Marc Dones (they/them) is an independent consultant, writer, and researcher whose career has been defined by an unorthodox willingness to sit at the intersection of structural critique and direct action. Trained in psychiatric anthropology at New York, Dones has spent over 15 years working to transform the public systems that shape—and too often fail—the most marginalized communities in the United States.

Currently in a period of retirement from full-time executive leadership, Dones works as an independent consultant and writer. Most recently they served as the Policy Director for the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, where they supported policymakers across the country on evidence-based policy solutions to homelessness and housing instability and co- authored a number of reports.

Prior to that, Dones served as the inaugural CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), an agency they originally helped design beginning in 2018. The KCRHA was created to unify and coordinate policy, funding, and services for people experiencing homelessness across all of King County—including Seattle and 38 suburban cities—under a single regional umbrella. In this role, Dones oversaw a $250 million budget and a staff that grew from three employees to over 100. Under Dones’ leadership, KCRHA became the first entity in King County to produce a meaningful decline in unsheltered homelessness numbers in approximately two decades.

Dones founded and served as Executive Director of the National Innovation Service (NIS), an organization focused on transforming public systems through racial equity and social justice. At the Center for Social Innovation (C4), they led the SPARC Initiative (Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities), engaging eight jurisdictions, and the U.S. government in a multi-year effort to reframe homelessness as a racial justice issue—work that catalyzed a tectonic shift in how governments and philanthropies understand the structural roots of housing instability.

At the state level, they worked on the design and implementation of Governor Deval Patrick’s $10 million annual youth violence reduction program across 11 Massachusetts cities and served as policy manager for the Massachusetts Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth.

Dones has been recognized for their work with awards from The National Urban League and the True Colors Fund, named one of Seattle’s 25 Most Influential People, testified to Congress, was named a Robert Wood Johnson Public Health Fellow, and has spoken at the White House. Dones has also been a faculty member at SVA’s graduate program and lectured at universities across the country. Their work has been published in numerous academic and public outlets.

As a queer, Black, non-binary person who has experienced institutionalization and housing instability firsthand, Dones brings a combination of academic rigor, policy expertise, and personal knowledge to everything they do. Their career reflects a consistent conviction: that the systems producing suffering can be remade, and that the people closest to the problem are the ones best positioned to lead that transformation.

Cece Jones-Davis works at the intersections of faith, art and social justice as an award-winning faith leader, facilitator, public speaker and impact strategist to point people to the All-Powerful and the least powerful.

For the past 20 years, Cece has partnered with national organizations and brands such as Levi’s and Tampax, organized and led dynamic grassroots movements and used her voice to address a range of social issues. Her activism ranges from fighting to abolish the death penalty to advocating for menstrual equity—work that she does both on the ground to create immediate impact and in high-level rooms to drive policy changes, awareness and education.

She served in the historic Obama Administration under Ambassador Ron Kirk, the first African American U.S. Trade Representative, with a particular interest in global fair trade practices for indigenous communities. She is known most recently for her work in creating the #JusticeforJulius campaign that saved Julius Jones in Oklahoma just hours before his scheduled execution in 2021.

Born and raised in Halifax County, VA—the home of the legendary Henrietta Lacks and the once-largest slaveholding county in the state—Cece’s life experiences have given her a unique perspective in the work she does everyday to combat racism and advocate for people living on the margins of society. Her impact has been recognized and celebrated throughout the United States, including an Emmy nomination for a KFOR News conversation on racial (re)conciliation, receiving the 2021 Change.org Changemaker of the Year Award and Special Congressional Recognition for her efforts in civil rights and social justice.

When Cece’s not advocating or speaking, she’s creating worship music. As a professional vocalist, she has performed across the country and is featured on Stephen Hurd's "The Overflow" and "Times of Refreshing" as well as Grace Covenant Worship albums. Her latest album, Alive, is available on all digital platforms. Cece is an ordained minister in the Disciples of Christ denomination, a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and Yale Divinity School Alumni Board. She is also a wife and mother to two children whom she is raising in Washington, DC.