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jdcPEOPLE

Jara grins into the camera. Above her, a wooden unicorn sculpture

Jara descends from free, stolen and enslaved people. She can trace her people as far back as the 1600s working, living on and eventually owning land from the territories of the Appomattoc (Westmoreland, Va), and since the 1800’s, working and living on the lands of the Minocan (Nelson Valley, VA) and the Lenape (Cayuga Valley, Ohio). Today, she often greets the morning from the territories of the Coast Miwok, also known as San Rafael, CA. Sometimes, she awakens on the lands of the O'odham and the Yaqui, also known as Tucson, Arizona. She loves dawn. 

 

She is a middle-aged, Black, cisgender, heteronormative woman married for 27 years. She grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA where she went to an all-girls preparatory school (she wore both a tunic and a kilt) and spent an inordinate amount of time recording music from the radio onto cassette tapes (she still has some of these gems). She is one of two children of still-married, college-educated professional parents happily retired on the seventh hole off a golf course in Arizona. 

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An understanding of from whence she came is as important as what she does. 

Jara Dean-Coffey

Founder & CEO

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Cheryl smiles into the camera

Cheryl has spent the past 30+ years providing executive support and project management in various sectors. (In fact, she was working virtually before we were all learning how to work virtually.) Cheryl finds comfort in process management and uses her operations and skills to juggle multiple projects and flex time to suit her needs. She is organized, analytical, and the person you always want on your team in a crisis because she doesn’t frazzle.

 

When she’s not in front of her computer, working behind the scenes, she is enjoying time with her grandchildren, taking walks, or tending to all her plants. Or a little bit of all of the above at the same time. 

Cheryl Larson

Executive Assistant & Operations Manager

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mission

To support people, organizations, and efforts in deepening their contributions and connections by interrupting habits and investing in different and new practices.

vision

There is a fuller, honest expression of our shared histories and an understanding that our lives are interdependent and justice, equity and liberation are within reach.

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core values & guiding principles

1

intentional

We engage in transformational work that gets us closer, collectively, to a place of equity, justice, and liberation. 

2

relational

We embrace laughter, joy, fear, sadness, perseverance, and an unrelenting commitment to not only doing but being different in the work. We desire authentic connection.

3

possibility

We have the power to open our imaginations, surface solutions, and, ultimately, shape new norms.

jdcPHOTO

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In 2011, the American Evaluation Association adopted a Statement of Cultural Competence. “Raising the Bar” was published in 2014 — a time when equity was not as frequently evoked as it is now. 

The Foundation Review (2024)

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Trust is about human connection. It is about me valuing you and you me. We must become more comfortable with the unpredictability of human dynamics.

Bridgespan Group (2024)

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Language shapes our brains which are connected to our bodies, hearts and souls. . . . Let's conduct a thought exercise to come to grips with how language may be limiting our ability to create social change.

Medium.com (2024)

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