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MEET THE TEAM
We are dedicated to funding evidence-based strategies that can stop murders before they happen.
CHANDRA DAWSON
Interim Executive Director
Chandra Dawson, LISW, LCSW is a Licensed Independent Social Worker. Her professional career includes over 20 years of social work practice serving various marginalized populations primarily comprised of communities of color. A substantial portion of her career involves designing, managing, and implementing programs designed to meet the multifaceted needs of the underserved. She has years of organizational experience including case management, crisis intervention, supervision, training, project management, and senior leadership within organizations serving trauma survivors within the District of Columbia. Chandra’s professional background includes managing contracts at both local and federal levels, leading non-profit organizations, and designing and implementing training programs to support various local and state systems, such as TANF, victim services, behavioral health, and homeless services. Her capability in programming and technical assistance has been instrumental in addressing the complex needs of these systems. Her ability to establish and maintain vital relationships with organizations across systems has contributed to developing formal partnerships vital to trauma survivor safety, healing, and equitable service accessibility. Chandra is deeply committed to the development of system-level trauma prevention and intervention efforts designed to address the intersecting issues of racial and economic oppression.
She formerly served as Vice President for Friendship Place, a local nonprofit serving the housing needs of homeless individuals and families in the District of Columbia. She is also the founder of The MACRO Project Inc., a social work consulting practice providing ethical trauma-informed services to groups, organizations, and agencies representing various systems. As founder, Mrs. Dawson provides consultation and training to organizations and licensed professionals addressing topics such as intersectional trauma-informed service provision, domestic & sexual violence programming, multicultural intervention, equity, and more. Mrs. Dawson is a former 2020 Leadership Education and Advancement for Professionals (LEAP) fellow, a program funded by the Office of Violence Against Women. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland at Baltimore with a practice interest in Social Action and Community Development.
RACHEL USDAN
Chief Operating Officer | Co-Founder
Rachel Usdan became involved in the gun violence reduction space in 2016 as a volunteer with the DC chapter of Moms Demand Action. Rachel learned that while DC has relatively strong gun safety laws, the city’s borders are porous and illegal guns can easily enter the city. It wasn’t until Rachel volunteered with Moms Demand Action that she realized she too was a survivor; her uncle died by gun suicide before Rachel was born. Rachel recognized the ripple effects that that tragedy had on her family was the same as the heartbreaking ripple effects that trauma has had on so many DC families who have had loved ones taken by gun violence, homicide or suicide.
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After Rachel‘s hometown neighborhood (Tree of Life, Squirrel Hill, PA) and the high school that her husband attended (Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, Parkland, FL) both experienced mass shooting in the same year, Rachel was determined to do more. In 2018, Rachel became the DC Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action. By then, Rachel understood that much more beyond gun safety laws could make a community safe. Rachel worked hard to show up and listen and get to know the dedicated Black- and Brown-led local community organizations doing the arduous work of interrupting violence and healing trauma in DC.
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Rachel is honored to be a part of Peace For DC - amplifying the voices of DC's violence intervention and prevention professionals, and working in partnership with these Peacemakers through implementation of proven strategies to end gun violence.
NAKEDA GILBERT
Program Manager - DC Peace Academy
Nakeda Gilbert is the Program Manager of the DC Peace Academy, Peace For DC's flagship program. Nakeda brings a wealth of management experience working in the violence intervention field, as well as work in the corporate and business worlds. She demonstrates true compassion and patience, earned through life experiences as a mother and deep ties living and working with community in Ward 7. Nakeda is a strong, organized leader and very valuable Peace For DC team member.
ANTOINE GATLIN
Program Manager - Training and Community Engagement
Antoine Gatlin is an integral member of the Peace For DC team- as a Roca Rewire Cognitive Behavioral Theory Facilitator, and supporting our DC Peace Academy and HEAL DC programs. Antoine is a Washingtonian born and raised in Ward 5 in the Trinidad / Ivy City community. As a former employee of NAARC Cure the Streets, Antoine worked his way up from Outreach Worker- where he helped high-risk individuals in The Ward 5 Trinidad community and the 18th and M St sector to obtain wrap-around services- to a role as Program Manager- where he led a team of ten credible staff members: 7 Violence Interrupters, 2 Outreach Workers and 1 Site Supervisor with an overall goal of reducing gun violence in the community and rehabilitating high risk individuals. These professional experiences helped Antoine to learn more about gun violence and how trauma affects a whole community. He has received certification in Restorative Justice, Project Management, VIRT Circle Keeping, Mindful Workplace with Early Childhood, and is a graduate of the DC Peace Academy. Antoine's motto is: "Put The Guns Down And Pick The Kids Up" and we're thrilled to have him on our team, helping make that motto a reality.
KRISTIN ADAMS
Program Manager - HEAL DC
Kristin Adams is dedicated and highly skilled with over a decade of experience in program management, policy development, and community engagement. She began her career in 2009 as a Case Manager in Washington, D.C., where she developed a strong foundation in direct service and advocacy for vulnerable populations. Over the years, Kristin has built a reputation for leadership in managing complex programs aimed at supporting youth, young adults, and families in need of behavioral health and housing services.
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Previously, Kristin served as the Assistant Director for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for the State of Maryland, where she provided leadership, strengthened partnerships, and ensured the successful implementation of housing initiatives across the state. In addition, she oversaw youth emergency shelter grants, ensuring compliance with terms, tracking expenditures, and offering technical assistance to grantees.
Kristin was also the Youth Project Coordinator for the Now is the Time: Healthy Transitions Grant at the Department of Behavioral Health, which was focused on providing individualized behavioral health services for youth and young adults in Wards 5, 7 and 8 in Washington DC. Kristin played a pivotal role in implementing strategies to support youth and young adults receiving or needing behavioral health services. She developed key community partnerships, led public education campaigns, and facilitated community assessments to better serve underserved populations. Her work included grant outreach, workshop facilitation, data collection, and serving as a contributor to a national publication by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
With experience supervising teams, leading workshops, and contributing to national efforts, Kristin's career reflects her unwavering commitment to improving the lives of our young people.
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Our Board
We are very fortunate to have a Board composed of individuals who care deeply about our mission and bring deep knowledge and experience to this work. We are truly grateful for their commitment to building peace in DC.
Jane Korhonen
Partner, Brown Advisory.
Chair of Private Client Investment Committee
Roger Marmet
Founder, Peace For DC
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Roger Marmet is working to reduce gun violence to honor the memory of his son, Tom Marmet, as well as every other victim of homicide in the District. Tom was 22 when he was killed, October 24, 2018, just driving home from his first job out of college working for So Others Might Eat. Tom’s murder was another senseless but possibly preventable tragedy in the plague of DC gun violence.
Since then, Roger has dedicated his time to advocacy - and now action. He is dedicated to building community-powered resources to save lives in DC’s most dangerous neighborhoods, and bringing philanthropy to helping reduce the homicide rate in the city.
Roger was born in Washington DC and had a long career in television before entering the restaurant business. He has been active in the leadership of nonprofit organizations and is now committed to bringing resources to the most desperately needed neighborhoods in the city that he - and his son - loved so much for all their lives.
Dr. Roger Mitchell, MD
Chief Medical Officer – Howard University Ambulatory Care
Center Director – Center of Excellence, Trauma and Violence Prevention
Chair Department of Pathology - Howard University College of Medicine,
Former DC Deputy Mayor For Public Safety and Justice,
Former DC Chief Medical Examiner
Mary Zients
Founding Member and Board Chair - Urban Alliance Foundation