Meet the 2025-26 Job Quality Fellows

Cecilia Behgam is the research director at the Texas Climate Jobs Project, a statewide nonprofit advancing a pro-worker, pro-climate agenda. Cecilia leads a team producing original strategic research to ensure a just transition and strengthen job quality standards across climate-related industries. 

Cecilia holds over a decade of experience as an organizer and researcher for economic justice campaigns. Prior to her current role, she worked for organizations including the Action Center on Race and the Economy, the National AFL-CIO, the Latino Economic Development Center, and the Alliance for Fair Food. Her work includes contributing research to a campaign that ended medical debt collection by a nonprofit hospital, supporting low-income tenant unions to purchase their buildings to establish housing cooperatives, and training strategic researchers across the labor movement.

Cecilia earned a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies from Brown University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in political ecology. She is based in Dallas, Texas and she is committed to building a future where climate action creates high-quality jobs in her home state and across the South.

Sherra Bennett is a philanthropic leader and nonprofit executive with over 15 years of experience  advancing equity and opportunity. As a senior program officer at the Winthrop Rockefeller  Foundation, she leads the Movement Building, Leadership Development, and Community  Change portfolio, centering ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Arkansans.  In this role, she invests in grassroots leadership, strengthens nonprofit capacity, and fosters policy and systems change to improve and advance the quality of life for Arkansans. 

Born in the Arkansas Delta, Sherra grounds her work in lived experience and professional rigor.  Her career spans roles as a nonprofit founder, executive director, and consultant, where she has built strategic partnerships and guided mission-driven organizations across youth development,  human services, and civic engagement. She is a Presidential Leadership Scholar and  Grantmakers for Southern Progress Fellow, recognized as a “Woman to Watch” for her  contributions to community solutions. 

Sherra holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s of social work from the University of Michigan. Her leadership is defined by authenticity, collaboration, and a belief that investing in people and communities creates lasting change.

Kelly Brooks is the organizational development manager at Civic Works’ Center for Sustainable Careers (CSC), a Baltimore nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to family-sustaining careers. Kelly partners with CSC’s employer network on job quality consulting, helping organizations improve performance through employee-centered strategies. With over seven years of organizational development experience, Kelly specializes in streamlining operations, boosting efficiency and productivity, and fostering strong workplace cultures using data-driven approaches. 

Kelly holds a master’s in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and serves on PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) National’s Board of Directors (since 2019), where she served as chair of the performance review committee and co-chair of the DEI committee. Kelly is also a board member for the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, advises entrepreneurs and business owners through the T. Rowe Price Baltimore Corps Brain Trust foundation, and is a member of the Employee Engagement Board Committee for First Financial Credit Union. A graduate of Leadership Essentials (Leadership Maryland, Howard County), Kelly is also an entrepreneur, having launched and run two businesses. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, sunshine, nature and adventure.

Kimberly Eckert is the head of instructional innovation and apprenticeship design at Craft Education, where she leads national initiatives to design, pilot, and scale teacher apprenticeship pathways. With a career as a classroom teacher and leader of 17 years, Kimberly was also the 2018 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year, deputy assistant superintendent of educator development, and inaugural dean and designer of the Teachers College at Reach University.

Kimberly has spent nearly two decades championing equitable access to high-quality educator preparation. She founded Educators Rising Louisiana, spearheaded statewide Grow Your Own programs, and now works at the intersection of policy, practice, and innovation to support talent pipelines across rural and urban communities. Kimberly is also a doctoral candidate and frequent keynote speaker on authentic learning, workforce development, and inclusive education systems.

Jennifer Epps is the executive director of the LIFT Fund, a pioneering philanthropic collaborative dedicated to advancing worker rights and power. Under her leadership, the LIFT Fund fosters deep collaboration and investment among unions, philanthropic organizations, movement-building groups, and academia to amplify innovative strategies for worker organizing across the United States.

With over 15 years of experience as an organizer and strategic leader, Jennifer previously served as vice president at Local 1199 SEIU United Care Worker East. There, she led organizing and contract campaigns in hospitals, working with service, maintenance, technical, professional, and registered nurse units throughout Maryland. Her extensive background also includes her role as executive director of the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association (PGCEA), one of the largest local teachers’ unions in the country.

A passionate advocate for social justice, Jennifer is dedicated to building power with oppressed, marginalized, and working communities and ensuring their voices are at the forefront of the labor movement. A proud graduate of Howard University, she resides in Bowie, Maryland, just outside of the nation’s capital, with her husband and two daughters.

Colby Hall is the executive director of Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), a nonprofit organization driving economic transformation in Eastern Kentucky. Under his leadership,  SOAR has secured significant federal investments, including a $50+ million grant from the  U.S. Economic Development Administration that launched the Eastern Kentucky Runway, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at reactivating the region’s dormant workforce through purpose-driven employment and wraparound supports.

