You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe.
You have to have courage, raw courage.
Our Origins
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. The JLMLF is committed to doing its part by continuing the good, righteous 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.
Bridges
We Are Building
JLMLF uses the following levers for change, which, when activated together, possess transformational power and potential to build democracy:
Trusted Partnerships
JLMLF’s goals are achieved through trusted, mutually respectful partnerships with mission-aligned individuals, organizations and efforts.
Innovative Thought Leadership
JLMLF commits to prepare individuals and communities for the work of justice by facilitating important, although difficult, conversations.
Strategic Investment
JLMLF invests in, inspires and supports innovative, committed and trusted efforts to achieve its mission.
Detria Austin Everson
Chief Executive Officer
Detria Austin Everson serves as Chief Executive Officer of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation, executing the foundation’s programmatic and operational goals under the guidance of the Board of Directors. Detria brings more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience in the community service, health care, and affordable housing sectors. She served for 8 years as the founding Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Collaborative, and prior, worked with the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), the nation’s largest non-profit community advocacy and homeownership organization, serving as Director of External and Government Affairs, and ultimately as the Chief Operating Officer.
J. Veronica Biggins
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.
Michael E. Collins
Chair
Michael Collins served as Chief of Staff and Floor Assistant to Congressman John Lewis for almost 20 years, directing the work of the Congressional staff in Washington and in Atlanta, managing long-term legislative plans and acting as the primary liaison for constituents and various interest groups. Following the Congressman’s passing in 2020, Michael was tapped to serve as Special Assistant to President Biden and Director of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for Vice President Harris.
Sherry Frank
Sherry Frank served as the Southeast Area Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee for 25 years. She helped initiate the organization’s Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition as well as its Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Her passion for building bridges of understanding between people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds led to her helping found the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta and the Georgia Interethnic Coalition and to her appointment to the Georgia Human Relations Commission.
Helene D. Gayle
Helene Gayle is the president of Spelman College. She formerly served as president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations. For almost a decade, she was president and CEO of CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization; and, prior to that, she led programs in HIV/AIDS and other global health challenges and spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS.
Frederick S. Humphries, Jr.
Fred Humphries is Corporate Vice President of U.S Government Affairs for Microsoft. As the company’s chief public policy advocate internally and externally on all aspects of federal, state and civic affairs, he sets the company’s strategy on the most pressing policy issues facing the technology industry including cloud computing, taxes, privacy, trade, cyber security, education, immigration, and emerging technologies.
Tharon Johnson
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.
Stephen L. McDaniel
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.
Linda Earley Chastang
President Emerita
Linda Earley Chastang is president emerita of the John and Lillian Miles Lewis Foundation. She twice served as Chief of Staff and Counsel to Congressman Lewis 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.
Rodney E. Slater
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.