Our Team

CONTACT
dhough@dccouncil.gov

My work builds on my ancestors who were previously enslaved in South Carolina, my grandmothers who fed, housed, and nurtured those around them, and my grandfathers who were sharecroppers, Baptist preachers, and fierce dreamers. For them I labor, I rest, I prioritize joy, and I continue to build the world they desired for us all. 

I joined CORE because I believed this new office could be an avenue for true, radical, and lasting change. The establishment of CORE demonstrated the District’s residents’ and elected officials’ commitment to racial equity and seeing the city become a place where race no longer determined a person’s outcomes and where all were afforded the opportunity to thrive. Nearly four years later, my excitement to see this mission come to fruition and to contribute to this work remains.

In my role, I manage the office, its amazingly bright and passionate team members, and ensure we all continue to meet the office’s mandate to embed racial equity in the District’s legislative process. To be successful in my role, I value the humanity of my team and the District’s Black, Indigenous, and residents of color, acknowledging the importance of centering those who are most impacted.  

Outside of work, I am kept busy chasing behind my dog, enjoying the city with friends, or binge watching a series on any given streaming platform. 

COMMITTEE
Business and Economic Development

CONTACT
mrobbins@dccouncil.gov

My work builds on the experiences and imagination of my ancestors, who after enslavement migrated from South Carolina to Wilmington, NC and from Virginia's Eastern Shore to Baltimore, MD. My work also builds on the experiences of my relatives from my generation and the generation before me, who dream of a world where we are not merely surviving. Collectively, we dream of a world where we can thrive, simply because we exist.

I joined CORE because I was excited to start a new office that brings data analysis, policy analysis, critical race theory, and a systems approach into legislation. Being a founding member of CORE, I remain dedicated to this work because I believe that policy change can provide space for Black people to live joyful, full lives. Policy change can allow for Black people to fully exercise our agency to live a life that we determine ourselves, instead of out of mere survival. I believe policy and structural change can make way for deep, generational healing. My professional experiences in data analysis and personal experiences in trauma-informed community building bring me to CORE.

In my role, I support the office by providing strategic leadership and supervision. I foster collaboration and innovation while coaching team members as they conduct racial equity impact assessments, research, and relationship building. I bring an intersectional understanding of anti-Black structural and institutional racism to program analysis, policy analysis, and people management.

Outside of work, I am probably hiking, training her dog, writing, playing video games, or roller skating around her neighborhood.

COMMITTEES
Whole
Youth Affairs

CONTACT
jbowman@dccouncil.gov

As a native Washingtonian, I have a genuine love and connection to DC, inspired by my family's strength and commitment to sustaining vibrant Black communities in the city. My work builds on their stories and resilience.

As an experienced educator, I lead racial equity impact assessments for bills related to education, child welfare, and family health services. Before joining CORE, I worked with stakeholders in the District to strengthen the early childhood system, increase access to K-12 school climate surveys, and empower youth to make their voices heard before the DC Council and throughout the DC government.

In my current role, I lead CORE’s community engagement portfolio, which includes facilitating relationships with District residents, increasing public access to CORE’s racial equity work, and ensuring residents’ voices are reflected in our racial equity impact assessments (REIAs).

Outside of work, I enjoy attending live shows and supporting Black and youth led events throughout the District.

COMMITTEE
Housing

CONTACT
rcuevas@dccouncil.gov

My work builds on the resilience of my Mexican immigrant family, queer people, and people of color who fight for a society that protects, acknowledges, and celebrates their lives and culture. It builds on their persistence to thrive in world stacked against them. I believe that finding joy in a society that often denies us happiness is a radical act of resistance.

I joined CORE in 2022 because it is one of the few opportunities in the US to promote racial equity in the legislative and policymaking process. CORE’s legal mandate to publicly analyze and assess legislation’s impact on people of color is special and important. I was drawn by the office’s quality of work and its power to hold policy accountable to the needs of people of color.  

In my role, I manage our Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) methodology, process, and workflow. I also write REIAs for bills related to housing, government operations, public works, and land use. My professional background in public policy and international development shapes my skills and perspective toward policy analysis, research, and management. 

Outside of work, I’m exploring the world, vibing at a local concert, diving into an immersive video game, and making special memories with friends—especially out in DC's queer spaces.

COMMITTEE
Executive Administration and Labor

CONTACT
sphu@dccouncil.gov

My work builds on the long history of international solidarity, organizing, and struggle of those who came before me and those who will come after me. I am shaped by the stories of my ancestors, who survived war and genocide. I am inspired by my teachers and mentors, who gave me the language and tools to describe our connected struggles against the oppression of racism, white supremacy, and imperialism. I am driven by the members of my community—friends, neighbors, and those who work toward the same vision—who have taught me to dream of the possibilities for a better world.

