2019 Communications Institute
On June 17-21, 2019, The Opportunity Agenda held its 10th annual Communications Institute, through which we trained social justice opinion leaders on a variety of communications skills and strategies.
The invitation-only Institute took place in New York City. The cohort of 16 Fellows received comprehensive training on a variety of communications skills, including framing and narrative development, media strategy, and on-camera interviews.
The substance of the Institute was five days of intensive, in-person training and skill-building, including on:
- Narrative and Messaging to Persuade and Activate Audiences
- Media Strategy
- Spokesperson Skills
- Broadcast Media Appearances
This year’s Institute focused on The Power of Voice in a time when social justice leaders are being actively silenced. The Opportunity Agenda is proud to launch these voices into the discourse to reframe the debate for social justice in the United States.
The 2019 Communications Institute was made possible, in part, by the generous contributions of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The JPB Foundation, The Libra Foundation, the Marguerite Casey Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, Open Society Foundations, The Tow Foundation, Unbound Philanthropy, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Meet the 2019 Fellows
Queen Adesuyi
Policy Coordinator, Drug Policy Alliance’s Office of National AffairsQueen Adesuyi is a policy coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance’s (DPA) Office of National Affairs in Washington, D.C., where she works to advance DPA’s federal and local District of Columbia legislative agenda. Her areas of focus include marijuana legalization with a racial justice focus, collateral consequences, housing, and overdose prevention. Queen, who...
Get To know QueenSunu Chandy
Legal Director, National Women’s Law CenterSunu P. Chandy is the legal director of the National Women’s Law Center where she oversees the Center’s litigation efforts and helped to create the Center’s Legal Network for Gender Equity, building policies to guide the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. She also provides guidance for the Center’s policy positions towards...
Get To know SunuAnthony Francisco, Jr.
Elected Representative, Tohono O’odham Legislative BranchMy name is Anthony Francisco Jr. I keep the junior portion to remind me of my father. I am Tohono O'odham (desert person) from southern Arizona where I raise my kids, run, work, and serve my community wherever I can. Currently, I sit as an elected representative for our tribe’s...
Get To know AnthonyElayne Gregg
Member, Indivisible TohonoElayne Gregg is Tohono O'odham, Akimel O'odham and Inupiaq. She currently resides in Coolidge, AZ with her husband and is a mother of five. Her interests include health, personal healing, and cultural preservation in a world moving forward. She also attends Central Arizona Community College near her home. Elayne is...
Get To know ElayneDeAnna Hoskins
President and CEO, JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA)DeAnna Hoskins is president and CEO of JustLeadershipUSA (JLUSA). Dedicated to cutting the U.S. correctional population in #halfby2030, JLUSA empowers people most affected by incarceration to drive policy reform. A nationally recognized leader and dynamic public speaker, DeAnna has been committed to the movement for justice, working alongside people impacted by...
Get To know DeAnnaThomas Kennedy
Political Director, Florida Immigrant CoalitionBorn in Argentina, Thomas Kennedy came to the United States with his parents at the age of 10, first living in New Jersey before settling down in Miami. After living as an undocumented immigrant for over a decade and seeing the daily struggles his parents overcame to have a better...
Get To know ThomasPatrice Lawrence
Executive Director, UndocuBlack NetworkNamed one of the top 300 influencers in Washington, D.C, Patrice Lawrence is the Executive Director of the UndocuBlack Network. In her time at UBN, she is steadily leading the charge on what currently and formerly undocumented Black immigrants need by making their demands clear on a local and national...
Get To know PatriceMarisa Limón Garza
Deputy Director, Hope Border InstituteMarisa Limón Garza is an El Paso native with over 15 years of experience engaging multicultural audiences through the lens of advocacy, education, strategic communications, advertising campaigns, and community involvement. She currently serves as deputy director of the Hope Border Institute, a community-based organization in the El Paso region working for...
Get To know MarisaKristen Marston
Culture and Entertainment Advocacy Director, Color of ChangeKristen Marston has dedicated her career to creating positive and long-lasting change within the entertainment industry, first by working to encourage equal employment opportunities for diverse directors at the Directors Guild of America and, most recently, by consulting with executives, writers, producers, and influencers to shift cultural narratives surrounding immigrants...
Get To know KristenRev. Erica N. Williams, M.Div.
National Social Justice Organizer, Repairers of the BreachRev. Erica N. Williams is a preacher, activist and community leader, who serves with head and heart. Rev. Erica is a 2016 graduate of The Howard University School of Divinity. Currently, she serves as a National Social Justice Organizer for Repairers of the Breach, a social justice organization founded by...
Get To know Rev. Erica