A native of Eastern Kentucky and a passionate advocate for rural opportunity, Colby brings deep experience in public-private partnerships, workforce innovation, and regional strategy. Colby graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kentucky in 2015 with a degree in biology. He is married to Lindsey Hall, a nurse practitioner in the neurosurgery department at UK HealthCare’s Chandler Hospital. They have one son, Hayden Hall, who was born in November 2022.

Shuh-Marraka Johnson, Ph.D., is the senior Mississippi researcher at Jobs to Move America. With deep family roots in Liberty (Amite County) and a Jackson upbringing, she grounds her work in the realities of Mississippi communities that have endured decades of disinvestment, and economic neglect. Her research examines how tax subsidies, labor policies, and corporate decisions shape opportunity in the state, always centering accountability and equity. 

Her doctoral dissertation, “Environmental Justice in City-Owned Parks in Birmingham, AL, and Jackson, MS,” mapped how historical practices and disinvestment limit access to public resources. She also contributed to a published pilot study, “Residents’ perceptions of crime and safety in Jackson, MS,” supporting survey design, focus groups, and data collection. She believes lived experiences are not just stories but evidence for change. 

A first-generation Ph.D. holder, Johnson is committed to turning research into tools that communities can use to demand better—whether that means safer neighborhoods, stronger infrastructure, or good jobs. 

Through the Job Quality Fellowship, she brings Mississippi’s voice to national conversations on job quality, ensuring her state’s struggles and strengths are seen and heard. In all her work, like J. Cole, Johnson wants to “give hope like the fountains you throw pennies in.”

Dr. Thelma Adams Johnson is a visionary leader in community and economic development, serving as president and CEO of Albany Community Together, Inc. (ACT!), a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). With more than 30 years of experience in finance, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment, she has dedicated her career to building wealth and opportunity in underserved communities across southwest Georgia.

Under her leadership, ACT! has become a trusted partner in advancing access to capital, coaching, and connections for small businesses, developers, and entrepreneurs. Dr. Johnson has spearheaded innovative initiatives such as climate-focused lending programs, affordable housing development strategies, and catalytic mixed-use revitalization projects. Her ability to structure complex capital stacks and cultivate strong partnerships with local, state, and national organizations has positioned ACT! as a leader in equitable development.

A graduate of Albany State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Dr. Johnson also holds an MBA and DBA from Northcentral University. Beyond her professional role, she is deeply engaged in mentoring, teaching business innovation at Albany State, and serving her community through faith-based and civic organizations. Her work continues to transform communities by aligning mission with measurable impact.

Dom Kelly is the founder, president & CEO of New Disabled South and its 501(c)(4) arm, New Disabled South Rising. A lifelong disability advocate and social justice organizer, Dom has been building progressive infrastructure in the US South since 2009. He is a celebrated movement leader, organizer, speaker, and writer, as well as a former touring musician who has recorded and performed with artists like Indigo Girls, The Bangles, Toad the Wet Sprocket, and more.

Born with cerebral palsy, Dom began advocating for disability rights at age four. He previously worked as a senior advisor on Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign and led fundraising at her organization Fair Fight Action. He holds multiple degrees, including a master of science in nonprofit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and is completing a doctor of public health at The George Washington University.

Dom is a 2025 Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity, a 2024 Rockwood Fellow, and a 2023 J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize winner. His writing has been published in Teen Vogue, The Hill, In These Times, Mondoweiss, Common Defense, and more. He has been featured on NPR, Sky News, Forbes, and TODAY.com, and he has been a featured speaker on stages at SXSW, Netroots Nation, Disability Summer School in Galway, Ireland, and more. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and daughter.

Daniel Waid Marshall is an employee-owner and teacher who uses education to advance cooperative forms of ownership. He works on Communications and Ownership at Ginkgo Bioworks, whose mission is to make biology easier to engineer. With the Alabama Center for Employee Ownership, which aims to scale employee ownership through outreach and education, he chairs the board.

He lives in Birmingham, AL, where in the summer he volunteers at a free summer program called Lamplight that teaches ownership skills to teenagers by putting them in charge of the camp. He has been working at Lamplight since 2019, when, as a high school teacher, he helped found its original incarnation in Guntersville, AL, which he is proud to say is still going strong.

Laurie Mays is a committed leader in community development, economic empowerment, and corporate sustainability. As senior workforce development program manager at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation, she works across industries to close the skilled workforce gap and create strategies supporting business growth and thriving communities. Laurie builds partnerships that strengthen local economies, develop sustainable talent pipelines, and ensure that workplaces are prepared for a changing market.

Her background in agriculture, education, and workforce development gives her a unique perspective on creating opportunities that balance career mobility with business needs and long-term community health. She is skilled at turning workplace goals into actionable strategies that advance supply chain resilience, ESG priorities, and collaborative solutions that help people and places adapt to economic change.

