Undoing Racism® Executive Collective Meeting | FIRST MONDAY- ZOOM GATHERING
This group is designed for people in senior leadership in their organizations, particularly executive directors and their senior leadership teams, who have substantial decision-making authority and are invested in nurturing the organizations they lead to become more equitable, just, and anti-racist institutions.
The First Monday Executive Meeting offers the opportunity to learn from speakers, obtain resources, and to gather with peers to grapple collectively and honestly with the challenges leaders encounter, as well as build strategies and support for overcoming those challenges in their personal and organizational anti-racist journey. Others are also welcome.
First Monday of each month from
EST after 11am
(No Cost)
Our work is guided by the principles of The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, who are recognized internationally for their Undoing Racism™ Workshop and Community Organizing Workshop.
We strongly encourage all participants to attend the Undoing Racism workshop. You can register for the workshop here.
Prior First Monday Speakers
If you would like to be added to our Executive Collective Meeting email list, please contact: [email protected]
Bios
Dr. Alan B. Siskind (He/Him) has had an extensive and distinguished career in mental health and clinical practice, as a practitioner, administrator, teacher and author. He is called upon frequently as an expert on family issues, the treatment of adolescents, young adults, and adults. Dr. Siskind is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant on a range of topics impacting families and communities. Until 2007, Dr. Siskind served as CEO of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, the nation’s premier voluntary mental health and family service agency, which serves over 65,000 clients annually in 185 programs in the five boroughs and in Westchester. Alan is the Co-editor of Strategies for Deconstructing Racism in the Health and Human Services (2016).
First Monday Co-anchor Leadership Team
Dr. Lisa Martin (She/Her) is a licensed clinical psychologist and trauma informed DEIB consultant, trainer, and coach. Dr. Lisa’s work centers on building community, fostering healing, and solidifying the voice and impact of established and emerging BIPOC leaders and white allies.
Dr. Lisa maintains a private practice in New York and Florida and is a rostered psychologist for the National Basketball Players Association. She has been featured in several local and national publications, podcasts, and news broadcasts sharing her expertise on racial equity, stress management, and mental health. Dr. Lisa holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from St. John’s University.
Bonnie Cushing, LCSW (She/Her), is a family therapist and an anti-racist organizer and educator. She is a trainer with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, the Center for the Study of White American Culture, the Soul Focused Group and the Center for Racial Justice in Education. Bonnie speaks widely on the impact of racism on the practice of social work, as well as its impact on white people and the specific role white people can play in the movement for racial justice.
David A. Burks, MBA (He/Him/His) is an anti-racist consultant, coach, facilitator, and speaker hailing from New Orleans, LA. Throughout his career, he’s worked with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and educational institutions to create a better world for members of marginalized and underrepresented communities. He especially loves leveraging his knowledge of pop culture to translate complex and diverse ideas to a great cross section of our society. Additionally, he serves on several nonprofit boards and is a Core Trainer with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. David’s work is centered on three core principles: strengths, equity, and joy. Everyone should have the opportunity to spend as much time working in their areas of STRENGTH instead of languishing in their areas of weakness. Our work should bring EQUITY, not just equality, to communities harmed by historical injustices. Finally, whenever possible, we should bring JOY to our interactions – especially when the topics of discussions are difficult. 
Robin Schlenger, LCSW (She/Her) has many years of clinical and supervisory experience working in the nonprofit and public sectors. She is a practicing Anti-Racist Consultant, Coach, Organizer and Trainer, As a consultant, Robin specializes in facilitating presentations and trainings that are rooted in restorative and anti-racist principles. Robin is a current member of The People’s Institute of Survival and Beyond’s (PISAB) North East Leadership team and a member of The European Dissent (ED) leadership team, a group of people of European descent who “dissent” from the ideology of white supremacy. She speaks extensively on white privilege from an individual and organizational perspective and what it means to partner with people of color in antiracist work. She is also a regular contributor to the digital magazine, Three-Fifths and has co-written a chapter in Dr. Kenneth Hardy’s book The Enduring, Invisible and Ubiquitous Centrality of Whiteness.
