MJ Mathis

Managing Director of Learning and Development

MJ’s work in social justice began with her career in education and has spanned fifteen years as a classroom teacher, instructional coach and manager.

As a white woman teaching in majority black and brown neighborhoods, she learned the role “white saviorism” had in upholding oppressive systems. In her work she understood that her roles in education were not to save children and family, but to dismantle the oppressive systems and structures that systematically held children and families down. We are all swimming in the waters of white dominant cultural values, and we must disrupt the way they function in our lives.

As the Managing Director of Learning and Development with Leverage to Lead, she ensures our workshops have adult learning experiences that center humanity, prioritize process as well as outcome, and build from the foundation of connection. She supports clients, from across industries, one-on-one to make the invisible visible; to disrupt the implicit biases we all hold and act upon unwillingly.

She fundamentally believes that through shifting systems, we shift behaviors; when we change believers into builders, we create more equitable and inclusive environments for all.