Our Team

COMMITTEES
Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs
Co-Lead, Judiciary and Public Safety
Co-Lead, Business + Economic Development
Co-Lead, Facilities and Family Services

dhough@dccouncil.gov

Danaya is the Director of CORE. She originally joined the CORE team in 2021 as a Community Engagement Champion before being promoted to Senior Policy and Engagement Analyst in 2022. Prior to CORE, Danaya gained community engagement experience as a recruiter for a technical college, connecting a predominately Black county in South Carolina with resources to pursue higher education. 

Danaya received her BA in African-American and African Studies from the University of Virginia. Her undergraduate studies focused on Black history, race and politics, and Black cultural traditions. Danaya participated in the distinguished major program—earning her honors of high distinction. Her thesis was a contemporary study on how race and place shape cultural productions, examining the integration of Go-Go music along with racial and ethnic identity in the musical work of DC’s own, Wale. 

Danaya went on to receive her MEd in Instructional Accommodations from Francis Marion University. Danaya’s graduate studies focused on equitable teaching practices and the creation of inclusive learning environments for students that are non-traditional learners.  

Merging her educational background, experience with social media marketing and creative interests, Danaya launched a digital magazine that catered to Black millennial women and successfully built a virtual community to have politically, socially, and culturally relevant conversations.

Outside of work, Danaya is kept busy chasing behind her dog, off-road adventuring in her Jeep, or binge watching a series on any given streaming platform. 

COMMITTEES
Transportation and the Environment
Hospital and Health Equity
Co-Lead, Business + Economic Development
Co-Lead, Health

mrobbins@dccouncil.gov

Milika is the Deputy Director of CORE. She joined the CORE team in 2020 as a Policy and Data Analyst before being promoted to a Senior Policy and Data Analyst in 2022. Milika holds a Master’s of Public Policy from American University.

Before joining CORE, Milika was a research assistant at The Lab @ DC where she conducted literature reviews, program and policy evaluations, and facilitated discussions to propel racial equity within the organization’s research and methodological frameworks.

Prior to entering her Master of Public Policy program, Milika worked in quantitative analytics at Gartner. Her main responsibilities included primary data collection and analysis to help organizations improve their customer experience. She also managed two product launches to improve the data collection and analysis process for several survey initiatives.

Milika received her BA in English and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, where she researched the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations in the international realm. When she is not working at CORE, she is probably hiking, training her dog, writing, playing video games, or roller skating around her Ward 8 neighborhood.

COMMITTEES
Education Lead, Committee of the Whole
Co-Lead, Facilities and Family Services
Co-Lead, Health

jbowman@dccouncil.gov

Jarred is an Associate Director at CORE. He joined the team as a Racial Equity Analyst in 2022. He is a former middle school science teacher and a proud 5th generation native of DC.

Prior to joining CORE, Jarred was an Early Childhood Policy Analyst with the Under 3 DC Campaign. There, he worked with stakeholders to strengthen DC’s early childhood system by securing public funding to increase its affordability, accessibility, and quality for Black and brown families. He also managed the coalition’s family health committee and worked with District agencies to deepen investments in programs that address a wide range of child and parent needs by providing support services to Black and brown families at home, in child-care settings, and in the family's pediatrician's office. Jarred brings a strong background in performing research and analysis to identify the resources needed for Black and underserved communities to thrive.

Jarred earned a BA in Government, Politics, and History from St. John’s University and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, where he concentrated on education policy, Black male teacher retention, and the organizational conditions of urban schools.

Outside of work, Jarred enjoys spending time with friends and family in his Ward 4 neighborhood, buying plants he doesn’t know how to care for, and experiencing the joys of being a dog dad to a 3-year old pittie!

COMMITTEES
Housing
Public Works and Operations
Co-Lead, Facilities and Family Services

rcuevas@dccouncil.gov

Rolando is an Associate Director at CORE. He joined the team as a Racial Equity Analyst in 2022. Prior to joining CORE, Rolando was pursuing his master’s degree in public policy, where he focused on racial and ethnic inequities in social and urban policy.

While pursuing his degree, he worked to advance racial equity in homeownership with the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency. He also worked with UnidosUS to analyze how the US Latine community was inequitably experiencing the impacts of COVID-19.

Prior to his graduate studies, Rolando was a Senior Democracy and Governance Specialist for Chemonics International. In this role, he worked on international development programs to support local government administration, access to justice, human rights, civil society organizations, and economic development in Southeast Asia, West and East Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.  

Rolando earned his BA from American University’s School of International Service, with a concentration in political economy and Chinese studies. He earned a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

Outside of work, Rolando enjoys traveling, listening to nostalgic tunes on long road trips, hosting dinners with friends, and experiencing DC through its queer Latine community.

COMMITTEES
Executive Administration and Labor
Co-Lead, Judiciary and Public Safety

sphu@dccouncil.gov

Sarina is an Associate Director at CORE. She joined the team as a Racial Equity Analyst in 2022. Prior to joining CORE, Sarina was the Senior Research & Program Associate for The Global Network Initiative. While there, she was responsible for managing programs to advance Internet freedom and human rights online. In this role, Sarina moderated and spoke on high-level panels at global convenings such as the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa, RightsCon, and United Nations’ Internet Governance Forum.

Sarina also brings experience improving racial equity and inclusion in the classroom through her role as a partner for the University of Denver Office of Teaching and Learning’s Student-Faculty Partnership Program. In addition, Sarina was a Research Aide at the Pardee Center for International Futures, where she performed data creation for processing and analysis of diplomatic relations. 

Sarina received her M.A. in International Studies at the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, with a concentration in Comparative Politics and specializations in Latin America Studies and Security Studies. She received her B.A. in International Studies and Media Studies with minors in Spanish and Leadership Studies at the University of Denver, where she was a Boettcher Scholar and graduated magna cum laude.

Outside of work, Sarina enjoys playing soccer, watching too much British reality TV, and taking long walks through the DC neighborhoods (preferably with a coffee in hand).