ABOUT US

Before his passing in 2020, Congressman Lewis created the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation to carry on his and his wife’s passion for purposeful living. John and Lillian consistently demonstrated their love of learning and their unwavering devotion to teaching others. They were steadfastly committed to peace, to strengthening democracy through civic engagement, to fairness and justice, to amplifying the voices of rising generations, and to building the “beloved community.” They believed in the power and importance of dialogue and collaboration, and they had unwavering confidence in the capacity of individuals to reimagine and build a better society.

People throughout the U. S. and around the world, young and old, rich and poor, of all races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, are responding to a newfound sense of urgency to make intentionally different choices to dismantle intolerance and injustice and to build a world in which everyone values the dignity and worth of every human being. JLMLF is committed to doing its part by continuing the good and important work of John and Lillian Miles Lewis and inspiring what Congressman Lewis called “good trouble, necessary trouble!”

When the Foundation launched on the Congressman’s birthday in 2022, John-Miles Lewis said, “When my dad thought of this Foundation, it was his vision that it would support good work, inspire good troublemaking and do its part to make the world a better place.” It is the Foundation’s mission to realize Congressman Lewis’ vision.

Meet The Board

Michael E. Collins

Board chair and interim president

Michael Collins is the Board Chair and Interim President for the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. He served as the long-term Chief of Staff, Floor Assistant, and Senior Advisor to Congressman John Lewis—a civil rights icon, a revered national leader, and the representative for Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District—for more than twenty years. As Chief of Staff, Michael directed the work of the Congressional staff in both Washington and Atlanta. Michael managed the long-term legislative plans of Congressman Lewis and was the main liaison for constituents and various interest groups. He supported Congressman Lewis as he championed important legislation and made laws that impacted the lives of everyday citizens. Michael has served as the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for Starbucks Coffee Company and earlier served as Special Assistant to President Joe Biden and the Director of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for Vice President Kamala Harris. In his role at Starbucks, he managed teams of communication professionals and has overseen the strategic planning and implementation of both internal and external deliverables, including coordinating public engagement initiatives, creating social media and web content, and establishing, maintaining, and tracking partnerships with key stakeholders. Michael has a B.A. in psychology from Morehouse College, an M.S.W. from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Emory University. Michael gives back to others through CASA DC, a non-profit organization dear to his heart. He is on the Board of Trustees of Morris College, South Carolina and the Sadie Gryce Funny Scholarship Foundation. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He lives in Washington, DC.

Stephen L. McDaniel

Board Secretary

Stephen McDaniel has held senior-level fundraising and marketing leadership positions at universities, including Tuskegee University, Atlanta Technical College and the University of Maryland at College Park, as well as at UNCF, where he led the Atlanta office and served as Regional Telethon Coordinator. Previously, he served as a philanthropy consultant in Niamey, Niger and on the team that evaluated fundraising readiness at the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology, and Management in Kigali, Rwanda. Stephen earned a B.A. at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a certificate in managing institutional advancement at the University of Chicago. He is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive; and has served on the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the National Commission on Philanthropy, and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Advisory Council. He is the administrative trustee of the Charles B. Wright Charitable Trust and is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

J. Veronica Biggins

Board member

J. Veronica Biggins leads Diversified Search Group’s Board Practice and manages the Atlanta office. Prior to her career in the executive search industry, she served as Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Personnel under William Jefferson Clinton. She was also Vice Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and Chair of the Czech Slovak American Enterprise Fund, the latter earning her a Points of Light Award from President George W. Bush. Veronica serves on the Board of Southwest Airlines, Chairs the SCAD Board of Trustees and is recognized as a Top 100 U.S. Director by NACD. She is an Advanced Leadership Fellow from Harvard; and she earned a M.Ed. at Georgia State University and a B.A. at Spelman College.

Tharon Johnson

Board member

Tharon Johnson is the founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group, a full service, bipartisan government affairs and communications firm based in Atlanta. A nationally recognized political strategist and trusted community leader, Tharon appears each week on Fox 5 Atlanta’s public affairs program, “The Georgia Gang” and on 90.1 WABE-FM’s “Political Breakfast” podcast. He is a regular contributor on news shows, including CNN, MSNBC and Atlanta’s WSB-TV, providing timely insights and analysis of political developments at the national, state and local levels; and he is frequently quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Politico, Roll Call and The Hill. Tharon advises elected officials at the highest levels of government and has served as senior advisor to presidential, congressional and mayoral campaigns. He received “40 Under 40” awards from both Georgia Trend Magazine and Atlanta Business Chronicle and was named one of the “Top 25 Most Influential Georgians” by James Magazine. Tharon was awarded the “Unsung Hero Award” by his alma mater Clark Atlanta University; and he is a member of the board of advisors at Inclusivv.

Jerrrick Lewis

Board member

Jerrick Lewis is a native of Troy, Alabama. He was raised on the same family land as his uncle, the late Congressman John R. Lewis. Some of his fondest childhood memories include hearing the stories about his uncle’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.

Rodney Slater

Board member

Rodney Slater is a partner at the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs, where he is head of the transportation practice and chairs the firm’s foundation, which promotes the role of public service and pro bono work in the practice of law and the development of public policy. He is one of the leaders of the firm’s best-in-class practice in Corporate Compliance Advice, ensuring best-business practices for various companies. He led Toyota’s Safety Advisory Panel and was selected by the National Highway Transportation Administration to serve as the Independent Monitor of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Rodney served as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Clinton Administration. He earned a J.D. at the University of Arkansas and a B.S. at Eastern Michigan University. He serves on the boards of the National Archives Foundation, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, City Year, Verizon and Delta Airlines.

Linda Earley Chastang

president Emerita

INAUGURAL PRESIDENT AND CEO, AND
PROJECT DIRECTOR, THE GOOD TROUBLE ARCHIVES

Linda Earley Chastang was the Inaugural President and CEO of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, serving from its founding until May 2023 and overseeing its initial organizational development. She twice served as Congressman John Lewis’s Chief of Staff and also served as Counsel and as his Associate Staff on the Ways and Means Committee, where among the initiatives in her portfolio were what is now known as Sam Nunn Federal Building in Atlanta and the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Linda was a member of the founding faculty of the School of Law at Georgia State University; special Advisor to the Chairman of President Obama’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Chief of the Legislative Branch at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Executive Director of the D.C. Judicial Nominations Commission, Staff Director for the Joint Federal Relations Committee for the New Jersey State Legislature and Assistant Attorney General in the Florida Attorney General’s Antitrust Division. She is an alumna of Sarah Lawrence College (B.A.) Howard University (J.D.) and Emory University (LL.M., Taxation). She was named a Congressional Fellow in the Senior Managers in Government Program at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government; and she is a member of the bar in D.C., Florida and Georgia. A member of the Links, Inc., Alpha, Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Cottagers, Inc. and the Northeasterners, Inc., Linda calls Washington, D.C. and Martha’s Vineyard home. She and her husband, Mark, are the proud parents of Rebecca and Mark Jr., and the exceedingly proud grandparents of Cooper and Kennedy.