The Team

Richard Brookshire

Co-Founder, CEO

Richard Brookshire is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Black Veterans Project, an organization furthering research, national reporting and storytelling to advance racial equity for Black veterans in and out of uniform. As a storyteller, Richard leverages a background in political communications and digital advocacy to deliver strategic and dynamic social-impact campaigns. Richard has previously served as Director of Communications for Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America and Deputy Director for Communications, Politics at the Human Rights Campaign. He is an alumnus of Morehouse College and a graduate of Fordham University and holds an MPA in Urban & Social Policy from Columbia University SIPA. A former infantry Combat Medic and U.S. Army veteran of the War in Afghanistan Richard’s commentary and efforts have been highlighted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, theGrio and others.

Daniele Anderson

Co-Founder, Board Chair

Daniele D. Anderson is the Co-Founder and Board Chair of the Black Veterans Project. A native of Oklahoma City, OK, she graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in 2013. She then commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy where she served for over five years serving onboard two guided-missile cruisers, the USS Normandy and USS Leyte Gulf. In 2018 she resigned her commission to pursue an interdisciplinary Master of Arts focusing on issues of race and ethnicity in Latin America and the United States. She is a member of the National Historical Association, National Naval Officers Association, and Black Veterans Project.

Zella Vanie

Co-Founder, Board Vice-Chair

Zella Vanie is a multidisciplinary artist and strategist whose work is at the intersection of research, content strategy, and design. Zella has spent their career helping organizations build inclusive products, craft stories, and push creative ideas to their highest potential. They are the founder and lead design strategist at Seven Futures and previously served as a Senior Product Designer at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Zella is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Brain Trust

Black Veterans Project's Brain Trust supports programmatic research and storytelling initiatives. As ambassadors to the project, members of the Brain Trust provide invaluable perspectives and assistance to propel our mission forward.

Chasity Cox

Navy

Clyde Gunter

Navy

Harvey Jackson

Army

Isiah James

Army

Randee Howard

Navy

Tim Berry

Army

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