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Contributors
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Comfort Dondo
Ms. Dondo is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. Born and raised in Zimbabwe and now residing in Minnesota, her struggle with domestic violence was compounded by the inability of women’s shelters in America to provide the language, cultural and societal resources she and her children needed to feel safe and supported. Often, she found herself back in her abuser’s home with no alternative. Now free from the dangerous situation, Ms. Dondo wants to make sure women and children of African descent have the cultural resources they need to feel comfortable in sharing their stories and recovering from their experiences. She understands firsthand that individuals who’ve fled African countries to save their lives often have lasting trauma that needs to be acknowledged and treated holistically to ensure long-term progress. Ms. Dondo created Phumulani, named for a Zulu word meaning “lover of peace,” as a way of helping African immigrants and refugees in Minnesota. It is truly a place where survivors of gender-based abuse and violence can find peace and recovery.
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Meishka L. Mitchell
Meishka L. Mitchell, AICP, PP, is President & CEO of Emerald Cities Collaborative, a national nonprofit organization working to advance a sustainable environment while creating sustainable, just and inclusive economies with opportunities for all. Meishka has over 18 years of visionary leadership experience in climate justice and equitable and inclusive neighborhood development. In her hometown of Camden, New Jersey, Meishka cultivated a resident-driven approach to neighborhood planning and development of parks and open spaces, historic preservation, and placemaking. Meishka has established several national award-winning sustainability collaborations that have become replicable models for collective impact in underserved communities. She is also a known advocate and sought out speaker for climate justice. Meishka has a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, and maintains a Professional Planners license with the State of New Jersey, where she lives with her family.
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Mighty Fine
Mighty Fine, a Social Epidemiologist by training, is currently the Director of the Center for Public Health Practice and Professional Development at the American Public Health Association. In that role, Mr. Fine designs, develops, and evaluates public health programs; and provides technical assistance and consultation to key stakeholders on an array of public health issues. Although his work stems across various aspects of public health, he employs a special focus on injury and violence prevention, maternal and family health and chronic disease prevention. Overall, within his duties he incorporates epidemiological concepts to frame APHA’s public health practice initiatives and works to ensure synergies exist between public health practice and policy.
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Marleen Wong
Dr. Marleen Wong is clinical professor, emerita at USC and the CEO of the Center for Safe and Resilient Schools and Workplaces. website: https://safeandresilient.org/ Formerly the Senior Vice Dean and Stein/Goldberg Sachs Endowed Professor of Mental Health, she also served as Director of Field Education; Executive Director, Telehealth Clinic; and Clinical Advisor to the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and the Cohen Military Clinic. Prior to her tenure at USC, she was the director of mental health services, crisis intervention and suicide prevention at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). She is identified by the White House under three administrations as one of the “pre-eminent experts in school crisis and recovery” and an “architect of school safety programs” by the Wall Street Journal. A consultant to the US Department of Education (REMS) and the Department of Defense (Educational Directorate/Pentagon and DoDEA/Department of Defense Dependent Schools), she has helped develop recovery programs for schools and train educators impacted by violence, school shootings, terrorism, and natural disasters in the United States, Canada, Israel, Kobe, Japan, China and the Philippines. Dr. Wong served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health, which was charged with assessing national priorities and approaches to public health and medical practice, public policy, research, education, and training. She also worked on the IOM Committee which produced the publication: “Preparing for the Psychological Consequences of Terrorism” and is one of the original developers of the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Psychological First Aid: Listen, Protect Connect, Model and Teach. She was an invited speaker and panelist at several White House Summits on School Safety and most recently at the the White House Summit on Rethinking Discipline and Trauma Informed Approaches in Schools. In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Chapter of NASW and in 2019, she was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.