LIL’s Quarterly Advising Cohort

2025-2026

LIL’s 18-month quarterly advising program offers organizational support to grassroots nonprofits through strategic advising sessions and peer learning opportunities, including annual retreats, webinars, and facilitated discussions.

Code Super Powers Foundation

Code Super Powers (CSP) is committed to bridging the widening skills gap and addressing the economic disparities that come with it. With millions of tech-related jobs going unfilled and underserved populations lacking access to necessary training, the scale of the problem is immense. As a workforce development intermediary, CSP facilitates internships, apprenticeships, and work-based learning programs, connecting individuals with job placement opportunities through corporate partners and municipalities. By supporting transitions from school to career, CSP equips individuals with the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

Consulting Focus:

Support to optimize operational infrastructure and financial modeling to sustain and expand the FutureReady program

Participating Leaders

Matinde Evans Executive Director

Alana Williams Chief Financial Officer

Matinde Evans is the Executive Director of Code Super Powers Foundation (CSP), a 501(c)(3) social enterprise dedicated to closing the digital divide and providing equitable STEM opportunities for adolescents. Since February 2019, Matinde has led CSP in scaling its impact, equipping thousands of students with critical skills in emerging technology fields. By addressing the global skills gap, CSP’s work not only empowers communities but also delivers cross-sector benefits to industries grappling with talent shortages in areas like software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. With over 20 years of experience in engineering, project management, and technology consulting, Matinde combines deep technical expertise with visionary leadership. Before CSP, he managed a $30 million Microsoft Systems Center migration project for IBM and General Motors, impacting over 200,000 users. A magna cum laude graduate of Morgan State University with a B.S. in Computer Systems and Science, Matinde is a transformative leader dedicated to advancing economic mobility and workforce readiness while creating meaningful connections between education, industry, and opportunity.

Alana Williams is an experienced MBA/JD with a proven track record in finance, law, and business administration. She excels in cultivating strong relationships with C-level executives, internal teams, and external stakeholders to drive decision-making and achieve objectives. Alana has worked with professional services clients, focusing on bookkeeping, financial statement analysis, and strategic growth plans. Over the last decade, she has honed her expertise in crafting financial forecasts, budgeting, consolidation, and reporting, ensuring operational efficiency and transparency. Alana holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance, a Juris Doctor (cum laude), and an MBA. Alana is also licensed to practice law in three states and is pursuing CPA licensure. In her free time, Alana enjoys listening to historical podcasts and watching her Philadelphia sports teams.

Detroit Hives

By providing accessible and well-maintained green spaces, promoting the conservation of urban pollinators, and spearheading the transformation of neglected parcels into vibrant, productive green spaces, Detroit Hives is actively combatting the entrenched inequities that disproportionately impact African-American communities across the region. With a concentrated focus on addressing blight, food insecurity, and environmental injustices, particularly prevalent in Detroit, Detroit Hives endeavors to generate new avenues of resources and opportunities, fostering a sense of hope, resilience, and empowerment within these historically marginalized communities. Through DH’s relentless commitment to fostering inclusivity, equity, and sustainable urban development, Detroit Hives strives to pave the way for a more just, vibrant, and equitable Southeastern Michigan, where every voice is heard, every life is valued, and every community thrives.

Consulting Focus:

Support with the development and sustainability of an educational center

Participating Leaders

Timothy Jackson Co-Executive Director

Nicole Lindsey Co-Executive Director

Detroit native Timothy Paul Jackson is a an experienced Non-Profit leader. After learning about the importance of pollinator conservation, Timothy co-founded Detroit Hives; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is improve the quality of life for people and pollinators, by converting vacant lots into educational bee farms. For over nine years, Timothy has used the art of urban beekeeping and urban revitalization to create a social, environmental and financial impact within Detroit's underserved communities. Under his leadership, he has educated thousands of inner city youth through their Bee The Change Program, Founded National Urban Beekeeping Day, established the City of Detroit as a Bee City USA Affiliate, while also managing the health of over 4.5 million honeybees in Detroit. Timothy is also a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., American Beekeeping Federation, Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association, Michigan Beekeepers Association, Michigan Wildflower Association, Bee Ambassador of the Honeybee Conservancy, 2nd Vice President of Keep Michigan Beautiful, and a Master rain gardener.

Detroit native Nicole Lindsey is a an experienced Non-Profit leader. After learning about the importance of pollinator conservation, she co-founded Detroit Hives; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is improve the quality of life for people and pollinators, by converting vacant lots into educational bee farms. For over nine years, Nicole has used the art of urban beekeeping and urban revitalization to create a social, environmental and financial impact within Detroit's underserved communities. Under his leadership, she has educated thousands of inner city youth through their Bee The Change Program, Founded National Urban Beekeeping Day, established the City of Detroit as a Bee City USA Affiliate, while also managing the health of over 4.5 million honeybees in Detroit. Nicole is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., American Beekeeping Federation, Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association, Michigan Beekeepers Association, Michigan Wildflower Association, Bee Ambassador of the Honeybee Conservancy, Secretary of Keep Michigan Beautiful, and a certified Master Beekeeper from E-Cornell University.

