Our Team

Chana dreams of a world that is loving and just. She loves connecting with people through deep listening. She is always laughing, especially at the silliest jokes and loves to swing dance.

Luigi  is a talented problem-solver and community builder who recently ran his first marathon and enjoys long road trips.

Justine utilizes her lived experiences and love of connecting people to foster hope for those who want to create intentional change in their own way. Justine’s favorite things are cooking traditional southern dishes, thrift shopping, and understanding her own historical family ties through generational storytelling.

Bonnie commits her skills as a coach, strategist, and facilitator to advancing equity and justice. She spends her time supporting social justice movement leaders and dreaming and co-creating with values-aligned communities. She finds joy in the outdoors—particularly in the forest or on the beach—and in the company of her family. Bonnie is routinely awed by the beauty around her—both big and small.

Quetzalli enjoys building relationships through storytelling and believes that this is one of the best ways to make strong, deep connections with others.  She enjoys dancing, traveling, and going to concerts. Quetzalli plans to apply to graduate school and pursue a MSW.

Andrew’s passion for equity and mission-driven work is the product of a decade spent working with, and for educators. The lessons he learned are the foundation for the critical work done at the LeadersTrust. Supporting organizations throughout our programs motivates his desire to improve our communities.

Aerial is a loud and proud Black queer survivor who leads with authenticity and resilience. Their collaborative approach fosters trust and support while centering identity and intersectionality to create a more equitable world. Aerial finds joy and purpose in art and texture therapy, moments by the water, cuddles with their pup, and belly-aching laughs.

Melissa is a proud Nuyorican who loves being from the Bronx and connecting with people through food and music. She takes pleasure in co-creating spaces that allow people to show up fully, feeling affirmed, respected, and safer to just exist as well as radically imagine new possibilities together. Fresh sofrito and sazón sizzling in a pan is one of her favorite smells.
Read Melissa’s BioMelissa Toala (she, her) is a Program Manager at the LeadersTrust. Currently suppprting the Fair Work Leadership Fund through the James Irvine Foundation, as well as the advancement of language justice care work at the LeadersTrust, she brings over a decade of experience working in grassroots organizing, supporting leaders, amplifying the voices of historically marginalized peoples and co-conspiring pathways towards liberation with some of the fiercest young people across NYC and beyond. An unapologetically queer Nuyorican from the Bronx, she began her career as a sexuality educator and community organizer and served as the Associate Director of Youth Initiatives at the National Institute for Reproductive Health for 8 years. She also served as the Deputy Director for Brown Girl Recovery, a Black and queer-led organization founded in 2017 that created grassroots healing spaces for Black and Brown community members living in the Bronx and northern Manhattan. She has developed and facilitated workshops focused on Sexual Reproductive Justice and its intersection with other justice issues, comprehensive sexuality education, coalition building, healing justice, youth organizing and more. She is committed to creating spaces that center healing and joy, as well as spaces where folks feel supported and trusted.

As former Program Director at the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Linda founded the Flexible Leadership Awards in 2004 and led the Haas Leadership Initiatives for 18 years.

Linda is the Director of Organizational Effectiveness and Directed Grantmaking at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.