The team at Project Equity spans multiple states and time zones, delivering national and regional programs
We work with business owners at every stage of employee ownership—from those making an initial inquiry to those fully transitioning to employee-owned companies. We help city and county leaders, economic development agencies and workforce and business serving organizations retain jobs and support local economies. We also collaborate with other leaders to develop and advocate for the best policies and practices to support employee ownership.
Evan began his career as the International Business Manager at an early leading technology start-up, Quarterdeck Corporation. Bitten by the start-up bug, he spent following years in leadership and consulting roles at a variety of early stage enterprises including Bid.com (Northcore Technologies), Mediaseek Technology and Planesia Corp. Guided by a shift in personal and professional priorities Evan moved into the non-profit sector as Executive Director at YMCA Corporation of Los Angeles, leading the turnaround of an under-performing business unit. Driven by the value of social enterprises and the vision of a generative economy, Evan’s work with Project Equity creates strong collaborative partnerships across sectors. Evan is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL (a proud supporter of Wildcat football!), and has certification from Stelter in Professional Fundraising Management. When not working he’s playing sports, walking his dogs or cooking a great meal from scratch.
Stacey has spent most of her career helping businesses examine their impact and aligning it with their values. She started as a CPA with Arthur Andersen, then moved into strategy and organizational development. Seeking to devote her financial expertise to social and environmental issues, she was an early mover in the field of sustainability and corporate responsibility in the US. She joined Business for Social Responsibility in 2001 to build their business consulting practice and spent the next decade guiding Fortune 500 companies to address their negative impacts. Recently, Stacey began consulting to nonprofits and foundations to strengthen their strategy, management, and governance practices. Through her work with the Public Equity Group and her own independent practice, she explored the structural barriers to wealth and other drivers of generational poverty. At Project Equity she is helping grow our team of professionals to accelerate the adoption of employee ownership as a key to building wealth and high-quality careers in communities. In addition to having been a licensed CPA, Stacey has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and has done coursework in International Business Studies at the University of Copenhagen. When she is not working, you can find her hiking the Bay Area hills, indulging in the restaurant scene, and playing with her family.
Miyaka is a multidisciplinary partnership manager who has spent time managing and growing businesses in food, accommodation, technology, and arts industries. In Texas he worked with small chain restaurant Freebirds to grow into a multi state brand by opening restaurants, implementing new procedures and employee development. Returning to his home state of California, he transitioned into the accommodation tech world to help vacation home owners and managers expand their businesses through technology and partnerships. In 2017 he joined industry nonprofit HEDNA where he was elected and served on the Future Leaders board to shape the future of the industry. He studied ensemble based physical theatre at the Dell’ Arte International School, and continues to be active in the bay area theatre scene as an actor, clown, and puppeteer. He brings his skills of collaboration, communication and problem solving from across industries to the business development team of Project Equity, working with partners and businesses to transition into employee owned business models.
After several years in nonprofit leadership, David started his career as an entrepreneur by opening a fair-trade retail store with Ten Thousand Villages, in Montreal, Canada. He later opened Full Circle Thrift, a boutique second-hand store in Pasadena, CA. Most recently, David led business development for one of Habitat for Humanity’s networks of ReStores in the San Francisco region. David is passionate about addressing the unique issues of businesses in transition. He excels in developing strategic governance plans that support growth and frees up vision holders to maximize their time and energy. With training and experience in conflict mediation, David helps groups have difficult conversations that lead to creative solutions. His observation skills and interpersonal dynamics build trust, develop leadership, and cast a vision for viable new realities. When not working, he loves cooking for his family and planning unique trips to explore new places.
Dallas is an experienced nonprofit leader passionate about leveraging his talents to bring about real change. At Project Equity, he leads the communications and marketing team, helping to shape the narrative of employee ownership through storytelling and media engagement strategies.
With a background that spans both commercial and nonprofit organizations, Dallas has worked as a journalist, a filmmaker, a writer, an entrepreneur, a teacher, consultant and marketing strategist. Before coming to Project Equity, he served as a Director at National Arts Strategies, a nonprofit that provides leadership training and coaching for nonprofit leaders in the arts and culture sector. He also consulted with purpose-driven organizations on strategy, planning, leadership development, branding and communications.
He is an active volunteer in his hometown of Carmel, Indiana, where he is involved in state and local politics as a communications consultant, Democratic Precinct Chair and Indiana State Convention delegate. He also serves as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Carmel Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to students and innovation grants to teachers.
Amanda brings over a decade of multi-sectoral leadership expertise in forging meaningful relationships and bringing diverse stakeholders together for collective impact. Most recently as the Director of Corporate Philanthropy and Membership at the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), she developed relationships with corporations, foundations, individuals, governments, and community partners to advance a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous region. Previously, she worked in the private sector consulting with small businesses on human resources solutions and in business development. Amanda holds a B.A. from Gettysburg College and a dual MBA / MPA from Presidio Graduate School. She has been named by the Silicon Valley Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” honoree and as a “Changemaker” by Gentry Magazine.