I joined CORE because of my passion for racial equity and justice, formed through my lived, academic, and professional experiences. I believe in combining this passion with my skills in analytical writing, research, and community-building to advance excellence in CORE’s work. Prior to joining CORE, I held a variety of roles that align with my personal mission to improve the conditions of those around me—from advancing global Internet freedom and human rights to supporting racial equity and inclusion in the classroom.

In my role, I build, manage, and implement CORE’s racial equity research agenda. My current policy areas include labor, executive administration, judiciary, and public safety issues. I joined the team as a Racial Equity Analyst in 2022.

Outside of work, I enjoy Muay Thai training, watching too much reality TV, and taking long walks through the DC neighborhoods with a coffee in hand.

COMMITTEE
Transportation and the Environment

CONTACT
MJackson@dccouncil.gov

My work is inspired by the civil rights and labor movements of the 20th century and builds on the courage, audacity, imagination, and political will of Black people and people of color who fought for a more just and equal society. I aim to build on their progress while addressing the contradictions, nuances, and shortcomings that hinder further progress.

In my role, I support CORE as a flexible team player—eager to adapt to changing expectations and challenges. I conduct racial equity impact assessments, provide essential research, and foster a collaborative approach to fulfilling CORE’s mission. As a native Washingtonian with paternal ancestors who were enslaved in DC, I bring a unique and intimate perspective to District policy and program analysis.

As a DC native, I joined CORE to serve my hometown, and make a valuable contribution to the District's legislative process. I also joined CORE to build on my academic interests of Black Studies and Political Science while also expanding on my previous legislative work at the Council. As a young professional, working with CORE has helped me continue to develop hard skills such as policy analysis and research and the soft skills needed to become a more empathetic, confident, and well-rounded young adult.

Outside of work, I can be found in a record store adding to my vinyl collection, living out my (imaginary) basketball dreams on a given court, browsing in a local bookstore or coffee shop, or exploring a new city with friends and family.

COMMITTEES
Health
Human Services

CONTACT
mjeffries@dccouncil.gov

My work builds on the liberatory plans constructed by the Black feminists, revolutionaries and freedom fighters who came before me. My work is deeply inspired by the work of my grandmother who is a former Black Panther, and the Black radical traditions of Newark New Jersey, a chocolate city in its own right. My work builds on the work done by those marginalized by white supremacist society who were brave enough to question and challenge ruling systems and rhetoric to imagine new ways of meaning and being for the future. It is because of them that I am able to do this work, and I do so in hopes of honoring and fulfilling their legacies.

I joined CORE because I knew that I had to be doing work that I was passionate about, work that I could see impact in. Because of my experience as a Black woman who grew up in a Black city who went on to study Blackness, it was imperative for me that my work reflected my life’s dedication to racial equity.  

In my role at CORE I use the things I’ve learned from organizing in activist spaces, my degrees in African American Studies and Justice and Peace Studies, being in community, and my lived experience as a Black person to inform my approach when analyzing policies in the District.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending my time dancing, curating playlists, spending time with friends, and judging various reality tv show personalities. Additionally, I specifically prioritize rest, play, and unseriousness outside of work because I firmly believe that peace, joy, and relaxation are my divine rights.

COMMITTEES
Judiciary and Public Safety
Public Works and Operations

CONTACT
VPriceHusher@dccouncil.gov

My work is rooted in my commitment to justice and advocacy for Black people and people of color who are disproportionately impacted by the criminal legal system. I am focused on addressing and preventing the systemic harms caused by the criminal legal system in the District. I believe in the power of centering the voices and experiences of those impacted by injustice, and I find strength in uplifting their stories. 

I joined CORE in 2024 because of its dedication to addressing and dismantling racial inequalities across the District. CORE’s vision of a future where opportunities and resources are equally accessible to all, regardless of race, resonated deeply with me and my advocacy work. The opportunity to contribute to shaping policy that uplifts these communities is why I joined the team.     

In my role, I focus on using my legal background to support CORE’s mission, applying a client-centered approach to racial equity analysis. My legal experience, particularly in criminal justice and reentry advocacy, has given me a perspective that I bring to my work, especially in understanding the broader societal impacts of policy decisions. I am passionate about using law and policy to drive meaningful change and equity.

Outside of work, I’m connecting with my community, traveling, and discovering new music that inspires me.