My full name is Cyra Perry Dougherty (Perry, she/her). Since I founded Rootwise Leadership in 2018, I’ve served as the lead coach, consultant, and facilitator in partnership with many talented and inspiring colleagues. I’m also an Instructor of Leadership Practice at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a mindfulness teacher, and a spiritual director.
I bring more than 18 years of experience working with global leaders in a wide range of social justice organizations, including community-based networks, social impact start-ups, large global non-profits, major health care systems, and government agencies. I have a passion for coaching values-based leadership. I carry a deep understanding of the relational practices of team-building as well as the process work of building awareness, discernment, and strategy. For me, creativity, mindfulness, and compassion are both means and ends in the work of equity-centered leadership development for social change.
Sharon (she/her) is an organizational development consultant with more than 25 years of experience and the founder of Bueno Consulting. She has worked in every major industry in both the public and private sectors. She is a certified executive coach and a trained mediator with extensive group and process facilitation experience. In pursuit of creating healthy, high-functioning organizations and communities, Sharon offers consulting services in the areas of leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational change, team dynamics, cultural competence, and cross-cultural dynamics. Sharon’s practice is global. She has consulted to a wide array of clients, from more than 35 countries. Sharon speaks Spanish conversationally, grew up in New York City, and now lives in Boston.
Akwése (she/her) is a transformative leadership coach and facilitator passionate about the holistic development of global social change makers. She is the Founder and CEO of Leading Whole and has worked across five continents implementing programming, facilitating workshops, leading outreach initiatives, and supporting organizational development efforts for a variety of NGOs. Akwése holds an MSW in Social Innovation and Leadership, with a focus on Global Practice from Boston College. She is currently based in SE Asia where she’s spent the last two years developing the leadership of mission driven individuals across the region.
Eliza is a leadership and organizational development coach and consultant. Eliza is the Founder and CEO of Circles International (CI). Eliza launched CI in 2017 to begin building a movement for emotional health and wellbeing amongst leaders and organizations working toward peace and social justice. During a previous career as a social worker and global health practitioner, Eliza witnessed a high rate of fatigue and burnout. Eliza realized a direct link between the wellbeing of leaders and organizations and the impact they were either able or not able to make in their communities. Eliza holds an M.P.H. from Harvard University, an M.S.W. from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern California. Eliza is a certified Professional Coach by the International Coach Federation and holds additional certifications in mediation and conflict resolution, wilderness emergency medicine, and Reiki. Eliza resides in Oakland, California, and enjoys being part of the Bay Area’s arts, healing, and activism communities.
Doris Ferrer Roach, J.D., P.C.C., (she/her) is an executive coach and consultant with a dynamic background working as an attorney and higher education instructor with 21 years of experience serving both the nonprofit and public sectors. Bringing an expertise in board and leadership development, team building and strategic planning, Doris is adept at creating results-oriented processes to support effective leadership and sustainable change. She ensures her client is the star of the story. Doris’ strong ability to facilitate the discovery of strengths and opportunities for growth take people where they want to go. She has worked across a wide variety of industries: community development, education, government, healthcare, housing, human services, philanthropy and social justice advocacy.
Jacqueline Kennedy (she/her) is a consultant on the Rootwise Leadership team. As a public service professional with over a decade of experience in the field of community engagement, she brings expertise as a project manager, content area expert, and strategist. Jacqueline’s interest in community development began in her own neighborhood in Southeast San Diego, CA, where she interned for a non-profit serving her community. In 2009, Jacqueline relocated to NYC for graduate school and served at a Brownsville Brooklyn based non-profit coordinating community outreach strategies. Earning a trusted place in the Brownsville community, Jacqueline stepped into the role of Interim Director of the Brownsville Partnership initiative in 2015. In 2016, she joined the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as the Director of Community Partnerships within the newly formed Center for Health Equity. After 5 years in that role, Jacqueline joined the NYC Racial Justice Commission as the Public Engagement Director. Jacqueline is committed to equity for communities of color, advancing racial equity globally, Black liberation, Black women’s health and joy. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of California, San Diego and an MPA in Nonprofit Management and Policy from NYU Wagner School of Public Service.
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