Co Creator Council

  SAMANTHA SKENENDORE 

Samantha Skenandore is an attorney at Quarles, where she advises tribal and corporate clients on federal Indian law and tribal law, handling tribal and corporate governance, governmental affairs, corporate transactions, real estate, labor issues and litigation, and in matters involving participation in the Small Business Administration’s program, corporate entity formation, financing, minority- or women-owned certification, labor relations, complex commercial real estate matters and government relations. An enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, Samantha previously served as a tribal attorney for the Ho-Chunk Nation Department of Justice, where her responsibilities included chairing the administrative grievance review board. Earlier in her career, she clerked for the U.S. Department of Justice, Indian Resources Section, and was a judicial clerk for the Colorado Division of Administrative hearings.

 ROBERT PIERCE 

Robert Pierce, a long-time resident of South Madison, has started his own practice of urban agriculture in 1984. Robert recalled his initial steps saying, “It started off as something for myself [with] health benefits because of the allergies I had contracted after Vietnam. I was also at a business college at the time too. And I decided at that point that I wanted to become an organic farmer,”. His motivation was to produce healthy food for himself and his family. Over time his goal has expanded to ensuring access to safe, affordable, and healthy food for the low-income and multi-ethnic South Madison community. As the owner of Half the Forty-Acres Farm, and the Manager of the South Madison Farmers’ Market, Robert has been active in multiple local food projects and is now focused on developing a strong foundation for a just food system in South Madison 

 TIFFANY MALONE 

Tiffany Malone is a real estate consultant, affordable housing  advocate, a change agent for racial justice in the real estate industry,  and a loud voice for building generational wealth for Black families.  Tiffany works with buyer and seller clients in the greater Madison WI  area as a licensed Realtor at Alvarado Real Estate Group and is one  of the co-creators of OWN IT: Building Black Wealth, an innovative  local initiative that is changing the game when it comes to educating  and creating access to funds for Black and Brown families to build  wealth through real estate and homeownership. Tiffany is deeply  committed to diversity and inclusion work within the real estate  industry. Being raised by a single Black mother who overcame many  obstacles, she witnessed first hand how she was treated and the  opportunities she missed because of her race and gender. Tiffany is  motivated to change that and her goal is to make a difference in the  lives of others, to build generational wealth for her family, and to  advocate for others who want to do the same. 

 DONALE RICHARDS 

Donale was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He graduated from Madison East High School in 2012 and then UW-Madison in 2017 with a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering - Natural Resources. Since college, Donale has worked various jobs and community projects in food and agriculture, including UW-Extension, Off the Block Enterprises, Madison Public Market Foundation, Dane County Food Council, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, UW-Madison’s School for Urban Agriculture, South Madison Farmers Market. Over the years, he spent time building a network of mentors and strengthening connections in local and regional food systems. The knowledge obtained led to the creation of MFS to fill in the gaps of services not easily available to Black and Brown people seeking to turn their dream into a reality. As he takes time to foster his dream of operating a farm-to-table restaurant, he wishes to help other small business owners along the way. 

 PA DER LOR 

Pa Der Lor is a first generation Hmong American woman. Pa Der has worked with the senior population since 2010. Pa Der planned, coordinated, and facilitated various therapeutic programs with a focus on seniors. Currently, the Adult and Senior Program Coordinator at Bayview Community Center, Pa Der has expanded the adult programs available to Bayview's residents. Pa Der's role is to listen to the residents’ wants and needs and then seek out community resources to support them. Building community and listening to residents’ voice are values that Pa Der work to upheld. 

 WALLY GRAEBER 

Wally is active in the Lincoln, Nebraska food system with our local Southern Heights Food Forest, Open Harvest Co-op Grocery and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society. Wally is trained as a Landscape Architect and enjoys creating meaningful educational spaces for kids and their families to learn about plants they eat. Wally sees our food system connected through a series of interconnected watersheds and regional foodways. Originally from Wisconsin, his favorite meal is a seasonally sourced Friday Night Fish Fry enjoyed with friends. He is inspired by seeking to understand the soil fungus in our permaculture guilds, the art & science of raw milk cheesemakers, and the joy of eating Spicy Daikon microgreens 

 TIA MURRAY  

Tia Murray, BS, CLC, CD(DONA) was born and raised in  Madison, WI and has worked with women, children and families  in multiple capacities throughout her professional career. She  founded Harambee Village Doulas, a community- based doula  organization that provides culturally sensitive and evidencebased pregnancy, birth, infant and lactation support to mothers  and families in South Central Wisconsin, and is also Executive  Director of the Harambee Birth and Family Center, a local  community based maternal and infant health practice, in  collaboration with Project Babies, and the African American  Breastfeeding Alliance of Dane County. She is a Ph.D. Student  in Human Ecology: Human Development and Family Studies at  the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology. Her research  interests include bringing greater awareness to the root causes  of the residual impacts of racial inequities in maternal and child  health.  