Jason’s background blends program development, community engagement, and operations. While finishing school, he joined Chicago’s campaign for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games as part of the Legacy Team which ran international events, promoted volunteerism, and channeled investments into youth organizations. Jason continued serving Chicago as a senior leader of the social impact organization created during this campaign. His team grew to engage more than 50 organizations and 7,500 youth annually through grants and programs. His experience in sustaining partnerships includes networking diverse perspectives to common goals, supporting regular communication, and facilitating shared learning. Jason graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Psychology and Economics. At Project Equity, he builds cross-sector relationships to increase employee ownership and expands our work to new regions. When not working, Jason enjoys exploring, sharing great meals, and is a regular at local Meetups.
Sarah has spent her career committed to building shared prosperity and well-being. She began her career in state-level economic development and most recently was an equity officer at a private, regional foundation in Arkansas. She is driven by a commitment to economic and racial equity and passion for developing partnerships, collective strategy, and infrastructure to advance systemic change. At Project Equity, Sarah focuses on building regional partnerships with government, non-profit, private sector, and philanthropic organizations to support, scale, and sustain a local employee ownership ecosystem. Sarah has a joint Master of Public Service and MBA from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and Walton College of Business and BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Outside of work, she loves canoeing, camping, and hiking with her family.
For over a decade, Emily worked at McMaster-Carr Supply Co, a privately held industrial supplies distributor much loved and respected by makers worldwide. That work developed her passion for the domestic manufacturing industry. At McMaster, Emily experienced first-hand the incredible power of company profit sharing to engage, retain, and benefit employees.
At Project Equity, Emily advises owners on the benefits of transitioning their company to an employee-owned structure. Emily has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a focus on operations and economics. She received a Fulbright scholarship and spent two years abroad in Latin America, becoming fluent in Spanish. She earned her undergraduate degree at Michigan State University and comes from a long line of hard-working Detroiters. Emily lives in Chicago with her family and is usually found outside in the garden, on a hike, or biking.
Currently based in San Rafael, CA, Megan was born and raised in Berkeley, CA. Encouraged by two politically active, progressive parents, she grew up engaging in direct action, ranging from protests, to volunteer work, to local political campaigns.
Professionally, she’s run the gamut: restaurants, start ups, established corporations, and nonprofits in sectors ranging from hospitality to entertainment, tech, medical devices, biotech, and co-working. The throughline of her career has been a passion for people and engagement, which has equated to customer service, business development, sales, marketing, and the general herding of (metaphorical) cats. Her work across multiple sectors gives her a unique lens on the challenges facing small businesses across many trades. She is thrilled to bring her diverse experience and skillset to the mission of Project Equity.
Megan graduated NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Theatre Studies and a double major in Political Theory. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, attending the theater, cooking, exploring new restaurants, reading, and quality time with her husband and two (actual) cats.
Peter’s career has been focused on learning product development. He has done this work as an entrepreneur, as a learning partner with Fortune 1000 corporations, with nonprofit organizations and for both professional and trade associations. Peter’s work focuses on supporting our strategy to increase awareness and adoption of employee ownership by service providers, builds capacity in the business ecosystem and helps drive additional revenue. He is passionate about learning and creating scalable systems that enable people to do their best work. In his spare time he likes to enjoy time with his family as well as mentor and volunteer on boards in his community.
In 2012, Megan convinced 15 friends to join her on an educational, cross-country bicycle tour of cooperative businesses. Ever since organizing that trip she has sought economic justice through her work. She champions employee ownership as a tool for community resilience and equitable wealth distribution. Megan is a builder, adept at organizing, nurturing collaborations, and engaging communities. Currently, at Project Equity, she manages partnerships with anchor institutions focused on scaling employee ownership. Outside of work, she embarks on long bike tours to visit Main Streets and small businesses across the US and, as a former professional baker, continues her quest for the perfect laminated pastry. She received her BA in Cooperative Business Entrepreneurship from Hampshire College and is pursuing her dual MBA and MPA in Sustainable Solutions from Presidio Graduate School.
Annie built her career around strategic client engagement and business development outreach for multiple industry sectors across various international consultancies. Having worked for the UK Government from 2013-2018, she developed relationships with investors and provided business advisory services to support expansion projects and promote job growth. Prior roles have included cultivating relationships with financial institutions in North and Latin American regions for a London-based think tank in addition to performing research and electoral analysis work. Annie holds an M.A. in International Relations from London Metropolitan University as well as a B.A. in Political Science (Magna cum Laude) from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. At Project Equity, she creates and nurtures collaborative partnerships to drive forward structured programs and results to clients. Outside of work, Annie enjoys running marathons, traveling the world with her husband, and listening to podcasts.
