Help RaleighForward Achieve its Mission
RaleighForward’s Mission is to become the most trusted community resource for people interested in helping Raleigh address housing affordability, resident engagement and community prosperity. To do that, we need to find ways to tap into the knowledge, skills and desires of as many Raleigh residents from as many different backgrounds as possible. We realize this is easier said than done, but RaleighForward is committed to trying.
So, if you’re interested in meeting new people, learning about the challenges facing the City, and working together to find practical ways to improve the lives of every Raleigh resident, please consider joining the RaleighForward Board of Advisors. You don’t need to have any special skills, education or experience. You only need to have an open mind, a big heart, the willingness to learn from others and a desire to make Raleigh better.
If you are interested in helping RaleighForward achieve its mission, please send us an email and tell us a little about yourself and how you would like to help!
Board of Advisors
-
Diana Powell
Diana is a North Carolina native who worked for ten years as a Correctional Lieutenant with the Department of Corrections. She has developed and implemented numerous community programs in Raleigh.
She has developed programs to meet the nutritional needs of the low/income and minority families. Much of her effort focuses on issues involving youth who are going through the criminal justice system.
Diana is the owner and Executive Director of Justice Served NC. She sits on the board of the A. Philip Randolph Institute of Raleigh as Chaplin.
She’s a Community Court Advocate where she facilitates training and certifies volunteers on how to help people navigate the criminal judicial system.
She organized a Citywide event helping people with expungement and driver’s license restoration who have been impacted by the criminal justice system.
She’s the Statewide Outreach Coordinator for Second Chance Alliance.
Diana also serves as a certified Ex-Offender Employment Specialist through the United States Federal Prison in Butner.
-
Eric Braun
Prior to retiring in 2010, Mr. Braun's law practice practice focused on land use regulation, zoning, litigation and municipal law.
Mr. Braun also taught municipal law and land use planning for NC State's Master of Public Administration program.
Today, he volunteers with local boards, committees and nonprofits dedicated to solving social and economic issues vital to maintaining healthy and viable communities. He is presently the Vice Chair of the Raleigh Housing Authority and Chair of the Triangle Family Services Board of Advisors. He served 6 years on the Raleigh Planning Commission (2 years as Chair) and also recently Chaired the Raleigh Study Committee on City Council Terms,Compensation and Voter Engagement.
-
Jeff Durkin
Jeff is a North Carolina native and works at a local firm specializing in real estate analysis.
Previously, Jeff worked in product management and data analysis at several healthcare technology companies. His focus has been on products that are designed to simplify administrative processes in healthcare. He has also been active in several political campaigns at the local and Federal level.
Jeff joined Raleigh Forward to help advocate for policies make Raleigh safer and more affordable for all.
-
Will Choi
Will Choi is an architect with a keen interest in the link between the shapes of our cities and the shapes of our communities.
Will is a co-founder of Raleigh-based architecture practice MontgomeryChoi. Will's daily work focuses on projects that bring him face-to-face with urban issues in Raleigh, and he draws from a decade of previous experience in NYC designing major urban projects across the country.
Alongside his professional practice, Will remains close to academia and research - he is a frequent guest critic at various institutions such as NCSU, Columbia University and NYU, among others.
Will holds a Master of Architecture from Harvard University but considers his best education the life lived across great cities - that’s Seoul, New York, Boston, and of course, Raleigh!