I have been with CTWO since 2012. I came to the organization as a program coordinator and led my first MAAP class that summer. Over the course of the 9 years I have been with CTWO I have held many positions including Field Organizer, Training Director and Finally Executive Director. I have had the immense pleasure of helping to develop thousands of organizers, support hundreds of organizations and helped create the conditions where a 40 year organization found new communities, new networks and new families.
I am both excited and sad to leave this role. I have grown up inside of this organization and the community that I have built here will last a lifetime. I feel grateful to be counted in the number of fierce people who have led this organization. And I wont be going too far, I have accepted a role as part of the senior leadership team at the Movement For Black Lives, centering my energy towards the liberation of Black people and I will stay on with CTWO a few hours a month to support some of our programmatic work and provide coaching to our current staff.
As I sign off I want to send deep gratitude to all those who have held me along the way, from our staff, to our alumni and larger community. I want to name a special thank you to my staff team that has been with us for the last few years. Rheema Calloway and Avery Bizzell. Rheema is a graduate of our 2016 MAAP program and has brought a fresh perspective to our work while enforcing the familial atmosphere we have worked to curate. Avery to date is my longest standing co worker, he came to me as a program coordinator and currently holds the title of Managing Director, he has been my right hand over the last 6 years and CTWO would not be where it is without his commitment and willingness to move our organization forward even amongst wild odds. It is because of their commitment to this organization and to my leadership that I have succeeded. I see yall and I love yall! And to all of our movement family, I’’ll see you in the streets beloveds.
Karissa Lewis