Donna is a long time social entrepreneur and San Francisco business owner. She is the founder of Love & Hummus Co., a mission-driven food start up she operated starting in 2009 and grew from inception into a national brand. Love & Hummus is nationally recognized for its innovation, social and environmental impact and was named twice by B Corp as a “Best for the World Company.” Donna began her career in higher education and later founded the non-profit World Trotters, an early online multicultural education program. Donna’s work with Project Equity is led by her expertise as a business owner, her passion for using business as a force for good, developing a more inclusive economy and the creation of more employee-owned businesses. Donna has an MA from Kean University’s Professional Counseling Program and a BA in Psychology from Montclair State University. When not working Donna enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
Laura started her career as a community organizer and developed a passion for advancing equity and social justice. In her most recent role, she supported 10 nonprofit organizations to build operational infrastructure that drives their mission. As a Client Services Manager for Project Equity, she simplifies the process for owners to sell their business and for employees to become owners. She is an agile facilitator and capacity builder with a knack for making information accessible and engaging diverse audiences. She received her BA in Global Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara and an MBA from Mills College. She is a wannabe bookworm who enjoys a good cortado, meditating, and nurturing her creativity.
Prior to joining Project Equity, Melissa worked in urban planning, working to deliver mass transit projects across Northern California and engaging communities throughout the planning process. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from UC Davis, where she graduated with honors. As Program Associate with Project Equity, Melissa supports the transition process to worker ownership for small businesses across the country. In her spare time, you can find her attempting to raise garden veggies from seed, spending time in the sun, and crafting with her hands.
Alicia is a well-seasoned business strategy and planning professional with prior experience supporting multinationals and organizations such as the United States Departments of State and Defense over the last two decades. She is passionate about business sustainability, quality jobs and financial security. At Project Equity, Alicia helps business owners and employees derive value from the ownership transition process. She also conducts employee ownership research through partnerships with other institutions.
She holds a BSc in Applied Mathematics from the State University of New York at Stonybrook, an MBA in Finance from the New York Institute of Technology and is currently working on a doctorate in Business Administration. Alicia also has a post graduate certificate in Data Science and Business Analytics from the University of Texas at Austin. When not working, she enjoys reading, crafting, exploring new destinations and sampling cuisine.
Courtney is passionate about driving positive social, economic and environmental impact in local communities through supporting the operations of small businesses and social enterprises. Over the past five years as an impact investing and strategy consultant for nonprofits, foundations and private stakeholders, her work has spanned eight countries over four continents. Her experience has solidified her belief that shared prosperity powered by multi-sector solutions can positively impact underserved populations and the planet we all share. Courtney is based in the Pacific Northwest and is fluent in French. She holds a BA in Applied Political Economics from the University of Arizona, an MA in Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and an MBA in Social Finance and Impact Management from Middlebury College. In her spare time, Courtney enjoys digging into a good book, exploring the outdoors, and traveling near and far.
Genevieve has built her career around providing marketing direction, print and web materials and blog content for small and medium-sized businesses, including her own. She joined the Marketing Team after contracting with Project Equity for two years. Genevieve received her BA in Psychology and Film Arts from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and went on to take design classes from both The School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design in NYC. She also holds a Marketing Certificate from the University of Illinois. Genevieve excels at taking a creative project from concept to completion and providing the right approach for the target audience. At Project Equity, she helps increase awareness of employee ownership through local and national outreach. Genevieve is passionate about equality in all forms and is honored to use her creativity and knowledge to advance employee ownership. In her free time, she enjoys going to the ocean, being silly with her kids, and decorating her home.
Breanna joined Project Equity with over 10 years of marketing and communications experience in industries ranging from non-profit retail and service to B2B manufacturing, focusing on copywriting, strategy, project management, and social media. She has a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in advertising photography, and MFA from the Academy of Art University in copywriting. In her spare time, she wrangles her two kids, enjoys time outside, and runs her own handmade bath and body shop, That Sage Life.
Franzi has been an independent business owner in Asheville, North Carolina for nineteen years. She is the founder of the Asheville Grown Business Alliance and organized over 550 small business members to advocate for a strong and healthy local economy. She currently co-owns a vintage-inspired clothing shop in downtown called Hip Replacements Clothing. A first generation American, she grew up in a textile family in the South and experienced the devastation of mill towns with the loss of a core heritage industry. Franzi joined the team part-time at Project Equity because she is passionate about employee ownership and documenting its impact. She has a Bachelor of Science in Ecology as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Georgia. She is an avid photographer and loves jogging in the mountains.