  FRANCISCO SAYU 

Francisco J. Sayu is a father, sustainability engineer, and  environmental justice advocate. He holds a Master of Engineering  degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has over 10  years of experience specializing in energy efficiency and renewable  energy. Francisco is the founder of Sustainable Community Partners  LLC and currently serves as the Emerging Technology Director at  RENEW Wisconsin. He is also a member of the Wisconsin Advisory  Council on Building Sustainability and serves on the Steering  Committee of the Wisconsin Environmental Justice and infrastructure  Initiative. Prior to his current position, Francisco was the Program  Manager for the Focus on Energy® New Construction Solution, which  is a statewide program that helps Wisconsin businesses and  residents make energy- saving decisions. Francisco lives in Madison  with his wife, Rebecca, and their children. 

 VIRGINIA (VIKI) LEE 

Virginia V Lee-Barry advocates for programming that fosters equitable community engagement and development. She has over twenty years of experience developing and facilitating youth programs for nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher learning, including AmeriCorps, Reach Dane, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Edgewood College. She enjoys long walks, dining out, traveling, and watching a great sitcom. 

 JUSTICE COSTAÑEDA 

Justice Castañeda serves as the Executive Director of Common Wealth Development, a long-standing community development organization in Madison, WI. An educator and community development specialist by trade, Justice’s professional and academic work explores the intersections of housing policy, economic development and community violence, looking at the role these intersections play in educational & life outcomes for youth who have experienced traumatic events in early childhood and adolescence.  His most recent research explores the relationship between land-use polices (including housing policy) and economic / educational outcomes for youth in Madison, WI. He completed his undergraduate work at the University of California - San Diego, earned a Masters of Arts in Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies from the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

 MYA WHITSON 

Mya Whitson is a tireless advocate for marginalized populations,  she has done volunteer work for communities in Florida,  Georgia, California and currently Wisconsin for 15 years. Mya  has worked diligently to create opportunities for better jobs,  housing, legal services, restorative justice and mental Wellness  for the underprivileged and homeless communities, through  Facilities and grassroots organizations such as Operation  Welcome Home, Sankofa Mental Health and The Beacon. Mya  has completed The United Way’s Boardwalk Academy and is  currently a student in the UW’s Odyssey program as well as  completing a course to become a certified CHW. Mya is an  active member of the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) , Truax  Resident Advisory Committee (TRAC), as well as The Darbo  Council.  

  JERREH KUJABI 

Jerreh Kujabi is a Network Engineer for the Sun Prairie Area School  District with over 15 years of experience in Cisco Solutions design  and implementation. He has previously worked for TDS, Wisconsin Department of Administration, and Berbee Information Networks  Corporation in various IT roles. He is also a Managing Partner of Gooh  Grocery. A community grocery store, located in a designated food  desert, committed to providing access to healthy retail food to  underserved communities of color. Activities include: 

● President - Madison-Kanifing Sister City Committee  

● President – SeneGambia Association of Madison  

● Plan Commissioner – City of Sun Prairie Plan Commission  

● Member – Madison Information Technology Association 

● Member - 100 Black Men of Madison 

● Former Board Member & Vice-President - African  Association of Madison 

● Managing Partner – Midwest Gooh Group, 

● Coach - CapEast Soccer Club 

 MIKE ENGEL 

Mike Engel empowers private landowners to restore habitat for wildlife. He informs and connects landowners to resources to leverage their own resources to meet conservation goals. Mike enjoys meeting new landowners to walk their land. Many hats are worn including biologist, project manager, grant writer, and contract administrator. Mike has experience restoring wetlands, streams, prairies, and savannas. Projects that benefit rare and declining species are his favorite. Especially those that offer connectivity and elasticity for changes in climate or the landscape. Mike is based in Madison, WI. His free time is usually spent outdoors.