Hope Center’s Advisory Committee is made up of dedicated volunteer members who provide guidance on issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism (IDEA), ethics, business, policy, legal and social work practice, among others.
Corina M. Garcia
Legal Advisor
Corina M. Garcia, Esq., is a business and legal affairs consultant with nearly a two-decade experience in community organizing, advocacy, business and the legal field.
She currently works as a music and entertainment attorney and as a business affairs consultant. In her spare time, Corina volunteers as a youth mentor and engages in grassroots community organizing.
Corina has worked at both the national and local level at social justice organizations impacting communities of color.
Dushaw Hockett
IDEA Advisor
Dushaw Hockett is the founder and Executive Director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity (SPACEs), a Washington, DC-based leadership development and community building organization dedicated to bridging the gap between what people imagine and what they achieve.
He’s the former Director of Special Initiatives for the Center for Community Change (CCC). And a former aide to Representative Nydia M. Velazquez (NY), the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
Dushaw has written several publications focused on citizen engagement and conflict transformation. They include Not Part of the Plan, Crossing Borders and A Hope Unseen.
Ky’Neike King
Social Work Advisor
Ky’Neike King is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker(LCSW-C) and Certified Therapeutic Art Life Coach with overs 25 years of experience in social services.
She has worked serving individuals and families in the areas of HIV/AIDS, addictions, mental health, child welfare, trauma, and homelessness amongst others.
Throughout her career, Ky’Neike has served on several community advisory boards and steering committees in the Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA areas, focused on addressing issues such as human trafficking and child abuse and neglect. It was through this work she learned how to engage and organize communities to address a common cause.
Ky’Neike stumbled into the helping profession as a teenager, but quickly realized it is her assigned purpose in life.
Isaac Alejandro Velez
Public Affairs & Policy Advisor
Isaac Alejandro Velez is a candidate for a Master’s degree in Public Policy with a concentration in political processes and institutions at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. Isaac is also a Graduate Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Isaac’s studies focus on leveraging the intersection of policy and politics to uplift working families and underserved communities. Isaac graduated with a bachelor of science degree in public policy from Rutgers University where he also served in policy roles for Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (VA‐10), Results for America, The Brookings Institution, and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
In the summer of 2022, Isaac was a Summer Scholar at Deloitte Consulting’s Government and Public Services industry where he worked to address complex public sector issues by improving client outcomes with relevant, timely and sustainable solutions. While an undergraduate student at Rutgers, Isaac was selected as a Ralph W. Voorhees Public Service Fellow, an Undergraduate Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, was elected to the Rutgers University Student Assembly, and was chosen to deliver the student convocation speech at the Bloustein School’s graduation ceremony.