Tides Welcomes Four New Board Members

We know from recent events and injustices that we have a tremendous amount of work to do to tear down the structures of systemic racism and discrimination, and to build up more just, equitable, diverse and inclusive systems across all domains. This is why Tides exists. With our increased focus on strengthening power in BIPOC communities, organizations and leaders, we are doubling down on our efforts to apply this equity lens to everything we do.Tides Board is also committed to this important equity work. I cannot be more thrilled to welcome four new members to our board of directors — Trista Harris, Regina Jackson, Jessica Carvalho Morris, and Dylan Orr — each of whom brings in-depth social justice experience, perspective, and expertise to Tides at this pivotal time in our organization.

Their accomplishments go far beyond their bios listed. Here is just a glimpse of who they are and what they are bringing to Tides.

Trista Harris is the founder and president of FutureGood, a consultancy that helps leaders build a better future through diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational change consulting and strategic visioning. She is an experienced board director and a visionary change agent who brings a unique blend of strategic leadership, operating expertise, and philanthropic vision to boards that prioritize social and environmental impact. She is a founding board member for Arts + Rec, a start-up that is re-inventing recreation across the country with deep partnerships with artists and trailblazing chefs. She was on the Host Committee for Super Bowl LII, which brought over $450 million in economic activity to the state of Minnesota. She holds a Certificate of Scenarios Planning from the University of Oxford, a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Howard University.

Regina Jackson is the president and CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), which, under her leadership, completed an $11.5 million renovation and expansion of the campus in 2015, and has become a model environment for nurturing young minds, establishing and expanding community engagement, youth empowerment, and leadership development resources. Through her theory of change, character-based leadership model, and her “comprehensive compassion/emotional intelligence”concept, she has established an excellence-driven culture in the heart of the East Oakland community, 30,000 students strong, establishing ties with HBCUs, Ivy Leagues, and the NBA. She completed a Robert Wood Johnson Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship focused on identifying upstream factors for youth violence, and is an adviser to numerous nonprofits, finance and educational organizations. Appointed by the Mayor of Oakland to serve on the inaugural Police Commission, Jackson has been unanimously elected to chair the commission three consecutive years. Under her leadership, critical policies and protocols have been reimagined to conform to national standards of constitutional policing.

Jessica Carvalho Morris is an international lawyer, scholar, and a consultant on human rights, governance, rule of law and education, serving regions such as Latin and North America, North Africa, and Eurasia. Selected projects include teaching, lecturing and providing training in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, México, Panamá, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, U.S., among others, conducting the Section Recognition Evaluation of Amnesty International Brazil, providing training to federal judges in Brazil on U.S. Constitutional law and human rights, and providing training to the Tunisian Task Force established to analyze the Tunisian legal framework. Morris was executive director of Conectas Human Rights in São Paulo, Brazil, and director of International Graduate Law Programs at the University of Miami School of Law. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami and is a PhD candidate in Human Rights at the University of Coimbra. She is currently an associate researcher with the Feminist Research and Intervention Group at IIEG, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and the Sexualities Research Group at CES, University of Coimbra.

Dylan Orr is the deputy director of the Environmental Health Services division at Seattle and King County Public Health, where he oversees efforts to promote healthy and equitable environmental conditions and prevent disease through sanitation, safe food and water, and reduction of exposure to hazardous materials. Prior to this role, he was the first director of the Office of Labor Standards for the City of Seattle, where he was responsible for setting up a new department to implement and enforce Seattle’s labor laws. Orr served at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under President Obama’s administration as special assistant and chief of staff in the Office of Disability Employment Policy. He was the first openly transgender person appointed to a U.S. presidential administration, and the first openly transgender person appointed to serve on a Seattle Mayor’s Cabinet. He completed his undergraduate work at Smith College and received his juris doctor from the University of Washington School of Law.

Given the enormity and scale of our mission, we are incredibly fortunate to have the brain trust of these new board members. Please join me in welcoming and congratulating them!