Investing in the Long Arc of Justice: Post-Election Convening

Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a New American Majority and the newly released national bestselling book How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good.

He is a columnist for The Guardian and The Nation, and an opinion contributor to The New York Times. He is also the host of “Democracy in Color with Steve Phillips,” a color-conscious podcast on politics. He is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics and the multicultural progressive New American Majority.

Phillips is a graduate of Stanford University and Hastings College of the Law and practiced civil rights and employment law for many years. Phillips has appeared on multiple national radio and television networks including NBC, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.

Dwayne S. Marsh assumed the position of President and CEO of Northern California Grantmakers on September 9, 2020. He brings 27 years of experience in the public, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors with a career commitment to advancing racial and economic equity.

Dwayne recently completed a four-year turn as co-Director of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) and Vice President of Institutional and Sectoral Change at Race Forward Race Forward. During his tenure, the membership network of local, regional, and state entities committed to advancing racial equity through the policies, practices, and public investments grew from just over 20 to nearly 200 participating jurisdictions.

Prior to GARE, Marsh spent six years as a senior advisor in the Office of Economic Resilience (OER) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. There, he helped advance sustainable planning and development through interagency partnerships, departmental transformation, and funding initiatives managed through OER. He was OER’s principal coordinator for a $250 million grant program and led the development of capacity building resources that reinforced the work of pioneering grantees in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Under his leadership, OER prioritized equity as a foundational principal for its planning and investment initiatives.

Marsh brings to the movement his expertise and considerable experience in coalition building for regional equity and leadership development for policy change. He provides technical assistance and capacity building knowledge to equitable development initiatives that address continuing disparities in affordable housing, transportation investment, and environmental justice. Before HUD, Marsh spent a decade at PolicyLink, the national organization committed to economic and social equity. Before PolicyLink, he directed the FAITHS Initiative for eight years at The San Francisco Foundation, building a nationally renowned community development and capacity building program that continues to this day. His career has been defined by supporting communities traditionally marginalized from full participation in our economy and society to build power and leverage lasting systems transformation.

Liana joins NCG as our Director for Policy and Movement, where she’ll focus on growing our capacity to transform philanthropic practice and investments and building power in communities most impacted by racial inequities. She brings a wealth of experience as a social change advocate and strategist advancing social, racial, and economic justice campaigns. 

In her role with Build Affordable Faster - TODCO over the last few years, she’s provided core support for the emergent Oakland Progressive Alliance (OPA), a partnership between labor, community-based organizations and progressive elected leaders to harness political power to further progressive policy changes centering Oakland’s most vulnerable residents. Prior to this, she worked with the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) - now known as Rise Economy - as the Director of Community Engagement and statewide organizer where she led a multi-year campaign to reform predatory payday lending at the federal, state and local level and strengthened the statewide movement for financial justice and consumer protections. In her work throughout the years with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), she organized faith leaders, workers, residents and built coalition support for campaigns to lift low-wage workers out of poverty and win community benefits from large-scale development projects. 

Liana’s passion for social change work is rooted in her experience growing up in El Paso, Texas on the US - Mexico border, her family history, formative years in college, living in deep east Oakland, her spiritual beliefs and a strong desire to serve a greater purpose in life. Liana holds a B.A. in Sociology from Santa Clara University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Georgetown University. In her free time, you can catch her chasing sunsets and waterfalls, hiking in the redwoods, going to concerts and other shows, traveling to beautiful destinations and enjoying time with friends and family.

Victoria’s commitment to racial justice and systems change stems from her upbringing as a daughter of immigrants in Southeast Los Angeles and a desire to see the needs of underrepresented communities addressed in our political system. Most recently, she served as Program Associate at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund for seven years, where she partnered with program directors and grantees on key initiatives and grantmaking in support of immigrant rights and strengthening California’s democracy. Her previous experience includes immigration legal services and a few stints as an intern on political campaigns.Victoria is a first-gen college graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a (soon-to-be) master’s degree in public policy from Mills College. She is originally from Bell Gardens and has now lived in the Bay Area for over a decade. Her passions include Lakers basketball, walks around Lake Merritt, and finding the perfect mezcal cocktail.