Maryland Nonprofits Consultants on the NDEO JDEI Project

Carmen Marshall knows first-hand how transformative it can be when people get serious about confronting racism, sexism and the other isms and schisms that divide us in the workplace and community. Informed by her work in civil rights, Carmen is dedicated to working with world changers – organizations and leaders – who are serious about making progress in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). “As a country, we don’t necessarily do a good job talking about racial issues. It’s hard. It challenges everyone to look at themselves and the systems of oppression that plague us. And, if we can’t bring ourselves to talk about it, then it becomes doubtful that we’ll do anything about it”, she says.

Through her coaching, facilitation and consulting, she helps those who are committed to establishing an environment or culture where individuals can succeed, grow and thrive regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender. Whether at the beginning of their journey or in the midst of a full blown crisis, Carmen steps into the fire with you. She helps CEOs, boards of directors and teams, to find their way through sensitive conversations about racial and ethnic disparities, board diversity, for example, to bold and progressive action. In addition, she can often be found facilitating workshops on DEI, racial equity, unconscious bias and managing racial conflict in organizations. Clients appreciate how she manages these sensitive conversations with finesse and deep respect for the life experiences that all participants bring to the table. Consequently, Carmen has been honored to do this work not only with the Black and White but also, Asian, Asian American, Native American and Latino communities. Her passion is integrating coaching, facilitation and training to call upon the giftedness and greatness in others who work in the nonprofit sector.

Specifically, her work is aimed at helping:

• Organizations to deliver greater service to the community
• Organizations to raise more money
• Boards and staff to step into their power, calling and responsibility.
• Organizations to develop systems and processes, with built-in accountability that lead to success and sustainability.

Carmen is also the creator of Uncovering and Confronting Racism: Laying the Foundation for Transformative Change, a program designed to help organizations in their equity and inclusion work. Her work with CEOs, boards of directors and teams has earned her the reputation of peaceful gatekeeper and master facilitator. Carmen is also a Standards for Excellence ® Institute licensed consultant. She has served as a member of the Ethics Committee at the Standards for Excellence Institute and is professional coach certified by Coaching for Transformation (accredited by the International Coaching Federation).

Carmen is the former Executive Pastor of the historic Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (formerly led by the late Congressman William H. Gray III). In that role, she shouldered both the executive and senior pastor responsibilities in the absence of a senior pastor. She is the first woman to lead the congregation in 107 years. She is also the former Executive Director of the National Black Media Coalition.

Mary Warren is a skilled, customer-focused consultant with over 27 years of leadership experience in business and information technology process improvement in the federal government and private sector. As the Founder and Principal Consultant for Process Strong LLC, Mary is passionate about helping nonprofits succeed through process improvement. She applies best practices and lessons learned from the private/for profit sector to nonprofit challenges and opportunities providing process-based solutions that are agile, practical and client specific.

Mary understands the day-to-day realities and challenges of running a non-profit. As a Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant, she has worked in partnership with non-profits of all sizes and in various stages of maturity to help them move to the next level. Her areas of expertise include: board governance, development and evaluation; financial and organizational sustainability planning; strategic planning; program design, development, and evaluation; marketing and communications; leadership development and training; grant writing and reporting; and project management.

Mary is committed to the nonprofit community in Baltimore City. She currently serves on the Central Maryland Area Health Education Center Board of Directors, and previously served on the St. Francis Neighborhood Center Board of Directors (2017 – 2020). Mary also volunteers her time to support community initiatives. Ms. Warren holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore. Additionally, Ms. Warren has a Master’s Certificate in Information Technology Project Management from George Washington University/ESI. Ms. Warren is a certified Project Management Professional.

Sydney Biggs is an AmeriCorps VISTA at Maryland Nonprofits VISTA working in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). She is a 2020 graduate of Elon University, where she finished her Bachelor of Arts in Media Analytics with a double minor in Political Science and Poverty and Social Justice. Sydney has experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection working in the nonprofit sector. Her most recent work experience includes The Success Project as a self-sufficiency fellow and as an undergraduate intern at STEMconnector and Georgia Justice Project.