OUR TEAM
Meet the Beloved Communities Network Team
Kristen Lynn Zimmerman
Storyteller, World-Builder and Way-Finder
Kristen is a storyteller, world-builder and way-finder based in Oakland, CA. Her comics and stories weave magic, memory & nonfiction to repair intergenerational ruptures, reconnect us to ancestral wisdom, and open new possibilities for the future. Her people are the ones who live in the in-between spaces and generate hope.
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Leila McCabe-Williams
Executive Director, Beloved Communities Network & Founder, JoyLabs
Leila (she/her), executive director of the Beloved Communities Network and founder of JoyLabs, is a Mama, artist, strategist, movement maker and builder. She brings over 15 years of experience in community and campus organizing, electoral organizing, movement building and facilitation.
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Taj James
Poet, Strategist, Designer, and Advisor
Taj is a father, poet, strategist, designer, and philanthropic and capital advisor. He is the founder and current board president of MSC, founding partner at Full Spectrum Capital Partners, and co-founder with Kat Taylor of The Good Life Pledge. A graduate of Stanford University, Taj currently lives with his family in Oakland.
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Meet Our Advisory Board
Aisha Shillingford
Artistic Director
Aisha is a multi-disciplinary artist, world builder, designer and cultural strategist originally from Trinidad & Tobago. She is an alumna of Laundromat Project's Creative Change Fellowship, a member of the New Museum Incubator, and an inaugural Fellow at the Race Forward Butterfly Lab for Immigrant Narrative Strategy.
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Anasa Troutman
Writer, Producer, and Entrepreneur
A writer, producer, and entrepreneur, Anasa has dedicated her work to the importance of culture and the power of love. As CEO of Culture Shift Creative, Anasa works to build and execute strategies for artists and organizations that are aligned with her belief in creativity as a pathway to personal, community, and global transformation.
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Calvin Williams
Senior Advisor at Think Common Entertainment
Dynamic cultural strategist & policy futurist with 15+ years’ experience in building immersive, irresistible narratives for justice, equity and inclusion. Skilled in organizing creative, story-based campaigns that activate diverse constituencies to exercise their power to achieve their vision for the future where Justice and Joy thrive.
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Jacqui Patterson
Founder and Executive Director
Jacqueline Patterson is the founder and executive director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, a resource hub for Black frontline climate justice leadership. Previously, she was senior director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. Since 2007, she has served as coordinator and co-founder of Women of Color United.
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Judith Le Blanc
Director, Native Organizers Alliance
Judith is a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma, and director of the Native Organizers Alliance, a national Native training and organizing network. She worked within MSC for four years as a member of the Transitions Lab community.
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Taj James
Poet, Strategist, Designer, and Advisor
Taj is a father, poet, strategist, designer, and philanthropic and capital advisor. He is the founder and current board president of MSC, founding partner at Full Spectrum Capital Partners, and co-founder with Kat Taylor of The Good Life Pledge.
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Tomas Garduno
Social Justice Strategist
Tomás works as a social justice strategist, most recently as the national field director for Mijente, an independent political home for Chicanx/Latinx organizing. He has over 20 years experience in political strategy and campaign development.
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Get in Touch with Us
We would love to speak with you about the Beloved Community Network.
For any questions or comments, or to reach out to us about our programs or offerings, please submit the completed form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
