education.

Buddy has a long history of contributing to his community. Currently, he is a member of the D.C. Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council,  Outreach Coordinator for the D.C. Ward One Senior Wellness Center, and a volunteer with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Youth Advisory Council.  He has also served with the  US Congress,  D.C. Commission on Aging,  D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission, D.C. Recreation Department’s Cooperative Play Program,  Park View Elementary School PTA,  D.C. Board of Pharmacy, and as a Neighborhood Commissioner for Washington, D.C.

Sonia has a background in public health and over 20 years of healthcare experience. Her passion is to improve the access and delivery of wellness services especially for those in greatest need of better opportunities. She gravitates toward complex problems and enjoys the creative and strategic process of breaking down the root causes by using mixed methods to discover better solutions. She has spent most of her life working in non-profits and consults with entrepreneurs to integrate human centered design methods into their way of working. Sonia earned her master's in public health  from Columbia University.

 Stella is a Ghanaian-American practicing HIV primary care physician and public health practitioner who leads teams dedicated to healthcare improvement. She created Just Equity for Health using advocacy, education and care model design to ensure equitable care delivery. Stella is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai where she holds dual appointments in Medicine and Medical Education. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor and Director for the Social Medicine Curriculum at Montefiore Medical System and leads the Health Equity Curriculum for the Stanford Biodesign Policy Fellowship. Dr. Safo also provides clinical care to people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ patients in New York. Stella earned her B.A., M.D. and M.P.H. at Harvard.  

  Vanessa has been working on social justice for most of her life nationally and internationally. Her main focus has been empowering women through economic opportunities and addressing social issues specific to their location.  Her energy has been dedicated on systems of oppression as she has worked with foreign-born survivors of human trafficking.  Her work is  informed by trainings addressing somatic modalities to heal trauma.  She is finishing her certification on Trauma Sensitive Yoga, while adapting the methodology for Latinx cohorts. Vanessa earned her master's in media studies from Penn State University.

Paloma is a psychologist working on applied research focused on community development, trauma, and the prevention of violence and poverty. She incorporates integrated narrative and arts-based practice in research projects. Paloma is a Taos Associate and Research Associate at Instituto Tercera Misión. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.

Vanessa conducts critical research and counselor education. She also practices counseling in the context of family therapy. Vanessa is working on her doctoral research in counseling psychology at University of Calgary focusing on constructions of mental health and wellness in rural communities. She also earned her master's in counseling psychology from University of Calgary.