About Us

Principle, Aurora Commons

Susan Misra’s life purpose is to work with advocates and activists to actualize their visions and values of justice and equity in their relationships, structures, and work today. She has over 20 years of experience in developing equitable, sustainable organizations and networks for movement building. For funders, Susan has designed, managed, and evaluated capacity building and grantmaking initiatives on a range of topics such as strengthening senior leadership and fundraising of grassroots organizations, diversifying audiences and increasing the financial resilience of arts organizations, and developing equitable and sustainable business models for intermediaries. For nonprofits, Susan has worked with over 250 organizations and networks on complex strategic planning, leadership development (including executive coaching, shared leadership, leadership teams, and board development), organizational restructuring and culture change, and financial sustainability. For both funders and nonprofits, Susan leads inclusive, participatory, and analytically rigorous processes.

Susan received a Master’s in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.S. in Psychology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She has been trained in transformational consulting, emergent and peer coaching, and diversity and equity facilitation. When not working, you can find Susan volunteering her time on local economic justice and political campaigns and reading revolutionary young adult fiction.

Director, Los Angeles Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth

Board Member, Parenting for Liberation

Fellow, John W. Mack Movement Building Fellows Program 

For nearly two decades, Lesli LeGras Morris (she/her/hers) has worked with a variety of community based organizations, community development corporations, coalitions, & networks to design innovative & community-driven programming that galvanizes collective commitment to promoting equity & justice for young people of Color in Los Angeles & the Bay Area, with a particular focus on youth impacted by the foster care system, probation, and homelessness. An experienced facilitator & "container creator," Lesli has a strong intersectional lens that supports groups to fully live into their values while grappling with the nuances of movement building work and complex systems change to encourage them to take the risks necessary to spark social justice. Lesli's passion is driven by her lived experiences as a Black womxn, proud born-and-bred resident of South Central Los Angeles, and mama to two boys who embody #blackboyjoy. 

Co-founder, The StarLion Collective

Ada Palotai (she/they) is a queer, mixed race woman of color, an artist,  healer and Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner, exploring embodiment  practices as vehicles for individual and collective healing,  transformation and liberation. With nearly 20 years of experience in  facilitation and training, and programs and organizational development,  she has a strong community organizing and public health orientation with  deep expertise in supporting multi-disciplinary teams, complex systems  and diverse and diasporic communities to move in alignment toward a  common vision. Rooted in the magic of collaboration and network weaving,  Ada builds bridges in and brings a sharp power analysis to her work at  the intersections -- of violence prevention and racial justice, of  organizations and organizers, and of the scientific and the sacred. In her free time, Ada loves to play with her dogs, be with human loved ones, and experiment with fashion.

Principal, Molly Wertz Consulting

Molly Wertz is a seasoned social sector leader who uses her deep grounding in relationship and faith in the power of the human spirit to inspire teams and individuals to bring their most authentic selves to their mission toward a more just society. For over 30 years, she has dedicated herself to addressing inequities in opportunity and disparate outcomes for marginalized people as an educator, philanthropy professional and non-profit leader. She is known for creating spaces where participant and client voices inform programs and practices, while staff and leadership embrace both high standards and deep connection. As Founder of Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, Molly fostered broad collaboration with policy makers, advocates, families, and ECE providers, to build an equity-focused and impactful capacity building organization fully leveraged within the Bay Area early childhood education arena. Across her career, her authentic and values-driven leadership and facilitation has led to deeply engaged co-investors, effective and reflective program leaders, and inspired cross-sector collaboratives in education, youth development, financial stability, and workforce development. Known for her strategic acumen and inspirational drive, Molly is a sought-after consultant for non-profit executives seeking a thought-partner and leadership coach to support them in accomplishing their professional and organizational goals. Molly is a delighted grandmother, a loving partner, a compassionate caregiver, and an emerging fiber artist.