Nature Nexus Institute

Nature Nexus Institute aims to support and manage community-led habitat restoration, youth leadership, and conservation programs that promote equitable access to Los Angeles open spaces and the natural environment. To cultivate an appreciation of and respect for nature. We seek to foster positive nature experiences in order to dispel fears and stigmas related to nature by encouraging engagement with the natural world through experiential practices that include both science and art. NNI is dedicated to making nature accessible for all. That starts with understanding the obstacles that prevent communities from accessing nature. It also means learning how communities may already be connecting to nature.

Consulting Focus:

Support with strategic planning and capacity building goals

Participating Leaders

Stacey Vigallon Executive Director/Environmental Education Director

Emily Cobar Community Programs Director

Stacey oversees NNI programs and staff management. She leads community science programs, art-science workshops, and also manages NNI’s Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program. She is a co-founder of the West Los Angeles College Conservation Studies Certificate Program. She holds a BS in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University, an MS in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington, and she completed the UC Santa Cruz Science Communication Graduate Program with an emphasis in science illustration. She received her EdD from UCLA, with a dissertation focus on nature and transdisciplinary learning.

Emily coordinates a range of programming that connects students, program alumni, and community members with nature-based opportunities. She is co-founder and co-instructor at the West Los Angeles College Conservation Studies Certificate Program. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz and a certified California Naturalist, Emily was part of the very first cohort of NNI’s Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Program in 2008.

Rich Earth Institute

Founded in 2012, Rich Earth is a growing research, education, and demonstration organization based in Brattleboro, Vermont. We have developed a scalable and accessible model to transform the perceptions and practices of nutrient management. Our team has pioneered the first and largest urine nutrient recycling initiative in the United States, which operates under the country’s first permit to produce sanitized Class A fertilizer from nutrients in urine. Using this model, we support other communities in adopting circular systems that prevent nutrient pollution, conserve water, offset dependence on synthetic fertilizer, and support local agriculture. This work protects food systems, creates accessible sanitation infrastructure, and builds local resilience as communities face the impacts of climate change.

Consulting Focus:

Support to revamp and standardize data management procedures and systems

Participating Leaders

Jamina Shupack Executive Director

Mike Iacona Finance Director

Jamina Shupack is the Executive Director of Rich Earth Institute. She joined the Rich Earth team in 2021 after 12 years as an educator. While teaching high school math, she started a Living Lab program to connect the curriculum to hands-on environmental projects. She sees improving the sanitation systems in the United States and beyond as a vital component in reorienting humans' relationship with the environment. Jamina holds a Bachelors in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology from the University of Oregon. Outside of improving nutrient cycles, she can often be found working on a sewing project, cooking for her community, embarking on a bike tour, or swimming in the nearest body of water.

Mike Iacona oversees the Rich Earth Institute's financial systems. He earned a BS in Finance from Penn State University in 2002 and has studied permaculture, agroforestry, and other regenerative farming techniques. He has spent many years working on organic farms in NH, PA, Quebec, CA, and various parts of Europe. This time spent growing food has led to his deep appreciation for nutrient cycles, soil health and its important role in human health. Mike also has 10 years of practical experience running a residential carpentry business and designing/ building wooden taper-wall yurts. Though it may look like he's creating a spreadsheet, he's actually turning waste into a resource.

Spokane Zero Waste

We work to change the systems that make waste in the areas of food/organics, plastics and textiles. We do this through education, repair cafes, working with businesses, organizations and the city to write ordinances that reduce waste upstream and manage it appropriately downstream and we are developing a line of durable products using materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill or be incinerated. ReCraftLab, our upcycle brand, offers sewing training to immigrant and refugee women. We are beginning to work with local fiber producers to develop a Fibershed, and rebuild a fiber industry here in Eastern Washington with a focus on soil to soil resiliency and jobs that serve planet and people.

Consulting Focus:

Support with business development and operational structure

Participating Leaders

Elyse Hochstadt Executive Director

Maggie Schott Board Secretary

Elyse is an artist, activist and change-maker. Her work in these various roles centers on cultivating a deep relationship with the living world and inspiring others to see themselves as a part of it. Her journey to running a zero waste organization began with a gray whale encounter and a promise to protect its ocean home and by extension all planetary ecosystems. She believes in starting where you are, focusing on what can be done locally and sharing leadership, as we all have something to share and to learn.

Maggie is an attorney who provides legal assistance in a range of Social Security disability matters. She earned her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was a part of the Law Women’s Caucus, the Public Interest Law Association and the Unemployment Law Clinic. She is currently running a solo law practice focusing on disability claims, and is Adjunct Faculty at Gonzaga University School of Law. For years Maggie has focused her legal practices on issues of welfare, disability, unemployment compensation and domestic violence survivor advocacy. Maggie is passionate about social and environmental justice. She loves to spend time outdoors, growing flowers, and exploring rivers, mountains, and beaches.