Dr. Shakita Brooks Jones is a Montgomery, AL native. Shakita is a graduate of Troy State University with a B.S. in social work, a master’s in social work from the University of Alabama and a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Alabama. Shakita also holds a master’s degree in public administration and a Nonprofit Management certification from Auburn University Montgomery. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Central Alabama Alliance Resource & Advocacy Center (CAARAC), where she spearheads several programs to address prevention, education and health equity related to HIV in the Black community. Shakita is a strategy and facilitation consultant with Radical Optimist, a cooperative team of practitioners that serves to support groups in racial healing learning.

Lisa Flick Wilson loves to inject optimism into problem-solving and make tables larger to include more voices. She does not shy away from putting race at the center of conversations, understands her place as a white woman in racial equity, and welcomes being in the struggle of interrupting racism. Lisa embodies the core of our collective and serves as lead on engagements, design, strategy, and partnerships, while also working as a 1:1 coach and lead facilitator.

Kenya Jackson-Saulters has spent over a decade advocating for personal discovery through writing, spirituality, and mental health, and works to help women pursue their passions in healthy sustainable ways. She created The Outdoor Journal Tour, a custom personal development experience for women that blends the health benefits of exercise, meditation, and writing. At Radical Optimist, Kenya serves as 1:1 coach, facilitator, and lead expert in creating meaningful space for our partners and team.

Vanessa Jackson is a Social Worker, Soul Doula, and owner of Healing Circles, Inc., an Atlanta-based healing practice. She is a nationally recognized speaker on mental health issues, with a focus on culturally conscious therapy and therapy with marginalized populations. Vanessa’s passion is supporting activists in creating healthy and balanced lives. A compass on a winding path, Vanessa serves as a lead facilitator, 1:1 coach, strategy and design expert with Radical Optimist.

Staci Walker is a leader with proven results in communications, relationship development, program design and implementation, and coaching. A German Marshall Memorial Fellow (2009), Staci truly sees the world through a global lens and is passionate about promoting racial equity and diversity. She has spent the last decade and a half working to elevate the quality of education accessible to all children. With Radical Optimist, Staci serves as a 1:1 Coach, facilitator, and strategy and design expert.

Corey Dobyns is a spirited nurturer of work cultures that value strategic solutions to promote inclusive, diverse, and equitable environments. A proven leader and visionary, Corey has founded three companies and has extensive training and experience in the areas of people-to-people connections, community building, self-compassion, self-care, trauma models, and recovery. At Radical Optimist, she serves as a facilitator, 1:1 coach, and all-around operations support.

Della has served the Atlanta community for over 30 years in education, the arts, and community engagement. Witnessing educational conditions that have not progressed led her to re-examine everything and recognize that her whiteness contributed to the issues she was working to change. Della is an educator and project manager committed to truth-telling, inclusivity, racial healing, and learning. The Founder of One for All, Educational Consulting, she brings growth, authentic connection, and community building to every project. At ROC she serves as a facilitator in Montgomery and for Seeing Whiteness.

Jill is an experiential educator and ordained minister with an enslaving family history. She helps individuals and communities see their gifts and practice courage and grace as a portal for racial and land healing, family truth-telling, and direct, relational acts of reparation. In 2018 Jill co-founded Seeing Whiteness for Anti-racist Action, a community of small group inquiry, on the premise that the honesty of White bodied people can spur change. At ROC she serves as a facilitator in Montgomery and for Seeing Whiteness.

Dr. LaFayette E. Young, Jr., DSW, is the Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Voice CASA, Inc., bringing nearly two decades of experience supporting the well-being of children and families in foster care. He holds a Doctorate in Social Work from Capella University, where his research focused on improving reunification outcomes for BIPOC families, and a Master’s in Social Work from the Erikson Institute, specializing in Child Development. Previously, LaFayette served as the Training & Inclusion Specialist at Georgia CASA, championing inclusive practices and community engagement. He actively advances DEI, racial healing, and social justice and is a proud member of the NAACP and NABSW. At ROC, LaFayette serves as a facilitator and 1:1 coach, holding space for transformative conversations that spark growth and connection.

Aromatherapy blends inspired by Vanessa Jackson's great-great grandparents, formerly enslaved African American herbalists, honor their legacy by passing down their wisdom through this line of healing sprays.

A program guiding participants through scenic landscapes and hiking trails, combining physical activity, journaling, and meditation for a personalized, empowering journey of self-discovery and healing.

An American artist and visionary known for her activism, historical tours, and sculptures – notably, The Mothers of Gynecology Monument in Montgomery, Alabama.

A learning circle experience dedicated to helping white people notice and challenge the ways white people are socialized to protect whiteness and hold racism in place.