Fellows
FNL Fellows work to combat racial, social and economic injustices and inequalities that impact all of our society.
FNL fellows lead early-stage start-up organizations doing innovative, not-for-profit work to solve difficult problems. Fellows hail from every corner of the United States, but all are rooted in the communities they serve.
They are working to combat racial, social and economic injustices and inequalities that impact all of our society including access to education and healthcare, environmental issues, jobs and the economy, and criminal justice.
All fellows’ organizations have had limited capacity to fully develop their ideas. FNL’s investment will, in many instances, allow them to expand their team, build their infrastructure and increase their impact.
We believe that three years of financial support, combined with FNL’s intensive cohort experience, will help them take their work to the next level. FNL is committed to supporting fellows who represent the diverse fabric of American society. Meet our two cohorts of fellows:

Mohammed Al Samawi
2023–2026 Fellow: Abrahamic HouseMohammed Al-Samawi is an interfaith activist, a refugee from Yemen, and the author of the best-selling autobiography The Fox Hunt: A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming To America. Mohammed’s journey…
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Danielle L. Campbell
2023–2026 Fellow: 2A ForwardDanielle is the Co-Director of 2A Forward, an organization on a mission to engage marginalized groups of perusable gun owners, around a values framework of…
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Shanté Elliott
2023–2026 Fellow: TasselTurnShanté Elliott is a social impact founder who has combined book smarts with life smarts in founding TasselTurn. TasselTurn is an EdTech nonprofit improving transition…
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Zion Escobar
2023–2026 Fellow: Freedmen’s Town Community Investment ProjectZion Escobar is an award-winning civil engineer, founder, thought leader, and cultural advocate who is actively catalyzing investment into historic Freedmen’s Town. She is the…
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Henry Iseman
2023–2026 Fellow: Penta Medical RecyclingHenry is the founder of Penta Medical Recycling, an organization that collects and recycles discarded and unsold prosthetic limbs in the US and distributes them…
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Lilly Lerner
2023–2026 Fellow: Tenant Education NetworkSince 2014, Lilly Lerner has organized tenant associations to win significant repairs, improve living conditions, renew affordability contracts, and improve conditions for over 1,530 apartments…
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Valencia Peterson (Coach V)
2023–2026 Fellow: Open Door Abuse Awareness PreventionValencia Peterson is the Founder and Executive Director of Open-Door Abuse Awareness Prevention (ODAAP), a nonprofit organization that endeavors to prevent all facets of violence…
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Adam Procell
2023–2026 Fellow: The Central DOOR: The Department Of Organized ReentryVia a life sentence handed down three days after his 15th birthday, Adam Procell found himself on the wrong side of the tracks and would…
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Patrick Rodriguez
2023–2026 Fellow: Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in PrisonPatrick Rodriguez is the Co-Executive Director of the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison. Mr. Rodriguez builds and advances equitable, high-quality educational pathways to…
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“IRON” Mike Steadman
2023–2026 Fellow: IRONBOUND Boxing & Education“IRON” Mike Steadman is a published author and serial entrepreneur based in Newark, NJ, with a passion for improving the economic and social outcomes of…
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Sheerine Alemzadeh
2021–2024 Fellow: Healing to ActionSheerine Alemzadeh is the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, a grassroots organization whose mission is to end gender-based violence through building the leadership and collective power of the communities most impacted.
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Karla Altmayer
2021–2024 Fellow: Healing to ActionAs the co-founder and co-director of Healing to Action, Karla organizes with survivor leaders to achieve gender liberation in their communities.
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Kevin Beckford
2021–2024 Fellow: The Hustlers GuildKevin Beckford is co-founder of The Hustlers Guild, an organization that uses facets of hip-hop culture to provide immersive virtual and in-person programming for Black and Latinx youth between the ages of 10-24. These programs launch young people into careers in music, entertainment and technology.
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Bob Carswell
2021–2024 Fellow: The Industrial Commons — Material ReturnCarswell serves as the CEO for Material Return, a one-stop shop for creating a sustainable, socially responsible economy, focusing on custom circularity for textile brands and manufacturers using co-op models and state-of-the-art technology.
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Martine Caverl
2021–2024 Fellow: Ujimaa MedicsMartine is a registered nurse and certified case manager with a background in community organizing, street medic work, and birth work. She helped found Ujimaa Medics, a Black health collective that promotes emergency first response and community care.
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Briane Cornish
2021–2024 Fellow: finEQUITYBriane is co-founder and head of operations at finEQUITY, an organization that uses technology to create solutions to common financial barriers experienced by Americans returning home from prison. These programs include access to no-cost credit, education and capital services.
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Stina Janssen
2021–2024 Fellow: Firelands Workers United/Trabajadores UnidosStina Janssen co-founded and directs Firelands Workers United/Trabajadores Unidos, a multiracial organization of working people coming together to organize for union jobs caring for people and the land in Washington State’s rural timber country.
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Bree Jones
2021–2024 Fellow: Parity HomesBree is the founder of Parity, an equitable development company that rehabilitates abandoned properties by the block to create affordable homeownership opportunities.
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Charli Kemp
2021–2024 Fellow: Change The TuneAs Executive Director and Founder of Change The Tune, a nonprofit that reimagines the educational system, Charli creates revolutionary, out-of-classroom learning spaces that provide radical and transformational learning experiences and supports the holistic development of both student and teacher.
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Janet Martinez
2021–2024 Fellow: Comunidades Indigenas en LiderazgoMartinez is the co-founder/vice executive director of Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), an indigenous woman-led organization that works with indigenous migrant communities in Los Angeles. CIELO organizes to assure racial justice for indigenous migrant communities.
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Flor Rodriguez
2021–2024 Fellow: CLEAN CarwashFlor Rodriguez is a workers’ rights advocate who brings over 12 years of experience in coalition building, organizing, and leadership development. As Executive Director, Flor led CLEAN’s transformation from a community campaign into the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center – now launching the first ever clean wash, mobile cooperative.
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Kai Tao
2021–2024 Fellow: ICAN! (Illinois Contraceptive Access Now)Kai Tao is a clinician with experience in health policy, programs, and clinical operations. As the Principal for ICAN! (Illinois Contraceptive Access Now), she works to democratize access to contraceptive services by improving the quality of care and increasing coverage.
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Brittany Young
2021–2024 Fellow: B-360Brittany Young is a West Baltimore native whose organization utilizes dirt bike culture to end the cycle of poverty, disrupt the prison pipeline, and build bridges in communities through STEM education and career opportunities.
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Felipe Witchger
2021–2024 Fellow: Francesco CollaborativeFelipe Witchger co-directs the Francesco Collaborative, building capacity at the intersection of Catholic impact investors and the cooperative movement. He previously spent 10 years leading the Community Purchasing Alliance organizing religious and educational institutions to shift more than $13 million to local BIPOC-owned businesses in Washington, DC.
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