LFC Faculty

Dante J. James has over 25 years of political and legal experience and has worked in senior leadership positions with government and civil society. An attorney by education and training, Mr. James has provided legal representation in private practice, served as an administrative hearing officer as well as political appointee and political consultant. He worked and traveled for the Clinton Administration for almost eight years leading Advance work nationally and internationally. In 2017 he co-founded The Gemini Group, which is a consulting firm that helps city and state government, state legislators, educational institutions, and for-profit and not-for-profit organizations work to address and eliminate institutional and systemic inequities, most specifically starting with race, through training and technical support.

He served as an appointee of the Mayor of Portland, Oregon for six years, as the first director of its city’s civil rights office, the Office of Equity and Human Rights. Prior to that, he was the Colorado State Director for the Center for Progressive Leadership (CPL), a national non-profit organization focused on developing the next generation of progressive leaders. Prior to holding this position, he was appointed by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to serve as Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Compliance, the City’s Affirmative Action office overseeing the utilization of women and minority owned businesses in city projects. Mr. James is also a long-time trainer, facilitator, and teacher, and community organizer. As an Adjunct Faculty member, he has taught at the University of Colorado at Denver and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He also lived and worked in Japan for two years teaching English in Japanese high schools, often giving presentations to Chambers of Commerce on internationalization and cross-cultural communication. Additionally, Dante served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman.

As a Government Leader, Dante has worked for four mayoral administrations in two cities, been a loaned executive to a major west coast city, worked for the Clinton Administration, and provided his expertise in consultation with various cities around the country on the creation and implementation of equity offices and their work. He is currently a Senior Fellow with the National Civic League.

Jaclyn Boyes is Executive Vice President, Training Delivery, for Per Scholas, a national non-profit advancing economic equity through technology education. She is passionate about connecting people to passion and purpose. Her career in the nonprofit, business, and education sectors include workforce development, program management, and fundraising roles. Jaclyn also served on the executive board in her legislative district and as a volunteer for political grassroots organizations.

Jaclyn is a graduate of the Leading For Change Leaders Fellowship, Flinn Brown Fellowship, and the Arizona State University American Express Non-Profit Leadership program. Jaclyn earned her B.A. in Business from Gonzaga University and her M.A. in Adult Education and Training from University of Phoenix. She holds certifications in diversity and inclusion facilitation, nonprofit management, and career coaching. Jaclyn was a Phoenix Business Journal Top 40 under 40 award recipient for her work serving the community, specifically with unhoused veterans.

Jason Barraza brings political acumen, firsthand experience with political
organizations in Arizona, and a strong legal background to Veridus, where he serves as a Director and Partner. Since joining the firm in 2009, in addition to lobbying, Jason assists in the development of political advocacy plans that include political campaigns, polling, and community outreach.

Prior to joining Veridus, Jason spent multiple stints assisting the
coordinated campaign of the Arizona Democratic Party during the 2002, 2006
and 2008 campaign cycles. Jason also worked security, logistics and similar
roles as part of each Democratic National Convention between 2000 and 2016
(2000 Los Angeles, 2004 Boston, 2008 Denver, 2012 Charlotte, 2016
Philadelphia). He graduated with a bachelor's from the University of
Southern California (2001), and a law degree from the James E. Rogers
College of Law at the University of Arizona (2006).

In his service to the community, Jason was appointed by Governor Doug Ducey
to the Maricopa County Trial Court Appointments Commission in 2017, and
finished his service in 2020. He is also currently a member of the City of
Phoenix's North Mountain Village Planning Committee, and is currently a
member of the Board of Directors of Leading For Change, having previously
served as the Board Chairman. In 2017 Jason was the President of Los
Abogados, the Arizona Hispanic Bar Association.

Julie has served with LFC since its inception. The Past-President of Arizona Education Association-Retired, she is a current member of the NEA Board of Directors. She represents 4 million educators across the U.S. She taught in the Arizona public education school system for over 20 years. She's an expert trainer on organizational change, leadership development, consensus building and collaboration for organizations and businesses. She cofounded the Arizona Retirement Security Coalition and sits on several progressive coalitions in our state. In 2021 Julie started Fair Districts Arizona, a nonprofit where she coached applicants for the 2021 Independent Redistricting Commission through their application process, and interviews. Julie also serves LFC on staff overseeing marketing and training development.

Madelaine Adelman is professor of justice studies in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. Her anthropological research centers on institutionalized forms of discrimination and violence – in families and schools – and collaborative approaches to research and advocacy, such as articles in Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, Teachers College Record, and Violence Against Women; and chapters in edited volumes (e.g., Trans Studies in K-12 Education: Creating an Agenda for Research and Practice and Gender-Based Crime: Learning Through Experts and Cases). She founded GLSEN Arizona (2002-2025) and Just Schools (2025 - ), and served GLSEN in several national leadership roles (2004-2023).

Michelle Steinberg has been a member of the LFC Faculty team for five+ years. Her almost 30 years in non-profit management and public policy includes having served as the Public Policy Director for Planned Parenthood Arizona, Executive Director of Kids Voting, and Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. Ms. Steinberg serves as the Treasurer of the LFC Board of Directors and provides consulting on social justice activism.

Kweli Kitwana is the founder and owner of Movement Insight, LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations improve their effectiveness, expand their reach, and maximize resources through a customized and strategic approach. Current and past clients include (not limited to):
Urban Habitat, Oakland, CA, as Political Leadership Fellowship Advisor; Midwest Academy, Chicago, Il, Lead Adjunct Trainer; HTA Consulting, Berkeley, CA; City of Richmond Community Needs Assessment Project Lead; City of Gastonia, NC, DEI Consultant; Senior Services Coalition of Alameda County Oakland, Policy and Advocacy Lead; Maryland Hunger Action, Baltimore, MD, Advisor and Lead Strategist; Youth Spirit Artworks, Berkeley, CA, Lead Trainer; CA State University, Sacramento, CA, CA Dept. of Public Health Adjunct Faculty.

Prior to the start of Movement Insight, Kweli served in a number of leadership positions. These include serving as the Associate Director for the Midwest Academy; Talent Director of the “Women are Watching” campaign for the Planned Parenthood Federation Action Fund; Vice President of Political Programs at the Progressive Majority; Deputy Director of the Center for Progressive Leadership; and National Field Director for U.S. Action.

Kweli grew up in Chicago, and started her career as a community organizer and local campaign worker early. She has a BA in Sociology from DePaul University as well as an Associates of Fine Art/Studio Art from Maryland College School of Art and Design. She has worked with numerous grassroots organizations throughout her career. She currently lives in Berkeley; CA where she stays tapped into local organizing in her own neighborhood and city.