Grassroots Health is thrilled to announce that Jane Wallis, MPH, our Associate Director, has earned a coveted spot as a 2024 Seeding Disruption Fellow. As a member of a small cohort of leaders of youth-facing, equity-centered nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., Jane will participate in a series of workshops and events that will sharpen her skills to champion racial and health equity in our education system.
“I am humbled and excited to join the incredible cohort of #SeedingDisruptionFellows! Thank you to The Equity Lab for including me, I can’t wait to get started!,” said Jane Wallis, MPH, Associate Director of Grassroots Health.
The Seeding Disruption Fellowship brings together a diverse group of leaders in Washington, DC, from organizations doing work in PK–12 education and in intersecting fields. Over the course of 13 months, participants develop their skills and knowledge as leaders for equity; build community across racial differences, organizations, and fields; and generate, seed, and catalyze disruptive practices for the purpose of dismantling systems of racial inequity in Washington, DC. The group centers its work on students, though participants come to that shared focus from a range of perspectives.
“I’m so excited for Jane to continue her growth and development as a Seeding Disruption Fellow! The Equity Lab’s mission to disrupt racial and ethnic inequity through programs that develop agents of progress deeply connects to our work at Grassroots Health. I have no doubt that this experience will provide Jane, and Grassroots Health, with the tools and leadership to continue to advance health equity in D.C. and beyond,” said Mackenzie Jones, Director of People, Systems, and Operations at Grassroots Health.
Ms. Wallis has been a champion of school health for more than a decade. She has worn multiple hats at Grassroots Health, from student-athlete volunteer when she was a soccer athlete at GW, to Peace Corps Health Extension Agent in rural Zambia, and then as the core leader of our program team in DC since 2017. She is also an appointed member of the DC Mayor’s Commission on Health and HIV, where she serves as the Community Co-Chair.
Seeding Disruption is a co-creation of Michelle Molitor and Abigail Smith. Michelle and Abigail have a combined 40+ years in public education, most of that in Washington, DC. They bring extensive perspective and experience that spans teaching, school leadership, non-profit management, and high-level school district and local government leadership in DC. Seeding Disruption’s inaugural cohort was generously funded by Education Forward DC.