Benjamin Kohl, PhD, LCSW (He/Him) is a social work clinician, educator and administrator whose career has focused on behavioral health services for children, youth and families in urban and rural settings. Ben is an antiracist organizer, trainer and consultant committed to the principles of the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Dr. Kohl has published articles and chapters on cross-racial clinical best practice, race-based caucusing, and antiracist organizational development. Currently Ben is an executive coach for MPG Consulting and convenes a monthly accountability hub for white men. He provides leadership on several non-profit boards and maintains a small psychotherapy practice on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Mary Pender Greene, LCSW-R, CGP (She/Her) is the President & CEO of MPG Consulting (MPGC), a company that is committed to eliminating bias and structural racism in the workspace. She is a career/executive coach, antiracist consultant, public speaker, and a psychotherapist with a private practice in Midtown Manhattan. She is a thought leader in the social services industry, recognized by her peers for her wisdom, contributions, and novel ideas on implicit bias, structural racism, and creating an inclusive institutional culture.
MPG Consulting supports organizations and leaders in their pursuit of an inclusive, fair, and respectful workplace that values all individuals and embraces diversity. Their racially and culturally diverse team brings to organizations a wide range of experience as coaches, clinicians, trainers, managers, and anti-racist organizational consultants in mental health, education, child welfare, business, legal, social justice and social service settings. MPGC is certified in New York City and New York State as an M/WBE.
Mary is the former Assistant Executive Director at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. She is the author of Creative Mentorship and Career-Building Strategies: How to Build Your Virtual Personal Board of Directors and coeditor of Strategies for Deconstructing Racism in the Health and Human Services.
Support Team
Lyrica Fils-Aime (she/her) is a racial justice strategist and identifies as a cis-hetero, Black, Haitian, non-disabled, mixed woman with significant class privilege. Lyrica is a therapist and non-profit leader turned writer who has authored a childhood Racial Justice Curriculum for Sesame Street, Where We Go Wrong in Equity Work for NYU’s VUE journal, Ancestral Trauma, Wisdom & Resilience for Psychotherapy.net and writes The Gift of [Anti-Racist] Therapy for Psychology Today. She wrote a chapter in Supervision Can Be Playful titled Multicultural Supervision: Building Culturally Responsive Play Therapists. Lyrica has also published a Haitian children’s book titled T se pou TapTap to help the Haitian children in her life access the Kreyòl language. Lyrica believes affinity groups are a powerful tool in anti-racist work. She began the Leadership and Middle Managers group in 2015 and provides mentorship and guidance to the Accountability Hub leaders.
Lynn Mercredi (She/Her) is the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO of MPGC, Mary Pender Greene. With 15+ years of experience as an administrator, Lynn manages MPGC’s coaches, trainers, consultants, and clients with compassion and connection. She ensures the efficient handling of client inquiries, trainings, and consultations. Lynn provides logistical support for the monthly Executive Undoing Racism Collective and is the anchor for the BIPOC SHIP (Support Healing Inspiration Planning) hub, a virtual accountability hub for all BIPOC. She earned her BA in English from SUNY Albany. 
Kayla Cordero (She/Her/Ella) is the Project Coordinator at MPG Consulting. She has 13+ administrative and office management experience working with diverse populations. Kayla provides planning and logistical support for the monthly Executive Undoing Racism Collective. She earned her BA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 
Claire Julian (she/her/hers & Afro-Caribbean) is the Learning and Branding Coordinator at MPG Consulting, working on diverse tasks, including Accountability Hub support. Her professional background includes extensive corporate and vendor-side Human Resources, Recruiting, and project management at global, publicly traded organizations and small entrepreneurial environments. Claire is enthusiastic about using her diverse skill set to advocate for antiracism and equity. She is also a mother, writer, yoga teacher, traveler, and music lover.