Ben brings 15 years of professional writing experience to his role at Project Equity, including two spent working in the employee ownership space. A dedicated advocate of economic justice, he was drawn to the powerful benefits employee ownership brings to workers, businesses, and their communities. Prior to joining Project Equity, Ben’s career ranged from overseeing communications strategy for a growing real estate firm, to identifying housing options for homeless families in the Bay Area, to writing Saturday morning cartoons. As part of Project Equity’s development team, Ben supports the organization by spearheading grant requests and reporting, and crafting other written collateral to share the impact of our work with funders across the nation. Ben received his BA in English from Wesleyan University. When he’s not working, Ben loves food, travel, and exploring the Bay Area’s many parks and playgrounds with his family.
Kiara Williams passionately supports and advocates on behalf of people of color marginalized by negative statistics and cyclic struggles. Based in Orange County, CA, her work is largely driven by her desire to be of service to at-risk communities, and to eradicate barriers faced by socio-economically disadvantaged groups of people.
Kiara has over ten years experience as a community advocate in Southern California working on various initiatives and partnering with organizations to lift up low-income communities through high quality, accessible resources. For the past 5 years, she has built a solid background in the nonprofit sector working at social services organizations, serving homeless veterans and families affected by neurodiverse disabilities.
As the Development Associate with Project Equity, Kiara supports a range of efforts related to fundraising, grants and donor stewardship. She is eager to expand employee ownership by cultivating funder relationships that align with the mission of improving racial equity and minimizing unjust wage gaps nationwide. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, writing creatively and nurturing her family.
Shermany has several years of experience utilizing interpersonal skills, excellent time management and problem-solving skills towards operational excellence in both the private and non-profit sectors. Through this experience, she developed a passion to take on the finer details allowing everyone to be rockstars individually and as a whole. As Operations Coordinator and Executive Assistant with Project Equity, she will be instrumental in maintaining internal records, a facilitator of internal and external events, and will be assisting Project Equity’s executive team.
Shermany holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Michigan State University. She also gives back to her local community as an advocate for mental health research. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages, starting DIY projects, and wrangling cats.
Tyler is passionate about building a more just and democratic economy that works for all. As Policy and Impact Manager, he spearheads policy research aimed at enhancing Black wealth building and economic well-being through employee ownership, while also contributing to Project Equity’s impact measurement and policy work more broadly. Before this, Tyler was an Associate at Mass Economics, where he provided research and project management support across various inclusive economic development engagements. He has also worked in climate justice organizing, youth civic engagement, and nonprofit development.
Tyler holds a Master in City Planning from MIT and a B.A. in Geography from Dartmouth College. Outside of work, he finds joy in cooking and baking for others, live music, hanging out with his three-legged cat, and using public transit as much as possible.
Jennifer has worked for several years to grow the employee ownership ecosystem in the Washington, DC area. She is a founding member of the DC Cooperative Stakeholders Group, co-created the DC Co-op Impact Grant, and led the launch of the Greater Washington Center for Employee Ownership. As the Program Manager for the Black Employee Ownership Initiative at Project Equity she’s committed to working alongside local ecosystem partners to advance employee ownership as a wealth-building strategy for Black business owners and Black workers.
Jennifer has presented on employee ownership at the NCBA-CLUSA Co-op Impact Conference, the Rutgers University Online Education Program and to local government leaders through the Democracy at Work Institute and National League of Cities Shared Equity in Economic Development (SEED) Fellowship. She holds a BA from Howard University and a MA from St. John’s University. In her free time Jennifer enjoys live music, indie films and playing Wordle.
Max is a teacher, researcher, and organizer committed to unifying environmental and economic justice. Before joining Project Equity, Max taught college courses on food politics, German philosophy, and environmental fiction. He holds a Ph.D. in German Studies with an emphasis on the Environmental Humanities from Yale University and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago. Max was awarded a 2022-24 ACLS Leading Edge fellowship to join Project Equity’s work in public sector engagement, helping to foster a nationwide movement to embed employee ownership in local and state initiatives. He views employee ownership as a key element in building a sustainable and just economy. Outside of his work, Max is an avid cook, amateur woodworker, and transportation justice advocate in New Haven.
Forrest is an experienced political organizer and consultant who has worked across the country. At 21 years old, he was a political organizer with Lift Up Houston where he oversaw organizing in Black neighborhoods. As a result, Harris County (Houston) saw its largest off-year election turnout. He then worked as the Nashville lead organizer with Phil Bredesen for Senate in 2018, Research Assistant at HITT Strategies, Campaign Manager for several Long Beach City Councilmembers, and most recently, Legislative Assistant for Long Beach Council Member Dr. Ricks-Oddie.
As a Pasadena native, he is passionate about creating a more economically equitable Southern California where working-class families can live better lives rather than just treating water. When he is not working, Forrest enjoys traveling, watching sports, and discovering new music.
