OUR PEOPLE: Babies, Businesses, and other Boss Things
- Two members of our team welcomed babies this year: Congratulations to Claire Downing and Marwa Moaz!
- Check out Consultant Shanize Byrd’s blackbyrd initiative, a Black women’s collaborative that provides healing-centered programming and initiatives that support millennial Black women with the knowledge & tools necessary to actively dismantle White Supremacy culture and actualize liberation within their personal and professional lives.
- Our Director Helly Lee created a dope gifting service that curates gift boxes that bring together the hearts and talents of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) creators.
- Our Senior Consultant Ricky Hurtado reminded us that progress is not linear. After winning a historic election in 2020 and becoming the only Latino legislator in the State Assembly, Ricky lost a competitive race by less than 600 votes. Despite the tough loss, he continues to use what he’s learned to build up future campaigns and leaders ready for change in and out of the political arena.
- Our Consultant Hafizah Omar earned her MS from Hunter College’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy.
We also celebrated the success of folks who left to pursue new adventures, including:
- Dionne Aiken, Brand Manager. We wish Dionne the best on her next journey!
- Jourden Martin, Frontline’s Operations Manager is transitioning out of Frontline. We wish Jourden the best in her next chapter!
Learn more about our amazing team here
OUR SERVICES & CLIENTS
Some examples of our work include: Voice Vision Values, The Solutions Project, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
— Ida B. Wells
At Frontline, we talk a lot about “learning out loud”. For us that means being excellent partners to our clients and, when appropriate, sharing what we’re learning with the broader field. Check out some of the commentary, research, and analysis on equity, philanthropy and more that we’ve helped develop for the field.
- We’re thrilled to be partnering with NPQ on a series, “Black Food Sovereignty: Stories from the Field,” featuring some of the amazing grantees of the Elevate Initiative.
- Also in NPQ, our CEO Melissa DeShields offered some thoughts toward a better framework for Capacity Building.
- Frontline Co-Founder and Partner, Micah Gilmer shared reflections on leading with an equity lens during his time as Interim CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.
- Our Senior Consultant Marwa Moaz reflected on her first 100 days at Frontline Solutions: “For the first time in my professional life, I am embraced and not othered. For the first time in my professional life, I am told I am an expert and given the space to act on my expertise.”
Also, be sure to listen to our Sweet 16 podcast.
LET’S GET FREE
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
– Audre Lorde
Thank you for working with us to redefine what it takes to build a great consulting company. We look forward to learning and growing with you in the years to come. For now, though, we’re signing off as our team takes time to rest and restore. Our office will be closed from December 19, 2022- December 30,2022. See you in 2023.
Below are some ways to keep in touch:
- Work with us! We’d love to help your organization realize its fullest potential.
- Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
ABOUT FRONTLINE SOLUTIONS
Black-founded and led, we’re a diverse team of activists, scholars, advocates, coaches, strategists, and artists. We draw on these multifaceted perspectives and lived experiences to engage with organizations in the journey toward their boldest, most expansive visions.
End of Year Message From Frontline Solutions’ CEO, Melissa DeShields.
Frontline Solutions is no ordinary consulting firm. In her year-end letter, our CEO Melissa DeShields reflects on why liberation is our North Star, and how we’re guided by people fighting for a more just world.