Anthony became Cities United’s first Executive Director in October 2015, charged with building out the organization and expanding the network. Before joining Cities United, he led the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods in Louisville, working with the community to build out the city’s One Love Louisville Plan. Throughout his career, Anthony has made it a priority to cultivate up-and-coming leaders.
Quaniqua leads the development, coordination, and alignment activities across Cities United's portfolio of strategies focused on National Movement and Field Building, Coaching and Capacity Building, and Organizational Capacity. Quaniqua has master's degrees in Pan-African Studies and Social Work, and in her spare time enjoys seeking new adventures with her young daughter and her husband.
Cassandra co-developed and coordinated Cities United’s Young Leader and Civic Engagement Fellowships, and now leads the development of Cities United's community-investment-without-displacement initiative, Russell: Place of Promise. Cassandra’s work has been recognized by organizations such as Leadership Louisville, Corporation for Black Male Achievement, and Louisville Business First's Forty Under 40 List.
André manages Cities United’s portfolio of national initiatives. He is a past president of 100 Black Men of Greater Knoxville and co-founder of several social justice organizations. He is also a widely published writer and a former Cities United young leader and youth advocate.
Jeremy manages Cities United’s annual convening, and supports team members with logistics and travel. Jeremy previously served as the Associate of Young Leader Programming and an Administrative Associate, and outside of work, he is an artist and he enjoys coaching track and field and football in his spare time.
Prior to joining Cities United, Monica has served as a practitioner in community development, organizational development, program development and management, and grant writing for 25 years, with local government, various nonprofits, churches, and neighborhood-based organizations. She loves serving people and believes that her daily purpose is found in how much she is willing to give away!
Daphne is an award-winning artist and graphic designer, and a firm believer that access to information and the use of graphic art and pictures are crucial to outreach, especially for underserved populations. Daphne co-facilitates GLOW: Girls League of the West, a program that encourages and embraces Black girlhood, and she has received several American Advertising Federation “ADDY” Awards.
Rachel leads Cities United’s Young Leader programs and is passionate about coming alongside teams of all kinds to help establish equitable, inclusive, and transformative platforms for young leaders to showcase their skills and vision for world-changing communities. Rachel is proud to call Tacoma, Washington home, and in her spare time she enjoys traveling, playing with her nephew, and finding the best food in her city.
Synethia is responsible for designing, strengthening, and implementing Cities United’s strategic vision as it relates to national programming and partner city engagement. She has more than 15 years of experience in public service, citizen-led community-based initiatives, violence prevention efforts, proposal development, and grant management. The importance of service was instilled in her at an early age by her grandmothers.
Kenneth supports the office of the Executive Director, and helps coordinate events, organizational planning, and office administration. A graduate of the first Thrive Fellowship, Kenneth is determined to use his own life experiences to pay it forward, and has aspirations to launch his own mentoring and coaching organization by 2025. When Kenneth is not busy working toward these goals, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, hiking, and fishing.
Brittanny believes that advocacy is a collaborative effort and feels privileged to be part of an organization that effects change. She has more than 15 years of experience in the administrative support field. Outside of work, Brittanny enjoys traveling and collecting experiences with her family.
Doneah provides administrative support to Cities United’s Russell: Place of Promise initiative. Doneah graduated from the University of Louisville, and was a Cities United Young Leader Fellow in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys all things basketball, journaling, solving Rubik's Cubes, and spending time with friends and family.
LaTonya helps support Cities United’s partnerships and provides administrative management support to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of Cities United’s internal management systems. LaTonya is also the founder of Abu Unity Foundation, a mentorship and violence prevention group in Hampton Roads, Virginia, which she started in 2006 after losing the father of her oldest daughter to gun violence.
Justin is responsible for leveraging the mission, vision, values, and approaches of Cities United to communicate a compelling yet straightforward narrative of the people, places, and experiences that make up Cities United.
Margarett McBride is the Sr. Associate of Storytelling at Cities United. As an artist, author, organizer, and researcher, Margarett has cultivated a body of work that reflects the stories and lives of Black youth, families, and neighborhoods. At Cities United, Margarett helps disseminate ideas, information, data, and stories so cities can envision and create a world where we have dismantled systems of inequity so young Black men and boys can experience safe, healthy, and hopeful communities.
Jerrilyn is a native of Dallas,Texas dedicated to her quest to collectively heal Black communities across the globe. She has served as a community organizer in various communities in Texas and abroad. Jerrilyn now serves as the Associate of Young Leader Programming with Cities United, where she continues her quest to create healthy and safe spaces, specifically for Black men and boys.
Reid Stowe is a City Engagement Associate with 6 years of violence prevention experience working on nationally recognized grants as well as public sector initiatives. Within those 6 years Reid has been published in the American Journal of Public Health, co-chair of city-wide violence prevention boards, and assistant director on CDC funded research projects.
Marcus graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Social and Behavioral studies with a minor in Family Studies and a Masters in Student Affairs in Higher Education. He is currently enrolled in the Education and Social Change Doctoral Program at Bellarmine University. Marcus has over 5 years of Non-profit and Community engagement experience. He now serves as Neighborhood Leadership & Community Outreach Specialist with the Russell: A Place of Promise Initiative.
LaToya works to strengthen communities’ efforts in violence reduction and public safety. Delk is a Native of Smithfield VA, received a B.A in Political Science from Norfolk State University and M.B.A from Averett University.
Dr. Camara Douglas is a resident of Louisville's West End. Growing up in that community allowed him to understand gun violence and how to prevent it from many angles. He was able to have direct experience in the places where gun violence is stemmed from, while still achieving his PhD, with a specialization on examining marginalized communities.
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