Alexis Rodríguez brings 10+ years of nonprofit management experience to HumanitiesDC. As Director of Operations, his responsibilities include finance and accounting, human resources, and operations and administration. Prior to joining HumanitiesDC, he served as Managing Director to the Edlavitch DCJCC’s Film and Music programs; as well as working in communications at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore. He holds an MA in Arts Management from American University and a BA in Marketing from the University of Puerto Rico.
Denzell Spencer
Denzell Spencer is the Northeast Director of Philanthropy at FoodCorps. As a nonprofit fundraiser and educator, he has a decade of experience in the public sector. Denzell began his career as a DCPS English teacher and then taught at a charter school in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a BA in English from Howard University and earned his MPA from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Denzell lives in Ward 6 where he enjoys attending art and culture events in his community.
Dawn Fong
Dawn Fong is the Program Manager for 202Creates, where she oversees initiatives that nurture and spotlight the creative economy in Washington, D.C. She previously served as the Managing Director of The Ujiri Foundation, which operates Giants of Africa, where she contributed to the growth of a nonprofit that uses basketball as a tool to educate and empower African youth. Dawn also held a key role at BET Networks as an Executive Assistant, supporting C Suite executives and managing complex projects. With a passion for creativity and community, Dawn continues to make a significant impact in every role she takes on.
Nia Crawford
Nia Crawford, a Washington, D.C. native, is deeply passionate about creating dynamic, community-driven programs. Currently serving as the Outreach Coordinator at the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, Nia brings her expertise in fostering inclusive and engaging programming to her work. With a background in Women and Gender Studies and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from George Washington University, Nia has developed a strong expertise in crafting engaging, inclusive programming that brings people together. She excels in leading educational and cultural initiatives that inspire growth and foster collaboration, with a focus on developing impactful, accessible experiences for diverse audiences.
Jessica Austin
Equal parts nerd, jock, and class clown, Jessica is a voice teacher and a writer. For her project, she’s recording oral history interviews with local trans women as she teaches them how to feminize their voices. Across three interviews, these women will talk about their lives in DC as their voices come to better reflect who they are. If trans women’s dehumanization often begins with language, then Jessica believes language can help restore their humanity—affirming that they’re individuals with stories and voices of their own.
Instagram: @thetransjessicaaustin. Website: thetransjessicaaustin.com
Katie Kirkpatrick
Katie Kirkpatrick is the owner and founder of Off the Mall Tours, a tour company that highlights underrepresented voices and off-the-beaten path local DC history. She has a flair for fun history, costuming, and showing off her adopted city.
Katie is writing a book based off of her popular “Madams of DC” walking tour, which focuses on the lives of sex workers drawn to Civil War-era Washington by the large military presence and prospect of fortunes to be made.
Identifying as a humanist, she tries to understand as many diverse perspectives as possible. She comes from a privileged background but has come in contact with people from all walks of life, from DC, to Brazil, to the Congo, and beyond. Katie believes humanity is fascinating, and the more she learns about different cultures, socio-economic structures, history, languages, etc, the more empathy she gains for individuals that are different from herself.
Rhonda Henderson
Rhonda is the co-creator of the Dap Project, a platform for preserving community narratives. A graduate of Benjamin Banneker, her project will recount through oral history the community advocacy that led to the construction of a new building, and will produce an advocacy guide for young people. Rhonda identifies as a culture-bearer who practices joy and resists erasure.
Muskanpreet Kaur
Muskan is a Queer Punjabi artist working on cultural projects within DMV and global communities. They organize under “MotorMouth”, a values-driven platform focused on DIY collaboration that hosts skill workshops, benefit concerts, fundraisers, and art markets across the DMV.
Their fellowship project focuses on highlighting the ways in which BIPOC immigrant communities in the DMV create a home for themselves through the medium of food. Their goal is to produce a zine of interviews, recipes, photography, and resources.
Delia Beristain Noriega
Delia Beristain Noriega | Mexico and PG County raised, based in Columbia Heights, DC | Community archivist | Cultural organizer | Cat mom
Delia is excited to build a digital archive that preserves the stories behind Las Muertes Más Bellas del Mundo–a DC based documentary film created by Salvadorans about the Salvadoran diaspora in the DMV. As both a producer and an archivist with the film crew, she hopes to encourage immigrant communities in DC to continue documenting our collective histories and explore avenues for healing through memory keeping and art. This archive includes a mix of archival materials and footage, some featured in the film, some not—and will grow to include new interviews and written reflections from folks engaging with this history.
As a humanist and culture bearer, Delia works at the intersection of art, memory and justice. With every event or project she co-creates, Delia envisions her community reclaiming, sharing and preserving their stories, and building spaces that reflect who they are at their core.
Yanci F.
Yanci F. — a creative spirit, community connector, and observant storyteller — brings authenticity, resourcefulness, and a deep love for service to everything they do. As an Independent Practitioner Fellow, they are creating a vibrant graphic booklet celebrating the joy, resilience, and lasting contributions of Central American immigrants in D.C. Yanci identifies as a culture bearer because they were raised in DC, shaped by its schools and programs, and remains rooted in honoring and uplifting the community that raised them.