LEADERSHIP TEAM

Jenise Terrell

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

As Public Allies CEO, Jenise Terrell (she/her) brings over 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, community development and leadership development. Jenise began her journey in leadership as a Public Allies AmeriCorps member herself in 1997. Throughout her more than 20 year history with Public Allies, Ms. Terrell has held several roles, including Ally mentor and supervisor, field operations leader, fundraising strategist, government relations lead, Executive Vice President of Program Strategy, and most recently, Interim CEO.

Jenise’s personal mission is to create a world where all young people have the opportunity to realize their full potential. She has worked to fulfill that vision by leveraging national service as a vehicle to create pathways to leadership for marginalized and disenfranchised voices across the United States. Jenise played a central role in developing innovative Public Allies initiatives: DREAMCorps, the first national service program to engage DREAMers (young adults with deferred immigration status) in national service; a collaborative, multi-city venture with the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance to build career and education pathways for Men of Color, and a multi-city partnership with AARP designed to increase livable communities for multiple generations.

Jenise is a native Milwaukeean, proud Public Allies Milwaukee alumna, Marquette University alumna, and a working mother of two beautiful children. Jenise is passionate about the history of Milwaukee’s Black community, speculative fiction, and the writing of Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Octavia Butler, N. K. Jemison and the legion of Black women who dare to tell the truth about our history and imagine a future where we all are free.

Lauren Elfant

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

Prior to joining Public Allies, Lauren (she/her) was the Deputy Director of U.S. Programs at the Center for Reproductive Rights and before that, Chief of Staff to Commissioner Carmelyn P. Malalis at the New York City Commission on Human Rights. In her position, Lauren served as advisor to the Commissioner and as a member of the executive team responsible for setting and implementing the Commission’s policy and legislative agenda. She also had a leadership role in building and supporting city-wide initiatives, proposing new initiatives and campaigns, and establishing relationships with community partners, elected officials, local businesses, and other stakeholders, as well as supporting general operations and management of the Commission. Prior to joining the Commission, Lauren worked as a staff attorney in the Community Development Project at the Urban Justice Center where she provided technical and legal support on consumer justice issues through affirmative and defensive litigation and policy advocacy. Lauren also worked as a Supervising Attorney and Team Leader at the Bronx Defenders in the Family Defense Practice where she engaged in extensive litigation on behalf of parents involved in the child welfare system.

Lauren received her BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her JD from Temple Beasley School of Law, where she was the Symposium Editor of the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review.

Michelle Dobbs

CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER

Michelle Dobbs (she/her) is a multi-faceted professional whose experience spans, non-profit executive, author/publisher, community-builder, and African American cultural preservationist.

As the Owner of Sugarfoot Publishing since 1996, she has dedicated herself to highlighting historic fiction and nonfiction works while conducting Community Building Workshops in the Foundation for Community Encouragement (FCE) model.

She is the author of THE ROCK ISLAND LINE: CONVERSATIONS OVER CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS which was a finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. This novel, based on the history of her family, was later produced as a play by the Bronzeville Arts Theater Company of Milwaukee.

Michelle began her journey with Public Allies in Milwaukee serving as the first Education and Training Program Manager. While in that role, Michelle helped give birth to the original Public Allies training curriculum and program design. She is a core contributor to the program model and design that is still being followed today. From there, she went to work for Public Allies National Office where she served as National Program Director. After working as an organizational leadership consultant, Michelle rejoined Public Allies National Office in 2006 to design and lead the Leadership Practice, Public Allies’ inaugural consulting practice.

With a Print Journalism degree from Howard University, Michelle combines her communication skills with her passion for leadership, community development, in addition to instructional and environmental design. She is fluent in English and French, and possesses a working knowledge of Spanish.

La-Tonia Jackson

CHIEF OF STAFF

La-Tonia Jackson (she/her) is a strategic and influential senior executive with over 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, thought leadership, corporate social responsibility, strategic transitions, and project management. She is a devoted advocate for developing and implementing diversity initiatives by cultivating positive and inclusive work environments through her strong understanding of the challenges involved in leading corporate-wide culture changes. 

La-Tonia is a member of the Board of Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem on the Executive and Governance committees, and is a diamond-life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  La-Tonia has led values-aligned initiatives aimed at improving corporate communication, process, strategy, and profitability– both as an expert consultant and as a leader. She launched the first “Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Summit,” a hands-on experiential learning and mentoring weekend for 100 underserved middle school minority males from across the nation in the Bay area. La-Tonia also designed and executed the Innovative Learning Girls Program for a Fortune 500 company, which provided a 3-week next-gen tech summer experience and monthly academic year engagement to 1500 rural, under-resourced, middle school girls across 15 community colleges.

Currently, La-Tonia serves as the Staff Officer/Chaplain of the U.S. Army Reserve in Fort Dix, New Jersey. She has a Doctor of Ministry from the United Theological Seminary, a Master of Divinity, Theology and Women’s Studies from the Princeton Theological Seminary, a MS in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from the Fordham Graduate School, and a BA in Behavioral Science with a minor in Criminal Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

José A. Rico

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

José Rico (he/his) has over three decades of transformative leadership in education, public policy, and philanthropy. A proud Public Allies alum, José began his leadership journey as an Ally with Public Allies in 1994. He then served for three years as a Program Manager at PA Chicago under Michelle Obama’s leadership.

In 2009 President Barack Obama appointed José to lead the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where he spearheaded national efforts to reduce dropout rates and improve college graduation rates for Latino students. Returning to Chicago in 2014, Jose took on the role of Senior Vice President of Community Impact at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, where he managed over $150 million in investments to strengthen social services and support neighborhood development. Jose was also the founding Executive Director of Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Greater Chicago, where he amplified racial healing, uniting community, business and nonprofit leaders citywide.

Throughout his career, José has championed racial equity, economic resilience, and community empowerment. His return to Public Allies signals a deep commitment to advancing opportunity and mobilizing resources for fostering belonging, bridging divides, and creating opportunities that empower individuals to build a stronger, more resilient society.