Previously, Laurie served in leadership roles at the Kentucky Horse Park and Locust Trace AgriScience Center, where she created nationally recognized programs and initiatives that connected education with industry experience and community engagement. Her international experiences in Ireland, New Zealand, and Vietnam shape her ability to work across cultures and sectors. Laurie enjoys reading, hiking, and camping outside of work to stay inspired and grounded.

Rachel Merfalen is the interim executive director of the Tennessee Center for Employee Ownership (TNCEO) and the founder of Good Future, a strategic advisory firm based in Tennessee. She works at the intersection of workforce strategy, employee ownership, and job quality, helping organizations across the South and beyond design ownership solutions that honor the legacy of businesses while creating a future where everyone who works for a living can make a living.

Rachel brings experience in entrepreneurship, workforce and economic development, including serving as director of business programs at the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Since founding Good Future in 2022, she has partnered with the Democracy at Work Institute, Results for America, Talent Rewire, the African Bridge Network, the Employee Ownership Expansion Network, and TNCEO.

A systems thinker and storyteller, Rachel leads narrative efforts exploring how work is structured, who benefits, and what it takes to build thriving communities. She positions employee ownership as a cornerstone of job quality, showing how shared ownership strengthens both businesses and the people who power them.

She lives in Columbia, TN, with her husband and three children.

Maya Ragsdale is the co-executive director and founder of Beyond the Bars, a worker center in South Florida that builds power with people with criminal records to transform the industries that rely on their labor and open pathways to those they have long been excluded from. A lawyer by training and longtime organizer, Maya has led efforts that erased more than $100 million in jail debt, eliminated $10 million in jail fees, and secured protections for nearly one million temp workers across Florida. Under her co-leadership, Beyond the Bars has become the nation’s leading organization explicitly connecting the labor and criminal justice movements.

Her work has been recognized through fellowships and awards from Galaxy Gives, Law for Black Lives, Justice Catalyst, Radical Partners, Miami New Times, the Health Foundation of South Florida, and the Elevate Prize Foundation. Maya holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Sarah Reed is the president and CEO of MetaFund, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) committed to supporting underinvested communities across Oklahoma and the surrounding region. Since joining MetaFund in 2014, Sarah has held leadership roles including executive vice president and chief financial officer, leveraging over 20 years of experience in finance and accounting.

A certified public accountant (CPA), Sarah earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from Oklahoma State University. Her expertise spans auditing, financial reporting, portfolio servicing, regulatory compliance, and strategic planning.

Since its inception in 1999, MetaFund has deployed more than $450 million to improve jobs, housing, education, and health outcomes through direct lending, equity investments, New Markets Tax Credit projects, and innovative pay-for-success structures. In her current role, Sarah guides the organization’s strategic direction, fostering collaboration and partnerships across public and private sectors to increase capital flow to underinvested urban and rural communities.

Prior to MetaFund, Sarah spent 11 years at KPMG LLP in Oklahoma City as a senior audit manager, specializing in audits for not-for-profit, governmental, and financial services entities.

Alexis Tsoukalas has focused on state immigrant and labor issues at the Florida Policy Institute since 2019. She has lived in Florida since childhood and understands the region’s unique threats and opportunities. 

Her career began in direct service, then shifted to policy advocacy after witnessing the inequitable harms of misguided laws—especially in the child welfare and hospitality fields. A lesson that emerged was how the lack of economic mobility and quality work exacerbates nearly every social issue, leading Alexis to pursue worker justice, her master’s degree in social administration/social work, and her Ph.D. in public affairs.

A lifelong learner, Alexis has had the honor of completing policy fellowships with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Central Florida Foundation, and the Council on Social Work Education. She served as a legislative chair and state delegate with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Florida chapter and remains active in the chapter.

In 2021, the Association for Community Organization and Social Action named Alexis Outstanding Practitioner, and in 2024, the Special Commission on Macro Practice gave her the Rothman Structural Change Award for combating state child labor law rollbacks. 

In her “free time,” Alexis sings, absorbs knowledge and comedy, and spoils her pets.

As executive director, Alex is focused on expanding Generation West Virginia (Generation WV)’s impact through strategic partnerships with government, businesses, and other nonprofits. She is particularly committed to driving initiatives that help young professionals develop the skills necessary for the modern workforce.Before joining Generation WV, Alex served as the executive director of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation (Wheeling Heritage), where she led preservation and revitalization efforts in the region.

Alex currently resides in her hometown of Wellsburg, West Virginia, where she remains deeply engaged in local leadership. She serves on the West Virginia Workforce Development Board, the board of the Regional Economic Development Partnership (RED), and is the chair of the Wellsburg Urban Renewal Authority.

Ben Wilkins is the director of the Union of Southern Service Workers, a cross-sector union of service workers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. He has been an organizer in racial justice and labor struggles for over 20 years across the South and Midwest. As an organizer with the Service Employees International Union in Michigan, he led union campaigns among hospital and nursing home workers. He was also a leader of the Fight for $15 movement, organizing low-wage workers across the US South from his home base in North Carolina.