Jennifer Dworkin is a documentary filmmaker whose work includes the feature film Love & Diane which premiered at the New York Film Festival and went on to Sundance and other international festivals. It was awarded an Independent Spirit Award and other awards and went on to a theatrical release and broadcast on PBS and BBC….
Sidra Shabbir is the Research Analyst & Program Manager at Perception. Sidra had gotten her start in racial justice work while earning her Bachelors of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science and graduating from Long Island University (LIU) as Valedictorian of the Class of 2020. The focus of her degree was on Political Theory and Intersectionality….
Sadiqa Reynolds (SUH DEE QUA) is a Strategic Advisor for Perception Institute, where she consults with a consortium of researchers and strategists to implement mind science solutions to reduce inequities affecting people of marginalized races, genders, ethnicities and other groups. Reynolds, an attorney and former judge, has spent most of her life advocating for access for…
she / her / hers Connect with Michelle on Twitter and LinkedIn. DePass began her career as a community organizer in New York and went onto leadership positions in philanthropy, government, academia and the nonprofit sector. Over three decades, she has distinguished herself as a thought leader at the intersections of social and economic justice,…
Rachel Perry is the Chief Administrative Officer at Perception Institute. She joined Perception in 2020, bringing wide-ranging experience directing complex projects in the nonprofit and entertainment sectors. During her tenure with Perception, she has managed large-scale, intensive engagements with client organizations across healthcare, philanthropy, criminal justice, and media. Prior to joining Perception, Rachel was a…
Fahima Islam is the Director, Perception Lab, at Perception Institute. Fahima works closely with client stakeholders to implement internal needs assessments with a focus on equity and belonging. In her role on the Assessment team, Fahima utilizes mixed methods (climate & belonging surveys, focus groups, and/or interviews) to surface key insights and develop context-specific recommendations…
Dushaw Hockett is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity (SPACEs), a Washington, DC-based leadership development and technical assistance organization dedicated to bridging the gap between what people imagine and what they achieve. A native New Yorker who now resides in Maryland, Dushaw has over 20 years of…
Rachel Godsil is Interim Co-Lead, Co-Founder, Senior Research Advisor to Perception Institute and a Distinguished Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Scholar at Rutgers Law School. She collaborates with social scientists on empirical research to identify the efficacy of interventions to address implicit bias, racial anxiety, and stereotype threat. She regularly leads workshops and presentations addressing…
john a. powell is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty, and democracy. john is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an…
Afua Addo is the Chief Program Officer at Perception Institute and a trauma-focused mental health specialist who specializes in the intersection of trauma, justice and equitable, trauma-informed service provision. A nationally recognized advocate, Afua supported White House Roundtables in 2015/2016 Intervening Public Systems: Interrupting the Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline and has facilitated training for…
Aya Taveras recently left her full-time role as the Director of Story and Representation at Perception Institute, but she remains a collaborating partner. Aya develops new program content to support learning and development and facilitates mind science workshops on implicit bias, identity anxiety, and stereotype threat. She has worked in the public and private sectors with domestic…
Jason Craige Harris is devoted to the work of alignment—where compassion shapes our relationships, and integrity and efficacy anchor our systems. Interested in all spheres of human life—from the intimate to the institutional, the interpersonal to the structural—Jason works at the intersection of culture, leadership, and social impact. He is a multidisciplinary strategist who helps…